We all look forward to big events in our life.
• Opening our first paycheck
• Driving alone for the first time
• Graduating from college
• Birth of a child
• Getting married
• Enjoying a great meal
• Going to see a football game.
Life is filled with all kinds of events that we look forward to in our life.
But for us Christian the two greatest events in our life is yet to take place.
• The first greatest event - THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH. (Which I will be preaching on this morning)
The rapture of the church is when this great event takes place and THE LORD WILL COME FOR HIS CHURCH
• The second greatest event - THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST – THE LORD WILL COME WITH HIS CHURCH (Which I will be preaching next Sunday morning)
Let me tell you why I am excited about these two great events. Because we Christians will take part in both of these events. Absolutely!!!
This excites me to just think about this knowing
it might happen this coming year!!!
Every child of God has every right to BE EXCITED about these two great events that are yet to take place.
Look at Revelation 4:1, we read, “After this {What? The church age} I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.”
Notice these words one day we Christian will hear the voice of our Lord Jesus and the Bible tells us His voice will be “As it were of a trumpet”.
What does that mean?
There are a lot of Christians that are hard of hearing and some were born deaf. But when the Lord comes back for His church every child of God will hear Him say, “Come up hither…”
This means:
• They may be working in a factory where there is a lot of noise is taking place and you cannot hear anyone speak but when the rapture takes place they are going to hear the Lord tell every child of God, “Come up hither…”
• They might be a person that is born deaf and never heard a human voice in their life but when the rapture takes place they are going to hear the Lord say, “Come up hither…”
Illus: Listen, when the rapture takes place you are not going to need a Verizon telephone say, “Can you hear me now?” Every child of God is going to hear the Lord say “Come up hither…”
Notice, God is talking to the child of God; the lost world will not hear that command to “COME UP HITHER.”
The words “Come up hither” is the rapture of the church.
• Notice, from Revelation 4 onward, we do not hear a single reference in the book of Revelation to the church until we get to the final verses of chapter twenty-two.
• There are references to saints and martyrs upon the earth during the tribulation period of God's judgment, but there is no reference to the church.
The next time we see the church, it is viewed in its eternal role as the Bride of Christ, adorned for her wedding day, at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Although the word rapture is not found in the Bible, it is a Biblical term.
• In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul wrote of a time when living believers would be “caught up” to meet Jesus in the air.
• It is used to refer to the event when Jesus comes back in the air and all those in Christ, both living and the bodies of the dead, will be suddenly caught up from the earth to meet Jesus in the air.
• At that time, all those that are living on earth will be taken in the rapture will receive their glorified body in the twinkling of an eye.
• From that time onward, the church as we know it today will cease to exist, and shall become the eternal Bride of Christ.
When the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH takes place, it will be one of the GREATEST EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND!
I want to show you several things the Bible teaches about the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.
I. IT WILL BE SUDDEN
Let me show you from the scriptures why I say this is one of the GREATEST EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND.
The Bible says this GREAT EVENT will take place in the “TWINKLING OF AN EYE.”
Look at 1 Cor. 15:51-52, we read, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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.”
HOW WILL THIS TAKE PLACE?
Look at 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, it says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
Notice when the rapture takes place the Bible tells us two things will take place…
(1) First - “…and the dead in Christ shall rise first.”
(2) Secondly – “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Notice, the Bible says the dead in Christ shall rise first.
WHY MUST THE DEAD RISE FIRST?
Let me explain…
• You see, when we die, the soul of man ( HIS Soul and Spirit) goes to be with the Lord.
• The body returns from the dust from which it came.
WHY IS THAT NECESSARY?
Illus: If I see you coming and in your physical body I recognize you immediately.
But our bodies are only a part of who we are. In the Bible your “soul” is who you are.
The Lord told the disciples in Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Listen to me carefully. In Genesis when God created Adam---Adam does not have a soul; Adam is a soul
You see mankind is a TRICHOTOMY. That is mankind consists of a…
(1) Body
(2) Soul
(3) Spirit
Genesis 1:26–27 indicates that God created mankind distinct from all the other creatures.
Scripture clearly teaches that man is intended to experience intimate relationship with God, and, therefore:
(1) He created us as a unity of both material (physical) and immaterial (spiritual) aspects (Ecclesiastes 12:7, Matthew 10:28, 1 Corinthians 5:5, 2 Corinthians 4:16; 7:1, James 2:26).
(2) The material component of humans is obviously that which is tangible and temporal: the physical body.
(3) The immaterial aspects are intangible: soul, spirit, intellect, will, conscience, mind, emotions, etc. These exist unendingly beyond the lifespan of the physical body.
Since we can only see the body of man we place a great value on the body which is a house in which the SOUL AND SPIRIT OF MANKIND LIVES.
God “breathed the breath of life” into Adam, and he became a “living soul”
Illus: In his article “Soul,” G.W. Moon says “In Christian theology the soul carries the further connotation of being that part of the individual that partakes of divinity and survives the death of the body.”
Paul says, in 2 Cor. 5:8, that when we die we will be, “… absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
Illus: I have talked with Christians who were absolutely scared of death. They would say to me preacher I AM SCARED OF DYING AND BEING PUT IN A CASKET AND HAVE PEOPLE THROW DIRT ON TOP OF MY CASKET.
Listen if this is what happens they would have every right to be scared!!!
But that is not what happens when we Christians die the Bible tells us this body that we live in will return to the dust from which it came but the Bible tells us Christians our SOUL AND SPIRIT “… absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
When the believer dies, the body goes into the grave; the soul and spirit go immediately to be with the Lord Jesus awaiting for the body's resurrection, when they're joined together to be forever with the Lord in eternal bliss.
But when the Lord blows the trumpet of God, that physical body will change into a glorified body. It will be resurrected, and the saints of God that come down from heaven will be placed in their glorified bodies and at this time salvation shall be complete for them.
But notice, the Bible says, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air….”
Some might be asking what happens to the lost person when they die.
Before Christ paid the price for our sins on the cross everyone died they went to a TEMPORARY PLACE.
This temporary place has two names.
(1) In the GREEK it called HADES
(2) In the Hebrew it is called SHEOL
This confuses some people because this temporary place has two names but it is the same place.
This temporary place is divided with a large gulf that divides it.
1) One side is where the sinners will dwell
Illus: This is where the rich man in hell was begging Lazarus for one drop of water to be placed on his tongue because he was in torment.
Unbelievers are not sent to hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but they are rather sent to a temporary realm of judgment and anguish.
Every sinner when they die and go to this temporary holding place of torment until they stand before the Lord at the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT AND THEY THEN WILL BE CAST INTO HELL.
2) The other side OF THIS TEMPORARY PLACE is where the saints dwell which is called Paradise.
Illus: Remember before the Lord paid the price for our sins he told the thief on the cross that repented…THIS DAY SHALT THOU BE WITH ME IN PARADISE!!!
Since Christ has paid the price for sin now BELIEVER WHEN THEY DIE THEY no longer go to this temporary place --- they now GO TO BE WITH THE LORD.
HOW WILL THIS TAKE PLACE?
God’s Word says, in the “Twinkling of an eye”.
It does not say in the WINKING OF AN EYE but in the TWINKLING OF AN EYE.
How fast is the twinkling of an eye?
Illus: The “twinkling of the eye” is the time it takes for light to enter the eye, reach the back of the eye, and be reflected back out.
Light travels at 186,000 miles per second, so the Twinkle is about one billionth of a second.
• People will not have time to run and make things right that they have done wrong.
• Teenagers won’t have time to apologize to their parents for their rudeness.
• People will not have time to fall on their knees and pray and ask for forgiveness.
• People will not have time to grab their checkbook and write a check for all the back tithes they have stolen from God.
The Bible says it will happen in the TWINKLING OF AN EYE!
Illus: When I think of something happening in the TWINKLING OF AN EYE, I can not help but to think about that dreadful day when the entire world was watching the “Challenger” launch on January 28, 1986.
It was only 73 seconds after being launched that the Challenger space shuttle broke up in flames.
• On board were seven astronauts, their average age was just a little more than 43 years
• Eight children lost their fathers
• One little boy lost his mother
I think that the most stunning aspect of the Columbia event was the fact that it all took place in a fraction of a second.
Experts say it all happened so fast that most likely none on board knew what happened.
Isn’t that something? It happened so fast they never had time to allow one thought to cross their minds.
At one moment in time:
• All was well.
• In a twinkling of an eye, they were all gone
The rapture of the church is one of the greatest events in the history of mankind!
The rapture will happen so fast that ONE MOMENT WE ARE HERE AND THE NEXT MOMENT WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD AND OUR LOVED ONES.
The RAPTURE WILL HAPPEN SUDDENLY and…
II. IT WILL HAPPEN SCRIPTUALLY
Mankind has pushed God aside and they think they are in full control.
But God is in full control.
Illus: When we are in the mountains, my grandchild likes to drive my Kawasaki. I placed her in my lap and she holds the steering wheel. Since she can not reach the gas pedal I have to maneuver the gas and brakes. While she is driving in my lap, she thinks she is in control, but my hands are very close to the steering wheel.
God allows mankind to think he is in control, but I can assure you that God is very much in control of all the events in life.
• There is not one thing that happens each day that He does not cause or allow.
• Foolish men go through life thinking they are in control.
When the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH TAKES PLACE, IT WILL HAPPEN SCRIPTURALLY, AS HE SAID IT WOULD HAPPEN.
Look at 1 Corinthians 15:50-53, we read, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
The word ‘rapture’ simply means ‘to be caught up’ or ‘snatched away’.
This is exactly what 1 Thess. 4:17 is teaching.
• The phrase “caught up” comes from the Greek word, ‘harpazo’.
• This word means: to carry off by force or to snatch out or away.
• There are over 300 scriptures in the N. T. alone pointing to his return.
Any day the Lord Jesus might split the clouds of glory.
We need to be ready for this GREAT EVENT!!!
Illus: A tourist in Switzerland visited a beautiful mansion surrounded by well-kept gardens.
“How long have you been the caretaker here?” he asked the gardener.
The answer was twenty years.
“How often does the owner of this property come here?”
The answer was, only four times in the twenty years.
“And to think,” said the guest, “you keep this property in superb shape just as though he might come tomorrow.”
The caretaker replied, “No, I look after these grounds as if I expected him to come today.”
Illus: A pastor preached on the RAPTURE, and after church, a little girl was quizzing her mother.
• "Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?"
• "Yes."
• "Could He come this week?"
• "Yes."
• "Today?"
• "Yes."
• "Could He come in the next hour?"
• "Yes."
• "In a few minutes?"
• "Yes, dear."
• "Mommy, would you comb my hair?"
(Don Hussong, East Wenatchee, Washington. Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 3.)
Spiritually, we all should be combing our hair and getting ready for this GREAT EVENT TO TAKE PLACE…THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.
Illus: Have you ever wondered why the right-hand door mirror on your car says "Objects are closer than they appear"? The reason is that the mirror is convex, allowing a much wider angle of vision. We may borrow the words, though, and say that the second coming may be much closer than it appears! (Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).
When it takes place, The RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH will be one of the GREATEST EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND.
It will happen:
I. SUDDENLY
II. SCRIPTURALLY
