The Rapture

The Rapture

In this lesson we will focus on the exciting moment called the rapture.

(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.

As the time draws near for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Himself will come first, as far as the clouds, and like a thief in the night to take people from the earth, as He catches the world by surprise.

• When will this event occur?
• Who will be caught up and taken away?
• Who will be left behind?

First Corinthians chapter 15 is called the “Great Resurrection Chapter.” Here, the apostle Paul goes into much detail in describing the event of the Rapture.

Before we go much further to understand the meaning and purpose of the rapture, we must first realize that we were created as both a physical and spiritual being.

(Genesis 2:7), And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Body – “dust of the ground”

Soul – “became a living soul”

(1 Thessalonians 5:23), Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When a believer’s life here on earth has ended, their:

• Body goes back to dust
• Soul goes to heaven

(2 Corinthians 5:8), We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

The Reality of the Rapture 

(1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42), But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain–perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body… So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.

In other words, God’s Word is telling us that the rapture is going to happen. In some ways it is like what we see plants experience. We place a seed in the ground. And in its place a new living plant “resurrects” from the earth with a new plant body! When it took on its new form of life, the seed ceases to exist as a seed. In that sense the old vessel, the seed, has died just so the new life can live on!

THE REALITY OF THE RAPTURE!

The Glory of the Rapture 

(1 Corinthians 15:43), It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory

• Sown in dishonor

In (Romans 7;18) Paul says, For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells

Just like with a seed, we have no real visible beauty. The seed has no “honor” in its appearance until it takes on its new form as a plant. Our flesh is the same. There is no good in it. There’s no real beauty in us, in comparison to our eventual heavenly form. Our bodies will be sown in dishonor when placed in the ground. Our sin is the dishonor.

• God will raise our bodies in perfect GLORY, through our Lord Jesus Christ!

A seed sown into the ground is later raised in glory. For some seeds, that is in a bright, beautiful bouquet of flowers that capture all the colors of the rainbow in glorious beauty.

A seed sown into the ground may look like it has nothing to offer. But for some seeds they raise in glory to extend out and freely offer their sweet, juicy, satisfying fruit such as oranges, apples, watermelons, grapes and more.

SO WILL OUR BODIES!!

Our resurrected bodies will be heavenly, beautiful, pure, ageless, and full of light. No more pain, no more tears, no more suffering, no more aging, and no more dying.

The apostle Paul described it like this when he penned down these words;

(Philippians 3:20-21) we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body

The apostle John also describes our resurrected bodies to be like Christ’s;

(1 John 3:2), Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

• Our bodies, just like that seed, are weak.  Paul goes on to say it this way; 

(1 Corinthians 15:43), It is sown in weakness

When you hold a simple seed in your hand, you see the helplessness and weakness of it. By itself, it can do nothing. The seed is sown in that weakness, so weak that even the accidental step of a small child walking by can push it into the soil of the earth.

Just as that child buried that seed in weakness, that same seed RAISES IN POWER to the towering heights of the 300-foot California Redwood tree, or unmovable strength of a 300-foot Sequoia! So it will be with the body, sown in weakness. So weak that others must bury it. It can’t bury itself. But when raised, it will be brought up by the very power of God. So powerful, that death and the grave can no longer hold it! Our bodies will be full of strength from God, and no longer limited to the laws of nature.

This is the GLORY AND POWER OF THE RAPTURE!

The Necessity of the Rapture

(1 Corinthians 15:50), Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

This verse is referring to our body, our flesh. The physical body in which we live, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. It will not be able to hold up to the effects and elements of heaven’s blissfulness, purity, and joy! 

• The apostle Paul, while on the road to Damascus, was confronted with the heavenly glory of the “Sun of Righteousness” of (Malachi 4) in our Lord Jesus Christ. So awesome was the sight, that Paul was BLINDED by just one glimpse of that glory (Acts 9:1-9)
• The apostle John, when he was caught up to heaven in the book of Revelation and saw Christ’s glory, he dropped at the Lord’s feet as if he were dead (Revelation 1:17)
• Ezekiel, the Old Testament prophet, remained in shock for seven days when he saw the glory of the Lord in a vision (Ezekiel 3:12-15)
• The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah saw in a vision, the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up and then recorded it in these words;

(Isaiah 6:3-5), And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.

The rapture is necessary because our earthly bodies must be changed and made strong enough to endure His Glory. The power of the Lord will do this in a split second, in the twinkling of an eye!

Another reason the rapture is needed is because this world will eventually come under the wrath and judgment of God as described in detail in the book of Revelation. This period of time is called the “Great Tribulation” and in the Lord’s own words, it will be a time like the world has never seen before, or ever will again. 

(Matthew 24:21), For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

During this time, an amazing event will occur in Heaven as described in the following;

(Revelation 19:6-9), And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.

The Lord has a “marriage ceremony” planned between Him and His “wife”, the Church. Those who have made the decision to believe and love Jesus, will all be brought up to this celebration and supper.  

Who Are Those That Will Be Caught Up?

Not everyone will be raptured. In First Thessalonians chapter 4, God’s Word tells us that only a special group of people will be caught up to Heaven. The clue is found in (vs. 16);

(1 Thessalonians 4:16), 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.

Only those who have been born again “in Christ” will be taken. ALL others will be left behind!

When Will the Rapture Happen?

In (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), you have the actual event of the rapture as we have read in the beginning of this study. In the next three verses, God’s Word shows when the rapture will occur.

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-3), But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

The rapture is going to happen at a time when the world is crying out peace and safety, as they sign a peace agreement amongst themselves.

Could the stress for peace in Israel today be that moment? Are you ready?