In scripture one of the most exciting themes
I think that there is for us to ponder and that
is the blessed hope of the believer What we've
called a meeting in the air The last time we
talked together about this theme the end of the
age We talked about the fact that in this present
age in which we live The tares and the wheat
are sewn together. That is, there are those who
are true children of God through faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. And then there are those who
are not the true children of God, but who are
the counterfeits. And as we saw in the parable
Jesus told in Matthew 13, those counterfeits
are placed into the professing church by Satan.
It's not really our business to try to separate
the true from the counterfeit. Our job in this
world is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ,
that the Lord may use that message to call out
his body. The time of separation is going to
come at the end. But right now it's good for
us to remember that within the professing sphere
of Christendom, there are those who are truly
the children of God and there are those who while
professing, while using some of the same language
that we might use, are not genuinely the children
of God. By their fruit, Jesus said, you will
know them. We also saw that this age is going
to close with an increasing moral and spiritual
apostasy. That is, there is going to be an increasingly
broad and deep movement away from this book,
a movement away from the revelation which God
has infallibly given to us in the Bible. This
will take place within the professing Christian
church, within Christendom. That's where the
apostasy takes place. In the last days we can
expect what I suppose will be a rather large
ecumenical movement, with many groups getting
together on a certain basis, calling themselves
the Christian Church, calling themselves the
Church of Jesus Christ, calling upon Him as Lord,
and yet denying Him, and denying the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the only atonement there
is for the sin of man. Each of the ages which
have preceded this, and I personally believe
that in the total outline of time that there
are seven of these ages, each of them has ended
in judgment. God has given to man during each
of these ages a certain test. Inevitably, man
has failed that test and that age has ended in
judgment. Sometime we may go back and trace that
through the scriptural record of history. But
tonight I want you to notice with me that this
age in which we live likewise is going to end.
not in more people coming into the kingdom and
peace being gradually established and the name
of Christ being called upon more and more by
people and finally Jesus comes gloriously. But
rather this age is going to end not only with
an apostasy but with a terrible and awful series
of judgments which God will pour out upon the
earth dwellers as they are called in the book
of the Revelation. That period of time, that
period of judgment when these series of judgments
are poured out is often called the tribulation
period. It is our conviction that that tribulation
period is going to be signaled, it's going to
be initiated by what we're talking about tonight
and that is the rapture of the Church of the
Lord Jesus Christ. That is our subject this evening.
We believe that the rapture of the church is
the next event on God's calendar. Now we need
to ask two or three questions in order to get
to the heart of this subject. First of all, what
is the rapture? Well, you will not find that
word in your Bible concordance. It does not occur
in the English translation of the Bible. Then
you say we believe a doctrine where the word
is not even found in the Bible. Yes, just as
surely as we believe in the Trinity, and the
word Trinity is never found in the Bible. Yet
the word Trinity describes accurately a doctrine
which the Word of God teaches to us, just as
the word Rapture describes to us an event which
the Word of God predicts. Now, the word Rapture
actually comes from a Latin word. which is translated
from the Greek word in 1 Thessalonians 4, 17,
caught up. There was a Latin translation of the
New Testament made centuries and centuries ago.
And when they came to that particular Greek word
caught up, they used the word, the Latin word,
from where we get the word rapture. So that is
its origin. The Greek word, and that of course
is the language in which the New Testament was
written, and it might be good for you to turn
on to 1 Thessalonians 4 right now because that
is the text we'll be looking at. The Greek word
here in verse 17 for caught up means to snatch
away by force. It means to seize, as if you were
to seize the hand of a child and remove him from
the path of an automobile. It means to remove
in the face of danger. An interesting word in
the light of the events that we expect at the
end of this age. Now we ask the question, who
is involved in the rapture? Who is involved in
this catching up, in this seizure that we're
talking about? Well, it's not enough simply to
say that it's the saints of God because there
are many saints of God scattered throughout the
Old Testament. And we do not believe the rapture
will include those in the Old Testament. Neither
is the word elect usable here because the word
elect refers to Old Testament saints as well.
Who is going to be raptured? The answer to that
is, as we understand the Word of God, the Church
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church of the Lord
Jesus Christ is that body of people who have
been called out during this age to belong to
the Lord Jesus. I'd like you to turn with me
to Acts chapter 15, where we don't see the word
church used, but we see a good definition of
it. Acts 15 and in verse 13. And after they had
stopped speaking, James answered, saying, Brethren,
listen to me. Simeon has related how God first
concerned himself about taking from among the
Gentiles a people for his name. Now that last
clause in verse 14 is a fairly decent understanding
of the church. Certainly there are those who
are Jews who have been saved during this age
and who are part of the church. A remnant of
Israel has been saved, but by and large those
who have been saved in this age in which we now
live have been Gentiles. What is God about in
this age? It is that He is taking from among
the Gentiles, from among the nations, a people
for His name. And He goes on to say, and with
this the words of the prophets agree, just as
it is written, after these things I will return
and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David. Now
what is the speaker saying here? Well, he is
saying that the prophets agree with what has
taken place. It's not that the Old Testament
predicted the Church because they did not. The
Church is a mystery that was not revealed until
this age in which we live. But the Old Testament
prophets agree with. In other words, what has
happened fits into their scheme of things. And
what the speaker here, James, is pointing out
is that the prophet said, Amos in view, after
these things I will return. What things? Calling
out of the Gentiles for his namesake. After that,
the Lord says, I will return and I will rebuild
the tabernacle of David. In other words, God
is not finished with the Jewish nation. God still
has a purpose for Israel and he will fulfill
that purpose after these things have been completed.
That is, the calling out of a Gentile, primarily,
people for his name's sake. So who is involved
in the church? Who is the church? It is those
who are called out in this age, mostly of Gentile,
somewhat of Jew. Now we have talked about that
subject in the book of Ephesians, so I'm not
going to belabor it. Let us come to our text,
which is in 1 Thessalonians 4. and see how the
rapture will occur. We have some wonderful words
here of the Savior given through the Apostle
Paul, 1 Thessalonians 4 and verse 13. Better
for since we believe that Jesus died and rose
again Even so God will bring with him those who
have fallen asleep in Jesus for this we say to
you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive
and Remain until the coming of the Lord shall
not precede those who have fallen asleep For
the Lord himself will descend from heaven with
a shout with a voice of the archangel and with
the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall
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." How will the rapture
occur? Well, I think we see in this key passage
some important facts about it. First of all,
the Lord Himself is going to be involved in the
rapture. It says that the Lord Himself will descend
from heaven. where he is now, at the right hand
of God the Father. He is not going to send angels
for us and they then return us to heaven, but
it says that he himself is going to descend from
heaven. Just as a bridegroom comes personally
for his bride to receive her, so will our heavenly
bridegroom come to receive us, his bride, the
church. It says here that he is going to come
with a shout. Now that's an interesting idea,
isn't it? The word shout was used in that day
in the military. It is the shout or the command
of a military officer or leader. It is a summon.
It is a call. The Lord is going to come from
heaven and not to the earth, but come from heaven
into the visible atmosphere of the world. And
from that point it says he is going to shout.
Now exactly what he is going to say we are not
told in Scripture. It may be that he is going
to say something like he did at the tomb of Lazarus
when he said, Lazarus what? Come forth. Or it
may be that he will use those words that were
spoken to the Apostle John in Revelation 4 .1.
when John was bidden, come up here. And John
was removed from the Isle of Patmos up into the
heavens to see those things which will surely
come to pass on the earth. Someone has said perhaps
he will use those words from the Song of Solomon
which say, arise my love, my fair one, and come
away. Whatever it is our Lord will say on that
day, you and I who know him will hear his voice.
We need not wonder if we're going to be listening
to something else or too busy to hear it. I will
guarantee you that you will hear his voice on
that day. For his voice will be as the voice
of a commander ordering you and me to appear
in his presence immediately. And it says, with
the voice of the archangel. The voice of an angel.
What an amazing statement that is. I don't understand
that to mean that an angel is going to shout,
but rather that our Lord's voice will be with
the authority as it were of an archangel, one
of great authority. And it says furthermore that
on that occasion there will be the trumpet of
God blown. Now, what is the significance of a
trumpet? Well, a trumpet is used in ancient Israel
to call the people together. They, of course,
did not have communications as we do today. And
even up until recently, within the last hundred
years or so, armies were ordered into battle.
They were ordered into camp, they were ordered
to sleep, they were ordered to rise, they were
ordered to retreat by a trumpet. The bugler would
give a certain sound and the troops knew exactly
what to do. Well the idea is here that there
will apparently be the sound of a trumpet and
that trumpet sound will be our signal to look
up and to come together. Now, there are those
who confuse the trumpet judgments in Revelation
with this trumpet, and they sometimes identify
the seventh trumpet that is sounded in Revelation
with this trumpet because it is the last trumpet,
as it is called in 1 Corinthians 15. I do not
understand that the same way. Those trumpets
in Revelation are trumpets of judgment, not of
summons to salvation. And then there are those
who identify it with the trumpets that are mentioned
in Matthew 24, 31. And I again do not identify
it with those trumpets. I believe this is a unique
trumpet sound that is for the Church of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And it says in response to that
sound of the trumpet, the dead in Christ shall
rise first. It is wonderful to note that death
has not annihilated. our loved ones who've gone
on before us in Christ. Death has not blotted
them out. We can no longer speak with them. We
are unable to see them and to express our love
to them as we could when they were with us. But
they are still very truly in existence. Their
bodies have been buried, but their spirits The
essence of who they were, their life principle,
their force of life, is with the Lord in heaven.
And indeed we see that earlier here, for it says
in verse 14, God will bring with him those who
have fallen asleep in Jesus. He is going to bring
them with him because they are now in heaven
with him. And they will be with him as he returns.
Fallen asleep, does that mean that they have,
in fact, dozed off for a few decades, a few hundred
years, waiting until that time that they would
be awakened from the dust? Not at all. The term
fallen asleep here is a picturesque term of what
happens to the body. But it does not describe
the condition of their soul. To be absent from
the body is to be present with the Lord, and
one does not sleep in the presence of the Lord.
Death did not annihilate them. Death did not
separate them from the Lord Jesus Christ. In
fact, death took them to His presence. And they
are kept safe there. And they are going to one
day return with our Lord as He comes. And the
very first thing that will happen after that
trumpet sounds is that their bodies are going
to be miraculously brought back. Even though
they may have decayed and gone to dust, their
bodies will be resurrected from the grave anew,
a glorious body like Christ's body of glory.
And their spirit and body will be reunited once
more. At just what point in the air or still
there at the point of the grave, we are not told.
But it happened so instantaneously it's hardly
worth talking about that point. For their bodies
are raised and they are reunited forever, to
be complete and whole, never to face death again,
never to go through that valley once more. They
are together forever. And as soon as that happens,
it says, then we who are alive and remain. And
notice that Paul expected to be alive on that
day. I'll come back to that in a moment as we
talk about the eminency of Christ's return. But
we can say that today because we are alive on
the earth, we who are alive and remain. and should
we pass from this scene and there be a hundred
years from now another generation looking at
this same text they will be able to say the same
thing we say tonight that we who are alive and
remain on that day shall be caught up that is
we will be caught up together with these who
have been raised caught up together with them
in the clouds, or in clouds is how some understand
that. Certainly it will be in the atmosphere
of the clouds. That is where the reunion will
take place with them and with our Lord. But it
may picture here clouds of believers as it were
arising from the continents of the earth. If
you can just imagine yourself standing back from
the earth on that day watching the events taking
place and seeing from here this great continent
of Africa. this cloud of saints being caught
up into the sky to meet the Lord. And that is
true in every part of the world. Perhaps that
is the picture that is used here. And it says
that we are caught up together with Him. Our
bodies are changed in that moment. No longer
will we have a body like we do now, but it will
be a different kind of body, identifiable with
this one, but a different body, a body like Christ's.
And then it says, caught up to meet the Lord
in the air. The picture here is of a face -to
-face meeting in the atmosphere. I like that,
because that's the very place of Satan's domain.
Satan is called the prince of the power of the
air. His domain at the present time is the atmosphere
of this world. And it seems to me that our Lord
is is calling together his people in victory
in the very midst of Satan's domain and Satan
can do nothing about it as God's people gloriously
are brought together in the church for the first
time since those early days after Pentecost because
soon after that it was scattered for the first
time we are all brought together we who are a
part of this body of the Lord Jesus Christ this
unique group of people being called out in this
age. And we are together with the Lord. And it
says, so shall we ever be with the Lord and with
each other. Well, when is the rapture going to
occur? Well, you got your watch out? It does
no good to look at a watch or to look at a calendar
because we can't date the rapture that way, can
we? There is a word that we use to talk about
the rapture and its timing and that word is the
word imminent. It is a word which means that
it can happen at any moment. Notice that the
Apostle Paul felt it could have happened in his
day. The point is that there was nothing as far
as the Apostle was concerned that needed to precede
this event. There was nothing as far as he was
concerned that had to happen before the rapture.
He felt that the rapture could have happened
at any moment in that day. It was not God's time.
Likewise, we believe today it can happen at any
moment. This may not be God's time. It may not
be, but I believe as we look around us and as
we'll be talking in weeks to come that we indeed
are living in that day. I believe that this is
the terminal generation of this age. The Lord
could come at any moment. There are no signs
that have to precede it. There are signs that
need to take place before He comes back to the
earth. But that's not what we've been reading
about in 1 Thessalonians 4. This is His coming
back into the air, into the atmosphere of the
world. to call up there into His presence the
Church. He does not then come on down to the
earth. He returns on back into the heavens. And
there are some things that will take place, and
we'll be studying about those. There are signs
that must precede His second coming to the earth,
but nothing needs to happen before He comes for
the Church in the Rapture. Now, as I have outlined
this, obviously my position and the position
that we teach at our church is what is called
a pre -tribulation rapture of the church. In
other words, we believe the Bible teaches that
the rapture of the church will occur before the
tribulation. I want to hasten to say that there
are fine people, godly people, Bible scholars
who believe differently than we do about this.
Not everybody can be right on everything. And
it may be that we're wrong on this. That's not
my conviction, or I would believe what I think
is right. But I believe that they're wrong. There
are those who believe the rapture will occur
in the middle of the tribulation. I have a very
close friend right here in the Twin Cities who
takes that position. He's right on many things,
but he's dead wrong on that. And then there are
those who believe the rapture is going to occur
after the tribulation. I have even more problems
with that position. You say, well, why do you
believe so strongly in a pre -tribulation rapture?
Well, I've preached a whole message on that on
another occasion, but just a point or two. And
I'd like you to turn back earlier here in 1 Thessalonians
to see my point. Chapter 1 and verse 10. He says,
we have turned from God to God, rather, from
idols, to serve the living and true God, and
to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised
from the dead. That is Jesus. Notice the rest
of that verse. The wrath which is spoken of here,
I believe, is more than eternal hell. In fact,
I don't believe that that's what Paul has in
mind. I believe the wrath that he is speaking
of here is the wrath of God that God is going
to pour upon this Christ -rejecting world at
the end of this age. It is called in the book
of the Revelation a time when the wrath of God
and the wrath of the one who sits upon the throne
is poured out upon the world. It is an official
period when God's wrath Will fall upon the unbelieving
world as it has not in thousands of years Indeed
as it has not since the flood Now what this verse
tells us is that we who are looking for the Lord
Jesus Christ Who are they the ones who have turned
to God from idols to serve the Lord? He says
we are those Who are being delivered from the
wrath to come that is I believe the tribulation
period a similar thought in chapter 5 and verse
9 Where he says for God has not destined us for
wrath But for obtaining salvation through our
Lord Jesus Christ Now there are other verses
in scripture for example Revelation 3 10 which
says I will keep you out of the hour of testing
that is coming upon the earth, the hour of tribulation
that is coming upon the earth. I believe that
that is a verse that applies to a pre -tribulation
rapture of the church. I won't go any more into
detail than that. I think it is significant that
when the period of the tribulation is described,
in some detail, as it is in Revelation chapters
4 through 19, You see absolutely no mention of
the Church or of the Bride of the Lord Jesus
Christ on the earth. No mention of it whatsoever.
Yes, there are redeemed people on the earth,
but not the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mentioned in chapters 1, 2, and 3, but not in
chapters 4 through 19. and then again mentioned
at the end of the book. Why? Because those chapters
focus on the wrath of God upon the earth. And
I believe the church is not mentioned in that
narrative because the church is not present in
the world during that period of time. A couple
of questions that people often ask about the
rapture and then we're done. First of all, what
about children? Has not every parent of young
children wondered, what about my children if
the rapture should occur? That is those who have
not trusted the Lord Jesus Christ yet because
they are not old enough to believe. They're not
old enough to understand the gospel. What about
our children? Will they be left behind? The first
thing we have to confess is that there is no
clear scripture on this subject. God has not
given us a verse that we can point to that gives
us a specific answer. However, I believe that
it is consistent with God's past actions to say
that He would remove our children with us who
have not yet come to an age of accountability.
Now, I am not including children who have come
to that age of accountability and who have refused
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But I am
talking about those children who have not yet
come to that age where they understand these
things. We could go back and talk about Noah
and the fact that his family, older to be sure,
but God rescued the family of Noah with him.
We could talk about Lot and God's attempt to
rescue all of Lot's family, but ultimately only
two daughters. We could talk about Rahab and
the fact that when that judgment came upon Jericho,
Rahab and her family were delivered from that.
But I think that the strongest past action we
can point to is the age of accountability that
God apparently drew in the wilderness. The people
of Israel rebelled against the Lord in unbelief,
and God brought judgment, you remember, on that
generation, but God drew a line of responsibility.
and the age was 20. And he said, those that age
and below will continue to live and may go into
the promised land, but everyone above that age
is going to die in the wilderness. Well, you
say those are not exactly as strong as I'd like
them to be. Well, perhaps not as strong as I
would like them to be either. But I believe that
we can look at those scriptures and from that
reason that we need not be alarmed about our
children and the rapture. I believe that we can
trust the Lord to do what is right and to do
what would bring glory to Him. And then a second
question that is sometimes asked, what about
my loved ones? What about my friends to whom
I've witnessed and who have rejected the gospel?
What about them? when the rapture occurs. Won't
that be an opportunity for them to understand
that what I've told them is the truth so that
they can then get saved? Won't they believe then
once they see that this tremendous event has
taken place? Won't they then realize and understand
that what I've said to them is true and they
will turn to Christ? Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2. I have bad news for you. I believe
that the Word of God indicates that those who
have willfully rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ
before the rapture of the church will not be
saved in the tribulation period. Notice what
our Lord says. He talks here about the coming
of the Antichrist. He describes him in verse
9 as the one who's coming is in accord with the
activity of Satan, with all power and signs and
false wonders. I tell you, this individual is
going to be something to behold. He'll even claim
to have raised the dead. And it says, and with
all the deception of wickedness for those who
perish. And he says, because they did not receive
the love of the truth. so as to be saved. Verse
10, I believe, is a warning of judgment upon
those who willfully reject the Lord Jesus Christ,
who understand the gospel and knowingly turn
against the Lord. I believe that this verse teaches
that he and a Christ will come and that they
who have rejected Christ knowingly will be deceived
by his wickedness. and that they will perish
in their sin. Why? Because they did not receive
the love of the truth so as to be saved. I believe
that there will be many, many people saved in
the tribulation period. They will not be a part
of the Church. They will be a part of a separate,
distinct body, not the Church. But untold thousands
of people will come to faith in Jesus Christ.
But I say sadly I don't believe that one person
who rejects the gospel of Jesus Christ before
the rapture of the Church will be among them.
And I say that with sadness because I too have
family members that I'm not sure about as far
as their relationship to Christ, but who I know
have heard the truth. And I have friends in the
same condition just as you do. And that is not
a pleasant thought, and that is one reason that
you and I, with urgency, need to implore them
to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, in one
sense, when we share the gospel with them, we
are not only presenting to them the way of salvation,
but if they in the hardness of heart choose to
reject it, we have given to them their own blindness.
That is why the Apostle Paul says to some we
are the saver of life unto life and to others
the saver of death unto death and who is sufficient
for that he says Who is sufficient for it? I'll
say one thing that if I'm wrong on this And I'd
like to say I really hope I am Although I don't
believe so If I'm wrong and those people can
be saved They're going to miss out on being a
part of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
They're going to miss out on the glorious, marvelous
privilege of being a part of that redeemed body
that you and I are a part of in Christ. Oh yes,
they'll be redeemed. They'll be able to enjoy
with us the glories of heaven. But we who are
a part of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ,
you see, are going to reign with Him over the
new heavens and new earth. It's not that we are
better than anybody else. It is just that God
has chosen in His sovereign plan to make us a
part of this group, that group that will reign
with Christ as His bride, as His co -regent over
His new heavens and new earth from His new Jerusalem.
And if they can be saved after the rapture of
the church, they will miss out on that privilege
and that in itself is a sad thought for them.
As we close tonight, I think we all have to ask
the question, are we ready if the Lord should
come? Have you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ
as Savior? Young person, have you trusted Jesus
Christ as your Savior? Grandparent, mom and dad?
I think one of the most heartbreaking scenes
I can think of is that when the rapture of the
church takes place, there will be those who will
be separated from loved ones. There will be husbands
and wives separated. There will be parents and
older children separated because there will be
those who will have believed and taken away with
Christ while the others are left to face the
awful tribulation coming upon the earth and the
deception of Antichrist. Are you ready should
our Lord come tonight? And, O Christian brother
and sister, the exhortation to us is to be faithful.
Jesus said, occupy till I come. He said for you
and me to be about His business in the world.
It's going to get dark. It always does as night
comes on. But we are children of the day. We
are sons of light. And as God's called out ones
in this age, let us be faithful to our Savior.
and let us walk with Him and know the joy of
His fellowship in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation. I'd like for you to sing
with me a chorus only, 466 is the number. I'm
sorry the whole hymn is not in our hymnal. But
the chorus simply says, when we see Christ, We'll
sing at a cappella. Would you stand with me?
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.