THE VANISHING

Imagine a Moment coming soon to our planet that will change everything and everyone forever.

All over the world that day, billions will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, celebrating birthdays, battling sickness, digging graves. People will be getting up or going to bed, working or playing, enjoying their pleasures or indulging their vices.

I wonder what the headlines will be on the morning of that day. Wars and rumors of war. Earthquakes. Famines. Loud voices deceiving many. New laws. Old lies. New dilemmas. Nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom. Parts of the world may report an earthquake, a famine, or a plague.

Something is about to happen—if only people would look up in expectation! In the unseen realms, the glory of the Lord is gathering, the angels are assembling, and the skies are preparing to part, but most people will be looking down at their phones, instead of looking for Jesus.

As sure as I am standing here, I want you to know that Rapture is the next event on God’s prophetic calendar. It will be The Great Vanishing as millions upon millions suddenly and inexplicably disappear.

In the entire Bible, there are three that described the Rapture.

(1) Jesus (Jhn 14:1-3)

John 14:1–3 ““Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.”

(2) Paul (1 Thess 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:52)

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, 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, comfort one another with these words.”

1 Corinthians 15:52 “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 will be changed.”

(3) John (Rev. 4:1)

Revelation 4:1 “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.””

The Rapture is a reality, and John establishes the fact that it occurs before the events that are described in Revelation 6-19.

Paul tells us why Christians will be raptured before the Tribulation.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

As a Christian, I have been saved from the wrath to come, and dear friend, there is much wrath to come as we will discuss in the coming weeks. PRAISE GOD!!!! Christians should study and know the details of the Rapture. I for one believe that knowledge equips a Christian to be a better witness. Today, we are going to at the three details of the Rapture, the Great Vanishing.

I. THE SEQUENCE

A. The Lord will descend.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

The Rapture begins with the Lord Jesus Christ descending from His throne in glory. He will not step foot on Earth. He will descend from Heaven to the air or the sky, however you choose to look at it.

Paul does not indicate anything or any sign occuring before Jesus descends. When it is time for Him to come, He is going to come. It is just really amazing to me how many people today are so focused on signs. I am telling you with all the power given to me by the Holy Spirit.

Christians are not to be looking for signs. Christians are to be looking for Jesus. (Acts 1:6-11)

When Christ ascended into Heaven, I believe what we are to do his explained by the angels present there.

Acts 1:6–8 “So, when they had come together, they began asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.””

Acts 1:9–11 “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, and they said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.””

Instead of looking for signs until Jesus returns, we are to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to all parts of the world. We are to be so active living for Christ and sharing the gospel that we do not have time to look for signs, and just as Christ ascended, He will descend.

B. The dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

The dead in Christ will get a head start on those of us who might be living at that time Jesus descends. Their souls are in heaven with Jesus, but their bodies are in the grave. They have been excitedly awaiting that reunion of body, soul, spirit. Everyone who has died in Christ from the Day of Pentecost until the day Jesus returns will come out of their graves.

Paul felt it critical to address those at Thessalonica concerning those who had died in Christ, and 2 Thessalonians gives us a hint as to why. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

2 Thessalonians 2:1–2 “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”

Evidently, there was a letter that was sent to the Thessalonians with Paul’s name attached to it that proclaimed the Day of the Lord had come, and it disturbed the Thessalonians greatly, so Paul wrote to them to reassure them that Jesus was not going to forsake those who had died who had accepted the gospel of Christ.

Those dead in Christ are just as much a part of the body of Christ as you and I are today. God would never leave them in that grave. Their bodies have to remain there until the Resurrection takes place, and Paul gave them one of the great scriptural assurances of all time in the Bible.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.”

It does not matter dear friend. From the battlefields of Vietnam, the Christian dead will come. From the depths of the ocean blue, the dead in Christ will come. From the darkest jungles, the dead in Christ will come because I know that Jesus Christ Himself rose from the dead, and as He is our pattern, alive or dead, I am going to be resurrected as He was.

C. The living in Christ will follow just as soon as the dead clear eye level. (1 Thess. 4:17)

1 Thessalonians 4:17 “Then we who are alive, who remain, 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.”

The dead get a head start, but the living in Christ are going to meet Jesus too. Dear friend, when Jesus appears, the greatest reunion in the history of the world will take place as you and I meet in the sky all of our loved ones in Christ who have gone on before us as we meet Paul and Peter in the sky, but dear friend, that reunion will pale in comparison as we see Jesus.

I am telling you it is a good thing we are changed because if we were not, there would be a great battle royal in the sky over who gets to see Jesus first.

Mrs. Geraldine and Shayne, Joey will be there waiting on you. Hope, Johnny will be there waiting on you. Ike, Mr. Moody will be there waiting on you. My mom will be there. Bro. Jerrell and my dad will be there welcoming Beech Grove Baptist Church home, and as exciting as that sounds, dear friend, I want to see Jesus first.

Dear friend, Jesus is going to descend first, then the dead in Christ will rise, followed by the living in Christ. That is the sequence of the Rapture.

II. THE SIGNIFICANCE

The Rapture is the next event on God’s calendar, and it will be the most significant event since the Resurrection. In particular, the Rapture is significant for three different groups of people.

A. The Shout (1 Thess. 4:16)

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

The shout will be the call for the church, the body of Christ, to come home to be with Jesus.

I believe when Jesus descends for His church that each individual Christian will hear his or her name called, and when He calls my name it will sound as if He is shouting, “Jimmy, come on!!!!”

Why do I believe that? When I was saved, I felt the call of the Holy Spirit to salvation as an individual. When I am called home, I believe I will be called to redemption in much the same way.

I believe Verse 16 establishes the order too. The church will be called first. The church, the bride of Christ, has to be prepared for eternity.

As Christians are ascending to meet Jesus, we are given new bodies, bodies that are no longer limited by death, time, space, nor sin.

We will have a brief reunion, but before we can “fully” be welcomed to eternity, we must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.”

My sin will not be judged that day because my sin was judged at Calvary, but my works will be judged. The works I have done or not done in serving Christ will be judged. Some of those works will be rewarded while others will burn as stubble. The Shout welcomes Christians to eternity.

B. The Voice of the Archangel (1 Thess. 4:16)

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

The voice of the archangel is bad news for those who are not raptured, especially those who have been sealed in their rejection of Jesus Christ.

If you study prophecy, you know the angels are very prominent in doling out God’s justice after the Rapture during the Tribulation. At the Rapture, the voice of the archangel signals to the lost world that time is running very short.

The shout of the archangel is a call to action, a call to carry out God’s plan of judgment.

C. The Trumpet of God (1 Thess. 4:16)

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

The trumpet is actually the shofar.

The shofar is extremely important to Judaism. There were 10 symbolic meanings attached to the shofar when the Jews heard it, including repentance and regathering.

When the shofar is sounded at Rapture, it is a signal that God’s attention is on Israel since the church has been taken out. God has many promises yet to fulfill for Israel, and the blasting of the shofar at the Rapture signals that God’s attention has returned to Israel.

III. THE SUDDENNESS

1 Corinthians 15:52 “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 will be changed.”

The Rapture will be sudden. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, is the smallest measurement of time. The Great Vanishing will happen quickly in great power and force.

Jesus described the scene for us.

Luke 17:34–36“I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left.” “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”

It will be an ordinary day on this globe—until, suddenly, it isn't. One day soon, the world will face the Great Disappearance! Billions of people. Gone in a flash more powerful than an atomic burst, yet silent. Invisible! Sudden! Inexplicable!

I wonder what Christians will be doing that day. Will they be as surprised as everyone else when the Rapture occurs? Will they be eager, ready, and waiting? Can't you see the masses moving about as usual? Millions of people walking around all day on the streets of New York, Tokyo, Dyersburg, worried about their money, wondering about their relationships, anxious about their images, following the world stock markets, the latest music, the latest sports scores.

Try to imagine this extraordinary Moment on planet Earth. Every single follower of Jesus Christ, as well as all those under the age of accountability—all the babies, young children, and mentally disabled—gone in a flash, along with all those who have died in Christ.

Bodies will disappear from their coffins at funeral homes all over the world. Patients will vanish from hospital beds. Babies from their cribs. Children from their classrooms. (DAVID JEREMIAH)

It will happen in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, and for those of us that are taken, it will be a magnificent day, but it will be a nightmarish day for you if you have not prepared yourself for eternity.

You see we make such a mistake. We plan our lives for longevity. I have to do this today, so that I can live a long life.

Deep-down most people, even Christians, think they are in control. If I do this, I will live to a ripe-old age. Dear friend, it is not biblical, and don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that we should not watch our diets and that we should not exercise, but it does not matter one iota if I am as healthy as Mr. Universe, when the Lord says my time is up, He is not going to be interested in how healthy I am.

The Bible says we are not promised tomorrow, but many lost people believe that they are in such control that they will at some point make the decision to accept Jesus, but dear friend, that is not how salvation works.

The Bible says today is the day of salvation. You do not know when you are going to die just as you have no idea when Jesus is going to come back in Rapture. You are gambling with your eternal soul if you keep delaying your decision to accept Jesus.

Do you want me to tell you how quickly Jesus could come?

Romans 11:25 “For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;”

That little phrase until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in is very significant. Somewhere today a little boy or little girl could get saved and complete the body of Christ, the fullness of the Gentiles will be complete, and when that happens, Jesus is coming, and no one is the building or watching or leading a seminary can say when that it is going to be, but Jesus said you should be ready so that it does not overtake you like a thief.

Shame on Christians who act like Christ’s return is some distant, far-off event. It could happen any minute, but what is scary is this. If it were to happen right now, do you know for sure if you will be taken? Will you be left? The only way you will be taken is if you are saved.

Let me tell you what will happen to you if you are lost and the Rapture happens at this very minute, and it is extremely scary.

2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 “For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

As much as I hate to say this, the Rapture is much like death for the lost person who has rejected Jesus. The Bible says that God will make you believe the lie, the lie that Antichrist is the Messiah, and you will die and go to hell, not including the 7 years of terror that you will live through on this earth.

You want a scary picture? The Rapture will not have age limits attached to it. If you are 9-years-old and have rejected Jesus, you will be left on earth, maybe even as your parents, grandparents, and friends are meeting Jesus.

Dear friend, you need to be saved today. I am going to be raptured because I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ took care of my sins on the Cross of Calvary, and that He was resurrected on the third day, and He will save me from the wrath to come. If you have not trusted Jesus, dear friend, some terrible wrath is on the horizon for you, and you have two strikes against you already. You do not know when you are going to die, and you do not know when Jesus is coming back. If either happens, you are in eternal trouble.