Dear Rev. Is it wrong to believe in the rapture? I heard someone say it isn’t in the Bible. They say Christians are too afraid of persecution so they believe in the rapture as a form of escapism. What do you think?

No, it isn’t wrong to believe in the rapture. The Bible clearly teaches it in I Thessalonians 4:13 – “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord“. Many skeptics like to point out that the word “rapture” is not found in the Bible. This is true, but the word “rapture” is used to describe the two words of this verse “caught up”. So whether you use the word “rapture” or the words, “caught up” we are still going up! It may be true that some Christians are afraid of persecution, but that’s no reason to discard the rapture as Biblical truth. The Great Tribulation is a time when God will deal with Christ rejectors, not those who have received Christ as their personal Savior.