Rapture (Thessalonians 4 : 13 – 17)

Rapture (Thessalonians 4 : 13 – 17)

¹³ 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. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.^[b]

¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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.

 

 

Intro)

1 In Theological terminology there is a word ‘Rapture. This means on final judging day Jesus pulling people who will be saved up on the air. In year of 1992 October 28^th there was a church called ‘Dami missionary church’ had wrong gospel and thought their members will be rapture. They also thought Jesus will descend and rapture. This made issue in Korean’s Christian world.

 

Many of church members quit their job, students stopped studying, many divorced, stop playing rental fee, abort their child, and some even loan money to pay as offering money. So, In Korea at this time many family and church have gone chaotic. Even in this church we had wrong information in the past people came around to church and prepared for rapture. on the day there was a black out in the church, but nothing happened. Some of the group of people in Korea wore white clothes and went up to the mountain waiting for the rapture, but nothing happened and people where filming this on live on the TV. Very next day pastor of Dami missionary church Jamglim Lee said ‘rapture has been misfired.’ People sued him for fraud. He was sentenced 1 year in prison.

There was no rapture so far, but this means there is no rapture at all. Thing is they just guessed the day of rapture. In the bible Matthew 25:13 says ‘¹³ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour^[b] in which the Son of Man is coming.’ And in Mark 13:32 says, ³² “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’

 So, Dami church lied about the time of rapture. They said God has secretly told them.

2 Indeed there is part about rapture in the bible. This is in Thessalonians 4. Especially on verse 17 it says, ‘¹⁷ 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.’

Here ‘caught up together with them In the coulds…in the air’ means rapture. In the bible there is no word rapture, but same meaning for rapture do exist. After Jesus resurrects and stayed 40 days to make sure his disciples believe in him, and went up to the sky. In book of Acts 1:9 says, ‘⁹ Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.’

 Body)

a) Rapture exist

1.  Jesus talks about rapture a lot. In Matthew 24:29-31 says, ‘²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other’ meaning Jesus will bring all of chosen ones on the air.

 

2. in today’s bible verse 16-17 says ’ 16 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. ¹⁷ 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.’ When this occurs our body will turn into different form. It is like an angel not ghost, this body cannot die, nor change and get old. It is like when Jesus resurrected his body was different. He still had scar from when he was crucified, but he could go through the wall and disciples couldn’t recognized him and said his body turned into ‘spiritual body’.

 Reason for the rapture is for evacuation of great persecution or disaster for Christian.

3. once this happen we will be in spiritual body. When Jesus was crucified on the cross he met 2 criminals, one of them asked for salvation and Jesus told him (Luke 23:43) “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Bible says at the same time they face death the soul gone into paradise. When Jesus comes back he will meet bodies that have turned into dirt and raise them into spiritual body, and pull them in the air. This is rapture

4. Saint Paul once said in 1 Corinthians 15: 51-54, ‘⁵¹ Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”^[g]

Only Greediness we have is that how great it will be if Jesus descends when we are alive not after. The pain of death is something that we can’t imagine, but if we get to save from the death how great it will be? But that only happens when the day God chose comes. So we need to prepare for rapture. Personally I think this could happen soon. Soon means still in few centuries. It is because things that will happen on the end of the day that bible mention have occurring more and more.

B) Return to Zion Mountain

 

1. When Jesus was ascending disciples were just looking at the sky. Angel came

And said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (acts1:11) like Jesus ascends he will descend like he ascend. Mormonism thinks Jesus will come back at the Rocky mountain..This is ridiculous..No he will come back to Zion. Everyone in the world will witness and weep.

2. Jesus personally said in John 14:3, ‘ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.’ Jesus will come back and when he comes back everything will be in controlled and Christian will be rapture.

 

C) 7 years after rapture there is chaos and Jesus will return again

 

In Revelation 20:1-6,’ Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. ² He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; ³ and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. ⁴ And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a^[a] thousand years. ⁵ But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

And after thousand year, all evil men will face God’s final judgment and thrown into hell fire. This is God’s plan.

 

Con)  let’s organize the sermon.

1. Jesus will come back and we will hear voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God and it will be the biggest news of all.

 2. Rapture will happen, but not knowing when makes us always prepare for it. In Matthew 25:13 says ‘¹³ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.’ So, we need to stay awake and work hard, and live on God’s word and do missions that were given to us.

 3. Loving everyone! on the day Jesus comes we should be ready to jump in front of Jesus and hear ‘‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ and live with Jesus as king. Hallelujah amen.

 

101417 By Ik Sun Ahn