1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Revelation Study – The Rapture 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Last week, when we were studying, we came to the end of chapter 3, where Jesus was addressing the seven churches. Now, we mustn’t misinterpret the intentions of the Book of Revelation, because the entire book was meant for the Servants of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1) and collectively to the Church (Revelation 1:4).

Even though the Lord is not addressing the seven churches by name after chapter 3, the information, the prophecy, and the need to be prepared still remains. From chapter 4 until the final chapter, Revelation has deep imagery and symbolism, that can be intriguing and frightening all at the same time. The many judgments that are to come on the world, rocks the earth to its very core, and the struggles that people will be faced with, helps us understand that this will be a terrible and difficult time.

So, when it comes to these chapters, we become very thankful, that the Bible shows evidence that another event will take place before all of these things are to come to pass. We call it the rapture.

Now throughout the Bible, we find evidence of this event, even though it is not mentioned per say by name. So, we will look at different references tonight, but our foundational scripture, that gives us support for this view, is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

What is the Rapture?

· As Paul was speaking to the church of Thessalonica, there was a growing fear among the congregation, in reality, it was just ignorance. These weak Christians, had the fear that there was no hope. No hope for them in the world and no hope for them in the hereafter. So, Paul addresses this with the church.

· Paul begins to give them clarity, of why they should have hope.

· And here it is in this passage, we read it in verse 16-17; the Lord’s calling here, results in first the calling up of the dead.

· We know that when a person dies, that there is a separation that takes place. That the soul and spirit that dwell in the body of flesh, separates, when we die. These bodies are just the shell in which the soul and spirit dwell.

· Now why does this separation even occur? Because of sin. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”

· Every person that is laying there in that cemetery, every person that has drowned in the sea, every person that has gone back into ashes, is because of sin.

· Wait a minute preacher, Jesus didn’t sin, and he died. That’s true, but the reason he died is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

· Now when a person dies there is a separation, but we know that the soul and spirit are not in that body any longer, they’re with Jesus if they are a believer. 2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

· So, when we look at this passage and we find the Lord calling the dead in Christ to rise first, we begin to see that this is a reuniting of the body with the soul and spirit.

· The rapture then will be a time when the body is reunited and there will be a change that takes place in the person. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

· When this occurs, the body will be changed, it will be perfected, it will take on a nature like Christ.

· Now all of this is occurring so quickly, that we cannot comprehend what is going on. First the dead, then those who are alive, will be called up and undergo this wonderful and radical change.

· So, when we read in this passage, the words “caught up” we find here in the Greek, the word “harpagesometha” or a simpler form of the word “harpazo”; which means to snatch away, to seize by force. To take by an open display of force.

· When we read this word, that we begin to realize, that the rapture is not something that is hidden to the world. It will be an event that will be seen and not comprehended by those who remain.

· Now the Latin form of this word “harpazo” is “rapturo” and many of our English words are from a Latin derivative. This is where we get the word Rapture.

· So, from we have learn so far, is that the Rapture is an event that will call away the Children of God.

· But, before we move on, we must clarify, that this is not the second coming of Christ. This is a calling away of the church. And we identify that by looking at verse 17 again, “caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

· In the Lord’s Second Coming, we find the Lord setting his foot on the Mount of Olives, but in this passage, we see that the Lord is in the air, among the clouds. This verse is indicating something other than the second coming of Christ, it is the calling away of the church, the Rapture.

· Now, the scripture has given earlier examples of the Lord, rapturing people. And we can find three examples in the scripture.

o The first is with Enoch; Genesis 5: 24 “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”

o The second is with Elijah; 2 Kings 2:11 “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

o The third is with Philip; even though he was not taken up to heaven, God did miraculously translate/teleport Philip. Acts 8:39 “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”

§ Additional note: Caught away here is the same word we find in 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Who is in the Rapture?

· This question has been somewhat answered in our previous section, but we should make it crystal clear. That this is the child of God, the one who has put their trust in the Lord.

· Now the Lord gave a message in Matthew 24, that alludes to those who will be taken. Notice what the Lord says here in verse 40-42

o “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

· We understand, this is not an event where everyone is a part of, this is only for those who have put their trust in Christ. That have a like nature.

· If you were to take some metal—let’s say, all kinds of metal—take some silver, and some gold, and some zinc, and some copper, and some iron, and sprinkle it on the ground, bits of it, put some of it beneath the surface of the ground, and it’s all there in the ground, then take one of these giant electromagnets and sweep it over those bits, those particles of metal there in the ground, some of the metal would rise to meet the magnet; other of the metal would stay in the ground. The gold would stay in the ground, the silver would stay in the ground, the zinc would stay in the ground, the copper and the bronze would stay in the ground, but the iron would do what? It would rise. Now why would the iron rise? Because it has the same nature as the magnet. When Jesus comes again, those who are heaven-born will be heaven-bound, those who have the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When is the Rapture?

· Now, trying to understand the timing of when the Lord raptures the church, is like asking when it is when we are going to die.

· We don’t know when that is going to happen. But we know it is going to happen. So, we have to look at what is going on today, what is going on in Israel.

· The Lord has throughout his word, gave examples of deliverance. To protect his children from the wrath to come. One example of course can be found in the book of Genesis. Where we read about Noah finding grace in the Lord, as was spared the judgment on the world by God, by the Lord telling him to build an ark.

· This example is a foreshadowing of what the Lord does for his Church. As we move through the book of Revelation, we will see that the many chapters ahead are filled with terrible judgment on the world, and horrific things that take place on earth under the rule of Antichrist. The Lord will spare his church by rapturing them out before this takes place. This is known as Pre-tribulation Rapture.

· The Church is one of the biggest road blocks for Satan to unleash his kingdom on this world. For Satan to seize control, the church must be removed. With the rapture of the church, this provides the perfect opportunity for Satan to take control.

· Are these days upon us now? Well, just like we do not know when death will occur, in some ways, we can see it coming. For example, when a person is on their death bed, they don’t know when their heart will quit beating, but they know that it is coming, by the condition that they are in.

· Jesus said in Matthew 24:37-39 “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

· We can not determine the day or hour, but we can see by the condition of the world, that the time is drawing nigh. The world we live in has given over more and more to the life of debauchery and rejection of God. Sadly, many people are living life unprepared.

· Now, in addition, we mustn’t forget, that the condition of Israel must be set so the Antichrist can come and take control. He will do this at first with a false peace. Over the last few years, peace negotiations have been successful in Israel with its neighbors, however, that could change with the new leaders of the U.S.

· The political climate and the tensions in the Middle East, it is an ideal scenario for someone to come in and bring about a peace that is intended to destroy the Jew.

· So, in our view, the rapture must occur before the takeover by the Antichrist.

· Now, not all denominations hold this view. Others believe that the rapture may occur during the middle portion of the tribulation period. Believing that people must endure some of the tribulation, as they reference Daniel 7:25 “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws, and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”

· While this may seem reasonable to agree with, the saints that we read about here are likely referring to those who come to know the Lord during the Tribulation period, and the 144,000 witnesses that are proclaiming the message of Christ to the world.

· The third view point, is that the rapture doesn’t happen like we understand it to happen, but at the end of the tribulation, when the Lord comes, that those who are here alive on earth and the dead will be raptured and resurrected with him into the clouds, upon his return.

· Referencing what we find in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 “2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away (apostasy) first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”

· However, this view seems contradictory to what has been taught in the previous passages. This passage could be understood in the light that this is happening right now!!

· While all the viewpoints can be proven is a way, the pre-tribulation rapture is the one that our church, and myself hold to.

· The final answer to when the Lord is coming is this - Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

· We may not know the exact time of when it is going to happen, but we can tell my what is going on that it is on the horizon. Just like dark clouds that may come in the sky, we may not know when the rain will fall, but we know it is coming.

· The world is being positioned for a takeover, a takeover by Satan himself. World governments are in turmoil, the earth quakes over the curse it is under, wars seem to be a dominant topic in the world news, the sickness and plagues that have ravaged the world over the last several years. The development of technology that expedites business transactions, and the data that is being collected about people. The clouds are on the horizon brethren and it is about to be that time.

· Now, many people get scared about the shots that they are offering for Covid. That this is the mark of the beast. This isn’t the mark of the beast. They are not putting some kind of chip in you. But I do believe, this is conditioning people to be acceptable for such a time.

Now the rapture is something we shouldn’t be afraid of, but be prepared for. When the Lord shared in the Gospel, the parable of the 10 virgins. This story was meant to make us aware that we must be prepared for the Lord’s return because we may not know the when, but we know he is coming. Matthew 25:1-13. We should be looking for that calling away as if it can happen now, but also working with the time that is remaining. I remember growing up, and during the summer, my mother and father would go off to work and leave us at home. They would tell us, to get our chores done before they came home. Now, I procrastinated a lot and waited for the last moment to get them done, then I would be racing to get it finished. Listen Jesus is in the driveway, and we got to get the work done.