1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
The term “caught up” in this passage is the word “raptura” from the Latin language; this is where we get the word “rapture”. Continuing our study on the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our lesson tells us that in a nanosecond, the Lord Jesus will call all Believers to Himself. We will simply vanish from the earth. No one who has confessed Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will be left behind. It is a fulfillment of the Gospel truth in John 3:36 that “he who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
2 Peter 3:2-13 tells us, “Be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of person sought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
The “Good News” to Born-again Believers begins with “bad news” that all have sinned and the wages of sin is death; the wrath of God against sin. But, if anyone believes that there is a just and holy, sovereign Creator God, that they have sinned by disobeying and violating His righteous Commandments, Laws, Statutes and Decrees, regrets their sin and is sorrowful to the point of repentance, believes and accepts God’s gift of grace by receiving Jesus Christ by faith as their personal Savior through His atoning sacrifice on the Cross to die for their sins, believes that He rose from the dead to defeat sin and death, and accepts and obeys Him as the Lord of their life, will be saved.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 says, “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
Jesus Christ is coming back for His church, which is Good News for those who believe and are ready. The Rapture is exactly what the people of God are ready, waiting and watching for it, for because of Jesus they spend eternal in with the Lord Heaven. Praise be to God!
Rejoice in Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment