Sermon Central
-
The Rapture Of The Church
Contributed by John Putty on Apr 14, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: In 2010, when the movie 2012 was released, I used it as a platform to discuss end time prophecy. I hold a pretribulation view regarding the rapture but understand that other BIblical views are held by very wise and godly men. My notes are scattered and
2012: The Rapture of the Church
7 things you can do if you get bored in church!
1. Slap your neighbor. See if they turn the other cheek. If not, raise your hand and tell the preacher.
2. Devise ways of climbing into the balcony without using the stairs.
3. Listen for your preacher to use a word beginning with 'A' then 'B and so on through the alphabet.
4. Using church bulletins or visitor cards for raw materials, design, test and modify a collection of paper airplanes.
5. Start from the back of the church and try to crawl all the way to the front, under the pews, without being noticed.
6. Raise your hand and ask for permission to go to the rest room.
7. Wiggle your ears so that the people behind you will notice.
What is the Bible’s favorite brand of soda pop? Would you believe Seven Up? You see the Bible contains seven UPs for the last days. Notice:
The devil will be locked up.
The world will be burned up.
The antichrist will be blown up.
The dead will be raised up.
Israel will wake up.
Christ's kingdom will start up.
While the true church of Jesus Christ will go up!
1Cor. 15:51,52
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Thess. 4:15-17
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (The Living Bible)
But I am telling you this strange and wonderful secret: we shall not all die, but we shall all be given new bodies! It will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For there will be a trumpet blast from the sky and all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we who are still alive shall suddenly have new bodies too. For our earthly bodies, the ones we have now that can die, must be transformed into heavenly bodies that cannot perish but will live forever."
1. THE LORD HIMSELF WILL RETURN FOR HIS CHURCH
Catch that if you will. He will not dispatch Moses or Abraham or even Peter. No, the Groom will not even send Michael or Gabriel the archangels to do His bidding. Rather Jesus will come for His bride personally. Paul the Apostle noted: "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven...."
He is coming--
bodily,
visibly,
gloriously,
triumphantly,
and literally.
John 14:1-3 promises: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME BACK and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." And verse 18 of that same chapter adds, "I will not leave you as orphans; I WILL COME TO YOU."
Acts 1:10-11 likewise declares, "They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? THIS SAME JESUS, WHO HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM YOU INTO HEAVEN, WILL COME BACK IN THE SAME WAY YOU HAVE SEEN HIM GO INTO HEAVEN.’"
Imagine it if you will:
At His appearing, the eyes of the blind will be opened and the first face that they see will be the face of their blessed redeemer.
Those who have loved and longed for His appearing will finally realize their most cherished hope.
Those who have grown weary in the trenches of spiritual warfare will experience at once eternal victory/ecstasy beyond their wildest dreams.
Those who have served faithfully in the work of the Kingdom will rise triumphantly to meet Him in the air knowing "their labor was not in vain in the Lord."
Those who have been crippled, bent with age, or even dead in Christ, will rise victoriously in the air to meet Jesus.
