Rapture of the Church
The Second Coming of Christ is made up of two events… [In the air for saints & to the earth w/saints]
- The “rapture” the ‘catching up” of the body of Christ – “Thief in the night” 1Thes 5:2
- The literal second coming of Christ “ – “Every eye shall see Him” Rev 1:7 In power & great glory!
Like Enoch, without warning, millions of people instantly vanish from the face of the earth! In the following hours, civilization is torn apart as anarchy and chaos reign supreme. It is a time of great tribulation for those Left Behind. This will literally be the headlines in Newspapers, Networks, CNN, and the Fox News Network. The Lord is allowing this generation to “see” our cultural trends and current events which are pointing toward the second coming of Christ… All bible signs points to the literal return of Jesus… NOT to the rapture…
Enoch pleased God with faith… Believers today please God with faith… By grace we are born into God’s family!
II. New Testament “Rapture” of the Church…
- Believers Glorious Transformation
1 Corinthians 15:50-53 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
Imminent – Sudden – Swift – Selective
- A “mystery” – something previously unknown but now God reveals this snatching away… not all sleep
- V52 – “Flash, NIV / moment, KJV” – “atomos” – atom – in the smallest part of time! Very Quick!! “Twinkling” – “rhipe” (rear-pay) to jerk, rapid movement… GE estimated the blink of the eye is 1/50th of a second. It’s been estimated we blink 25 times per minute… If you drive your car 55 mph on a 10 hour trip, you drive 33 miles with closed eyes! Let this sink in, you’ll get it!
- The human body is perishable, corruptible, subject to decay… believers in the ground will get an imperishable body… those still alive and “mortal” will be transformed and become immortal… a totally new person, an infusion of a new nature… V50 “…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”
- Believers Supernaturally Vanish
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
- V16, “With a shout” (en keleusmati). The word is a military command. The commander-in-chief of the universe will shout a loud command… Rev 4:1 “Come up here”… In a flash, dead raised, we’re changed… meet Jesus
- “Voice of the archangel” will be the rallying cry for all the armies of the heavenly angels… get ready
- “Trump call of God” shall sound… triumphant blast for purpose of arousing attention and warning. The whole universe — earth and heaven, believers, unbelievers, and angels — will be aroused; and all unbelievers will be warned. Are you ready?
- V17, “Caught up” is where we get the Latin word rapture… the Greek word “har-paz-o” means a snatching away; the term conveys the idea of force suddenly exercised… a forceful seizure… dead in Christ & alive…
- 2Co 5:8 “…Absent from the body, present with the Lord”… those in grave go first… 6 feet farther to go!
- Some people do not believe when or if the rapture will happen (end, middle, start), that’s OK…
- Overwhelming scriptural evidence & eschatology knowledge shows it will occur just before the 7 year Tribulation period, called pre-tribulational (not mid or post)… I believe rapture comes before tribulation.
- We see “church” mentioned 19 times in Rev 1-3 then phrase “come up here…” in 4:1… a veiled reference to the rapture, we don’t see the church again until chpt 19 at the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven!
Revelation 3:10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from [tereork, very strong word in Greek… NOT ‘through’ but ‘from’ entirely] the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
III. Global disappearances shocks the world
- Worldwide “rapture effect” will be evident everywhere… countries in turmoil, an excuse for anarchy
- Infrastructure upheaval… Transportation, communications, Governmental systems in chaos… Some places affected worse than others… All Christians are now gone! Piles of clothes everywhere… FEAR…
- Dentures, glasses, heart valves… pace makers zapping sidewalks… missing spouses, babies & young children gone, many religious people left scratching their heads… many church services go on as usual
- Those left behind will face the dreaded 7-year tribulation period…horrible judgment from almighty God
- People left behind are dazed, distraught and shaken by this global event… News reporters scurrying for interviews and answers… perhaps aliens have kidnaped the people… others say Christian/Bible is TRUE
- Over the entire face of the earth people disappeared… Remember Enoch taken & flood came…
- ALL those left behind are unsaved and lost… What will happen after this great event?
The rapture puts into motion many other “End Time” events… The Antichrist is revealed, 2Thes 2:1-9… He signs a peace treaty with Israel & her hostile neighbors, Dan 9:27… The seven year tribulation period begins, Rev 6… God seals 144,000 Jewish “evangelists”, Rev 7:1-8… God’s two witnesses appear in Jerusalem, Rev 11:3-12… God’s judgments are poured out upon earth, Rev… Everlasting Gospel is proclaimed to the world by an angel, Rev 14:6-7… Many supernatural events will take place…
Rapture Effect – Can you imagine… Wife just disappeared, children, piles of clothes… remembering things…
+ Scriptures – Over 6B bibles have been printed (Gideon’s)… In over 2200 languages/dialects (as of 2002)
+ Tribulation – Time of Jacob’s trouble, 70th week of Daniels prophecy… God’s judgment poured out…
+ 144,000 servants – 12,000 men from the 12 tribes of Israel… seal of God protection, power… On-fire 4 God
+ Two witnesses – Most likely Moses & Elijah, ministering in Israel and the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem & area
+ Holy Spirit – He will still be present working on earth as He did in O.T… Unlike today indwelling each believer
+ Large Population – 1830 1B… 1930 2B… 1960 3B… 1975 4B… 1986 5B… 1996 6B… Today 7.1B
= Great multitude are saved that no man could number, Rev 7:9-14
Revelation 7:9, 13-14 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands… 13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes–who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
- Perhaps there will be more saved during the 7 year tribulation period than all of church history!
- But sadly, the believers during this time will be hated and martyred for their faith… horrible time
- Escape the coming darkness, be saved today… don’t be left behind to face the tribulation period
I’m waiting for the upper-taker NOT the under-taker! What a glorious Hope! Are you ready?