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Rapture of the Church
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Key Bible Verses About the Rapture
- Quoted below are two KEY Bible passages about the Rapture.
- In a moment we will discuss these passages verse-by-verse.
- To better understand our discussions, please read both
passages CAREFULLY.
- These are two of the tastiest dishes in the word of
God. Feast upon them!
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I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren (fellow believers in Christ),
concerning those who have fallen asleep (have
died), 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 (are dead) 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 (dead).
- 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.
1 Thes 4.13-18
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Behold, I tell you (believers
in Christ) a mystery (a
fact that God has not previously revealed).
We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet...
- The trumpet will sound
- The dead will be raised incorruptible
- And we shall be changed
- For this corruptible must put on incorruption
- And this mortal must put on immortality.
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!
O Death, where is your sting?
O Grave, where is your victory?
1 Cor 15.51-55
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Part 4: Components of the Soon-Coming
Rapture
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#1A - Lord Jesus returns!
- In the clouds high above the earth, Jesus Himself will return to
summon His people to His presence.
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For the
Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
1 Thes 4.16a |
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#1B The spirits of deceased Christians return!
- Jesus will be accompanied by the spirits of deceased Christians
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God will bring with Him (Jesus) those who sleep (are
dead) in Jesus. 1
Thes 4.14b |
- The fact that the spirits of deceased Christians accompany Jesus
proves that they went to be with Him immediately when they died.
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We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and
to be present with the Lord. 2 Cor 5.8 |
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#2A - The shout!
- Immediately as the Lord arrives, each and every one of God's people
will hear a SHOUT from high above!
 The
Bible does not tell us exactly WHAT we will hear when Lord Jesus summons us to His presence...
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For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the trumpet of God.
1 Thes 4.16a |
- Perhaps each of us, like Lazarus, will hear his or her own name shouted
out.
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Now when He (Jesus) had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"
And he (Lazarus)
who had died came out... John 11.43-44a |
- Perhaps each of us, like the Apostle John, will hear the blessed
command, "Come up here."
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After these things I (Apostle
John) looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the
first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here..." Rev 4.1a |
- No matter what is shouted, you will instantly recognize the voice
of your beloved Savior and Shepherd.
- And you will instantly know... He is calling YOU.
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(Jesus said...)
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John
10.27 |
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#2B - The trumpet!
- In that same split second of time, all God's people will hear the
clarion call of the trumpet of God. "Assemble!
Assemble all ye saints! It's time to GO!"
What
will the trumpet blast signify? To find out, let's look at the events when the trumpet was sounded by God's people
in Old Testament times...
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For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
1 Thes 4.16a
...in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the
trumpet will sound... 1
Cor 15.52a |
- In Old Testament times, the blast of the shofar (ram's horn trumpet) announced the arrival
of God.
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Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it
in fire... And the blast of the trumpet sounded long... Exod 19.18a,
19.19a |
- In OT times, the blast of the shofar called God's people to assemble
for war
- Of equal importance, sounding the shofar called forth God's power
to protect His people from their enemies.
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When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you,
then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.
Num 10.9 |
- In OT times, the shofar was sounded when God's people gathered together
to worship and rejoice in God's presence.
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In the day of your gladness,
in your appointed feasts,
and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow
the trumpets... Num
10.10a |
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In our OPINION (based on Old Testament verses), the
trumpet call of God at the Rapture will signify...
- A proclamation of our Lord's glorious arrival
- A summoning to everlasting life, joy, and worship in
our Lord's presence
- An assembly to join the Lord in His forthcoming battle
against the enemies of God
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#3 Resurrection!
- While the trumpet's blast still echoes, the physical remains of deceased
believers in Christ will burst forth from the earth.
- Whether your loved one was buried, or burned, or devoured, or lost
in space, or shredded to bits, or blown to smithereens, or aborted in the womb -- worry NOT! Jesus will reassemble
EVERY precious molecule of their remains, and he or she shall LIVE.
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And the
dead in Christ will rise (be resurrected) first. 1 Thes 4.16b
(Jesus said...)
I am the resurrection, and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live John 11.25 |
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#4 - Glorification!
- The Resurrected Dead in Christ - In that same instant, the resurrected will be glorified, and their spirits shall return
to their bodies.
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For the trumpet will sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed (glorified). 1 Cor 15.52b
The body without the spirit is dead... James 2.26a |
- Living Christians
- In that same EXACT instant, living Christians will also be glorified.
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Behold, I tell you a mystery: We
shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed (glorified)
1 Cor 15.51 |
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#4A - Glorification = Incorruptible
- At the Rapture our
bodies will be made incorruptible, so that we will no longer age,
deteriorate, or become sick.
- At the same instant, our
spirits will be made incorruptible, so that we will no longer have
any impetus or desire to do sinful things or think sinful thoughts.
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For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Cor 15.52a-53 |
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#4B - Glorification = Immortal
- At the Rapture our bodies will be made immortal -- no longer able
to die.
- That is, the death principle that has infested Planet Earth, ever
since the sin of Adam, will be removed from God's children.
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For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Cor 15.52a-53 |
- In God's creation, death is NOT a "natural" occurrence.
- Rather, death
is an enemy -- an interloper that gained entrance because of sin.
- Thus, God's children will be changed BACK to what God created in
the beginning -- people who do not age, or get sick, or die.
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Through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death
through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
Rom 5.12
The last enemy
that will be destroyed is death. 1 Cor 15.26 |
| #4C - Glorification = Being Like Jesus!!! |
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Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed
what we shall be, but we know that when He (Jesus) is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3.2
(Jesus will...)
transform our lowly body so that it may be conformed to His glorious body Philip 3.21a |
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What will we look like?
The Bible does not describe what we will look like after
our bodies are glorified.
In our OPINION, the physical appearance of Adam and
Eve, in the moment they were created, constituted God's "standard" for the appearance of all members
of the human race...
- Although the Bible doesn't describe Adam and Eve's
physical appearance, the book of Genesis makes it obvious that they were neither children nor "senior citizens."
- In our OPINION, when Adam and Eve were created, they
had the physical appearance of vibrantly healthy adults in their 20's.
- Thus, we CONSIDER that this constitutes God's "norm"
for human appearance.
- And we CONCLUDE that this will be the appearance of
our glorified bodies -- vibrantly healthy adults who look to be in their 20's.
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To read Page 4 about the Rapture
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If you missed Page 1 of the Rapture Study
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