If a person’s name is in it, in most cases it is a very special honor for often it indicated exceptional skill or strength. For example...
Illus: Some time ago some folks set out to break the record in standing the most dominos up in such a way that when a key domino was tripped all the rest would fall. On television, several years ago, they broadcast a program showing this being done. They showed a large room with what looked like millions of dominos set up on end. In order for this group to break the record, every domino had to fall. The time came to trip the first domino. It touched the next, it fell onto the next and so on. Viewers were amazed as they watched this chain of events transpire. At the end, every domino had fallen and they had set a new record so their names were placed in the “Guinness World Book of Records,” for toppling the most dominos over at that time.
I have mentioned this to lead you to another “chain of events.” That chain of action by those dominos is nothing in comparison to what will happen at the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.
When Jesus returns it will set off a chain of events like this world has never seen.
Illus: Speaking of a “chain of events” brings the story to mind of the fellow who was driving through a town one day when he saw a billboard advertising that the circus would be coming to that town and the star attraction would be 50 giant elephants. As the man drove into town he was detained by that circus as they were parading down main street. He looked down the street and saw the parade of 50 elephants was at the end of the circus parade through town. Each elephant marched with his long trunk holding securely the tail of the elephant in front of him. Since the man was detained, he decided he would pass the time by counting the elephants as they passed by. Finally he could see the end was near as he counted, “...47, 48, 49, 50.” He decided, as the last elephant was passing, that would be the best time to get across the street. He made a dash across the highway and when he did he ran smack into the last elephant and killed him. He had miscalculated the distance. He was arrested, and was fined two-hundred-thousand dollars! In court, he said, “I do not understand why the circus owner is so upset. Your honor, I only killed one lousy elephant. He wants me to pay two-hundred-thousand dollars.”
The judge concurred with the man that the price did seem kind of high. The circus owner jumped up and said, “I know he only killed one elephant, but what am I going to do with forty-nine elephants with their tails snatched off?”
Seriously, when the Lord returns for His church, it will affect every person here! Everything is tied to the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH and when it happens we are going to see a series of events take place as we have never seen before.
Let us look at TWO things we need to consider about the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH. Such as...
I. IT WILL BE INSTANT.
Look at 1 Cor. 15:52. We read, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye...”
One thing that is hard for us to comprehend about the rapture is how fast it will take place.
Notice, the scripture does not say it will happen in the
-Wink of an eye.
-Blink of an eye.
It says in the “twinkling” of an eye. Beloved, that is fast!
When you talk to a person, look at their eyes (without their knowing it), and you will glimpse how fast a twinkle is. That is exactly how fast the rapture will take place.
Illus: When we think of speed we think of the man who holds the record for being the fastest in history to draw a pistol, as far as we know. This man was not only fast, he was also very accurate. He was shown on television. Two balloons were dropped in front of him 8 to 10 feet apart. He drew so fast and shot them so fast you could only hear one balloon pop. In fact, he was so fast that when they showed it in slow motion it was still faster than some of us could have done it.
Many have the mistaken idea that the rapture will be a slow, drawn-out affair. Not so!
Illus: There are several reasons many think this, such as:
• GOSPEL ARTISTS have drawn pictures of their idea of the rapture. Some have shown Christians passing by Jupiter, Mars, Venus, etc., while the curious people on earth are looking up. You get the impression that it will take some time for the Christians to reach heaven.
• GOSPEL SONG WRITERS have written songs that give the same impression.
Because of things like this, many have the idea the rapture will be sort of a drawn out process.
But, we do not need to turn to ARTISTS and SONG WRITERS to find out how quickly the rapture will take place. All we have to do is turn to God’s Word and see It tells us it will happen in THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE!
Illus: A man who always wanted to go to Niagara Falls finally had the opportunity to go. When he and his wife left, his wife wanted to see everything between home and the falls. But, all he cared about was getting to his destination and seeing the beautiful falls. As far as he was concerned there was nothing as important as getting to the falls and he did not want to waste any time seeing anything else.
Listen, there is nothing between us and heaven that is going to be as beautiful as heaven! That is, all of the planets and stars, etc., can not be compared to the glory of our eternal home.
God knows that, and when the rapture takes place there will be no delay. It will happen in the twinkling of an eye.
Let me again try to illustrate how fast the rapture will take place.
Illus: Suppose a car is traveling, say, 40 miles an hour. Then suppose that it ran into a very large tree. The speed with which that car crashes, on point of impact, into that tree is almost immeasurable.
The speed with which the rapture will take place will be even faster than that!
This is important for everyone to know.
• Sinner, you will have no time to get on your KNEES and ask God to forgive you of your sins.
• Half-hearted Christian, you will not have time to go home and pull out your CHECK BOOK and write a check for all your back tithes.
• Hot head, you will not have any time to go to your NEIGHBOR and ask him to forgive you for wronging him, or to witness to him and give him an opportunity to be saved.
Look at Revelation 4:2. We read, “And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven...”
The author of Revelation knew how fast the rapture could take place. God gave him a taste so he could pass this along to us so we could be ready.
When the Lord decides to come for His church, IT WILL ONLY TAKE AN INSTANT FOR US TO BE WITH THE LORD. Also...
II. IT WILL BE INTRIGUING.
Look at 1 Cor. 15:52. We read, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, AND WE SHALL BE CHANGED.”
As we said, it will not only be INSTANT, IT WILL BE intriguing. Why is that? Because mankind will see things from a different PERSPECTIVE when we get there.
Illus: If you ask some people, “What do you plan to do when you get to heaven.”
• “I want to walk on those streets of gold.”
• “I want to visit with some of the Bible characters that we have read about in the Old and New Testament.”
• “I want to see my loved ones who have gone to heaven before me.”
These are the kinds of answers we get from mortal men. HOWEVER, when the rapture of the church takes place Christians will not, as you know, be MORTAL any more.
Look at 1 Cor. 15:53-54. We read, “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
The thing that will make heaven so INTRIGUING, is that when MORTAL MAN HAS BECOME IMMORTAL, all we are going to care about is seeing JESUS! He is going to be the “star” attraction. However, right now it is hard for us to comprehend this. For example...
Illus: The comfort we mortals have today concerning loved ones is that one day we shall see them again. Of course, this will be a tremendous day. So, the thought comforts us. But, that is not what is going to make heaven so INTRIGUING. That is, you may find an old gentleman who loves the Lord who served the Lord all his life, along with his wife. Now she has passed from this life. The comfort he has as a mortal is that the Word of God says he will see her again. We MORTALS would safely assume that when he gets to heaven, the first thing he will do is GO TO HER and EMBRACE HER.
However, THE INTRIGUING thing about heaven, when this “mortal will have put on immortality: the first thing we will want to see is JESUS!
You see, on earth many things seem very important, but they WILL NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ONCE WE GET TO HEAVEN!
Illus: Let me give you another example. We have young people who love the Lord. That is, they know Him as their personal Savior. Here is the problem that you find among so many Christian teenagers. They are ACTIVITY MINDED, not CHRIST MINDED. When the rapture takes place the most INTRIGUING thing is going to happen. All of a sudden trends, fashions, and the pleasures of this world will no longer be important to them. The one thing that will be important to them then is THE LORD JESUS!
The problem in this life, is that we MORTALS are more excited about the GIFT than the GIVER. What is going to make heaven SUCH A GLORIOUSLY INTRIGUING place is that people will be more excited about the GIVER than the GIFT.
Illus: Have you noticed on Christmas morning how excited everyone is about their gifts. Wouldn’t it be nice for a child to look at a Christmas gift, open it, and be absolutely thrilled and look at the parents and say, “You guys are the greatest!” Instead, every parent knows that in this life they will take second place to things on Christmas morning.
The INTRIGUING thing about heaven is when Christians get their way, they are there, they are going to be excited about JESUS.
You can tell a church is the right kind of church when it exalts JESUS ABOVE ANYTHING AND EVERYONE! When Jesus is exalted in this manner you know you are at the right place.
Illus: A young man and his date went to get some popcorn during the intermission of a show. When they went to return to their seats they could not find them. After looking for some time, the boy finally asked one man, “Did I step on your toes a little while ago?” The man said, “You sure did!” The young man said to his date, “Okay, this is the right row.
We can know we are in the right place when we are in a place where JESUS IS BEING EXALTED.
Conclusion:
Paul was so elated when he thought about heaven that he closed this portion of scripture about heaven by saying, verse 57, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
And every child of God here today can say, to what he said, “Amen!”
I. THE RAPTURE WILL BE INSTANT
II. THE RAPTURE WILL BE INTRIGUING
