The Rapture of the Church (part 3)

 

How will the Rapture happen? We look at several verses to tell us. As we read in the last lesson from 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Jesus will come to the clouds above the earth. In John 14:2-3 Jesus says, “…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will [receive] you to Myself...” Please note, this is Jesus calling us away from the earth. Every government that cares about its people serving in other countries, will call their people home when they know war is about to happen. We are Jesus’ ambassadors here on earth, and He loves us too much to leave us here when the real war of evil is about to begin – Revelation 3:10 and John 17:15.

In our last lesson, from 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4, we have already read there will be a great shout and the sound of a trumpet to call us.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-15 tells us that all believers in Jesus who have died will rise first, and then we who are still alive here will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet Him.

How do we know such a Rapture is possible? God has given us examples of them in the Bible.

Enoch - Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

Elijah - 2 Kings 2:11-12 “And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it …”

Philip - Acts 8:39 “And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.”

Jesus - Acts 1:9-11 “And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.”

The promise of this Rapture, before we enter the terrible time on earth as Jesus judges the nations of this world, is a “blessed promise” for us who believe. 2 Thessalonians 2 gives us a great picture of what these last days before the Rapture look like – and all we need to do is set the Bible alongside our newspapers or news programs to see how accurately Jesus has told us ahead of time what to look for. This chapter also warns us about the powerful deception coming, which we can already see all around us. The deception of the one-world government and one-world religion are knocking loudly at our gates. The world’s cry for peace at any cost is roaring at us from governments and schools and even many churches. We who are believers must cling to the truth and keep praying against the evil forces we see.

Prayer: Almighty Father, as You have prophesied, evil is nearer than ever before. But we choose not to fear, for You have promised You are greater than this enemy in the world is; so we join You in prayer to hold back the evil that wants to destroy. Purify us so we can stand with You whole-heartedly until You are ready to call us to Your side. We say with Your Spirit, “Come Lord Jesus!” In Your name we pray, Amen. 

From Global Media Outreach 

The Rapture of the Church (part 2)

 

As we read in the last lesson, the importance of understanding to whom a prophecy is given has much to do with how well we can understand the prophecy. For us, in our study of the Rapture of the Church in this lesson, this is very important. The seven years of Great Tribulation are part of Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 weeks – a prophecy specifically stated to be about Daniel’s people, the nation of Israel. 

Daniel 9:24: “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to a most holy place.”

Therefore, the prophecies of the terrible things happening in Revelation do not seem to be about us, the Church. This makes it easier for us to understand the two appearances of Jesus prophesied in the end times – the Rapture, and His Second Coming.

The Rapture happens in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

The Second Coming happens as every eye on earth sees Him coming (Revelation 1:7 and Acts 1:11)

Rapture – Jesus meets His saints in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

Second Coming – Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4)

Rapture – He rewards us for our deeds (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

Second Coming – He comes to judge the unrighteous (Revelation 19:13-16)

Rapture – we don’t know when it will happen, there is no prophecy to tell us when

Second Coming – Daniel 12:11 tells us the number of days from a specific event till Jesus comes

How will the Rapture happen? We read in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

Who will be raptured? We read the answer from Paul, speaking to believers in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: “Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your promise to come to get us one day very soon. We long for You to come, and say with the Spirit of God in us, “Come!” Help us to purify our hearts and lives so we are ready for this moment. And until that day, may we be about Your business...calling sinners to repentance and living in obedience and love. In Your name we pray, Amen. 

From Global Media Outreach 

The Rapture of the Church (part 1)

  

The rapture of the Church – it being taken out of this world to be with Jesus – is something easily misunderstood when we misunderstand some of the central issues of the Bible. Just as parents treat their children differently as they grow through different stages of childhood into adulthood, so God has treated humanity differently as He has given us information about Himself. The more information He has given us, the greater is our responsibility to Him for what He has revealed. In 2 Timothy 2:15 we read that we are to study and handle the Bible rightly so we can follow Him faithfully.

There are four different kinds of people in earth’s history from God’s point of view:

* All those who do not believe in God/Jesus

* Three groups in history of those who believe in God/Jesus:

- Israel

- Church

- Believing Gentiles

It is these three groups of believers we need to understand in order to understand God’s prophecy program. In the Old Testament time, the Church did not exist. God’s work was with Israel, even though there are notable believers who were not of the nation of Israel. Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20), Job and his friends (book of Job), and the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13) are just a few of these. But God’s prophecies center on Israel because it was through Israel He would bring salvation. This lack of prophecy about these Gentile believers does not change the fact of their believing in God nor does it change His love and care for them.

In the New Testament, all believers become part of the Church. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Prophecy in the New Testament is either about the Church or about Israel, and this is where we need to be discerning to know how to understand it correctly. For example, Matthew 24 is Jesus’ answer to His disciples’ questions about the Kingdom which had been prophesied in the Old Testament – so Jesus’ answer is about this coming Kingdom in which Israel is the main subject. The event around which this focuses then, is His second coming when this Kingdom on earth will be established.

The promises contained in John chapters 13-16, however, are promises which contain prophesies for the Church. In this last evening before He knew He would die, He was preparing His disciples for this new group in which they would become the leaders. Much of His ministry to them after His resurrection was also concerning the Church – for example, His charge to Peter to feed His sheep (John 21:15-19). His disciples did not understand then, but later did, that building His Kingdom was not all about Israel; it was about Gentiles as well. We will continue this in our next lesson.

Prayer: Father, teach us by Your Spirit how to rightly handle Your word of Truth. Thank you for giving us some indication of what will happen in the future so we can always be watching and ready for Your return. We love you Jesus! In Your name we pray, Amen 

From Global Media Outreach 

The Rapture of the Church (part 3)

How will the Rapture happen? We look at several verses to tell us. As we read in the last lesson from 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Jesus will come to the clouds above the earth. In John 14:2-3 Jesus says, “…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will [receive] you to Myself...” Please note, this is Jesus calling us away from the earth. Every government that cares about its people serving in other countries, will call their people home when they know war is about to happen. We are Jesus’ ambassadors here on earth, and He loves us too much to leave us here when the real war of evil is about to begin – Revelation 3:10 and John 17:15.

In our last lesson, from 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4, we have already read there will be a great shout and the sound of a trumpet to call us.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-15 tells us that all believers in Jesus who have died will rise first, and then we who are still alive here will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet Him.

How do we know such a Rapture is possible? God has given us examples of them in the Bible.

Enoch - Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

Elijah - 2 Kings 2:11-12 “And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it …”

Philip - Acts 8:39 “And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.”

Jesus - Acts 1:9-11 “And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.”

The promise of this Rapture, before we enter the terrible time on earth as Jesus judges the nations of this world, is a “blessed promise” for us who believe. 2 Thessalonians 2 gives us a great picture of what these last days before the Rapture look like – and all we need to do is set the Bible alongside our newspapers or news programs to see how accurately Jesus has told us ahead of time what to look for. This chapter also warns us about the powerful deception coming, which we can already see all around us. The deception of the one-world government and one-world religion are knocking loudly at our gates. The world’s cry for peace at any cost is roaring at us from governments and schools and even many churches. We who are believers must cling to the truth and keep praying against the evil forces we see.

Prayer: Almighty Father, as You have prophesied, evil is nearer than ever before. But we choose not to fear, for You have promised You are greater than this enemy in the world is; so we join You in prayer to hold back the evil that wants to destroy. Purify us so we can stand with You whole-heartedly until You are ready to call us to Your side. We say with Your Spirit, “Come Lord Jesus!” In Your name we pray, Amen. 

From Global Media Outreach 

The Rapture of the Church (part 2)

As we read in the last lesson, the importance of understanding to whom a prophecy is given has much to do with how well we can understand the prophecy. For us, in our study of the Rapture of the Church in this lesson, this is very important. The seven years of Great Tribulation are part of Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 weeks – a prophecy specifically stated to be about Daniel’s people, the nation of Israel. 

Daniel 9:24: “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to a most holy place.”

Therefore, the prophecies of the terrible things happening in Revelation do not seem to be about us, the Church. This makes it easier for us to understand the two appearances of Jesus prophesied in the end times – the Rapture, and His Second Coming.

The Rapture happens in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

The Second Coming happens as every eye on earth sees Him coming (Revelation 1:7 and Acts 1:11)

Rapture – Jesus meets His saints in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

Second Coming – Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4)

Rapture – He rewards us for our deeds (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

Second Coming – He comes to judge the unrighteous (Revelation 19:13-16)

Rapture – we don’t know when it will happen, there is no prophecy to tell us when

Second Coming – Daniel 12:11 tells us the number of days from a specific event till Jesus comes

How will the Rapture happen? We read in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

Who will be raptured? We read the answer from Paul, speaking to believers in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: “Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your promise to come to get us one day very soon. We long for You to come, and say with the Spirit of God in us, “Come!” Help us to purify our hearts and lives so we are ready for this moment. And until that day, may we be about Your business...calling sinners to repentance and living in obedience and love. In Your name we pray, Amen. 

From Global Media Outreach 

The Rapture of the Church (part 1)

 

The rapture of the Church – it being taken out of this world to be with Jesus – is something easily misunderstood when we misunderstand some of the central issues of the Bible. Just as parents treat their children differently as they grow through different stages of childhood into adulthood, so God has treated humanity differently as He has given us information about Himself. The more information He has given us, the greater is our responsibility to Him for what He has revealed. In 2 Timothy 2:15 we read that we are to study and handle the Bible rightly so we can follow Him faithfully.

There are four different kinds of people in earth’s history from God’s point of view:

* All those who do not believe in God/Jesus

* Three groups in history of those who believe in God/Jesus:

- Israel

- Church

- Believing Gentiles

It is these three groups of believers we need to understand in order to understand God’s prophecy program. In the Old Testament time, the Church did not exist. God’s work was with Israel, even though there are notable believers who were not of the nation of Israel. Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20), Job and his friends (book of Job), and the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13) are just a few of these. But God’s prophecies center on Israel because it was through Israel He would bring salvation. This lack of prophecy about these Gentile believers does not change the fact of their believing in God nor does it change His love and care for them.

In the New Testament, all believers become part of the Church. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Prophecy in the New Testament is either about the Church or about Israel, and this is where we need to be discerning to know how to understand it correctly. For example, Matthew 24 is Jesus’ answer to His disciples’ questions about the Kingdom which had been prophesied in the Old Testament – so Jesus’ answer is about this coming Kingdom in which Israel is the main subject. The event around which this focuses then, is His second coming when this Kingdom on earth will be established.

The promises contained in John chapters 13-16, however, are promises which contain prophesies for the Church. In this last evening before He knew He would die, He was preparing His disciples for this new group in which they would become the leaders. Much of His ministry to them after His resurrection was also concerning the Church – for example, His charge to Peter to feed His sheep (John 21:15-19). His disciples did not understand then, but later did, that building His Kingdom was not all about Israel; it was about Gentiles as well. We will continue this in our next lesson.

Prayer: Father, teach us by Your Spirit how to rightly handle Your word of Truth. Thank you for giving us some indication of what will happen in the future so we can always be watching and ready for Your return. We love you Jesus! In Your name we pray, Amen 

From Global Media Outreach