The Rapture; The Believer’s Blessed Hope, Revive Church

The Rapture; The Believer’s Blessed Hope

Revive Church 9/29/24

What and honor it is to be at this great, growing church today.

Look what the Lord has done and is doing. God is so good and I am so proud, in the right way of the team that God has put together here.

I see that your Pastor likes to open with some jokes, so not to be outdone I have a few.

God, how long is a million years

A man asks God, "God, how long is a million years to you? "God replies, "To me, it's just like a single second. "Then the man asks, "God, how much is a million dollars to you? "God says, "To me, it's like a single penny. "So the man asks, "God, can I have a penny? "God smiles and says, "Sure, just give me a second."

Tom Brady at death

Tom Brady, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, St. Peter was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Patriots flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity, Tom," said Peter. "This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here."

Tom felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. On his way up to the porch he noticed another house just up the hill. It was a 3-story mansion with a Blue and Red sidewalk, a 50 foot tall flagpole with an enormous Giants logo flag, an Eli Manning jersey hanging on the front door, and in every window, a Giants towel.

Tom looked at St. Peter and said, "Peter, I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I was an all-pro QB, I hold many NFL records, and I’ve won 7 Super bowls." St Peter said, "So what's your point Tom?"

"Well, why does Eli Manning get a better house than me?" St. Peter chuckled, and said,

"Tom, that's not Eli's house, that’s God’s house."

2 plus 2 =4

A football coach walked into the changing room before a game. He looked over to his new signing and said, "I'm not supposed to let you play since you failed Math, but we need you to be in the team. So, what I have to do is ask you a math question, and if you get it right then you will be allowed to play." The player agreed, so coach looked into his eyes intently and asked, "Okay, now concentrate hard and tell me the answer to this. What's 2 plus 2.

The player thought for a moment and then answered, "4"

"Did you say 4?" the coach said, excited that the player had actually got the right answer.

Suddenly all the other players on the team began shouting, "Come on coach, give him another chance!”

One day Adam said to God, God why did you make Eve so beautiful. God said , so that you would love her. Adam said why did you give her such long flowing hair. God said the same thing, so you would love her. So God, why did you give her such a nice figure, God said it again, so that you would love her.

Adam said alright God, you made her so beautiful, so attractive, why did you make her so dumb.

God said, Adam that's easy, so she would love you.

A woman accompanied her husband to the doctors office. After the check up, the doctor told the wife, if you don’t do the following, your husband will surely die.

1. each morning, fix him a healthy breakfast and sent him off to work in a good mood.

2. At lunchtime, make him a warm nutritious meal and put him in a good frame of mind before he goes back to work.

3. For dinner fix and exceptionally nice meal and don’t burden him with household chores for.

4 Have sex with him several times a week and satisfy his every whim.

On the way home the husband asked his wife what the doctor had said.

"You’re going to die", she replied

Jesus Is Watching You:

Late one night, a burglar broke into a house that he thought was empty. He tiptoed through the living room but suddenly he froze in his tracks when he heard a loud voice say; “Jesus is watching you.”

Silence returned to the house, so the burglar crept forward again. “Jesus is watching you,” the voice boomed again.

The burglar stopped dead in his tracks. He was frightened. Frantically, he looked all around the room. In a dark corner, he spotted a bird cage and in the cage was a parrot. He asked the parrot:

“Was that you who said Jesus is watching me?”

“Yes,” Said the parrot.

The burglar breathed a sigh of relief, then asked the parrot: “What is your name?”

“Clarence,” said the bird.

“That is a dumb name for a parrot,” said the burglar. “What idiot named you Clarence?”

The parrot said, “The same idiot who named the rottweiller Jesus.”

Today I want to share a message that is very close to my heart, A message that touched me close to 50 years ago and has never left and that is the message of the blessed hope of the church, the Rapture of the church.

Your Pastor just taught the “You Got Mail” series on the 7 letter’s to the churches in the book of Revelation, and this goes hand and hand with and understanding of End Time prophecy.

The Apostle Paul called the Rapture one of the Mysteries that had been hid from all generation’s, but now is revealed to the Church in this dispensation of grace or the Church Age.

“The Top Ways to Know If You Are Obsessed with Prophecy.”

You always leave the top down on your convertible in case the Rapture happens. You never buy green bananas. You talk your church into adapting the ’60s pop song “Up, Up, and Away” as a Christian hymn. Bar code scanners make you nervous. You refuse a tax refund check because the amount comes to $666. You can name more signs of the times than you can commandments. You believe the term “Church Fathers” refers to Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye. You get goose bumps when you hear a trumpet. You use the Left Behind books as devotional reading.

Church Family, I’m not obsessed with Bible prophecy, but I certainly am interested in the end times, because the Bible is a book of prophecy.

As one person said: So much of the Bible is prophecy that I say, I love prophecy because I love the Bible.

“I’m interested in the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.”

Max Lucado: As we grow older, our vision should improve. Not our vision of earth, but our vision of heaven,

THE WAY WE VIEW THE FUTURE, HAS A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON HOW WE LIVE IN THE PRESENT.

C.S. Lewis's in his book Mere Christianity. said:

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

C.S. Lewis argues that thinking about eternal life and spiritual matters encourages believers to live more purposeful and impactful lives in the present world.

Church Family, I want to be as a son of Issachar.

1 Chronicles 12:32 (NKJV) 32 of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;

Turn with me to:

Colossians 3:1–4 (NKJV) 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Or as the group Fleetwood Mac said in one of their blockbuster song titled Don’t Stop with the well-known line “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.

In the book, by Mark Hitchcock, The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days . He brings out these stat’s.

In Bible study there’s a principle known as the “Law of Proportion.”

This law simply means that you can discern the importance of a subject in Scripture by how much attention is devoted to it. Few people have any idea just how much of the Bible is prophetic in nature.

The following statistics shed some light on the amount of prophecy in the Bible.

Number of Verses in the Bible: 31,124

Number of Predictions in the Old Testament: 1,239

Number of Old Testament Verses that Contain Predictions: 6,641 out of 23,210

Percent of the Old Testament that is Prophecy: 28.5%

Number of Predictions in the New Testament: 578

Number of New Testament Verses that Contain Predictions: 1,711 out of 7,914

Percent of the New Testament that is Prophecy: 21.5%

Percent of the Whole Bible that is Prophecy: 27%

So when we see that about 27% of the Bible is on the prophetic nature, I would say that it is a pretty important subject.

Consider these facts: Of the 333 prophecies concerning Christ, 109 were fulfilled by His first coming, leaving 224 yet to be fulfilled in the Second Coming.

There are over 300 references to the Lord’s coming in the 260 chapters of the New Testament.

That’s one out of every 30 verses.

23 of the 27 New Testament books mention the Lord’s coming.

Jesus refers to His second coming at least twenty-one times.

[There are] 1,527 Old Testament passages [that] refer to the Second Coming.

For every time the Bible mentions the first coming, the Second Coming is mentioned eight times.

And People are exhorted to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ over fifty times.

One brother wrote: The Bible, for me, is far more than just a book about our past. It’s the only book of any faith in the world where nearly 30% of its content describes future events. The accuracy, reliability, of this book regarding past events give me great confidence in speaking about the future ones!

Pretty amazing when you see these number’s, and I thank God that I believe that we are living in some of the most prophetic days that we have ever seen and I believe that it all began in a huge way on May 14, 1948, when Israel became a nation, because without Israel being a nation, none of the prophetic scripture could be fulfilled.

Yet this generation has seen one of the greatest miracle’s of all time by them becoming a nation again, after 2000 years of being dispersed among the nation’s after general Titus destroyed the Temple in 70 AD.

Isaiah 66:8 (NKJV) 8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.

Max Lucado said, “ A HEALTHY UNDERSTANDING OF END TIMES BRINGS JOY TO OUR HEART.

Think of it: Who would study American history and leave out almost 30 percent of the textbook? Who would go to medical school and call himself or herself a doctor yet fail to understand how over one-fourth of the body functions?

Likewise if we call ourselves believers in Jesus Christ and followers of Him, it is critical that we understand at least the basics of Bible prophecy.

Some get scared when we talk about Bible Prophecy and the end of this Age. Remember it’s not the end of the world, but the end of this very evil age that we are living in.

Bible Prophecy is not to scare us, but to prepare us. To get us ready for what’s coming up.

Jesus never rebuke people, only the religious leader’s, yet there was one time, when He was coming to Jerusalem, that He did rebuke the people and that was in:

Luke 19:41–44 (NKJV) 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,

42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,

44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

As we see today a world that has gone totally crazy, I like to say to you, that things aren’t fallen apart but fallen together.

So let’s look at the Blessed Hope of the Church and that is what the Bible call’s the Rapture.

Titus 2:11-14 (NKJV) 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

People have said; Hey the word Rapture is not even in the Bible.

The word Rapture is a latin word. You will not find this word in a Spanish bible, Italian Bible etc. but you will find it in a Latin Bible.

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.

Caught Up: Greek word HARPAZO: and it means, catch up, take by force, catch away, pluck, catch 1, pull 1;

to seize, carry off by force, to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly to snatch out or away.

So here’s a question, has there ever been a rapture in the bible? The answer is yes.

ENOCH: Genesis 5:21-24(NKJV) 21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Methuselah lived 969 years

ELIJAH: 2 Kings 2:11 (NKJV) 11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

JESUS: Acts 1:9-11 NKJV [9] Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. [10] And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, [11] who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

PHILLIP: Acts 8:39 (NKJV) 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

So we see that there is scripture to prove a rapture.

Paul: 2 Corinthians 12:2–4 (NKJV) 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.

3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—

4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

The Rapture is a Biblical doctrine of the church and it is our blessed hope.

Look at Jesus talking about it:

John 14:1-6 (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. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Look at another scripture that Paul brings out about this special day for us believer’s.

1 Corinthians 15:51-57 (NKJV) 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 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.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why a Rapture? Because we who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior are exempt from the wrath of God that is to come upon the ungodly.

Now we are not exempt from the wrath of man, there will be persecution and evil people coming against us, but not our loving Father.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 (NKJV)

10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NKJV) 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Luke 21:36 (NKJV) 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

In Revelation 4, This is the last time you see the church in Revelation until we return with Him. We passover all the judgments of God.

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.”

Revelation 19:11-14 (NKJV) 11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Paul looked forward to that day and if we will also there is something very special for us.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NKJV) 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Peter also looked forward to that day

2 Peter 3:10–13 (NKJV)10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

There is so much more that can be brought out, but for today, I would like you to see that we believer have a very special day coming and it’s call the Rapture of the church, our Blessed hope, so keep looking up, our Redemption is drawing near.

MARANATHA: COME LORD JESUS COME.