The Church's Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

The Church's Hope through the end of Time (Thessalonians) • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Eschatology, or end-time theology, sometimes seems disconnected from “real life.” But let’s see today how relevant it is. Not only does it bring you to understand and live in the greatest hope, but it’s also a great warning for those who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior.

Notes

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Grieve With Hope

“Uninformed”— Must have been some who were upset at the passing of others in their fellowship. Paul might have taught already on the topics of death and eternal life, but that teaching needed reinforced.

Maybe they thought that their loved ones who had already died would miss out on the glory that they were being taught would come.

So Paul teaches them further, and gives us an understanding of what happens at death and for eternity.

Don’t grieve as those who have no hope.

2 groups: believers/ non-believers.

Grieving is an appropriate emotional response to the death of a loved one, and all people, redeemed or not, will grieve.

But that Grief must be expressed in obedience to Christ

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV)

Believers grieve with hope.

Non-believers grieve without hope.

In fact, they are hopeless. Why?

Experiencing the loss of a loved one does not bring about the loss of God’s love and promises to them. A simpler way to say that is that God and His promises do not go away even though that person does.

You won’t miss out— There is still hope! But not if you don’t know God.

This is the context in which Paul introduces what we typically call the rapture. And we need to remember this context because the return of Christ and our state for all eternity is the greatest hope we have!

Not crying at Grandpa’s funeral— he was experiencing something better.

You’ll hear people say “he’s in a better place”, but that’s not true if that person who died didn’t know Jesus Christ as his Savior.

The Resurrection of Jesus

The pinnacle of our faith

“And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14, ESV)

v.14- “…we believe that Jesus died and rose again...”

Highlight that , underline, circle—this is our hope!

Because of that, see what God will also do!

Christians are a people defined by resurrection. So we need to submit our thinking about death and the afterlife to what our resurrected Lord taught us.

The Resurrection of Our Bodies

What happens at death?

The body sleeps; the soul is with the Lord.

“If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” (Philippians 1:22–24, ESV)

“Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8, ESV)

A simple definition of death is given in James 2:26—

“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:26, ESV)

At death, the spirit leaves the body, and the body goes to sleep and no longer functions. The soul/spirit goes to be with the Lord, if the person has trusted Jesus Christ.

The false belief of “soul sleep”

It’s clear that the soul of the believer went to be with the Lord:

“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, ESV)

Some teach this idea of soul sleep, where they claim the soul of the person also sleeps until the time it is united with a resurrection body. There is very little support for this position in Scripture, though.

The body sleeps; the soul is with the Lord. But when Christ returns, there will be a resurrection of bodies.

Resurrection of bodies (v.16)

[Read v.16]

I wonder what this will look like! We really don’t know, but we do know that those who have died in the Lord will be raised first. Again, it is connected to the resurrection of Christ:

“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12, ESV)

A common question is what will my resurrection body look like? Look at 1 Cor. 15:42-44, 49 for some characteristics of our resurrected bodies:

“So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:42–44, ESV)

“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:49, ESV)

Characteristics of our resurrected bodies:

Imperishable. As opposed to being perishable— they won’t wear out, grow old, or be subject to sickness and disease.

Glorious. As opposed to dishonor— being raised in glory indicates some kind of beauty or attractiveness.

Powerful. As opposed to weakness— full of strength to conform completely to God’s will for all eternity.

Spiritual. As opposed to a natural body— no longer subject to the flesh, but completely subjected to the will of the Holy Spirit and His guidance, and perfectly bearing the image of Christ.

For those who are hoping your resurrection body will look like John Travolta or Olivia Newton John, there seems to be indications in Scripture that there will be continuity to some degree between your current body and your resurrected body.

1 Cor. 15:51-53 says that in a moment we will be changed, not replaced. It will look somewhat different because the effects of sin are no longer on it, like Jesus’ resurrected body—they didn’t recognize him right away after the resurrection.

“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 8:11, ESV) It seems that we will recognize people in heaven. I think it is true to say that we will see someone again.

Some wonder about cremation, died in fire, lost at sea, or eaten by animals.

“But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.” (1 Corinthians 15:35–37, ESV)

We’ve talked mainly about the resurrection bodies of believers in Jesus Christ, but let’s look at John 5:28-29 to realize that even unbelievers will be raised—not to life, but to judgment:

“Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28–29, ESV)

Every person will be affected by the return of Christ.

While we still might have questions about the resurrected body, we do know that the bodies of those who are asleep will rise first, then those who are alive at that time will be “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” (v.17)

The Rapture

This is the rapture.

The word “Rapture” is not in the Bible, but that is the literal meaning of “caught up.”

A Bible scholar named Jerome was commissioned in the late 300s by the Pope to produce a Latin copy of the Bible. Jerome finished around the year 405, and it was called the Vulgate. The Latin word “rapto” means “to seize, to carry off”; and from it we get our English word “rapture.”

Jerome’s Vulgate, a Bible in Latin— “rapto” means “to seize, to carry off” = our English word “rapture.”

[separate slide ]

ἁρπάζω (harpazō) (appears 13 times in NT; variety of meanings, shown here on this slide [PP])

“To catch away speedily.” see Acts 8:39

“To seize by force.” See John 6:15.

“To claim for one’s own self.”

“To move to a new place.” see 2 Cor. 12:1–4

“To rescue from danger.” See Acts 23:10.

Look at how all of these definitions apply to the Rapture.

And this is the moment of glorification — the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

What Will Happen When Christ Returns? (v.16-17)

1. The Lord will descend from heaven

2. There will be a loud command from the Lord (like with Lazarus)

3. The voice of an archangel will sound

4. The trumpet of God will sound

5. The dead in Christ will rise

6. Those left who are in Christ will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord

7. With glorified bodies, the dead and alive in Christ will live eternally with Him.

This will all be quick.

“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.” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52, ESV)

We don’t know when the Lord will return.

And theologians for decades have been trying to create timelines and ideas for chronology of end-time events. I just want to give a brief overview.

The majority of views try to determine where the rapture will take place in relation to the Great Tribulation (7 years) and the Millennial reign (1,000 years).

Pretribulation rapture: Not popularized until 1788, Morgan Edwards, Philadelphia; 1827, John Nelson Darby.

Posttribulation rapture.

Mid-tribulation rapture.

Pre-wrath, very similar to mid-trib, but says God’s wrath will not be poured out until after the rapture mid-way through the tribulation.

Pre-tribulation (dispensationalist, Scofield) premillenialism. Rapture, trib, return of Christ, then millenial reign.

Post-tribulational premilliennialism (trib, rapture at the return of Christ, then millennial reign)

Postmillenial. Millennium, return of Christ and final judgment)

Amillennial — no thousand year reign; we’re in the church age now, which represents the kingdom of God. At some point, return and judgment.

Wherever you might want to place these events in a timeline in your mind, the one question that seems prominent is can Christ return at any moment?

There are a number of Scriptures that indicate He could:

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:42–44, ESV)

“the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know” (Matthew 24:50, ESV)

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:13, ESV)

““But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.” (Mark 13:32–33, ESV)

“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”” (Luke 12:40, ESV)

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” (James 5:7–9, ESV)

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Revelation 22:7, ESV)

Could be any time, right??!!

But how are we to read Matthew 24? [READ Matt 24:3] Jesus says that there are several things that must happen before He returns:

Preaching the Gospel to all nations (v.14)

The Great Tribulation (v.15-22)

False Prophets Working Signs and Wonders (v.23-24)

Signs in the Heavens (v.29-30)

Coming of the Man of Sin and the Rebellion (2 Thess. 2:1-10)

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1–10, ESV)

Wayne Grudem summarizes all of these and says that it is unlikely that they have been fulfilled, but yet holds out the possibility that we don’t know for sure whether they have or that we do not know God’s timing or even the exact details of these events.

So is it possible that these things must still happen before the Lord returns? Yes.

But does that present a problem for the believer? No.

Because the command through it all is to be ready.

Even if it seems unlikely right now because other events must be fulfilled, there are other things we do to be prepared even when we think something is unlikely.

We buckle our seat belts in our cars and put on clean underwear everyday like our grandmother told us, even though we think it is unlikely that we will get into an accident.

Be ready — get right with the Lord Jesus, because when that day of judgment comes, it will be unbearable for those who do not know Christ. Listen to Jesus’ words when he was being led to Golgotha to be crucified.

“And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”” (Luke 23:26–31, ESV)

Parable of the 10 Virgins (Matt. 25:1-13)

Jesus will come like the groom coming to get his bride. But in this story, some didn’t prepare well. While they were out trying to find last-second provisions of oil, the bridegroom came and they missed out.