For a good summary of the Catholic Church’s teaching on the end times, check out paragraphs 668-682 and 988-1060 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Concerning the Rapture, there are different views. Among them, the most popular is the pre-tribulation view. This view holds that Christ will come invisibly and snatch the righteous from this earth and leave the unrighteous to experience the onslaught of the antichrist.
They will have a chance to repent during this time in order to prepare for Christ’s real 2nd coming when he vanquishes the anti-Christ.
This view, however, is totally unbiblical. The text that many use to support the pre-tribulation view is Luke 17:31-37. The claim is that those taken away are the righteous and the wicked are the ones “left behind.” But the truth is the exact opposite. When you read the text closely, you’ll discover that the ones left behind are the righteous and the ones taken away are the unrighteous. How do we know?
First, Jesus compares his coming to the days of Noah. In the narrative of the flood, it is the unrighteous that are swept away from the earth and the righteous, Noah and his family, are “left behind.”
Second, to the teaching that some will be taken away, the apostles respond, “Where Lord?” Jesus answers, “Where the body is, there the vultures will be gathered together.” That doesn’t sound like heaven!
For further study on this topic, I would encourage you to check out my two-part talk on this topic. You can watch it online for free here:
karlobroussard.com/catholic-view-times/
I would also encourage you to get a copy of Tim Staples’ CD set entitled Last Call which can be purchased here:
shop.catholic.com/last-call-the-catholic-teaching-on-death-judgment-heaven-hell-set.html
Hope that helps!
