The World’s Two Greatest Events - New Year Sermon (Part 1 Of 2)

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.”