Coming Event-Rapture The Rapture or Catching Away of the Church I Thess 4:15-17 I Cor 15:51-53 - the meaning - participants - different views - - the purpose (Bema Seat/Marriage) - the mystery - the challenge - the effect of the Rapture

Coming Event: Rapture The Meaning of Rapture/Catching Away: “to transport from one place to another”, From earth to the air/clouds to Heaven. Is this a real event? I Thess 4:15-17 (dead & live saints caught up) Eph 2:3 (promise of Heaven), II Tim 4:18 (promise of rescue to heaven), Gal 1:3-4 (promise of recue from evil age) I Cor 15:51-53 (Mystery)

Coming Event - Rapture The Participants as evidenced in I Thess 4: 15-17 1. The Lord Jesus himself “to meet the Lord in the air” 2. The archangel “with the voice of the archangel” 3. The dead in Christ “those who have fallen asleep; the dead in Christ” 4. The alive in Christ on earth “we who are alive and remain”

Coming Event-Rapture Different Views When did the teaching begin? Rapture verses Second Coming (2nd Advent) Pre-Tribulation or Mid-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation

Coming Event-Rapture When did the teaching begin??????? OT types and shadows of the event- Enoch and Elijah Paul taught the “catching away” in the NT, date AD 56 Justin Martyr, a Church Father, taught the Catching away during his lifetime 110-165 AD St Augustine convinced the Roman Catholic Church that this teaching was not literal, but allegorical/symbolic (not an actually physical event), so around 430 until 1640AD the catching away as an actual event teaching went away The Puritan Movement and other devote men revived the teaching: Increase Mather – 1639 to 1723 Morgan Edwards – 1740’s (Mid-Trib) (Brown Univ) John Darby – 1800-1882 C. I. Scofield in 1909

Coming Event-Rapture Rapture Second Coming Christ comes for His own (John 14:3, I Thess 4:17) Christ comes in the air (I Thess 4:17) He comes to claim His bride (I Thess 4:16-17) Only the saints see Him (I Thess 4:13-18) Saints delivered from wrath (I Thess 1:10, 5:9 & Rev 3:10) No signs proceed the Rapture (I Thess 5:1-3) Focus: Lord & Church ( I Thess 4:13-18) Christ comes with His own (Rev 19:4) He comes to the earth ( Zech 14:4-5, Acts 1:11) He comes with His bride (Rev 19:6-14) All people on earth will see Him (Rev 1:7, Matt 24:30) Unsaved suffer the wrath of God (Rev 6:12-17) Signs proceed the Second Coming (Luke 21:11-28) Focus: Israel & Millennial Kingdom ( Matt 24)

Coming Event-Rapture When does the Rapture happen? Pre-Tribulation : God will deliver us from the wrath to come/tribulation. Rom 5:9 “…we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” I Thess 1:10 “…even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (temporary wrath-tribulation or permanent wrath- lake of fire??) II Cor 5:20 “ …we are ambassadors for Christ …” God will declare war on Satan & the unsaved, will He leave His ambassadors to suffer at the hands of His enemies? Rev Chp 6 to Chp 18, the heart of the Tribulation period, the Church is not mentioned!!

Coming Event-Rapture When does the Rapture happen? Mid-Tribulation : the church will suffer through the first half of the Tribulation/wrath of God on earth? Refuted by: I Thess 5:9 “For God did not appoint us to wrath…” The Tribulation is a period of the wrath of God on the earth. Rev 3:10 “I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Coming Event-Rapture When does the Rapture happen? Post-Tribulation : the church will suffer through the whole of the Tribulation/wrath of God on earth? We sling shot to meet the Lord in the air and immediately sling shot back to earth with Him for the Millennial Reign? Refuted by: I Thess 5:9 “For God did not appoint us to wrath…” The Tribulation is a period of the wrath of God on the earth. Rev 3:10 “I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Coming Event-Rapture What is the PURPOSE of the Rapture ? 1. To transport the saints to be with Christ 2. So Christ can judge/evaluate and reward the Church – each member individually II Cor 5:10 “ For we must all appear before the judgment (Bema) seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body…” 3. To remove the Spirit of God (Church), so the lawless one can rule openly/unrestrained II Thess 2:7 “ .. Only he that restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.”

Coming Event-Rapture Old Testament FORESHADOWING of the Rapture–Enoch/Noah/Lot ENOCH taken before the judgment of the flood, Gen 5:24 “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” Heb 11:5 “ By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God took him ‘; for before he was taken he has this testimony, that he pleased God.” Noah lifted up above the judgment of the flood to safety, Gen 7:1 “Then the Lord said to Noah, come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.”

Coming Event-Rapture Old Testament FORESHADOWING – Enoch/Noah/Lot LOT removed from Sodom before the fire judgment, Gen 19: 15 “When the mourning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city’.”

Coming Event-Rapture What is the MYSTERY of the Rapture ? I Cor 15:51 “Behold, I show you a mystery…” With the exception of Enoch and Elijah, all humans had/have to suffer a physical death to enter heaven/glory. Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed.” The Mystery is solved: hundreds of millions of humans will not have to die to enter heaven, but instead will be “raptured” to glorified bodies, then to heaven.

Coming Event-Rapture What is the CHALLENGE of the Rapture ? If you truly believe scripture bears out a Catching Away/Rapture, and that it could occur at any moment, IT WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU LIVE THIS LIFE!! Attend regular services-grow in God. Observe the Lord’s Supper in light of the Rapture. Love believers and all men. Be patient. Live a separated life. Refrain from judging others. Proclaim the Word! Comfort the bereaved. Lead the lost to Christ. Be mindful of Heaven.

Coming Event-Rapture What will be the EFFECT of the Rapture ? The reaction of a morally bankrupt, self worshipping, hateful, corrupt society, when 100’s of millions of Christians disappear? Confusion, fear, chaos, lawlessness, rioting, and anarchy? The set-up for a one world ruler!!!! WHO can bring sanity to the insanity? Who else but, the Antichrist. Then ensues the Tribulation/Wrath of God on earth.

Coming Event-Bema Seat of Christ Next week: The Bema/Judgment/Evaluation Seat of Christ Participants - the Raptured saints Not a judicial/punishment seat, but an evaluation/reward seat!!!