The Rapture Series

Opener:

Well Good morning church! Wow! It is so nice to see every here this morning. If you missed last week, I really want to encourage you to go and watch that video. This week, we are building off , what we started last week when we started a new sermon series on the End times.

Last week was a powerful time! We talked about Matthew 24 when Jesus talked to His disciples about the beginning of the end times. We went through so many of the challenges that we are facing globally and how we are on the brink of the end times starting.

Today, I am continuing that series. When talking about the end times, many people may want to avoid the conversation completely while others that is the only thing that they talk about. Wherever you find yourself on this scale, I want to encourage you this morning that we do not have to be afraid of what is to come. As believers, God is on our side, He is completely there for us.

This morning, we are going to talk about a controversial topic, as if last week was not enough right? We are talking about the Rapture. We are talking about the disappearance of millions of people all over the globe. Hollywood has had a field day with making movies off this event. They have of coarse put their own twist on things. The world can feel that the end is near. Some think that the end will be because of global warming or because of a nuclear event or because of aliens coming and taking over the planet.

Us believers, we know a different end result. We believe the bible and the bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NKJV -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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

This is the verse that we get the rapture from. While the actual word rapture does not appear in the bible, the event does.

I. Left behind

A. World gone crazy

a. Can you imagine from the worlds perspective that one day you have your loved ones, your relatives, your brothers and sisters and the next day they just disappear.

b. Pandemonium will ensue no doubt.

c. Those that are left behind will have a ton of questions about what just transpired and they will be running around frantically looking for their lost loved ones.

d. There will be plane crashes and auto mobile accidents. There will be power disruptions and stores closed, the news outlets will be reporting all kinds of different theories as to what happened.

B. Timing of this event

a. With all this disruption, my thoughts turn to the question: What is the timing of this event?

b. The answer to that question is not so easy to answer and there are many different view points on this.

c. For the sake of time, we are going to discuss the three main viewpoints here this morning.

d. We are going to establish what each viewpoint and while you may not agree with my view of the timeline.

e. I hope that we can agree, Jesus is coming back.

C. Tribulation

a. As we look at the tribulation, we can ask, Why do people have to suffer during this time?

b. The book of Deuteronomy chapter four gives us some insight, in this chapter, we see Moses dealing with Israel and urging the people to obey the commandments of God.

c. He goes on to warn them that if they don’t obey, there will be negative consequences and they will be scattered among the nations.

d. We all know how it turned out, they did not obey God and as a result of their disobedience, they were scattered around just like God had warned them.

D. Re-gathered

a. That is why when Israel had re-gathered together in May of 1948, that this was a prophetic sign of the beginning of the end time events.

b. Then in the book of Deuteronomy 4:30-31 NKJV we see a prophetic message which says: 30 When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice 31 (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.