Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2001

The Rapture Could Happen Today

 

After church, where she had been taught about the Second Coming, a little girl was quizzing her mother.

/Mummy, do you believe Jesus will come back?

/Yes! /Could he come back this week?/

Yes darling!

/Could he come today?

/Yes!/ Could he come in the next hour?/

Yes! /Could he come in a few minutes?/

Yes, dear! /Mummy, can you comb my hair?/

 

Tonight we will look at the /rapture./

Last Sunday night we saw a very graphic portrayal of this event.

I want to focus on different aspects of the rapture and its relationship to the Church.

We will look at six questions about the rapture.

*/Why?

What?

When?

Where?

Who? How?  /*

*/ /*

/Firstly, /    Why?

Transportation

 

John 14:2-3: /In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also./

/Why will the rapture happen?/

For transportation!

Jesus promised to come again to take us home.

The*/ word rapture/* is a Latin word that means */to be caught up in estacy./*

Whilst the word /rapture/ is not found in the Bible the meaning is clearly expressed in *1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.*

/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./

In verse 17 it says that living believers */will be caught/* up to meet the Lord in the air.

The word */caught up/* ajrpazw means */to seize, to snatch away, to transport hastily./*

The rapture will demonstrate God's great power.

He will snatch up millions of believers simultaneously into the clouds.

What an event this will be!

Star Trek

 

Perhaps some of you have seen the T. V. show Star Trek.

The crew of the star ship enterprise investigate the universe to discover new civilizations.

On their star ship they have a special transporter.

With it they can transport people from a planet to their space ship on a beam of light.

The phrase they use when ready to go is, beam me aboard Scotty!

The transporter can only do a few at a time.

Of course this is only science fiction.

But when the rapture takes place Christ will transport millions of people simultaneously into the clouds to be with Him.  

 

Paul had an experience like the rapture.

*2 Corinthians 12:2:* /I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago — whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows — such a one *was caught up* to the third heaven.

/God wants us to live with Him in His heavenly home.

We don't belong here; this isn't our home.

We are part of God's family and belong with Him.

In fact Jesus has made a special place for us.

We're God's precious children and He loves us deeply.

The rapture is God's way of gathering His people together to Himself.

The rapture involves both the gathering together and transportation of God's people into heaven.

*2 Thessalonians 2:1:* /Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him./ God will take his own and allow the rest of the world to continue as normal.

The rapture won't affect unbelievers.

/Secondly, /What?

Transformation

 

/What will the rapture involve?

/A transformation!

*Philippians 3:20-21: */For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will *transform* our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

/

*/ /*

*/Why do we need this transformation?/*

Because our bodies have been ruined by sin.

The physical bodies aren't suitable for eternity in heaven.

Therefore God will change them into bodies that are suitable.

The rapture of living saints and the resurrection of dead saints happen together.

But the result is the same.

All Christians will receive new glorified, sinless bodies.

*Corinthians 15:51-54:* /Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

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 incorruptible, and *we shall be changed*.

For this *corruptible* must put on *incorruption*, and this *mortal* must put on *immortality*.

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.

/

 

The word */change/* ajllassw means */to exchange, to transform, to alter, to change./*

Paul uses many comparisons to describe the changes that occur at the rapture.

*Corruptible To Incorruptible* - Corruptible are sinful and experience the consequences of sin.

They age and wear out with time.

They feel pain and weakness.

They are subject to sickness and deformity.

Corruptible bodies are made of the earth and will return to the dust from which they came.

Incorruptible bodies will never age.

They will remain strong and healthy forever.

Incorruptible are sinless and perfectly suited for heaven.

*Mortal To Immortal* - Mortal bodies die.

At best, they last about eighty or ninety years and then die.

At worst they die during infancy.

But immortal bodies will never die.

They are in fact impervious to death.

Yes death is swallowed up in victory.

*Natural To Spiritual* - In *1 Corinthians 15:44* we read /there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body./

The natural body consists of flesh and blood.

Paul tells us that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

However a spiritual body like Christ's resurrection body consists of flesh and bone.

No Blood!

Sin has corrupted human life which depends on blood.

We will receive a spiritual body at the rapture.

Paul talks about the resurrection body in *1 Corinthians 15:42-49*: