The Rapture and Left Behind!
"Left Behind" series Part 1
Text: 1Co. 15-50-53 & Selected
Cross Creek Community Church
Pastor Dave Martin - Jan. 7, 2001
www.crosscreekcc.org
God’s Word is Powerful, Relevant, and Life Changing!
1 Cor. 15:50-53 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52in 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. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
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, CNN, MSNBC and the Fox News Network. Society trends and current events are pointing this direction. We see tremendous advances in technology and communications, which are leading us closer to events we read about in the Bible - events that take place in the "last days".
Many people today avoid prophecy saying it’s too scary or hard to understand. Yet God does not want us to be ignorant concerning the future. He gave us the Bible to read and understand what will be taking place, note some interesting facts concerning Bible prophecy:
* Estimated there are over 1845 references to the Second Coming of Christ in the Old Testament.
* 17 Old Testament books give the Second Coming prominence.
* In the New Testament’s 260 chapters, there are 318 references to the Second Coming of Christ.
* This is one 1 out of every 30 verses! 23 of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event.
* For every prophecy concerning the birth of Christ there are 8 looking forward to His return!
God has placed much emphasis upon prophecy in the Bible, so we as Christians can discern the times and what God says about the future.
* There is a growing hunger in society to know the future - give examples.
* I read where 62% of Americans believe Jesus Christ will return someday.
* We "sense" something happening globally, supernaturally God is stirring His people.
We need to look at the BIG PICTURE in order to understand Biblical prophecy better:
Check out the back of your bulletins for God’s grand plan for the "future".
Number each event in the correct order:
__6____ 1000 year millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
__2____ The appearance of the Antichrist (world ruler).
__5____ Literal Second Coming of Christ to earth.
__8____ Creation of New Heavens & New Earth.
__3____ The seven year tribulation period begins.
__1____ The Rapture of all true believers (the Church).
__4____ The Battle of Armageddon begins.
__7____ Great White Throne Judgment for the unsaved.
__9____ Living throughout eternity with our Lord.
(The correct order is: 6, 2, 5, 8, 3, 1, 4, 7, 9)
Bible teaches two parts of the Second Coming of Christ: (Many examples)
As a thief in the night
Every eye shall see Him
Meet the Lord in the air
His feet shall touch the Mt. Of Olives
Descend with a shout (come up hither)
Coming in the heavens with all His saints
Twinkling of an eye
Whole world will see Him coming as lightning shines
* God gives us "pictures or illustrations" in the Old Testament concerning various things we see in the New Testament. A few examples are:
OT we see the slaying of the Passover lamb - in the NT, Jesus is the lamb of God.
OT we see Abraham & Issac as a picture of the future Messiah, Jesus in the NT - (promised son, miraculous birth, carried wood, obedient unto death, Mt. Moriah - Golgotha). What a wonderful God!
OT we see Jonah in the fish belly for 3 days - in the NT, we see Jesus buried for 3 days.
* These are pictures, snapshots of the future....
* Let’s look at the snapshot picture of the rapture....
The Rapture overview is...
... ILLUSTRATED with Enoch of the Old Testament.
Gen 5:21-24; Jude 1:14 & Heb. 11:5
Genesis 5:21-24 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
Enoch was raptured just prior to a global deluge called Noah’s flood.
* The rapture of the Church will occur just prior to the global seven year tribulation period.
* The 8 people saved on the ark is a type of Israel, who God preseved through the tribulation flood.
* During the 7 year tribulation, God once again turns His attention toward the jew.
Romans 11:25-26 "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved,..."
Enoch’s message was about the Second Coming...
Jude 1:14-15 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
... A mystery REVEALED in the New Testament.
1 Cor. 15:51-53 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 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. 53For the perishable (those who have died) must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal (those who are alive) with immortality.
* A mystery always refers to that which had been "hidden" & "unknown" but now is revealed.
* Born once - die twice BUT Born twice - die once; maybe not at all!
1 Thes. 4:16-17 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. 17After 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.
1. "With a shout" (en keleusmati). The word means a military command. The commander-in-chief of the universe will shout louder than any voice has ever shouted-shout even as He did when He was upon earth: "[Believers] come forth" (John 11:43). Rev 4:1 "Come up heither"
2. "Voice of the archangel" will cry out. What will He cry? His shout will probably be the rallying cry for all the armies of the heavenly angels to join in the praise of the glorious event. Christ taught that the heavenly angels would be with Him when He returned to earth (Matthew 24:31; Matthew 25:31; 2 Thes. 1:7). archangel Michael (Dan. 10:13; Jude 9)
3. "Trump of God" shall sound. The trumpet has always been for the 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. The Lord God Himself is now appearing and the events of the end time are now being launched upon earth.
The Rapture specifically is...
IMMENIENT, it may occur at any time! Mk. 13:33 Luke 12:40
Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Mark 13:33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
SUDDEN, it happens quickly! 1Co. 15:52
1Co. 15:52 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.
* "Flash - NIV / moment - KJV" - "atomos" - atom - in the smallest part of time! Very Quick!!
* "Twinkling" - "rhipe" to hurl, rapid movement
* GE estimated the blink of the eye is 1/50th of a second. Its 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!
TRANSFORMING, it’s a supernatural change! 1Co. 15:50-53
1 Cor. 15:50 & 53I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.... v53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
* A totally new person - an immortal, an infusion of a totally new nature.
* Remember, "Flesh & blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God" 1Co. 15:50
For every REDEEMED child of God! Eph 1:13-14
Ephes. 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession--to the praise of his glory.
* We have been bought with a price - the precious blood of Jesus.
* We make up the "body of Christ" - the redeemed.
* God gives each believer the precious Holy Spirit who indwells us, seals us, the down payment.
* God will redeem us, when He snatches out, raptures out those who truly belong to Him!
When this happens there will be Worldwide Chaos...
The Rapture of the church will be worldwide, for there are true believers in Jesus Christ in every country on earth, and they all shall be "taken." Every country will find itself in turmoil. Each government will have to act as quickly as possible to prevent a wild tide of anarchy and terrorism. Strong measures will be put into effect.
Millions of people will suddenly disappear from the face of the earth, including all of the infant children. From all walks of life, and from virtually every phase of life, there shall be people missing.
The freeways, subways, airports and streets will be in shambles as many engineers, pilots, bus drivers and a multitude of private car owners shall suddenly be caught up out of this world. It will be many days before they can unscramble the mangled cars, trains and fallen aircraft.
Remaining millions of people will be wailing, dazed and shaken by the event. They shall be frantically striving to locate loved ones in all of the rubble of broken cars and amid broken storefronts and smashed residences.
Communications will be greatly disrupted. Many key persons shall disappear and much of the lines of communications that are still above ground will be broken by crashes of cars and aircraft. Distraught and searching, multitudes will jam and overload the communication lines and systems that do remain.
Dazed and confused pleas from bewildered men over the "alert" systems will try to bring about some semblance of order. Policemen, firemen and rescue crews will work around the clock. Hospitals will overflow. Emergency shelters and first aid stations will be inadequate. The Red Cross and all other emergency units, plus the army facilities will still not be enough.
Opportunists will add to the confusion and the misery by looting and killing. They shall feel that under such a total emergency they can get away with anything. CHAOS WILL BE ON EVERY HAND.
-Charles Taylor
The stage will be set for the appearance of the Antichrist and the 7 year Tribulation.
Emergency procedures for those "Left Behind".
1. Bow your heart, by faith, ask Jesus to forgive your sins and to come into your life. Begin reading the Bible you neglected for years. (John 3:16)
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
2. Realize there will be major chaos with deceiving explanations.(Mt. 24:21)
Matthew 24:21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again.
3. Understand the Antichrist will arise with great deception, do not believe anything he says. (He reigns for 7 years). (2Thes. 2:9)
2 Thes. 2:9-10 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
4. Do not take his mark in order to buy & sell. (In your right hand or forehead - most likely an implanted microchip). (Rev 13:16-17)
Rev. 13:16-17He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
5. There will be global demonic activity, natural disasters, wars and calamities, much disease and death. (see Rev. 6:8)
Rev. 6:8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
6. God will have 144,000 Jewish evangelists’ worldwide and two Old Testament prophets in Jerusalem. (Rev. 7 & 11)
Rev. 7:3-4 "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." 4Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel."
Rev. 11:3 "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."
7. You most likely will be martyred for Christ. (Rev. 7:9-14 & Rev. 20:4)
Rev. 7:9-14 "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...13Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" 14I 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."
Major prophecy passages to study:
Daniel; Ezekiel 37,38,39; Zech. 12,13,14; Revelation; Mt. 24; Luke 21; Mark 13; 2Thes. 2
Please don’t wait until you’re "Left Behind" - Be saved today!
Let’s Pray
For complete formatted notes of this and other messages go to www.crosscreekcc.org
