Only that one who has that relationship of father
and child to God, only that one who is born again,
born into the body of Christ, whose sins are
covered with the blood, has security. The only
person in the whole world who has peace of mind
and peace of soul is that one who is a Christian.
That one who's been born again. That one who's
been born into the body of Christ. I began our
heart -to -heart talk yesterday, and I told you
at that time that the rapture would be the most
startling event of this age, this dispensation,
this generation. It will take place in just the
twinkling of an eye. It'll take place at the
same time. all over the world. No nation will
be excluded. It will take place at the same time
all over the earth. The Bible says, The shout
of the Lord, the voice of the archangel, the
trump of God. And you'll remember that yesterday
I said, I did not know Everyone, the unregenerated
as well as those who have been born again, would
hear the trump of God, would hear the voice of
the archangel. It may be only as the sound of
mighty thunder when the saint of God hears the
trump of God because You will remember that.
I reminded you that one day when God the Father
spoke to Jesus in a voice that Jesus understood,
but the people who stood by mistook it for thunder.
It could be the same when the trump of God is
sounded. Anyway, one thing I'm dead sure of.
I'm going to be ready, and I pray to God you
will be ready. At that time, there'll be no graves
so deep, no pyramids, no mausoleums so thick,
but the sound shall reach their depths, and the
dead in Christ shall hear the cry, Awake, awake,
my saints, awake, arise from the dead. It's that
glorious morning that you've been waiting for.
The morning of the first resurrection. Oh, it's
thrilling just to think of it. Now then, on the
morning of that glorious day, I believe that
the air be filled with the spirit of the dead
in Christ who come back to earth to get their
bodies raised and glorified. And remember, Our
bodies will be exactly like the body that Jesus
had after he was raised from the dead. And it
was a body. It was a physical body. Don't tell
me that it was a spirit that appeared to the
disciples after the resurrection. It wasn't.
They saw Jesus in bodily form. Literally. After
the resurrection of Jesus, when Jesus appeared
unto the disciples, he was in bodily form, so
much so that when Thomas expressed his doubt,
Jesus stood before him and said, All right, if
you doubt, see my hands. Thrust your own hand
into my side. It was not a spirit. who appeared
unto them as he partook of the fish, the bread
after his resurrection. Those who were standing
by when he ascended into glory saw a body ascended,
not a spirit, but a bodily, one in bodily form.
And in that moment, the morning of the first
great resurrection, our bodies shall take form
in exactly the same way that Jesus ascended in
bodily form. Oh, that's glorious. You know, I
have sat for hours. Sometimes it's about the
only time that I do have to think about these
things really and take time to concentrate on
these things because I'm so busy getting ready
for that time. But how often I've sat in the
plane and maybe the pilot has just announced
that we are now flying 31 ,000 feet, 32 ,000
feet, 30... 4 ,000 feet and I've looked out of
the plane window and I thought, oh, think of
that glorious moment. Think of that hour. No
more sorrow, no more heartache. Oh, my goodness
alive. And I've looked up because I know that
heaven is up. When Jesus left at the time of
his ascension, he went up. And you know, as I
look out of the plane window and look up, do
you realize that our astronauts can only go just
so high and no higher? Do you know that someplace
up there, someplace way up there, because heaven
is up, God has a great no trespassing sign. But
the saints of God, men and women from all walks
of life, those who have been born in the body
of Christ, those who have been redeemed with
the blood of the Son of the Living God, will
go beyond that no trespassing sign into the very
presence of God the Father, into the very presence
of Jesus Christ the Son. And on the morning of
that glorious day, the air will be filled with
those who died in Christ, who come back to earth
to get their bodies raised and glorified. Now,
what are the cemeteries? What are the country
churchyards? Will look like plowed fields and
the monuments and the grave slabs? will be overturned
and what the cemeteries will look like, I don't
know. I cannot tell you. I only know that there
will be a literal bodily resurrection of the
dead. I don't know whether the saints who died
in Christ will just slip out of their graves
without disturbing the earth as Christ arose
and left the... tomb without breaking the seal
because you'll remember that the angel rolling
away the stone simply to show that the tomb is
empty. That's the word of God. Whether anything
else was touched, it doesn't tell us. But I have
a feeling, just my own personal feeling. You
don't have to accept it. But I would just like
to believe. that they're one mile out of Concordia,
Missouri, in that little graveyard, that what
is a big tombstone now, and it has the word Kuhlman
on it, K -U -H -L -M -A -N, and then there's
a marker, Joseph Kuhlman, and then there's a
marker, Emma Kuhlman. I would... just love to
believe that in that moment of the first resurrection,
that old Missouri soil would just tremble, just
shake a bit. And a split second after that resurrection,
there would be a great big hole. And the old
marker that's there now, and it says Joseph Kuhlman,
will be shattered to bits. Because my papa's
body isn't going to be there. It just isn't going
to be there. It'll be as empty as the tomb was
empty at the time of the resurrection of Jesus.
You see? They literally put the body of Jesus
in that tomb. It was a physical body. But when
the women came the next morning weeping, The
angel said, he is not here. He is not here. I'd
like all the people of Concordia, Missouri. I'd
like everybody in Lafayette County to know that
Joe Kuhlman is no longer there. His body is not
there. I'd like to think at that glorious first
resurrection. That glorious morning, that glorious
day, whether it's night or day or mid -noon,
it'll still be a glorious day. That when the
dead in Christ shall rise, in that little cemetery
there will be left a hole, and that marker will
be shattered into a thousand pieces that read,
Emma Coon. Because the bodies of Papa and Mama
will no longer be there. But I say to you again,
that's what I would like, but the Bible doesn't
tell us. Whether the cemeteries and whether the
country churchyards will look like plowed fields,
I don't know. The Bible doesn't tell us. If the
dead slip out of their places without disturbing
the soil, then the first resurrection will be
secret and probably unknown to the world. But
it will not be so with the living saints who
are translated. Because they'll be gone. Think
of the turmoil. Think of the commotion. Think
of the headlines. The news commentators. Think
of the screaming. Think of the cry. Think of
the fright. That's the reason I say to you, the
rapture will be the most startling event of this
age. Nothing that has ever happened in the world
will be more startling or cause a greater upheaval
than the rapture of the church. And I believe
with every atom of my being that this will be
the next great world event. I believe that because
there's nothing more left in the Word of God
that has to be fulfilled before this event takes
place. Mm -hmm. If it's night on our side of
the globe when the rapture occurs, then the community
will awake in the morning to find all the real
Christians gone. They disappeared in the night.
Imagine. An old codger who's called his wife
everything under the sun because she's a Christian.
She's taken her stand. She believes the word
of God. She's been born again. She's tried to
tell him. She's tried to warn him. She's tried
to show him in the word of God where these things
will happen. He's just been too busy. Too busy
making a living. Too busy with the material things
of life. All their married life. She's been right
there by his side. But he awakens. Mary isn't
there. Anne isn't there. He waits. She isn't
there. Morning comes. There's no one to get breakfast.
Where is she? It's so unlike her. And this will
happen to thousands and thousands of households.
Imagine the excitement. Imagine the turmoil.
And it's going to be exactly like that. I believe
that Many may hear the sound of the midnight
cry because the Bible speaks of the midnight
cry. Behold, the bridegroom cometh. And Jesus
is our bridegroom. And those of us who have been
born in the body of Christ, we are likened in
the Word of God as being the bride. We have not
yet had the great wedding supper of the Lamb.
You know, we were having a rehearsal, and I will
tell you, if you've never attended one of our
communion services, you have really missed a
blessed time. The last time we were having rehearsal
because the men serve the cup and the broken
bread in our ministry. and the Sunday before
when we were having the rehearsal and the men
were on the platform, and I just stopped and
I said, you know, men, this could be, this could
easily be the last communion service because
I feel we're so near the great catching up. It
could be. And then, you know, I said, the next,
Great Supper will be the wedding supper of the
Lamb. But I believe that's going to be a sit
-down occasion. And you men won't have to work.
You'll be seated at the great table. The great
wedding supper of the Lamb. You won't be serving.
I believe the angels will be serving you. I'll
be right there. And it's exactly what it'll be
like if Jesus likens himself to the bridegroom
and those of us who have been born into the body
of Christ, born into his church, and we are the
bride of Christ. And the bridegroom comes. for
his bride and the wedding supper of the Lamb.
You know, when we have communion, that takes
about, well, maybe an hour and a half or two
hours because there's so many to be served. Do
you realize that it's going to take, for sure,
Seven years for the great wedding supper of the
Lamb? You say, now, Miss Grooman, aren't you
being carried away a little bit? No. If I'm being
carried away a bit, then the Word of God is too
far out. Because we're going to have the wedding
supper of the Lamb during the seven years that
they're having the great... tribulation here
on this earth because you see immediately following
the rapture of the church we begin the seven
years when God keeps his earthly covenants with
an earthly people the Jews and the tribulation
will go on for seven years And while all of this
suffering, while all of this famine and turmoil
takes place here on earth, when all the forces
of hell will be turned loose and Antichrist rules
and reigns, at the same time, there will be taking
place in heaven. the wedding supper of the Lamb.
When literally the bride and the bridegroom married.
Oh, that's thrilling. That's the word. That's
the word of God. Somebody says, maybe I better
start reading the Bible. I think that would be
a wonderful idea because everything I'm telling
you is scriptural. I think that's one reason
that so many people are beginning to get their
eyes open. That's the reason that people are
writing to me and saying, please tell us more
of the rapture. We've never heard of it before.
We've gone to church all of our lives. But no
one has ever preached it to us before. And yet,
what I'm telling you is as much a part of the
Word of God. is as true, is as definite as ye
must be born again. It's the word. It's his word.
Behold the bridegroom coming. Some may think
it's only thunder. They'll turn over for another
nap. But in the morning they'll find the bedroom
door locked with the key on the inside. Just
as it was locked before retiring, they closed
the loved one who occupied the room with them,
lying where they were taken off. Husbands will
wake up to find that Christian wives are gone.
Wives will wake up to find that Christian husbands
are gone. That, my friend, will be the most startling
event of this age.