Title: The Rapture of the Church

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
“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. 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Main idea: Jesus is coming. He is coming soon. He is coming for His church. We as believers will always be with the Lord.

What is Rapture
The word Rapture, which we use to describe this first phase of the Lord’s return, is derived from the verb used in the Latin Bible meaning caught up. “Rapture” the word means “seize” or “snatch,” and the Latin translation of this verb uses the word from which we get “rapture” in English. Thus, the translation of living believers is called the rapture of the church. Rapture means the act of conveying a person from one place to another and thus is properly used of this transport of the living to heaven. It is used of Philip in Acts 8:39, of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4. Men are enthusiastic about space travel. But can their greatest exploits compare with the wonder of traveling to heaven in a split second without taking our own atmosphere with us, as the space men have to do when they go on short hops to outer space?

Rapture is to Take up God’s Children
The Bible teaches that Jesus is coming again. For instance, 23 of the 27 books in the New Testament state that He is coming. One out of every 30 verses in the New Testament either speaks directly of His coming or of the end times surrounding His coming. Before the Lord declares war on the sin of our planet, before the seven-year Tribulation, He will take us home (2 Corinthians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Notice the recurrence of the word Lord in these verses: the word of the Lord (1 Thess 4:15), the coming of the Lord (1 Thess 4:15), the Lord Himself (1 Thess 4:16), to meet the Lord (1 Thess 4:17), to always be with the Lord (1 Thess 4:17).

Rapture is a sign less event.
While we don’t know when the rapture will happen, we do know some details about it. Paul described the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, and Revelation 4:1-2. It will occur so suddenly—“in the twinkling in the eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Rapture is a sign less event. There are no signs mentioned in the Bible that will indicate the rapture is near. That’s because the rapture is imminent; it could happen at any moment. It is impossible for an imminent event to have signs. The New Testament says the rapture is an event that could occur at any moment (1 Corinthians 1:7; 16:22; Philippians 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-9; 1 Peter 1:13; Jude 21; Revelation 3:11; 22:7,12,17,20), it cannot be related to any signs at all. Thus, the signs that reveal we are nearing the last days must have to do with the Tribulation—a time in which God will work through Israel, and not the church.

There are many indications that the Rapture may be near.
We consider the following

The formation of the State of Israel in 1948 (Luke 21:29). The fig tree (Israel) is putting forth its leaves (Luke 21:29–31). This means that the kingdom of God is near.

Violence and civil disobedience (2 Thess. 2:7, 8). A spirit of lawlessness is abounding in the home, in national life, and even in the church. The drastic decline of moral standards (2 Tim. 3:1–5).

The rise of the anti-Christian spirit (1 Jn. 2:18), manifested in false cults which profess to be Christian but deny every fundamental doctrine of the faith. They deceive by imitation (2 Tim. 3:8).

There will be a return of Christ
The Lord Himself will come for His people. The rapture of believers is a very personal affair. Christ himself will be there in his great and shining glory. There will be a shout, a command such as an officer gives his troops (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The trumpet of God will summon the dead in Christ to their resurrection. Three sounds will be involved in this event: the Lord’s shout, the sound of the trumpet, and the voice of the archangel. Jesus Christ will give “a shout of command,” just as He did outside the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:43). Those “in the graves shall hear his voice” (John 5:28).

There will be a resurrection (1 Thess 4:16)
“Dead in Christ” is a synonymous description of those who “sleep in Jesus.” The phrase “in Christ” seems to restrict the group raised to believers of this age (since the Day of Pentecost) and not believers of all time. If this is so, then one would assume that Old Testament believers will be raised at the second coming of Christ. At this point in history only the “dead in Christ” will be raised; that is, only Christians. Although there have been many believers since Adam, no believer was placed “in Christ” until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). So those raised at the rapture include all believers those who “dead in Christ.” Priority will be given to the dead, who will be raised just before the living are changed. And yet both groups will experience their respective changes “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). The idea is, the entire procedure will be instantaneous.

There will be a rapture
Living believers will be caught up into the Lord’s presence without experiencing physical death. Only two others have had that experience, Enoch and Elijah, but at the rapture all living believers will bypass death. That is why Paul called this translation from life on earth to life in heaven without dying a mystery (1 Corinthians 15:51). Paul’s use of the word mystery is to let us know that he is about to tell us something that had not been revealed before. Resurrection was not unknown, for the Old Testament spoke of the resurrection of the dead (Job 19:25; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2). So did Christ (John 5:26–29). But nowhere had God revealed that a large group of people would not have to die but would go directly from this life into God’s presence. The word rapture relates to the experience of living believers who are caught up into the Lord’s presence. Rapture is used to label this entire event, including the resurrection of believers who have died as well as the translation of believers who are alive.

“in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess 4:17)
In the Bible clouds have symbolized God’s presence, whether during the Exodus (Ex 16:10), at Mount Sinai (Ex 24:16), in the wilderness (Num 11:25), at Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:10), or at the Transfiguration (Mark 9:7) and Ascension (Acts 1:9). Rapture will happen in “the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52). There will be people from every nation on earth when Christ returns, and these will be “caught up.” The word can be translated “carried away by force.” The Lord literally “snatches” the bodies of the living, and they are transformed and their bodies glorified. These two groups, the living and the dead, will join Christ in the clouds.

Where will He take us then?
To the heavenly place He is now preparing for His own (John 14:1–3). The church will be judged and rewarded in heaven while the seven years of Tribulation are happening on earth; then Christ and His church will return in great glory to the earth at the end of the Tribulation to execute judgments and to establish His millennial kingdom.

Application
“Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Jesus is coming, and He will soon call us to be with Him. Comfort one another with these words. Keep talking about His coming. Keep looking for His coming. Whether we’re hard or heavy-hearted, His coming is the ultimate answer for every heart.

• The Rapture can occur at any time and will affect only true believers, while the Second Coming will affect the entire world.
• At the Rapture Christ won’t completely descend to earth; instead, believers will meet the Lord in the air. At the Second Coming, Christ will descend to earth.
• The Rapture will remove believers from the earth; the Second Coming will remove the wicked from the earth.

A familiar hymn written by Gloria and William Gaither captures well Paul’s basic point in this passage:
Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

In connection with Christ’s coming there is a sound to hear, a sight to see, a miracle to feel, a meeting to enjoy, and a comfort to experience. Thoughts of the Lord’s coming do not produce terror for the believer. It is a hope that thrills and cheers and comforts. The fact of His return is a comfort to our hearts. For true believers the Rapture is a comforting hope.

Let’s pray together
Heavenly Father,  I thank You that one of these days You will come and take us home.  Meantime find us faithful. Come, Lord Jesus! In Jesus Name Amen.