How Close Are We to the Rapture?

SCRIPTURE

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 NKJV

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 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 will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

MESSAGE

What is the Rapture?

“caught up” = harpadzo = to seize, to carry off by force, to snatch away.

“rapture” comes from the Latin “rapiemur” in the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible.

Examples in the Bible:

Enoch - taken away, did not see death (Hebrews 11:5)

Elijah - went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11)

Philip - caught away (Acts 8:39-40)

Paul - caught up to the 3rd Heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2)

The rapture is the “catching away” of the church from earth to heaven.

Revelation 4:1 NKJV

1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

Why do we believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture?

The Rapture and the 2nd Coming are Two Different Events

Timeline Slide

Are We Coming or Going?

Rapture = believers rise to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

2nd Coming = believers return with the Lord to the earth (Revelation 19:14).

What’s the Timing?

Rapture = occurs before the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).

2nd Coming = occurs after the Great Tribulation (Revelation 6-19).

What’s the Purpose?

Rapture = removal of believers from the earth as an act of deliverance (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 5:9).

2nd Coming = removal of unbelievers as an act of judgment (Matthew 24:40-41).

Secret or Visible?

Rapture = secret and instant (1 Corinthians 15:50-54).

2nd Coming = visible to all (Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:29-30).

Must other prophecies be fulfilled first?

Rapture = imminent (Titus 2:13).

2nd Coming = certain other prophecies must be fulfilled (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15-30).

The Rapture is our Blessed Hope

Titus 2:13 NKJV

13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

God has not appointed the Church to Wrath

1 Thessalonians 5:9 NKJV

9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Rapture does not mark the beginning or end of the 7-year Tribulation.

The Tribulation will begin when the antichrist signs a 7-year peace agreement with Israel.

Daniel 9:27 NKJV

27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

The Holy Spirit operating through the Church must be taken out of the way before the antichrist can rise to power.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 NKJV

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.

What is the Connection between the Rapture and the Galilean Wedding?

The Covenant Phase (Shiddukhin)

Determining the Bride Price

The father of the bridegroom would determine the bride price, or dowry, for the prospective bride.

God the Father determined the bride price, or price of redemption, to be the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

Paying the Bride Price

The prospective groom would then leave his father's house and travel to the home of the bride to pay the bride price. The bride would be known as the one “bought with a price.”

Jesus left His Father's house in Heaven and traveled to earth, took on the form of human flesh, and paid the price for our sins by shedding His blood and laying down His life on the Cross of Calvary. As believers we have been “bought with a price.”

The Marriage Proposal

The groom made an offer of marriage to the bride, but the bride had to accept.

Jesus has made the offer of salvation, but we must make the decision to accept. We accept God's plan of salvation by placing our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

The Marriage Contract

Once the prospective bride accepted the offer, she and the groom would sign a marriage contract, or covenant, called a ketubah.

We accept God's plan of salvation and enter into the New Covenant by placing our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are then sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption.

The Wine Covenant

The prospective bride and groom would perform a ceremony to seal the marriage covenant where they would drink from the same cup of wine. The groom would say "I will not drink of this cup again with you until I drink it new with you in my father's house."

We demonstrate our love for Christ and remember His sacrifice for us at Calvary when we partake in the Lord's Supper, or Communion. When Jesus told His disciples that he would not drink of the fruit of vine any more with them until He drank it new with them in His Father's Kingdom, this was a reference to the ancient Jewish wedding. We are to partake in Communion, which is a picture of His body and blood being sacrificed for us, until Jesus returns.

The Engagement Phase (Erusin)

The Engagement

Once the ketubah was signed and the cup of wine was shared, the two were considered betrothed or engaged. However, in Jewish culture, engagement had a stronger meaning than in our culture today. Ending the engagement required a bill of divorce. However, they did not live together or consummate the marriage at this point.

Once we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ into our heart, we are saved. We enjoy the benefits of being the Bride of Christ already, but there is also a component that is not yet. Even though Jesus is with us spiritually speaking and we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we are still awaiting the return of Jesus Christ and the time when we will be with Him for eternity.

The Living Arrangement

The bride remained in her home while the groom returned to his father's house.

After Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, He ascended back to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God the Father. We remain on earth awaiting His return.

The Bridal Chamber

When the bridegroom returned to his father's house, he would prepare a huppah, or bridal chamber. This was typically another room built onto his father's existing house.

Jesus told His disciples in John 14 that He was going there to prepare a place for them, and that He would return again one day to receive them and take them to where He is. This is a reference to the ancient Jewish wedding.

John 14:1–3 NKJV

1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

The Length of the Betrothal

This process of preparation typically took at least one full year, but could last up to seven years.

We are currently living in the period of time known as the betrothal. This is known as the Church Age or the Dispensation of Grace. We don’t know when this period of time will end. But we know it will end with the Rapture.

The Waiting Period

During this time the bride was waiting and preparing for the return of the bridegroom.

We remain here on the earth while we prepare and wait for the return of our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that we should "watch and wait" and make preparations for the return of Jesus.

The Marriage Phase (Nissuin)

Setting the Date

The father of the bridegroom would determine the right time for the marriage and would give his son permission to go receive his bride. Only the father of the bridegroom knew when the marriage would take place.

Jesus said that only the Father in heave knows the day of His return.

Mark 13:32 NKJV

32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

The Marriage Procession

Once the bridegroom was given permission by his father to receive his bride, he would lead a procession of his friends and family to the home of the bride. This was typically done in the middle of the night. As the procession approached her home, those who accompanied the bridegroom would announce his arrival with a shout.

One day soon, Jesus is going to descend on the clouds of heaven with a heavenly host. The voice of the archangel will shout to announce His arrival and the trumpet of God will sound.

The Bride Must be Ready at All Times

The bride had to be ready to go with the groom at any moment.

Since we do not know the day or the hour of His return, we must remain ready at all times. We must have on the wedding garment and our lamps must be full of the oil of the Holy Ghost.

The Rapture of the Bride

The groom would gather up his bride and carry her back to his father's house to the bridal chamber, or huppah, that the groom had prepared.

At the Rapture, we are going to rise to meet the Lord in the air. The dead in Christ will rise first. Then, we which are alive and remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, as so shall we ever be with the Lord. We are going to the bridal chamber or the “mansions” that He has gone to prepare for us. The Bible tells us that we should comfort one another with these words.

The Glorification of the Bride

After the marriage was consummated, the bride and groom would emerge from the bridal chamber. The bride would remove the veil that she had been wearing up to this point. There would be a celebration with their friends and family that lasted for seven days.

We are going to be glorified and presented to Christ as a glorious church, without spot and without blemish. The veil will be removed and we will see Him face to face. We will stand before the Bema (Judgment) Seat of Christ and receive rewards for our works and faithfulness during our life on earth. We will also sit down and feast with Jesus at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. All of this takes place during the 7-year Tribulation. It will be a celebration like no other!

How close are we to the Rapture?

The rapture is imminent, it could happen at any time.

We cannot know the day or the hour, but we can discern the signs of the times.

Jesus is coming back in a hour that many won’t be expecting Him.

What must we do in light of the Rapture?

Make preparations

Luke 12:35–40 NKJV

35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

In other words, there is only one way to become part of the bride of Christ and be part of the church that Jesus is coming back soon to receive and take back to His Father’s house to the place He has prepared. Jesus has made preparations for you. Have you made preparations for Him? When the roll is called up yonder, will you be there? Is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? The five foolish virgins did not have oil in their lamps when the bridegroom came. Will you be caught off-guard with no oil of the Holy Spirit in your heart when Jesus returns? Make preparations today. It is as simple as surrendering your life to Christ, confessing your sins, accepting His forgiveness, placing your faith in Him as Messiah and Savior, and allowing the Holy Spirit to come in and transform your life.

Watch and Pray

Since we do not know the day or the hour of Jesus’ return to rapture the church, we must be ready at all times. We are to watch and understand the time and the season in which we live. If we will look around today, we will see that the coming of the Lord is near. It will not be long before the end times prophesies that are written in the Bible will become reality. We not only are to watch, but we are to pray. We should pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We should pray, “even so, come Lord Jesus.” We should pray for the lost to be saved. We should pray for God’s hand of protection and provision to remain upon us as the condition of the world continues to get worse. We should pray for the Lord to redeem us out of this present world and keep us from the hour of tribulation that is coming on the world. We have much to pray about.

Comfort One Another

At the end of Paul’s section on the rapture in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, he reminds us to “comfort one another with these words.” For a Christian, the rapture is not something to fear. The rapture is something to eagerly anticipate. Titus 2:13 tells us that the rapture is the blessed hope of the church. Our loved ones that died in Christ will rise again! We will see them again! We will be united with our Savior Jesus Christ and we will be reunited with all of our loved ones that have already passed. We will rise to meet the Lord in the air and we will be with Him and with them for eternity! What a blessed hope! What a comfort! Church, be comforted today in knowing that soon the burdens of this life will be lifted and we are going to a better place!

Work for the Lord

1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Paul, at the end of 1 Corinthians Chapter 15, tells us that we should be “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” There is so much work to be done. We don’t have time for disruptions, distractions, or divisions. The church must stop fighting the wrong battles and fight the good fight of faith. It is time to get on the battlefield for the Lord. It is time to be the church that Jesus designed us to be. There are people who are lost that need to be saved. There are people with chemical addictions that need help. There are broken families that need to be put back together. There are people who are demonized that need to be set free. There are people who are sick who need to be healed. There are people in darkness that need to see the light. Get motivated and get moving for God! Your labor will not be in vain. It may feel like it some times. It may feel like you’re not accomplishing anything or doing any good. But God has promised that nothing you do for Him is in vain!