Sermon on the mystery of the Rapture1 Thes 4:15-18; 1 Cor 15:51-53

The most vivid description of the word rapture of the church is given in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, (1 Thess 4:15-17). The word rapture is a Greek word for harpazo meaning caught up, to seize upon by forced, to snatch up. Rapture is also defined as the transporting of a person from one place to another, such as from Earth to Heaven, and/or the changing of a person from one state to another such as from a physical body to a spirit body. Paul referred to the rapture as the Blessed Hope of the church…(Titus 2:13).

Every human-being is a living soul because God breathe unto Adam and he became a living soul. (Gen 2:7), Ezekiel tells us that the soul which sin shall die, this is not natural death but spiritual death just like Adam and Eve died when they ate of the forbidden tree (Ez 18:20) You see because the soul and the spirit are eternal, spiritual death is separation of man’s soul from God.

What shall it profit a Man to loose his own sol (Mark 8:36) why is this important, it is because every human soul will either spend eternity with God in the New Jerusalem or in hell with Satan. Our spirit and soul lives in this physical body which is perishable ie dust. The body was made from dust and from dust it shall return (Gen 3:19) but the soul of each one will be going somewhere, now is where will go to…

The Bible teaches that the soul of believers will return to God the Creator because they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; and these will spend eternity with Christ the Lamb of God. But that of unbelievers will go to Satan because they for whatever reason refuse to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour of their lives; these too will spend eternity with Satan in hell. (Lk 16:23)

There is a holistic issue here ie when we are saved, our body, spirit and soul are saved, and likewise when we are not the same applies to our body, spirit and soul. There is no such thing as the soul or spirit is saved and the body is not no, no, body, spirit and soul are all a holistic features of a human-being, the whole thing is one unit.

In the rapture, we will be given a glorified body what will it look like; let us begin with 1 John 3:1-2; John says through the born again experience we are adopted into God’s family. When we are born again, there is a spiritual shifting ie something happen with us spiritually just as in our natural birth we happen (came to being). In verse 2 tells us about us being like Him in the glorify body. You know when Christ was resurrected, he had the glorified body which he has forever and ever now; it’s the same glorified body that we will have during the rapture. The bible says we shall change to his glory like Him (1John 3:2)

The life of the body or flesh now is in blood but then life in the flesh at the rapture will be in the Holy Spirit even though it will consist of only flesh and bones no blood. The speed of thoughts shall be the vehicle for which we will be transported from heaven to earth ie we will only need to think and we are there. Haven’t we heard ‘eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither have it come into the heart of what God has prepared for those who love Him (1Cor 2:9).

Rapture is the word of the Lord, He has told us so that we get ourselves prepared; we must remember the word of God is yes and Amen; meaning its truth and stands. Paul letter to the Thessalonians tells us of the mystery of the rapture that both the death and the living in Christ will be caught-up to Meet Jesus in the cloud (1 Thes 4:15-18).

At this point, Jesus will not come to the earth but He will welcome us in the air then we will go with Him to heaven. There we will be reigning until the 7 years of Daniel prophecy of the 70th week is over ie the 7 years rule of the Antichrist. Then we shall come with His majesty in a bridal trail to live and rule in the New Jerusalem.

Friends the criterial for making the rapture I tell you is to know Christ and to live for Him; there is no other way except that of being in Christ verse 16. There has never been and are no perfect believers but there is a perfect Christ, who has offered a perfect redemption to every believer. Dear brothers and sisters, if we excises faith in Christ, He gives us this perfect Salvation to make the rapture and to live with Him forever; so to be born again in Christ is the only requirement needed to make the rapture.

The table bellows shows that the rapture of the church is different from the Second coming of Christ.

Praise God the rapture will bring the complete manifestation of Christ’s finished work for us at Calvary; the day of rapture is like an independence day to the believer, once and for all we will be totally and completely freed from our corrupted nature, freed from all effects of sin. Glory hallelujah, ‘mortality shall be completely swallowed up in victory’!!!! (1 Cor 15:54). Amen