Study of End Times (3)
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The End of the Church Age - Week 14
The End of the Church Age - Week 14
We have finished the seven letters to the seven churches, and tonight we are going to look at the end of the church age.
Now let me say, as I did when we first started this study, that there are multiple different directions or ways you can look at some of these positions, such as the rapture and when it takes place, and there are Scriptures that can be used to back up the different positions taken, but I am going to share the position I follow, and we will go from there.
With that said, if anyone follows a different position, you are welcomed to get with me after Bible Study and we can discuss it and look at it further in future dates.
With all that said, tonight we are looking in chapter 4 of Revelations, as the letters have wrapped up, the church age has wrapped up, and Jesus has brought his people, his followers to heaven with him.
There is a brief part here about their arrival in heaven, and then we turn to everything that will take place after God’s people leave the earth.
Following the pre-tribulation view of the rapture, which would take place at the end of chapter three of Revelation and just as chapter four begins.
The church age ends at the rapture of the church. At the midnight cry Jesus will come for His own. Those who are saved and are still living will be miraculously transformed with glorified bodies and caught up in the air to meet the Lord.
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 will be changed.
Those whose bodies sleep in the earth will be raised from their sleeping place to meet their heavenly spirits with the Lord in the air.
13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, 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. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
We need to be ready and we do not have to be fearful of this, actually as Christians we should be excited and be looking forward to it.
Remember that sorrow looks back, worry looks all around, but hope looks up. We are on a collision course with destiny, and we cannot afford to be ignorant.
Once we as God’s people are removed from the earth, then God will begin His judgment of the earth and pour out His wrath on the earth, through the tribulation period.
But before God pours out His wrath, He gives us a glimpse into glory and permits us to hear the worshipping of the creatures that are in heaven that are surrounding His throne as they praise Him.
Let’s begin in with Revelation 4:1
1 After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
From this point on, we will be studying everything that will transpire after the rapture of the church. To help us remember these things, We will be asking four questions: What? Who? When? and Why?
I. What is the Sacred Mystery of the Rapture?
I. What is the Sacred Mystery of the Rapture?
A Bible mystery is not a story you might read in a novel; instead, it is a truth that has been hidden, a truth that no one can understand apart from God.
And it can only be revealed by divine revelation in the Word of God. The only way people today know about the mystery of the rapture is by studying what the New Testament prophets had to say. This was revealed to the Apostle Paul who said in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will 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 will be changed. 53 For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality.
Paul explained the church age, the things which are. This is that interval between the time when Jesus came the first time and when He will come again the second time.
In Revelation 4:1 we learn that John was taken up to heaven through a door and heard a voice say, come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.
A corresponding New Testament verse about the rapture of the church is 1 Thessalonians 4:13
13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
At the time Paul wrote Thessalonians the people of Thessalonica were ignorant about what happened to those who died before Jesus’ return.
God’s Word teaches us that when the rapture occurs, the body of the believer will awaken from the grave and be reunited with his spirit that is with the Lord.
The body will ascend from the earth, and the spirit will descend from heaven.
Sometimes people will ask, Do your really believe in the Rapture? I even seen a survey that asked believers - church goers - about the rapture, and the was a good percentage that do not believe in the rapture.
But when I am asked, I respond, I believe in the rapture because I believe the gospel - the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The rapture is linked to His redemption. If you have Calvary without the rapture, it is like having up without down or night without day.
II. Who is the Select Multitude of the Rapture?
II. Who is the Select Multitude of the Rapture?
The select multitude of the rapture is represented by the twenty-four elders as Revelation 4:4
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads.
Elders are representatives of God’s people. For instance, every minister is an elder of his church.
Why twenty-four elders? Twelve, you may recall is God’s governmental number - the number that denotes the rule of God on earth.
Further on in the book of Revelation, we learn that there are twelve gates in the new Jerusalem, which is the place we call heaven or glory.
The name of each of the twelve patriarchs of the tribes of Israel are inscribed on those twelve gates.
In addition, the twelve apostles are named for the foundation of the city.
Twelve patriarchs from the Old Testament and twelve apostles from the New Testament. Put them together and they make twenty-four.
These twenty-four elders represent the saints of God. And one day we will meet all of these men!
Notice how John described these elders. They are saints clothed in white and wearing crowns on their heads.
Their white clothing represents the righteousness of Christ manifested in their lives. White is mentioned in Revelation 19:8
8 She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure.
For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.
The crowns of gold on their heads were placed there when they came before the judgment seat of Christ. Every believer will stand before Christ’s judgments seat.
4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
At the beginning of this section, I mentioned there was a select group in the rapture. Let me explain. Not everybody will be raptured because Jesus said in Luke 17:34-37
34 I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”
37 “Where, Lord?” they asked him.
He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”
Sometimes when I am preaching, I look out upon the congregation and wonder if the rapture was to occur before I finished my sermon. See to me everyone looks the same more or less, but if I had the eyes of Christ, see as God told Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”
And that is what separates the saved from the lost - those who are ready for Jesus Christ to come and those who are not. We see people as their outward appearance but God sees their heart.
At the rapture the person sitting next to you at the dinner table will go and you will remain. Or you may go and that person will remain.
Two will be sitting in church. One will be taken and the other left. There is a select multitude - only the saved will be going.
Some what to believe that there is going to be universal salvation, meaning that God would not send people to Hell, but that will allow everyone into heaven because he is a loving God.
Yes, He is a loving God but He is also a just God, and there will not be a universal salvation, if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, then you will not make it into heaven.
III. When Will the Rapture take Place?
III. When Will the Rapture take Place?
There is no question - the rapture will happen! And it will happen suddenly and immediately. John had been looking at the churches and describing the church age, when suddenly the trumpet sounded and he was immediately caught up into heaven.
Here is how he described what happened in Revelation 4:1-2
1 After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and there was a throne in heaven and someone was seated on it.
Today we are living in the church age, which is also called the age of grace. After Revelation 3. we will notice that the word church is no longer mentioned because the church is raptured!
And this begins the next phase of God’s work on earth.
When is Jesus coming for His church?
I do not know. Nobody knows, though we have a lot of soothsayers, prognosticators, astrologers, and so-called prophets trying to predict when this will happen. But they are not prophetic; they are pathetic.
No one has a shred of information about when the rapture will happen. If someone comes along and tries to tell you, I know when Jesus is coming again, I know when the rapture is going to take place, you need to ask them, Will you give me the deed to your house effective the day after and do it now?
No one but God the Father alone knows when Jesus will return. Why? It is a sacred mystery. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36-44
36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son—except the Father alone. 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. 39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. 44 This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
We see all kinds of events that seem to indicate that the coming of Jesus is soon; but no sign proves that, and no lack of signs disproves it.
Let me give an illustration to try to explain it a little better:
Shortly after Halloween, many retail stores start displaying Christmas decorations. When you see those decorations, does that mean Christmas is next week? No, it means Thanksgiving is coming next!
Now indeed Christmas is coming, but Thanksgiving will come first. The signs we see may be of the great events that will take place after the rapture of the church, but the rapture must come first.
There will be plenty of signs after the rapture that foretell the final climax of history and signs before the rapture that speak of events that take place after the rapture.
Yet there is no sign or event that must take place before the rapture can happen.
Certainly there are signs that would seem to point toward Christ’s return. But are they signs of the times?
Yes and No. Writers of the New Testament thought they were living in the end times because of the signs they witnessed.
If certain signs have to occur before Jesus can come, then why does Paul tell us, in 1 Thessalonians 5:2
2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
And Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:10
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.
If you say, I don’t think He’s coming today, this is a good sign that he might! Do you expect a thief every night? No.
But you probably live prepared and protected in case it happens. The apostle Paul expected Jesus to return in his own lifetime.
Was Paul wrong? No, he was absolutely right.
Every Christian is right to be expecting Christ in his lifetime. And every Christian from Christ’s ascension until now should be living with that thief in the night mentality.
There was a statistic put out that says the average individual blinks his eyes twenty thousand times a day. Now I am suspicious of statistics like that because when you think about it, who will sit for an entire day and count the number of times someone blinks their eyes?
But the statistic does remind me that perhaps twenty thousand times every day i may hear the trumpet sound because God’s Word says, 1 Corinthians 15:52
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 will be changed.
IV. Why will the Rapture take Place?
IV. Why will the Rapture take Place?
There is a threefold reason for the rapture: reception, rescue, and reunion.
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and there was a throne in heaven and someone was seated on it.
The first reason for the rapture is the reception, think about it, think about the reception:
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.
My first thrill in heaven will be to see my Lord Jesus Christ. What a day that will be!
We will see not only His majesty, but we will also glorify His ministry as our High Priest. The high priest in the Old Testament wore a breastplate with twelve precious stones that represented the people of God. The first and the last stones (the alpha and omega) are the same stones in Revelation 4:3
3 The one seated there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald surrounded the throne.
Have you ever seen Jasper? - slide picture
Most likely it is like a diamond because it is pure and sparkling white. How do we know that? The Bible speaks of the heavenly city as being arrayed with God’s glory.
Her radiance was like a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal. This sounds like a diamond to me.
Jesus is sparkling, pure, transparent, and translucent.
At the same time Jesus appears as a carnelian or Sardius, which is blood read. - slide picture
These are two important representations of our Lord, which I believe speak of His purity and His blood sacrifice for the church.
The second reason for the rapture is the rescue of God’s people:
3 The one seated there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald surrounded the throne.
Notice the rainbow around the throne. The word rainbow in the Greek is Iris, which means halo.
All around this throne is a rainbow, but this rainbow is different. It is the color of emerald green - the color of life.
Do you remember what the rainbow stood for in the Old Testament? The Covenant of God with His people.
13 I have placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature.
Can you imagine the carnage, wreckage, slime, and everything else Noah saw when he stepped out of the ark?
But when he looked up at the vault of heaven, he saw a glorious rainbow - like a multicolored scarf thrown over the shoulders of the storm.
Notice that this rainbow around the throne is a perfect circle. In our limited vision all we can see is the shape of a bow.
But if we saw the rainbow from God’s perspective, we would see a perfect circle. What does the circle represent? Eternity.
It has no beginning and no end. It is green, the color of life. This emerald circle speaks of eternal life.
In the storms of our lives, we never see the full picture. But one day we will see it all; one day the circle will be complete.
The third reason for the rapture is the reunion:
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads.
This verse speaks of the twenty-four elders, which represents all who will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. What does that mean to us?
First, we must learn about the return of Jesus. Second, we should live for His return. Third, we should look for His return. Fourth, we should long for His return.
The last prayer in the Bible is for Jesus to come again.
20 He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
As Christians we should be prepared, we should working to prepare others, and we should be looking up and listening for the trumpet to sound, and praying Lord come!