Growing up a Roman Catholic, I had never even heard of the idea or the term "rapture of the saints." I never read about it in the Bible either because I did not own one until receiving a New Testament as a gift from a young priest that used to teach us both religion and martial arts, but even then I read only the gospels and the Book of Revelation.
So, one night back in 1997 or 1998, I had a following dream. I was walking outside when suddenly my body became light and I began to rapidly rise to the sky. I felt the air blowing on me, as I rose and saw the earth getting smaller, then I began approaching the clouds. I felt a tremendous sense of excitement while wondering what or who am I going to see there and wondered where was I going. Then as I passed through he clouds, I saw a very bright light and woke up.
It was a very realistic type of dream, more like dream vision really, and I never knew what it meant until a couple of years later when reading a passage from apostle Paul describing pretty much the same thing I experienced in my dream with an explanation of what it meant.
"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words."( 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
When I read that, I understood that God was showing to me the same future event that both Jesus and Paul the apostle talked about. I also understood that He wanted me to be in the words of Jesus among those "counted worthy to escape the things which are coming upon the earth." It also proved to me that it was really God personally reaching out to me through dreams and visions and showing me things I could not have otherwise known. It also proved to me that the Bible is indeed inspired by Him and not made up by people alone.
Now, I don't know whether I will in fact be physically alive during the time of rapture, but from this biblical passage, I do know that even if I physically die before it happens, I will still be part of it as one of those whom God will raise from the dead and take to Him on that day, and if you trust your life to Jesus and faithfully follow Him for the rest of your life, then you can be sure that you will be there as well. What a glorious Day it will be!
Also read: The Second Rapture Dream
