The Comfort of the Rapture

The fountainhead of our hope is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Peter 1:3). We are eternally linked to this precious hope through a simple act of faith and the result is “Christ in you” the “hope of glory” (Col 1:27). This unfailing hope has significant bearing on our future, because in Titus 2:13, the coming of the Lord in the Rapture is referred to as “the blessed Hope,” highlighting the joy giving expectation of future glorification.

The Believers in Thessalonica were broken hearted and concerned about their loved ones who had died.  They did not understand what would become of them in light of our Lord’s return.  They may have wondered along the following lines.  What if the Lord returns?  Would their deceased love ones be impeded in any way?  Will those who are alive at His coming have an advantage over the Believers who died?  In this passage Paul answers their questions and gives them comfort and hope!

I.                  How Does the Rapture Give Us Hope and Comfort? (1Thess. 4:13-18)

A.   The Rapture is Every Believer’s Hope in Christ (1Thess. 4:13-14).

                                                              i.      Death Does Not Cancel the Believer’s Hope in the Rapture (1Thess. 4:13).

1.      Death is often accompanied with great sorrow, weeping and deep despair for unsaved individuals.  It is a hopeless situation for them, but not for the saint of God. 

2.      Some Christians will sleep in Christ (1Thes 4:13).

a.       Rev 14:13, And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

b.      The death of a Christian is viewed as a peaceful sleep; there is no sting or fear in the Believer’s death.

c.       The sleep here refers to the body of the Christian and not the real or essential person (the spirit and soul).

 

3.      The sleeping Christian’s hope is still the Rapture.

a.       1 Cor. 15:53-57, For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

b.      The saddest funerals are those where the deceased was obviously a sinner when he/she died.  Let us labor consistently to win our lost love ones to Christ that they may have this hope in Christ which will never die!

                                                            ii.      The Believer’s Hope is Based on Faith in Christ’s Resurrection and Return (1Thess. 4:14).

1.      Our Rapture Hope Is As Sure and Certain As Our Lord’s Resurrection!

a.       1Thes 4:14, For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again…

b.      1 Pet 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

c.       Just as the first work of Christ is completely reliable, so will this finishing work be also. We have every reason to live each day with great confidence in the certain return of Christ for us in the Rapture.

d.      Hope grows as we remember the promise of the Resurrection. Because Jesus Christ came back to life, so will all Believers.

                                                                                                                                       i.      All Christians, including those living when Christ returns, will live with Christ forever. Therefore, we need not despair when loved ones die or world events take a tragic turn.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      God will turn our tragedies to triumphs, our poverty to riches, our pain to glory, and our defeat to victory.

                                                                                                                                    iii.      All believers throughout history will stand reunited in God's very presence, safe and secure. As Paul comforted the Thessalonians with the promise of the Resurrection, so we should comfort and reassure each other with this great hope.

2.      The Christian’s Resurrection at the Time of the Rapture Was Made Possible By Christ’s Resurrection.  

a.       Christ’s Resurrection is the Foundation of all Resurrections.

                                                                                                                                       i.      Our Lord is the Firstborn from the Dead (Col 1:18); this is a promise of more resurrections.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      Our Lord is the Firstfruits of them that sleep (1 Cor 15:20-21); First Fruits Always dedicates the entire harvest and anticipates a complete harvest from the dead!

                                                                                                                                    iii.      Our Lord’s Resurrection is the Basis of All Literal Physical Resurrections of ALL Men. First Corinthians 15:22, says, “For as in Adam all die (Physical Death), even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (Physical Life).

b.      There Will Be a Resurrection of Life For Believers and a Resurrection of Damnation For Nonbelievers.  

                                                                                                                                       i.      There is no such creature as a ‘general resurrection’ at the end of the world. Note carefully, John 5:29, which says, “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”  (NOTE: The Saints of Israel will be resurrected after the great Tribulation and before the Millennium.  Dan. 12:1-2)

                                                                                                                                     ii.      Rev 20:5-6, But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

                                                                                                                                    iii.      A Second Death must be preceded by a Second Period of Physical Life—this of course is at the Great White Throne Judgment of the Sinners of ALL Ages, just before the Eternal Kingdom.

3.      The Lord Will Return With the Souls of Deceased Saints in the Rapture.

a.       1Thes 4:14, For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

b.      The Bible refers to the Christian’s Death as our tired bodies being put to sleep by Christ. 

                                                                                                                                       i.      There is NO terror in Death for the Believer.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      The Bible does not teach soul sleep—Note how Lazarus and the Rich man were both very conscience after death.  (Also Rev. 7: 9-17 Tribulation Saints)

c.       Some Christians Will Pass Through Death and Enter God’s Presence Prior to The Rapture, But They Return With Him in the Rapture.  

                                                                                                                                       i.      2 Cor. 5:6-8, Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.   (Also Phil. 1:20-24)

                                                                                                                                     ii.      In the return of Christ for his saints, he will bring the souls of those who were with him already in a disembodied form to be reunited with their new and transformed bodies. 

a.       Together with the Lord we will all go back to Heaven and the Judgment Seat of Christ. 

b.      It does not matter if our bodies were eaten by beast or burned and sprinkled across the sea, He will raise our bodies from their sleep!  What a Powerful God!

B.   The Rapture is Our Comforting Hope in Christ (1Thess. 4:15-18).

We have the clearest teaching in Scripture in this passage about the order of the events related to the Rapture and Resurrection of Saints. Here the Bible spells out for us what will take place and the order with which it will unfold. Paul gives us the details to comfort and encourage us with the Rapture.

                                                              i.      We are Comforted by A Revelation: The Living Saints Will Not Have Any Advantage Over The Sleeping Saint During the Rapture.

1.      1Thes 4:15, For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, (This is the New Revelation) that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

2.      The Rapture was a hidden truth (1 Cor. 15:51), a “mystery.”

a.       The Thessalonians were informed fully about the Day of the Lord judgment (1Thess. 5:1, 2), but not the preceding event—the rapture of the church age saints.

b.      Until Paul revealed it as the revelation from God to him, it had been a secret, with the only prior mention being Jesus’ teaching in John 14:1–3. This was new revelation of what had previously been an unrevealed mystery. This separates the Rapture from the Revelation (Matt. 24 &  Luke 21); Christ taught extensively on the Revelation, His return to the earth to rule the world, but not the Rapture.

3.      The significance of this is those who have died in the Lord will not miss the great events of the return of Christ—the rapture and the Lord’s millennial kingdom.

a.       Paul is not establishing the fact of the resurrection but clarifying the relationship of the dead and the living to the Rapture. The living Believers will not have any advantage! 

b.      This is more evidence that the Christian will not go through the Tribulation period. These believers would have been rejoicing over the deceased and not morning if that were true. Those who sleep in the Lord will not miss the Lord’s coming! Those alive at the Rapture will follow those dead who rise first (v. 16).

4.      The Lord’s Return is Also Imminent.  He could come at any moment!

a.       1Thes 4:15, 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.

b.      Paul believed the event was near (Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 6:14; 10:11; 16:22; Phil. 3:20, 21; 1 Tim. 6:14; Titus 2:13).

c.       Paul fully expected the Rapture in His day, and so much the more should we! The point is to be READY, RIGHT, RESTING, AND WORKING when He comes!

d.      We should look for the Lord to come at any moment, yet realize that we may be called to reach heaven by way of death.

                                                            ii.      We are Comforted by A Return: The Lord Jesus Will Literally Descend From Heaven to Initiate the Rapture and Resurrection of Believers (1Thess. 4:16).     

1Thes 4:16, 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:

1.      Jesus Himself Will Return.

a.       This is a literal, physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the atmosphere of the earth. 

                                                                                                                                       i.      By the coming of Christ is meant the bodily, personal, and visible coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to receive His saints.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      This is not a spirit or phantom, nor mere angels, but Jesus Himself!  John 14:3, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

                                                                                                                                    iii.      Christ’s Return did not take place at Pentecost nor does it take place when a person is saved, nor does He come at a Believer’s death. 

b.      This is a definite event on God’s prophetic calendar called the Return of Christ in the Rapture.  

                                                                                                                                       i.      Clearly this is not Christ’s return in the Revelation when He comes back to the earth itself to wage war and establish his kingdom on earth.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      There is the need to recognize the distinction between Christ’s coming for his saints and with his saints.

                                                                                                                                    iii.      “There is a difference between the presence and the appearing of Christ: the first refers to his coming for, and the latter with his saints. We should remember, further, that the second coming covers a period of time, and is not the event of a single moment. Even the first coming covered over thirty years, and included the events of Christ’s birth, circumcision, baptism, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, etc. the second coming will also include a number of events such as the rapture, the great tribulation, the millennium, the resurrections, the judgments, etc.”—William Evans

2.      The Lord’s Shout will call the Sleeping Saint to Life Again.

a.       John 5:25-27, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

b.      John 11:25-26, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

c.       The Resurrection of Lazarus in Jn. 11:43-44 “....He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”  The next time he will call all ‘Christian Saints’ to Himself, the Resurrection and the Life!

3.      The Archangel, Michael, Will Call God’s Angels to Service.

a.       This call will summon the angelic host as a Military Escort to accompany the Lord and His Saints through enemy territory back to Heaven.   (See Luke 16:22; Matt. 24:31; 25:31; 2Thess.1:7; Jude 9).

b.      The voice of Michael, the archangel, is also commonly understood as an assembling command for the OT saints, since he is so closely associated with Israel (Dan. 12:1; Jude 9; Rev. 12:4–7). Others think its purpose is to revive Israel nationally.

4.      The Trumpet of God Will Signal the Raising of the Dead and Changing of Believers Forever.

a.       1 Cor. 15:52, 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.

b.      Living and Deceased Believers Will Experience a radical and glorious transformation in a matter of a split second!

                                                                                                                                       i.      Since flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom (1Cor. 15:50), we who are still alive at the Rapture will not have to die before we get our new glorified bodies.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      When the trumpet sounds and Christ returns, the dead will be raised imperishable, out of the graves with their new bodies. We who are still alive will be changed, also receiving our new glorious bodies.

                                                                                                                                    iii.      We will all be changed, transformed immediately, in the twinkling of an eye. This change will happen instantly for all true Christians, whether they are dead or alive. All will be made ready to go with Christ.

c.       This is the ‘Last Trump’ of the Christian Age, which has to do with the resurrection of believers at the time of the Rapture (1Cor. 15:23).

                                                                                                                                       i.      Perhaps the angel Gabriel is sounding this trumpet because he is closely associated with the Christian Age. 

                                                                                                                                     ii.      This is not the seventh and last trumpet of the Tribulation period in Revelation 11:15-19. The Seventh Trumpet of the Tribulation Period is a Trumpet of Judgment not Rapture.  Christians will not go through the Tribulation period it is for the Lost World and to prepare Israel for her Messiah!  We must realize that God is not done with Israel! (Dan. 9:24)

                                                                                                                                    iii.      “These three phenomena may all refer to the same thing, but probably they are three separate almost simultaneous announcements heralding Christ’s return. Though one’s curiosity about these aspects of the Rapture is not fully satisfied in this passage, one thing is clear: Christ’s return for His saints will be announced from heaven forcefully and dramatically.” ---Walvoord, J. F.

                                                          iii.      We are Comforted by A Resurrection: The Dead In Christ Shall Rise Before the Living Believers Experience the Rapture (1Thess. 4:16).        

1.      1Thes 4:16, 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:

2.      Only The Dead In Christ Will Be Raised At This Time. 

a.       This excludes Old Testament Saints who will be raised after the Tribulation Period according to Dan. 12:2. 

b.      This also disproves the ‘general resurrection’ theory as a Biblical teaching! Not ALL the dead are raised at this time, ONLY the dead IN CHRIST! 

3.      The Christian Deceased will Arise before the Living Believers are Caught Up!

4.      “How will God raise the bodies of people who were buried hundreds of years ago? What about the bodies of those Christians who were burned to death and those whose ashes were thrown to the wind, and Christians who perished at sea? The resurrection of the dead poses a great problem to the faith of many. Perhaps that is why Paul stressed that this revelation came from Jesus Christ Himself and that it is as certain of future fulfillment as Jesus’ resurrection is a fact of past history. The God who created the universe out of nothing with a word is fully able to reassemble the decayed bodies of all His saints in a moment of time (cf. 1 Cor. 15:35-58).” –John Walvoord

                                                          iv.      We are Comforted by A Rapture: The Living Saints Will Be Caught Up Next (1Thess 4:17).

1.      1Thes 4:17, 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.

2.      Living Saints Will Suddenly Disappear in the Glorious Rapture Experience.

a.       The Phrase “Caught Up” refers to the ‘rapture.’

b.      It is a derivative of the Latin word ‘raptus’ which means to carry off.  Thus the Rapture means snatching away or catching up.  

c.       The Greek word is ‘harpazo’ (har-pad'-zo); which means to seize, catch (away, up), pluck, pull, and take (by force).

d.      The Space Travel of today with all its wonders will not even compare to the Space traveling we’ll experience in the twinkling of an eye!

e.       The Word’s (Gr. Harpazo) Usage In Scripture Confirms Its Meaning. (See Acts 8:39; 2Cor 12:2; Rev 12:5; Jude 1:23).

3.      We Will Meet the Lord Jesus and the Resurrected Saints in the Air!

a.       The air is Satan’s sphere (Eph. 2:2), so this is a triumphal gathering in open defiance of the devil right in the front yard of his stronghold.

b.      Ultimately we will finally be with Jesus our Lord, Savior, King, and Salvation! The union with our Lord forever (Body, Soul, and Spirit, this will be a first in the experience of the Christian.  No more sin nature to contend with!)

                                                                                                                                       i.      From that time on and forever thereafter we will be with the Lord. The Lord will take us to the place He is presently preparing for us (John 14:2-3).

                                                                                                                                     ii.      But the place where Christians will be was not so important to Paul as the Person with whom we will be.

                                                                                                                                    iii.      “The entire content and worth of heaven, the entire blessedness of life eternal, is for Paul embraced in the one thought of being united with Jesus, his Savior and Lord” –Borhemann

                                                                                                                                  iv.      Face to face with Christ, my Savior, face to face—what will it be? When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me!

Only faintly now I see Him, with the darkling veil between; but a blessed day is coming, when His glory shall be seen.

What rejoicing in His presence, when are banished grief and pain, when the crooked ways are straightened and the dark things shall be plain.

Face to face—O blissful moment! Face to face—to see and know; face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ who loves me so.

Chorus: Face to face I shall behold Him, far beyond the starry sky; face to face, in all His glory, I shall see Him by and by!

c.       It Will be a Reunion With Deceased Saints of the Christian Age. 

                                                                                                                                       i.      The first Family of God Reunion ever! 

a.       Who can describe the combustible, boundless, and spontaneous joy we all will experience at this grand reunion occasion. 

b.      We will see Peter, Paul, James, John. Mary Magdalene, Mary our Lord’s mother, Barnabas and many others!

c.       We will see our saved love ones again, never to say goodbye or be separated from them again.  The translated bodies of all Christians will be united with Christ and with each other at the Rapture.

                                                                                                                                    ii.      For all the saints who from their labors rest, who Thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest: Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might; Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight; and Thou, in darkness drear, their one true light: Alleluia! Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast, thru gates of pearl streams in the countless host, singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Alleluia! Alleluia!

d.      Think of all that is included in these verses!

                                                                                                                                       i.      The earth and the sea yielding up the dust of all the dead in Christ. Then the transforming miracle by which this dust is formed into glorified bodies, free forever from sickness, pain, and death.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      Then the space-flight to heaven. And all of this taking place in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:52).

                                                                                                                                    iii.      Men of the world have difficulty believing the account of the creation of man in Genesis 1 and 2. If they have difficulty with creation, what will they do with the Rapture—when God will recreate millions of people from the dust that has been buried, scattered, strewn, or swept up on the beaches of the world?

                                                                                                                                   iv.      Men of the world are enthusiastic about space travel. But can their greatest exploits compare with the wonder of traveling to heaven in a split second without taking our own atmosphere with us, as the space men have to do when they go on short hops to outer space?

4.      This is a tremendous source of comfort to the believer!

a.       1Thes 4:18, Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

                                                                                                                                       i.      Learn to encourage yourself with this wonderful hope we have in Christ. Ex. David in Ziklag---1 Sam. 30:1-10, vs 6    “...but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”

                                                                                                                                     ii.      Determine to encourage other Believers with this hope in times of difficulty, trials, frustration, suffering, and death.

                                                                                                                                    iii.      Decide to share the hope of Christ with the lost of your family & community before it is eternally too late for them!

b.      “In connection with Christ’s coming there is a sound to hear, a sight to see, a miracle to feel, a meeting to enjoy, and a comfort to experience. It is also good to notice the recurrence of the word Lord in these verses: the word of the Lord (v. 15), the coming of the Lord (v. 15), the Lord Himself (v. 16), to meet the Lord (v. 17), to always be with the Lord (v. 17). Forever with the Lord! Who can tell all the joy and blessedness that is included in these words?  …Thoughts of the Lord’s coming do not produce terror for the believer. It is a hope that thrills and cheers and comforts.”—MacDonald, W.

c.       “The facts that Christians who have died will be resurrected to join the living saints with the Lord Jesus when He comes, that they will actually precede those who are alive in that day, that those who are alive will be united with them, and that they will all be with the Lord forever, give abundant reasons for rejoicing. Not only do Christians not grieve like unbelievers, but followers of Christ can actually look forward eagerly to that great day. This is the great hope of the church, to see the Lord and be united with Him forever. It is that which every believer in this Age should anticipate. It is a blessed hope (Titus 2:13) with respect to the dead in Christ as well as for the living!”—Walvoord, J. F.

In Jesus Christ, every Believer has solid reasons for hope in any apparently hopeless scenario and comfort regardless of the distressing developments. Our hope is credible because it is anchored in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Comfort is ours because we are roundly assured of being with Christ, believing love ones, and in heaven. Certainly we will continue to face some hardness in this life, but never without hope and comfort from our Lord and this promise of the Rapture. If this is indeed the case for us, let us arm ourselves with the truths of the Rapture allowing them to free us from confusion, distress, anxiety, and despair. God’s promises are most valuable to us when we believe them—when we believe God. Trust Him, cling to Him; find peace, comfort, and assurance in Him.