What is the rapture

Are you ready? Are you saved?

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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. 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: 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 18 (KJV)

The Rapture

The rapture (using the Latin is when born again Christians (the true Church) are taken out of this world. The Lord Jesus Christ will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel (to wake the dead in Christ) – described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Thesselonioans 4:15-18. At this time:

The Lord comes for His saints (Christians) - John 14:2-3
The Lord comes in the twinkling of an eye (the heathen will not see Him) - 1 Cor 15:52
He comes to deliver the Church - Christians do not experience the wrath of God poured out at the last days (Revelation 5-19) - 1 Thes 1:10
Christ comes in the air - 1 Thes 4:15-18, 2 Thes 2:1
He takes ONLY believers home to heaven - John 14:2-3
He comes as the Bridegroom (the Church is the Bride of Christ) - Matthew 25:6, 10
He comes as the morning star - Rev 22:16
He comes with no signs - Christians walk by faith, we do not know when He comes -
2 Cor 7:7

After the rapture Christ will come

This period is called the last or end times, it is also called The Day of the Lord

In God’s final dealing with apostate man, Christ is sent, as the Judge.
He comes with his saints (Christians) - Jude 14, Zec 14:5 (note - we do no fighting)
Christ comes publicly - every eye will see him - Rev 1:7
He comes for Israel - Ps 6:1-4 (the first 6 Psalms are highly symbolic to the Jews)
He comes to the Mount of Olives (in Jerusalem) - Zec 14:4-5
He sends angels to gather the elect (true believers) - Matt 24:30-31 (also Rev)
The wicked are taken for judgement (tares in field who are burned) - Mat 25:41, 13:41
He delivers wrath Rev 19:15, to judge Matt 24:27-28
He comes as the Sun of Righteousness - at day break - Mal 4:2
He comes with signs (7 years of them!) Luke 21:11, 25-27, 1 Cor 1:22
He is the thief - 1 Thes 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10, Matthew 24:43, Rec 16:15

Do you have peace – that is - do you know whether you are going to heaven?

Are you assured that you are going to heaven? Do you have peace in this fact?

The assurance is established in seven elements, outline in Gospel of John

The Bible’s Authority
Christ’s Work on the cross
The blood and water shed on the cross
Your faith in Christ
The Holy Spirit’s assurance
Obedience to Christ
Love in Christ

1. The Bible’s Authority

The authority of the Bible is the foundation of our trust in God. If you do not accept the Bible as being the true and living word of God you will never have peace. Read it!

2. Christ's work

The sole foundation of peace is Christ’s work – which epitomised obedience found in love. There is absolutely nothing man can do to gain peace with God

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Christ makes peace with God, though his sacrificial death. “Having made peace through the blood of His (Christ’s) cross” - Colossians 1:20. Because of this we CAN have peace.

3. The blood and water shed on the cross

Without the shedding of blood there is no remission – that is sin cannot be done away with, and furthermore since the wages of sin is death – on your death your soul will be judged and cast into hell. Christ was judged in my placed and shed blood in my place, as the perfect sacrifice (something I could not do) and thus he died for my sins. This satisfied the righteous requirement of God: sin must be punished.

We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1, 2 (KJV)

4. Faith

Knowing that Christ died for my sins requires one attribute - belief. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. So what are you to believe?

The Gospel … I [Paul] also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Thus one needs to believe:

You are a sinner in need of a saviour
That Christ, the Son of God died for your sins (the Bible sets out the terms and conditions)
That Christ was buried
That Christ was raised to life

If you believe this, then I tell you that you have “settled” peace with God. He demands nothing more. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Do you enjoy this settle peace? A constant peace in your soul is by faith.

“..Whoever confesses that Jesus us the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15).

We have peace when we have acknowledged our sin, admitted we needed forgiveness, and asked Jesus Christ to save us, believing that Christ paid the penalty for our sins.

5. The Holy Spirit’s Assurance

“And by this we know that He (Jesus) abides in us, by the Spirit who He has given us” (1 John 3:24). Further, no one can say that Jesus is Lord “except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). We know it’s the Holy Spirit (not some other) because the Bible says “you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (i.e. as a man) is of God” (1 John 4:2).

The Spirit is the “guarantee” (Ephesians 1:14) that we have had our sins paid for (by Christ).

6. Obedience to Christ

Faith cannot be just “lip service” and conversely “doing things” (work) is not faith. The Bible says “Now by this we know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3). Keeping his commandments will not save us - the entire Old Testament proves this - “the heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked”. He who says he doesn’t sin is a liar - hence sins! (1 John 1:8). Our love for Christ leads us to obey him.

7. Love

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him" (1 John 3:18,19).

We love because he first loved us. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16).

Summary

A believer (Christian, saint, saved soul) has perceived his wretched state before God, convicted by the Holy Spirit, confessed his sin (repented – that is turned around from rejecting Jesus Christ to believing him), accepted Christ’s atoning sacrifice, by faith, and is assured by the Holy Spirit HE or SHE is SAVED. Salvation is from eternal separation from God, that is Hell. The Christian is reborn – given new life - when his or her sins are washed away by Christ’s blood. They are to be “remembered no more”. The Holy Spirit dwells with-in the believer from the instance of salvation as the guarantee of that redemption. On the confession of Jesus’ name salvation is an absolute certainty.

David L Simon (16 November 2009)
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