Scripture says that when the Lord returns He will burn up the present heavens and earth.
But what will be the fate of His people during this grand conflagration?
This essay explores how early medieval theologians answered this question.
Many of them said that God’s people will be lifted up above the earth so that the fire does not harm them. This early medeival view of the rapture may be called a “pre-conflagration” rapture.
This essay will be published in November 2013 as a chapter in a book entitled The Pure Flame of Devotion: The History of Christian Spirituality.