No — Les Feldick teaches the Rapture is a sudden, comparatively quiet event with no cataclysmic signs and no outpouring of God's wrath; those belong to the Second Coming.
Les asks of 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4: 'Do you see any language of cataclysmic events? Do you see any language of the wrath of God being poured out? No, it's just all of a sudden here it comes — we're going to be gone' (Clip 0). At the Rapture the Lord descends with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; the dead in Christ rise first, and living believers are caught up to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Les contrasts this with the cosmic signs of Matthew 24:29 and the Lord's feet standing on the Mount of Olives at the Second Coming (Clips 4 and 5).
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 — This is the central Rapture passage Les cites; it records the Lord's descent and believers being caught up with no mention of cataclysmic judgment or wrath.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 — Paul reveals the mystery that believers are changed suddenly 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,' showing the Rapture is immediate rather than a world-shaking catastrophe.
In the Rapture passages themselves, Scripture describes no cataclysmic events or outpouring of wrath. First Thessalonians 4:16-17 says, 'For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.' First Corinthians 15:51-52 likewise describes a sudden change rather than a world-shaking judgment: 'Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.' By contrast, Scripture places cataclysmic signs at the end of the tribulation and at the Lord's return in glory. Matthew 24:29 says, 'Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.' And Zechariah 14:4 says of that day, 'And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.' These passages describe the Second Coming, not the catching away of the church.
Les Feldick answers directly: the Rapture is not a cataclysmic event. Looking at 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4, he asks, 'Do you see any language of cataclysmic events? Do you see any language of the wrath of God being poured out? No, it's just all of a sudden here it comes. We're going to be gone' (Clip 0). Les describes the Rapture as the Lord descending with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; the dead in Christ rise first in resurrection power and are reunited with their soul and spirit, and then living believers are 'caught up' together with them in the clouds — the atmosphere — to meet the Lord in the air (Clips 2, 3, 4). He emphasizes this happens 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye' (Clip 7). Les also teaches that the Rapture will be a silent, instantaneous, unknown event — 'the world isn't going to know that we've gone' — with no trumpet sound that the world will hear (Clip 5). He contrasts this with the Second Coming, when the sun is darkened, the moon gives no light, stars fall from heaven, the tribes of the earth mourn, and Christ's feet stand on the Mount of Olives (Clips 4, 5).
First Thessalonians 4:16-17 records the order of events: 'the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first,' and then 'we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.' Les explains that the dead believers rise in resurrection power, brought out of their tombs and reunited with their soul and spirit, which God has brought from His presence into the atmosphere. First Corinthians 15:51-52 adds that believers will be changed 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.'
Les contrasts the two events clearly. At the Rapture, believers are caught up to meet the Lord in the air; at the Second Coming, Zechariah 14:4 shows 'his feet shall stand... on the Mount of Olives.' He also sets the quiet Rapture against Matthew 24:29-30, where the sun is darkened, the moon gives no light, the stars fall from heaven, and the tribes of the earth mourn at the appearance of the Son of Man. Les says the Rapture will be a silent event the world will not know has happened, while the Second Coming will be visible and accompanied by these cosmic signs (Clips 4, 5).
Les states plainly: 'I think at the Rapture it's going to be a silent, unknown event. The world isn't going to know that we've gone. It's going to be instantaneous, it's going to be silent, and there's going to be no trumpet sound that the world will hear.' The shout, the archangel's voice, and the trump of God are for believers; the cataclysmic signs of Matthew 24 are reserved for the Second Coming (Clip 5).
First Thessalonians 4:14 says, 'If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.' Les reads this as the qualification for being part of the Rapture: believing Paul's Gospel — that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. He says this is 'the only qualification for being in this number' — not church membership or other actions (Clip 0).
No Cataclysmic Language in the Rapture Passages
Les points out that 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 contain no language of cataclysmic events or wrath being poured out — the Rapture simply comes suddenly, and believers are gone.
Sudden Departure Never Hinted at Elsewhere
Les describes the Rapture as a mystery: Christ comes to the atmosphere, the trumpet sounds, the archangel shouts, dead believers are raised, and living believers are caught up in a split second.
The Rapture Sequence From 1 Thessalonians 4
Les walks through the order of the Rapture: the Lord descends, the dead in Christ rise first in resurrection power, and living believers are caught up — the source of the word 'rapture.'
Soul, Spirit, and Resurrection Body Reunited
Les explains that dead believers are brought out of their tombs and reunited with their soul and spirit, which God has brought from His presence into the atmosphere.
Rapture in the Air vs. Second Coming on the Mount of Olives
Les contrasts meeting the Lord in the air with the Second Coming when His feet stand on the Mount of Olives, showing the Rapture is not the cataclysmic Second Coming.
A Silent, Unknown, Instantaneous Event
Les teaches the Rapture will be silent and unknown to the world — no audible trumpet and no cosmic chaos — while the cataclysmic signs of Matthew 24 belong to the Second Coming.
The Origin of the Word 'Rapture'
Les notes that 'caught up' is the word from which the term 'rapture' is coined, referring to believers meeting the Lord in the air.
Changed in a Moment, at the Last Trump
Les explains 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: believers will be changed in a twinkling of an eye, the dead in Christ will be raised incorruptible, and living believers will take flight to meet them.
1 Thessalonians 4:16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
This verse records the Lord's descent at the Rapture with a shout, the archangel's voice, and the trump of God — described nowhere as a cataclysmic event.
1 Thessalonians 4:17: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This is the 'catching up' that gives the Rapture its name; believers meet the Lord in the air rather than in a scene of judgment on earth.
1 Corinthians 15:51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Paul introduces the Rapture as a mystery revealed through him, not as a publicly known cataclysmic event.
1 Corinthians 15:52: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
This verse stresses the suddenness of the Rapture — 'in a moment' — rather than a drawn-out catastrophe.
Matthew 24:29: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Les cites this as the cataclysmic sign language that belongs to the Second Coming after the tribulation, not to the Rapture.
Zechariah 14:4: And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Les uses this verse to contrast the Second Coming — His feet on the Mount of Olives — with the Rapture, where believers meet the Lord in the air.
No. Les points out that 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 contain no language of cataclysmic events or of the wrath of God being poured out. The Rapture is a sudden gathering of believers, not a judgment scene. Wrath and catastrophic signs belong to the tribulation period and the Second Coming (Clips 0, 5).
Les teaches the Rapture will be a silent, instantaneous, unknown event — the world will not know that believers have gone. There will be no trumpet sound that the world will hear. The visible, cosmic signs of Matthew 24 are reserved for the Second Coming (Clip 5).
Les teaches that 'the dead in Christ shall rise first' in resurrection power. Their bodies are brought out of the tombs and reunited with their soul and spirit, which God has brought from His presence into the atmosphere. Then living believers are caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air (Clips 2, 3, 7).
No. At the Rapture, believers are caught up to meet the Lord in the air and return to heaven with Him. At the Second Coming, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, visible cosmic signs will appear, and the tribes of the earth will mourn (Clips 4, 5).
Watch the Teaching: The Rapture vs. The Second Coming — What's the Difference?