Before the Trumpet Sound Fades
Text: 1 Co 15:51-57; 1 Th 4:13-17
Introduction: I once heard an old preacher say, "I’m not lookin for a hole in the ground, I’m lookin for a hole in the sky!" The event he was referring to is known as "The Rapture". While this word itself does not appear in the Bible, the event is real nonetheless. The word "Rapture" comes from the Latin translation of the Greek word harpazo. It means just what the King James and the NIV says it does, "caught up". The Rapture is that future event when the Lord Jesus Himself will return in the clouds above this earth and will catch away all the saved people of the world. It is a time that is referred to in Titus 2:13 as "The Blessed Hope Of The Believer." This future event is the focus of our message this morning.
While the return of our Lord is spoken of many times in the New Testament, there are only three passages which deal with the Rapture in any detail. I have read two of them this morning. The other is found in Revelation 4:1-2a, "After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. Immediately I was in the Spirit..." I want to draw your attention to one common theme that punctuates each of these references. That common theme is the mention of the "trumpet." We are told in clear language that the Rapture will be a time that will be heralded with the sound of trumpets.
When the writers of the New Testament used the imagery of trumpets, the people to whom they were writing were well acquainted with what they were saying. However, we modern readers probably need to be educated about the significance of the trumpet.
*In Bible times, trumpets were used for four specific purposes and these correlate perfectly with the idea of the Rapture:
1. To Proclaim Victory - Victory over the world will be announced to the church.
2. To Call An Assembly - All believers will be called to assemble themselves in the presence of the Lord.
3. To Announce A Warning - The trumpets will announce a warning of judgment coming upon the world.
4. To Call The Troops To Battle - The angelic troops will be summoned to battle.
When the trumpet sounds, all those who are saved by grace are out of here. It is that glorious event that I want to preach about today. I want you to know that before the sound of that trumpet blast fades from our ears, several great and precious events will take place. I want to share them with you this morning as we consider the thought, "Before the Trumpet Sound Fades."
Before the trumpet sound fades:
1. Our Lord Will Have Returned
- 1 Th 4:17 - "Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord."
A. Our Lord Will Have Returned, In Fulfillment Of His Promise -
1. In Jn 14:1-3, Jesus promised His disciples that He would return one day: "Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also."
2. He reaffirmed this promise to the Apostle John in Re 22:20 - "He who testifies about these things says, Yes, I am coming quickly."
3. Following His ascension, angelic messengers announced: "This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven." (Ac 1:11)
B. Our Lord Will Have Returned, In Fulfillment Of His Purpose -
1. While He was promising to return some day, He also stated His purpose, Jn 14:3 - "I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
2. His purpose is to have His people whom He redeemed with His blood to share eternity with.
Before the trumpet sound fades:
2. All Departed Believers Will Have Been Resurrected
- 1 Th 4:13-16 - "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."
- 1 Co 15:52b - "For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible”
A. The Present Condition of the Departed Believers -
1. Scripture clearly indicates that all who have left this world in a saved condition are in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ -
2. In 2 Co 5:8, Paul says, “I would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
3. He goes on to say in Ph 1:23: “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.”
4. The bodies of the departed are asleep but the soul and spirit never sleeps or dies. When a saint of God leaves this world, they are immediately ushered into the presence of the Lord.
B. The Promised Completion for the Departed Believers -
1. 1 Co 15:52 indicates the departed saints will be raised “imperishable” or "incorruptible."
2. The Greek word is more closely translated “without any decay.” They will be changed! When they left their body, it was destined for the ground from which it came. However, when the Lord Jesus returns, He will bring their spirits back with Him, He will raise their bodies and glorify them. He will then place the spirits back into those newly glorified bodies!
Before the trumpet sound fades:
3. All Living Believers Will Have Been Raptured
- 1 Th 4:17 - “Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord."
- 1 Co 15:51-52a - “Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”
A. As the Trumpet Blasts, The Church Will Leave Instantaneously -
1. The words used in 1 Co 15:52 imply speed and swiftness - "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye"
2. Paul’s useage of the term "caught up" in 1 Th 4:17 - meaning “to snatch away, to seize with force, to claim for oneself” - indicates a sudden event when the saints of God will be “snatched from this world with force and claimed for the glory of God.”
B. As the Trumpet Blasts, The Church Will Leave this World Intact -
- 1 Co 15:51, Paul tells us that "all" will be changed - every born again believer will have a part in the Rapture of the church!
Before the trumpet sound fades:
4. All Believers Will Have Been Reconstructed
- 1 Co 15:52b-57 - “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. Because this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. Now when this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
A. All Believers Will Have Been Changed Physically -
- At the moment of the Rapture, all believers will experience a radical change - mortality to immortality, corruptible to incorruptible, perishable to imperishable!
B. All Believers Will HAve Been Changed Perfectly -
- 1 Jn 3:2 - “Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is.”
- We don’t know a lot about our Lord’s glorified body, but from Scripture we do know:
1. It is a body not bound by time or space - Jn 20:19 - "they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group."
2. It is a body that can enjoy food and fellowship - Lk 24:41-43 - Jesus then asked them, "Do you have something to eat? They gave him a piece of baked fish. He took it and ate it as they watched."
3. It is a body that can never die - He 7:24 - "Jesus will never die, and so he will be a priest forever!"
4. It is a body that shines with a heavenly brilliance - Re 21:23 - "And the city did not need the sun or the moon. The glory of God was shining on it, and the Lamb was its light."
C. All Believers Will Have Been Changed Permanently -
- The new bodies will never wear down or wear out, but they will last throughout eternity.
Before the trumpet sound fades:
5. All Believers Will Be Enjoying a Reunion
- 1 Th 4:17 - “Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord.”
A. We Will Be Enjoying a Reunion With Our Loved Ones -
- Notice the phrase "together with them in the clouds" - all the children of God will be together forever in Heaven.
B. We Will Be Enjoying a Reunion With Our Lord -
- As great as that reunion with our loved ones will be, it will be eclipsed by another reunion - we will see our Savior face to face ever to be with Him.
Conclusion: I’ve spent a considerable time describing the events that will occur before the sound of the trumpet fades. But to take advantage of these great events I’ve described, there is something all must do before that trumpet blast. All who desire to take advantage of these tremendous events must put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. It is only through His shed blood on the cross that we can gain access into heaven.
Are you ready for that event? Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb? If Jesus came back for His church today, and He could, would you go, or would you be left behind? What I am asking is this: Have you ever come to the place where you knew you were lost? Have you confessed your sins to God? Have you placed your faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you received Christ as your personal Savior? Are you saved? If not, I beg you to come to Jesus right now. Don’t delay another minute. It is too dangerous! Jesus may come at any time and you really need to be ready when He does. Will you come to Him right now while there is still time? Will you be saved so that you too can be ready for that meeting in the air? Jesus is coming! Don’t be caught unprepared!
Disclaimer: Portions of this message may have been derived from other sources. Please feel free to use this sermon as the Lord leads without any further permission required.
