What will the rapture be like—will it involve judgment and wrath or a quiet disappearance?
The rapture is described as the Lord descending from heaven with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; the dead in Christ rise first, then living believers are caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. It is not cataclysmic judgment or God's wrath, but a quiet disappearance.
Les teaches that this rapture is not the Lord coming to Mount Olives and standing there, nor is it cataclysmic judgment or the wrath of God falling all around. Instead, all of a sudden there is going to be a quiet disappearance. He warns against cartoons of multitudes of airliners going down and car wreck after car wreck, because there are not that many believers on the road; there might be one airliner go down somewhere, but not multitudes, since not that many true believers will be gone. Then believers meet the Lord in the air and so shall ever be with the Lord, which is comfort. He also notes that in chapter 4 Paul includes believers with his own experience, using pronouns we and you, before chapter 5 has different language.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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