Sermon Tone Analysis

My goal in talking about the Rapture and the Second coming of Jesus Christ is to answer some questions that are likely in your minds.

What is the rapture of the Church?

When will the rapture take place?

Is the rapture and the second coming the same event, or two distinct events?

How should these doctrines affect our lives on earth today?

But first, let’s begin with that first question.

What is the rapture of the church?

There is only one text that I’m aware of that directly speaks of it, but IT IS a significant eschatological passage.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are 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.

Those two English words, “caught up”, are translated from a Greek word, Harpazo.

It means to snatch away with force, or to claim for ones self eagerly.

Now, that doesn’t say rapture.

But it is an equivalent word to the Latin Vulgate's translation of the same text.

It’s the word, Rapio, in Latin, which also means to be caught up, or snatched away.

So, is the word, “rapture” in the Bible?

Not in our English Bibles, but yes, it’s there.

Acts 8:39 uses the same word in the greek.

Acts 8:39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

There it is again.

To be physically carried away.

Removed from one place and brought to another.

So, what is the rapture?

It is the sudden snatching away of God’s people, the church, from the earth, at some point in our future, and near the end of time.

Next question…When will the rapture take place?

It’s important to note that Christians generally do not disagree on whether the rapture happens, but rather, on the nature and timing of it.

Now, Does THIS conversation matter?

I guess it depends on how you look at it.

Is someone saved based on their understanding of these things?

Absolutely not!

Salvation comes because a gracious Father sent his only Son into the world to die for sinners, and that he might draw those sinners lovingly to His Son, to trust him and be forgiven of all their sins.

Let’s be clear on that, that that is of utmost importance for someone to know.

But, when we read Scripture, it becomes clear that Jesus cared that His Church knows how to think about the Kingdom, how to live in the Kingdom, how to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom, and even how to wait with excitement and faith-filled anticipation for His return.

We should not divide over these issues, but every disciple of Christ should take seriously all that Scripture teaches, and do so with humility.

In regards to the question, “When will the rapture take place?”

There are several views on this.

If you remember a few weeks back, Isaac introduced the views of the Millennium - Pre-millennial, A-Millennial, Post-Millennial, and Pre-Mil Dispensational.

There’s a really good chance that if you’ve thought about the timing of the rapture, then you already know about these various rapture views.

Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation and Post-Tribulation views

Each of these views on the timing of the rapture are distinctly pre-millennial.

Pre-millennial dispensationalists hold to a view that there is an age in our future in which God refocuses his saving grace on ethnic Israel as a chosen people separate from the Church.

This refocusing begins with a 7 year tribulation, during that time there is the reign of a final Anti-Christ, and the rebuilding of a third temple for the re-instituting of Jewish law and sacrifice.

Now, according to the pre-tribulation rapture view which is definitely the most popular view, the Church would not be present, but has been raptured prior to, escaping the 7 years of tribulation.

After this time Christ physically returns, sets up his Millennial kingdom (not New Jerusalem), a time in which Satan is bound, and there is peace on earth.

The church is said to rule and reign with him during this time.

After the 1000 years, Satan is loosed for short time, then judged, along with the rest of the dead, and then finally New Jerusalem.

Much if this view is taken from a literal understanding of Revelation 19, 20 and 21.

That’s the pre-millennial dispensational view.

The A-mil, and Post-Mil believers aren’t really wondering if we’re going to be raptured before a 7 year great tribulation, or before the millennial reign.

These views both see the reign of Christ as a span that covers the entirety of time from the ascension of Jesus to his final return.

Because much of the prophecies (not all) of Daniel and Revelation and Matthew 24, are seen as being fulfilled in the first century before and at 70ad when Jerusalem was destroyed, it’s not hard to then see the 1000 years, not as a future reign, but figurative of a long span of time.

This is what I have come to believe.

Why is this?

Well, it’s due largely to what we have studied in Daniel up to and including chapter 7 in relation to when dominion, and rule was given to Christ, and subsequently, to His saints.

The post-millennial and A-millennial view is that if the King is King now, then he must rule and reign now, and he must rule, as Paul says to the Corinthians church, until the last enemy is destroyed.

Now, the position I’m primarily representing regarding the rapture and the return of Jesus is the Post-millennial view.

I don’t necessarily see it as my job to persuade you to see what I see.

But I do want you to be persuaded by a serious study of Scripture, and don’t hold to any view that is primarily arrived at because of tradition or popularity.

Now, let’s Look at this passage in 1 Corinthians 15:22…the great resurrection passage where Paul argues that because Christ is raised, we also will be raised.

1 Corinthians 15:22-26 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

What chronology does this text give us?

The resurrection of Jesus is the firstfruits

He mentions the resurrection of those who belong to Christ - When?

At his coming.

What happens when he comes?

He delivers the Kingdom to His Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

v25.

He must reign UNTIL he has put all enemies under his feet.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

And when is death itself destroyed?

When the dead in Christ are raised incorruptible at the resurrection.

Now, check this out.

Paul was not lying to the Thessalonians.

The Harpazzo, the rapture, the snatching away of the church to meet the Lord in the air is real.

But something you need to know:

A rapture that is pre-tribulational in timing, by default becomes what is called a secret rapture.

You can all picture this quite easily because this is the scenario that we see played out and popularized in movies, when life is going on and then suddenly and without warning all believers on earth disappear and are with the Lord, while all unbelievers at the time must endure 7 years of tribulation, before Christ returns again, but this time coming all the way to the earth in judgement.

With a secret rapture, you actually NEED to be able to account for 2 returns of Jesus, with a space of time between those 2 returns.

One return is a partial return and the other is a full return.

Let me ask you this to ponder - When you say, or sing the phrase, Even so come, Lord Jesus, what are thinking about…a secret disappearing of Christians, or Christ returning in Judgement?

Regarding a secret rapture, can we find that in Scripture?

Let’ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are 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.

What’s going on here?

Paul is speaking to a church that had expressed worry about those who had died, and how would Jesus deal with them when he comes again.

Paul assures them and us, that those who have already died will not miss out on anything.

But in fact, would precede those who are alive.

And this is rooted in v14, that because Christ died and rose again, there is hope for those who have died, because God “will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”