The Rapture of the Church

Introduction

The Thessalonian believers were deeply concerned for loved ones among the church who had died since the time that Paul had visited them.

These believers were concerned that those who had died would not be included in the second coming of Christ. W

We have already seen Paul’s response to their concerns assuring them that those who had died were currently with the Lord and that upon His return they would be with Him.

Paul then begins to give them a detailed account of the timeline of Christ’s return to call the church home to be with Him.

A few introductory details:

We believe the events described here will take place before the 7 years of the great tribulation. Pre-tribulation Rapture

The fact that Paul believed it to be imminent even though the tribulation had not begun points to a pretirbulation rapture.

- cometh as thief in the night & - knoweth no man

There is a distinct event that marks the beginning of the tribulation period, the signing of a treaty with the nation of Israel by the Anti-christ thus if the rapture were an event that will take place in the middle or at the end of the tribulation period it would not be unexpected.

- wrath to come & - not appointed to wrath & - keep thee from the hour of temptation

- God’s wrath in tribulation

All of the evidence of scripture points to a pretribulation view of rapture.

Now lets examine the details that Paul shares with us concerning this great event.

The Lord’s Descent from Heaven (Vs. 16a)

It is our Lord Himself that will descend from where He is currently residing at the right hand of the throne of God. &

The Lord does not leave this duty to an angel or one of His saints but descends from heaven Himself to call us to Himself.

There are also three distinct sounds that are here mentioned

The shout- this comes from the Lord Himself- it is a shout of command which will awaken the bodies of the dead saints and will call those still alive to himself.

The voice of the archangel- archangel refers to the leader of the angelic host. This may be the institution of the angelic work that will follow as God pours out His wrath upon the earth.

The trump of God- trumpets served as the signaling instrument throughout history especially in Jewish culture. The trump of God will serve as a signal that the events of the last days have now commenced.

The Resurrection and Glorification of the Saints (Vs. 16b-17)

When the Lord descends from heaven there will be a great resurrection of the dead in Christ.

We already know that their spirit will be with Christ when He comes but now their bodies will be raised in a glorified state and reunited with their spirits.

This is more clearly seen in - in a moment

Those believers who are yet alive unto the coming of Christ will also be caught up and will also be changed receiving a glorified body as well.

- we shall be like Him &

Once the dead are raised, those who are alive at His coming will also be caught up and changed and the entirety of the church will meet the Lord in the air.

For the first time the entire body of Christ will be united together in one place! No believer will be left behind at Christ’s coming.

Notice there is no mention at this time of the Lord setting foot upon earth, rather we will leave the earth and will meet Him “in the air”

The rapture will be a great turning point as it marks the beginning of the events that mark the end times.

Once this glorious reunion has taken place we will never again be separated from the presence of our savior. Throughout eternity we will be with the Lord. This will include our presence at the Judgement seat of Christ where we will be rewarded for our deeds upon earth, at the marriage supper of the Lamb where we will enjoy sweet fellowship with Him , and when He comes to fight the battle of Armageddon where all the foes of Israel and of God will be defeated ()! We will even have the joy of ruling and reigning with Him upon earth during the millennial reign. We will be with Him as He pronounces final judgment for Satan and then at the Great White Throne judgement when all those who rejected Christ are judged and sentenced. Then we will spend the rest of eternity worshipping and serving Him in the new heavens and the new earth where there will be no more death, pain, or sorrow or crying!

The Comfort of These Words

You and I who are saved can take comfort in the fact that we will ultimately be victorious!

We can take comfort in knowing that we will not have to endure the wrath of God because of what Christ has done for us!

We can take comfort in knowing that there will be a great reunion some day when we will see all our loved ones who died in Christ once again and we will get to spend all of eternity with them.

We can take comfort in knowing that our savior will return and will take us to heaven where we will forever dwell in His glorious presence!

We can take comfort in knowing that Satan and all the enemies of God will one day be defeated and justice will ultimately prevail for them!

Now let us do as Paul instructed the believers in Thessalonica and “comfort one another with these words.”

May we never lose sight of the fact that with each passing moment our Lord’s return is drawing nearer! May we always find comfort in the promise of His coming!

- even so, come, Lord Jesus!