Rev 4:1-2
1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this."
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. (NKJ)
"I was told of a poor peasant in the mountains who, month after month, year after year, through a long period of declining life, opened his casement every morning, as soon as he awoke, and looked toward the east to see if Jesus Christ were coming. He had not calculated the date of Christ's coming, or he would not have needed to look at all. He was ready for Christ's coming, or he would not have been in such a hurry to seek him. He was willing for Christ's coming, or he would rather have looked another way. He loved, or Christ would not have been the first thought of the morning. His Master did not come, but eventually a messenger did, to fetch the ready one home. The same preparation sufficed for both; his longing soul was satisfied with either. Often the child of God awakes in the morning, weary and encumbered with troubled thoughts, and his Father's secret presence comes to mind. He looks up (if not out) to feel (if not to see) the glories of that last morning when the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall arise indestructible--no weary limbs to bear the spirit down; no feverish dreams to haunt the vision; no dark forecasting of the day's events, no returning memory of the griefs of yesterday."--C. H. Spurgeon
Hey! Where Did They All Go?
In Revelation the first chapter speaks of the appearance of Jesus Christ to the Apostle John on the island of Patmos, where he is exiled for his faith. Jesus appears in stunning form, with all of the elements showing Jesus not in the form of the gentle Savior but in the form of a wrathful Judge.
The church is prominently featured in Revelation Chapters two and three with the letters dictated to John by Jesus Himself. These churches represent not only literal churches in that day, but also church ages over the span of the years and also church people themselves. Today it would sure appear that we are in the age of the church of Laodicea; while there are some churches that are alive and kicking, most are deader than a doornail. Sure, they may have programs and activities and all sorts of things but the Holy Spirit does not direct or drive them.
In addition to the change of the place of the vision location, there's another interesting change. If you were to read the Book of Revelation from Chapter 4 to Chapter 19, you will notice a people made conspicuous through it's absence: the church. Yep, the church in gone. Not one mention of the church. There will be people saved during the tribulation, but these people are not the church.
In the coming weeks, we will learn about the Rapture of the Church, the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Wrath of God which is to come.
Col 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
What Is The Church?
The word for church in Koine Greek, or common Greek, is ekklesia, which is translated as "called out ones". While the word can be translated to mean a gathering of citizens, Thayer's Greek Dictionary translates the word as such in a Christian sense:
1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
2) a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, to observe their own religious rites, to hold their own religious meetings, and to manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake
3) those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body
4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth
5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven
A Christian is from the word Christianos, which means, according to New Unger's Bible Dictionary believer in and a follower of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Dr. Unger goes farther by stating that "being a Christian, according to the NT, is a definite act with significant results."
In short, salvation without transformation is self-deception!
Other words to describe the church are saints (holy ones, set apart), brethren or brothers or sisters in Christ, the elect, the chosen, and more. Not one of these terms relate to a church building. It is the people that are the church. Jesus did not die for a building, He died for a "peculiar (or specific) people".
As mentioned yesterday, if you read through Revelation, the church is conspicuous by it's absence from chapter four through nineteen.
One important thing to note as well is that the church and Israel are separate entities, and those few that are saved during the tribulation period (other than Jews) are not the church; they are "tribulation saints".
If you have had that transformation that only Christ can give, you are a member of the body of Christ, the universal Church. Yet, I find it preposterous to think that a person can be a Christian and not be committed to a local church. Such thinking is, quite honestly, self centered. It is church "my way"; our society teaches us the most important person is ME. However, the Bible speaks of the church being a body with members, a temple with stones, and as a bride. Hey, sounds pretty important to me.
1Thes 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
What Happened To The Church?
Dr. George Sweeting, Former President of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, tells of the day he noticed an unusual combination of bumper stickers on the car of a man who was visiting the school. The coincidental message conveyed by the two stickers prompted Dr. Sweeting to suggest to the unsuspecting visitor that he might want to remove one of them. One read: JESUS IS COMING! and the other: ESCAPE TO WISCONSIN.
My brother and sister in law live in Wisconsin, and although they think that it's more applicable that "Almost Heaven" applies to their state and not to West Virginia, I'm sure that they will agree that it's not heaven!
What is Paul talking about here? If you look at the context, you will find that Paul is speaking of the conduct of believers versus unbelievers.
It's a sad thing when I see people realize, when I'm witnessing to them, that a loved one that has passed away has not made it to heaven. Even more sad are those that have no hope whatsoever and have no idea where the lost soul has gone. I've found that people believe all sorts of things, including these five: 1) all people go to heaven when they die; 2) people are reincarnated as someone or something else when the die; 3) people become a part of "nature"; 4) the disembodied spirits of the deceased are always around us and 5) the just "wink out", going out of existence. All of these views have no hope whatsoever.
First, if you believe that all people go to heaven when they die, then wouldn't we have a lovely existence right along side of Ghengis Kahn, Ted Bundy, Nero, Hitler and Jack the Ripper?
Second, what if you are reincarnated as one of those flies that buzz around cow and horse manure for the rest of that life? Or live as a buzzard picking the flesh off of dead road kill deer, groundhogs and possum? Nice thought...
Third, becoming a part of nature--I just don't get that. Does that mean that we would become a tree? Hey, you might end up being a 2 x 4 in a building, but you just might end up as a rotting log in the woods.
Fourth: Being a ghost? While it would be great to spy on people, on the other hand you would learn things that you really wouldn't want to know either. Not only that, but not being able to touch, not being able to hold a baby in my arms again, not being able to enjoy a Snickers bar again just doesn't quite get it with me.
Fifth, no longer existing--what hope is there in that? The very concept of annihilationism is totally whacked. I mean, to not even exist? Where's the peace in that?
You can see that it's true when you think about it--the unsaved have no hope.
1 Thess 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
As you probably know, the word sleep in the Bible often means "are dead". Paul tells the Thessalonians that if we believe that Jesus died and rose again that we must also logically believe that God will bring with them those that are dead in Jesus. Now there is a thought--Jesus not only takes us to heaven in the Rapture, but He will also bring us back in-tow when He returns (Revelation 19:14).
1 Thess 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
This is said by Paul and his fellow brothers in Christ Timothy and Silvanus--they were instructed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus revealed it directly to Paul, and possibly to the other two. It is also possible that this was an unrecorded statement known by fellow Christians. While all Scripture is inspired by God--or, better translated "God breathed", this comes directly from Jesus Himself and carries that same authority.
I don't know about you, folks, but it gives me great comfort to know that those that I loved who were Christians that have already passed away will be raised before we will. You may ask why. Well, I feel it is just wonderful that those that we know and love that died in Christ will meet us "in the air" at the Rapture. I look forward to seeing my relatives, including my dad, in the air.
Whether it is in the air or in heaven, I look forward to that day when I get to see Dad again.
I remember one summer when I was about ten or eleven years old or so, and Dad went on a business trip to Penn State. He was gone for a four days, and I really missed him. He was to be home on a Friday in the afternoon, but we weren't sure of the time. I remember looking for him out the window, when I was sitting on the porch. But I also remember walking up the hill and out the ridge, somehow thinking that it would hasten Dad coming home--and that I would see him first.
What joy it is to know that we will see our loved ones again that passed away in Christ! Just like I was looking for Dad, we should be looking for Christ. Like the old preacher's saying goes: "I'm not looking for the undertaker, I'm looking for the uppertaker!"
1 Thess 4:16, 17
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 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. (NKJ)
Rapture, or Second Coming?
Now there are some people that will tell you that the word "rapture" is not in the Bible. Guess what? They're right. The word rapture isn't in the Bible. But neither is Holy Trinity, and the Word of God speaks volumes to show us that God in Three Persons exist.
The words for rapture are "caught up", which comes from the Greek word "harpazo" which is translated as such: catch (away, caught up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
The Rapture is an event when Jesus Christ descends from Heaven and literally "snatches away" believers off of the face of the earth, leaving only the unsaved behind.
Now some people do not believe in the rapture of the church, and in fact they say that we confuse the rapture with the second coming of Christ.
Here's where the Greek language really becomes important to know, and also where the differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ.
First, let me say that this event here is not what is called the "Second Coming" of Christ. When Jesus comes again in the "Second Coming" or "Second Advent", there is a difference being that at the rapture Jesus descends from Heaven but does not actually make touchdown on the earth.
There are three different aspects of the differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming:
A) The Action
B) The Attitude
C) The Anticipation
We will discuss these three different aspects in next week's devotions. However, ask yourself these questions: Are your actions indicative of your profession in Christ? Does your attitude toward your family, work and commitment to your church show your position in Jesus? Do you eagerly await meeting Jesus in the air?
