The Rapture of the Chruch
What in the World is Going on? • Sermon • Submitted
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What in the world is going on? I don’t know, but I do know this…Jesus is coming soon, and if that doesn’t excite you, then you don’t know what I’m talking about!
This series has been a struggle for me…preaching on Satan was no walk in the park for me! Preaching on spiritual warfare wasn’t much fun either. Now, now we get to the good part, we get to talk about Jesus!
What in the world is going on? Why are things getting so crazy? It’s because we are getting closer to the end! That’s what’s going on! Revelation 1:1
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Must = a promise
Shortly means swiftly. The events are going to happen swiftly, but they must have a beginning…what is that beginning? Just wait.
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
The time is at hand = the time is near.
If it was near in John’s day, don’t you think it is even nearer in our’s?
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
“he which is to come” = “He which IS coming”!
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
I don’t know about you, but I could use a bit of hope. I believe that is what we find in Revelation, hope. This book seals the deal for us, look at Revelation 1:19
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
Do you understand that you can divide this book into those very three sections? Past, present, and future.
The Past - Chapter 1
The Present - Chapters 2-3 (dealing with the seven churches)
The Future - Chapters 4-22
Church, I had no intention of getting this involved in Revelation. I had three messages I wanted to preach from it, but God has really impressed on my heart to keep pressing on. I’m not saying we’re going through the whole book, but we are definitely going a bit further than I intended.
But today I want to leave you with some hope, our hope, Jesus. Today I want to look at an event that has not happened yet, but will happen one day soon, the rapture of the church.
Church, Jesus is coming soon!
I wonder, if He came today, would you be ready?
I want to answer three questions regarding the rapture that people have today. The first question is...
What is the Rapture?
What is the Rapture?
You will search in vain to find the word rapture in the Bible. It’s just not there. The fact that the word is not used in Scripture has led some to deny that it is even real. Do you know what other word you won’t find in the Bible? Trinity. It’s not there, but no one is denying the Trinity!
People say, “The word Trinity is not used in the Bible, but the Bible clearly teaches the Trinity.”
I agree. We see it right here in Revelation 1! Read verses 4-6...
Guess what, the word rapture is not spelled out in the Bible, but the Bible clearly teaches the rapture! Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Notice the words, “Caught up” - the Greek word is Harpoon, from which we get our word harpoon. the word means, literally “to be snatched up”.
Jesus said, John 14:1-3
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 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. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
The word “receive” is not the same as in Thessalonians, but has the idea of receiving someone into another’s care or jurisdiction. In this case, Jesus will receive us into heaven.
In answer to the question, “what is the rapture” we may clearly say, it is the snatching away of God’s people from this earth and the receiving of them into heaven. That is “what” the rapture is, now we move on to the second question regarding the rapture...
When is the Rapture?
When is the Rapture?
I can tell you definitively right now that I do not know when the rapture will take place, and neither can anyone else. I remember back in 2010, that crackpot who set a date for sometime in October, remember that? I remember working at Sears and everyone was talking about it. Even the atheists were talking about it, worrying if it was going to happen or not. I asked them, “What are you worried about? I though there was not God? If God isn’t real, why you so worried?”
I remember laughing at the hysteria of that event. The audacity of someone setting a date when Jesus Himself said, Matthew 24:36
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
We may not know the date, but we can know the timing! The Bible teaches that the rapture will...
Precede the Tribulation period
The great tribulation period is known as the time of “Jacob’s trouble”
Jacob referencing Israel
The Rapture pertains only to the church, not Israel
Israel as a nation rejected Jesus
When this took place God stopped working in Israel as a whole and started focusing salvation on an individual basis
Those saved today are every tongue, nation, and kindred, and are all born into the body of Christ, the church.
Between chapters 1 and 3 the word church is used some 20 times.
However, once you come to the end of chapter 3, the last letter to the last church, we don’t see the word church used again, until revelation 22.
In chapter 4, the beginning of “thing which shall be hereafter” we read, Revelation 4:1 “1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
Most scholars believe that John is a type of the church, having witnessed the end of the church age he is taken up to heaven to witness the remaining events.
How do we know that the rapture precedes the tribulation?
Well, John represents the church, who is taken up to heaven at the conclusion of the church age
Chapters 4-22 we see a view of earth, from heaven.
It is not until John is taken from the earth that he sees the events of the tribulation period unfold!
The church WILL NOT BE HERE! Not only does the rapture precede the tribulation, but it will...
Preclude the unsaved
That is, those who hear the gospel and reject it, they will not go in the rapture.
I’ll go one further. Those who hear the gospel in this age and refuse to believe on Jesus, when the rapture takes place, they will be left behind and will not be able to be saved! 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 “11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Prepare the way for the antichrist
Notice also that John is long gone before the Antichrist appears on the scene.
Having been raptured out in chapter 4, we see the enemy in chapter 6
Listen, the man whom Satan will empower may very well be alive today, in fact, I believe that Satan has had a man in mind in every generation
Remember he is not omniscient, not knowing all
He has had someone in mind to be the man of sin
Hitler
Stalin
Herod…someone!
Church, here is the good news, when the antichrist comes on the scene, we will not be here!
Doesn’t that give you some hope today? Knowing that the church will not be here for that awful period of time? We’ve discussed the what of the rapture, the when of the rapture, now the most important question regarding the rapture. In fact, someone here today may be asking this very question:
How Can I be Ready for the Rapture?
How Can I be Ready for the Rapture?
It’s pretty simple reasoning here...
The church will not be here for the rapture.
Let me be clear, by church, I do not mean church members, I mean people who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation!
The only way to be ready for the rapture is to know Jesus as your Savior.
Conclusion:
Maybe there is just one more question to ask…do you know Him today? Let’s bow our heads for prayer today...
In the quiet of the morning, with every head bowed and every eye closed, will you again ask yourself “Do I know Jesus as my Savior?” If the answer is “Yes! I know Jesus as my Savior, I’m saved and going to heaven” will you raise your hand in testimony today?
Not everyone could raise their hand today in testimony that they know Jesus as Savior. I wonder if today you don’t have the assurance that He is your Savior, maybe you’re worried if the rapture took place you would be left behind to endure the awfulness of the tribulation period.
Right here, right now today you can know Jesus as your Savior. “How can I know Him?” You ask. Simple. Just believe what the Bible says.
1st admit to God what He already knows, that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself.
2nd believe from your heart that God loves you and He sent Jesus to die in your place on the cross and that He rose again after three days.
Last, call on Him to save you. Maybe pray something like this: