The Rapture

Bottom line

The tribulation is coming, and we need to be ready. We cannot assume we are going to escape the trials that are coming.

Opening Line

In the hearing God Seminar, Pastor Ray Duerksen says,

“If God has not corrected your theology or doctrine in anything, you probably haven’t been listening.”

Introduction

When I was in Bible college, I was absolutely overwhelmed with information. Every week, five classes a week, I was having fresh and new insights about this book I loved so much. For the first year, I would come home pretty much every weekend, and I couldn’t wait to share with my family all the cool things I was learning.

The problem was that the smarter I got, the more I knew it. Soon I wasn’t just sharing what I was learning, I was challenging everything I didn’t think lined up with what I was learning. I was quickly becoming pretty arrogant, and unless you had a Ph. D behind your name, or at least taught at the school, I wouldn’t listen. If you’ve ever sent a child to Bible college, you probably know exactly what I mean. Even as a pastor, when a student of mine would come home, they suddenly had an edge, with the default assumption that I didn’t know what I was talking about when it came to ministry or the bible. I’ve learned to smile and nod, knowing that one day, experience would catch up with them.

My moment came in my fourth year. By the time my fourth year hit, I was pretty full of myself, and my fellow Biblical Studies majors right alongside with me. I mean, we were in our fourth year, what more could there possibly be for us to learn?

As part of my degree, I had to take Bible Synthesis, essentially it was the most advanced Biblical studies class offered at the college level. The first day, all of us walked in feeling pretty high and mighty. We were in the home stretch, and we just needed to pass this class, do an interview with a couple of profs, and we would have our degree in hand.

By the second week, I was sitting in class, furiously writing notes, feeling the same level of wonder and awe I felt the first year of Bible college. See the professor went out of his way to show what it really meant to study the Bible, and for all the knowledge my fellow classmates and I had accumulated over the years, we hadn’t even scratched the surface of all there was to know. Suddenly realized that even if we devoted our lives to studying with the same intensity we have for the past four years, we would never fully reach the depth of all there was to know.

Main Point

If God hasn’t corrected your theology or doctrine about something, you probably haven’t been listening.

Why it matters

I start there because this morning I am circling back to a passage in Matthew 24 that I had breezed by. I had initially written out my thoughts on it a few weeks ago, but I quickly felt that it was a big enough topic that I needed to give it sufficient time to truly unpack it.

This morning, we are going to dive into the idea of the Rapture. Now some of you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, so thanks for coming, I look forward to teaching you about this really theological topic.

But I know that some of you have really strong convictions and beliefs when it comes to the rapture. In fact, I bet that many of you who have been in church for a while probably believe the same thing, even though you haven’t talked about it. Up until about 6 months ago, I would have probably taught this lesson very differently.

But I have come to a different understanding. So this morning I may say something that you haven’t heard before, and you may even disagree with me. But just like last week when I invited you to lean in, and hear the story of resurrection like it was the first time, I ask you to hold your previously held beliefs with open hands. At the very least, consider the points that I point out, and if you still disagree, that is fine. If you want to have further discussion, I’m always up for it, but it will have to be next week because I’m leaving for a holiday right after this.

Over the past four years, I have had my long held beliefs challenged like I never thought possible, and I believe I have come out the other side better for it. All I ask is that you be open to the same experience.

Back to Matthew 24

Scripture

Matthew 24:30–31 NLT

And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

Matthew 24:37–41 NLT

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

A Gathering of the Righteous

So Jesus is describing for the disciples what is going to happen when he, the Son of Man, returns. He is going to send out his angels to gather his chosen ones, those who have been saved. When the angels gather the righteous, it is going to be instantaneous. Jesus says that there will be two men in the field, one taken and the other left. Two women grinding flour, one taken and the other left.

Now before I get into what Paul has to add to this, I need to address the connection to Noah here. I’ve heard some say that the connection to Noah actually means that it will be the wicked who are swept away, and the righteous will remain, the same way it was the wicked who were swept away by the flood in the time of Noah.

I would actually say that the connection to Noah actually confirms that it is the righteous who are caught up. The same way that Noah and his family were caught up in the boat and escaped the judgment, Jesus is painting the same picture of the righteous being caught up by his angels to escape the judgment that is about to come. I would say that what Paul adds to this idea of being caught up actually confirms that.

1 Corinthians 15:51–53 NLT

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 NLT

We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

Philippians 3:20–21 NLT

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

The Apostle John adds this to the discussion:

1 John 3:2 NLT

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

So the gathering of the righteous is not just the those who are living, but this is when the resurrection of the dead happens. In fact, Paul says that the dead in Christ will be resurrected with their new immortal bodies, and then the living will be transformed and given immortal bodies. Then all of us will be caught up and meet the Lord in the air, and we will be with him forever.

So far, we should all be in agreement with what the rapture is. Just to clarify a distinction here, resurrection is what happens to the dead, and rapture is what is going to happen to the living. Both caught up, both transformed and given immortal, both meet Jesus in the sky.

Though there was a season where the idea of the rapture was challenged, I think the basic understanding of what the rapture is not really the point of discussion when it comes to this topic. The discussion happens when we start to talk about the when. In the timeline of the end, in regard to the 7 year era known as the Tribulation, when does the rapture happen?

There are actually four separate understandings of when this gathering of the righteous is going to happen. I will touch on all of them, but I’m going to give extra time to what I think are the two most prevalent.

1. Pretribulation Rapture

This is the belief that the church, the righteous in Christ, will be raptured away prior to the start of the Tribulation. So the righteous will escape the Antichrist’s wrath and deception. What is also taught along with this belief is a doctrine called imminency, which is the idea that the rapture could happen at any moment and so the believer should always be ready because you really don’t want to miss it. This belief leans heavily on the passage in Matthew 24 that talks about the thief in the night. The idea that Jesus is going to secretly come and gather the believers before crap hits the fan.

This is a very prominent doctrine in the Western church, and it was only made more prominent when the Left Behind series came out. For those who are new to church, Left Behind was a New York Times Best selling series, which was also made into a couple movies. There were also a lot of low budget films made around the idea. The story is told from the perspective of those who were left behind. The church is raptured away, and their family members and even pastors are left to wrestle with the fact that they missed the boat.

Interestingly, this doctrine is fairly new in terms of the age of the church, only coming out in 1830.

I would bet that this is what most long time followers of Jesus would hold to.

2. Midtribulation Rapture

This doctrine holds that at the three and a half year mark when the abomnination of desolation is revealed and the Antifchrist breaks his peace treaty with Israel, that the church will be raptured at this time. In Revelation 11, it talks about the two witnesses being called up to heaven, and those that hold this view believe that the church will be gathered up as well.

3. Prewrath Rapture

Those that hold this view believe that the church will endure most of the tribulation, but will be raptured before God pours out his wrath on earth. In terms of the timeline, when you look at Revelation, the Apostle John talks about the seals being broken. The rapture would happen after the 6th seal is broken, because the seventh seal represents the trumpets and the bowls of judgment.

4. Posttribulation Rapture

This view holds that the church will be present on earth for the duration of the entire tribulation, even the pouring out of God’s wrath on the earth. Those that hold this view point to the fact that even though the righteous are present during the pouring out of the wrath, God protects the righteous, as he has done throughout history. They point to passages like the locusts of Revelation. John describes these hideous locusts that go out and only torment those that have taken the mark of the beast, aka not the church.

So how do you decide...

When presented with 4 very feasible and reasonable explanations of when the rapture could occur, how do you decide which one to believe and hold to?

What lines up with the Biblical narrative?

Which of these doctrines best fits with greater picture that Scripture paints for us? Which one has the most biblical support?

So to that end, we go back to Matthew 24. When we read the timeline of events as Jesus describes them, our default assumption is that everything will play out in the order Jesus gives it. So if Jesus says that the Son of Man returns with a trumpet blast, and then the angels are sent out to gather the chosen ones, this should be our understanding.

I don’t know if you noticed it, but actually the trumpet was mentioned in both of the Paul’s explanations.

1 Corinthians 15:52 NLT

It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 NLT

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.

Revelation 11:15 NLT

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”

There is one other text I think is worth mentioning. 3 of the 4 positions I presented this morning hinted at the idea that Jesus would return secretly before his actual return, the second coming when he will come to establish his eternal kingdom and judge the wicked.

Hebrews 9:27–28 NLT

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

The author of Hebrews is not writing in code here. He says that we will all die once before judgment, Jesus died once for the sins of the world, and he will come again once to bring salvation.

So with all that in mind, I would suggest to you that the posttribulation rapture is the most biblically accurate interpretation.

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Transition to Application

Why was this worth giving an entire sermon to explaining? I’m so glad you asked.

If you believe that you will escape the tribulation, aka pretribulation rapture, it actually creates a tendency towards complacency. Why would I have to prepare for tribulation? Why should I expect to endure hardship? Jesus is going to rescue me from it anyways. And if I miss the rapture, then at least I get a second chance. I’ll do better when my friends and family are all gone.

However, if you expect to endure the hardships of tribulation, if live with an expectation that tribulation could start any time, then you will be encouraged to do what you need to in order to be ready. You pray differently if you know that you’re going to need God’s strength to endure the coming trials. You read the word differently, longing to hear God’s voice for your every day so that you are ready for whatever today may throw at you. You worship differently, knowing that God is good no matter what may come next.

You make sure your kids know the love of Jesus before it is too late. It is a different kind of urgency.

Main To Do

So this week, ask God to create a sense of urgency in you. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you that time is short, the tribulation of the church could start at any time and has already started, so that you do not fall asleep in your faith. Ask God to create an urgency that doesn’t waste a single moment on things that will not endure.

Why it matters

1 Peter 5:8–9 NLT

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

Remember that just because we have it pretty good in the West doesn’t mean that is the case in the rest of the world. Remember that there are countries where being a Christian is illegal, and owning a bible is a prison sentence. Remember that Jesus said that the world will hate you because of me.

If it is happening in other parts of the world, it is not a matter of if it happens here, but when. And when the time comes, and tribulation and trials begin, are you going to be ready? Will you have a faith that endures and whethers the storm? Because I promise you that you won’t like the alternative.

Closing Line

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

How can we actively prepare our hearts and minds for the trials that may come?

How does understanding the concept of the rapture impact your day-to-day faith and actions?

What specific steps can you take to develop a greater sense of urgency in your spiritual life?

How can you support others in your community who may feel complacent about their faith?

How do you feel about the idea of tribulation—or hard times—coming to believers?

What are some practical ways you can stay connected to God during challenging times?