1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
There are two Old Testament examples of the rapture. Do you know who they are?
· Enoch, Genesis 5:24. “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not: for God took him.” Hebrews 11:5 “By faith Enouch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”
· Elijah, 2 Kings 2:11. “There appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fie, and parted them both asunder (that is Elisha); and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
If you have been saved by Jesus Christ there is a rapture awaiting you, just as real, just as dramatic as Enoch and Elijah. But ours will be different from Enoch and Elijah because they were rapture into God’s presence alone, but our text tells us we are going to be “caught unto together with them in the clouds,” that is with other saints of God, “to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
1. Looking for His Coming.
Are you looking of the coming again of Jesus Christ? The Thessalonians expected the return of Christ—in their lifetime.
The Thessalonians were wrong in their conclusions about how the second coming of the Lord would affect their loved ones.
But they were right to believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ. The “at any moment” return of Jesus Christ has been belief of Christians since Jesus left this earth 2,000 years ago. And it is not being delayed because in God’s own time it will all happen “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” 1 Cor. 15:52.
Processing Paul’s verbal teaching to some had become confused. Paul had taught them that Jesus was coming. In fact, they were expecting Christ to return in their lifetime. But in the interval some of their loved ones had died. What would happen to them? Had they missed Christ’s return? Their conclusion was that their dead loved ones would be left out when Christ came again. Had they missed out on the second coming?
2. Learning about His Coming.
“I would not have you ignorant, brethren…” These “brethren,” believers in the Lord Jesus, did not have their facts straight. In fact, they were “ignorant” of the real facts and ignorance is not bliss. What you don’t know can hurt you.
People have some mixed up ideas about death and heaven.
1. Shooting star
2. You have one last mission on earth before you can earn your wings.
3. You earn your way to heaven.
4. Everyone goes to heaven.
Jesus said, “Come unto me...and learn of me,” Matthew 11:28.
The Sleeping, v. 13a-14. When the word “sleep” is used of believers it always refers to the death of the body, not the soul. Death for believers is nothing more than “sleep.” How many like to sleep? That would be all of us. Imagine coming into the bedroom of a loved one and discovering they were sleeping. You would not rush to the phone and bid 9-1-1 for emergency services. They were quietly sleeping, in due time they will awake.
The Sorrow, v. 13b. There are two kinds of “grief” people express when a loved one dies.
- Normal grief. “Jesus wept.” I have told people if we don’t grieve some we
didn’t have a very meaningful relationship.
- Negative grief. When our life is put on hold because someone died that we
loved we are, in a way, accusing God of making a mistake.
The Surety, v. 14. How can you prepare for death and/or the second coming of Christ. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.” In the Greek language “if” statements meant different things. This “if” assumes we do believe.
The Scripture, v. 15. “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain (alive) shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep.”
The Sequence, v. 16-17.
· Return. “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven…” Don’t try to spiritualize this or attempt to explain this way. Acts 1:11 says the same things. “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seem Him go into heaven.”
Those are determined not to believe this clear teaching say the second coming of Jesus is….
- When you are born again.
- When you die and go to be with the Lord.
- The Holy Spirit coming on the Day of Pentecost.
No, Jesus will return “like a thief in the night,” unannounced...literally, visibly, personally, majestically.
· Resurrection. “The dead in Christ shall rise first…” There are signs of Christ’s coming all around us, but right now we should be listening for he sounds of His coming.
Christ will return in the air with a “shout.” This is not just some noise. It is an authoritative shout. What Christ will say I don’t completely know, but we have a preview in john 11 when Lazarus was raised from the dead. Jesus called out, “Lazarus, come forth,” v. 43c. It had been noted that if Jesus had not specifically call out “Lazarus” He would have emptied the whole cemetery!
Also, a “trumpet” will sound. Trumpets were very important in ancient Israel. Certain sounds called them for either war or worship. For us then, all fighting will be over, so we will be called to endless worship.
All the sleeping dead in Christ will return with Christ in spirit and their bodies will be resurrected and rejoined with their spirits. The dead in Christ will defy the “grave” and will be resurrected. Yes, people will be fitted with new bodies, bodies fashioned like unto the glorious body of Jesus, Philippians 3;21.
· Rapture. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air….” The word “rapture” does not appear in the Bible, but don’t let that bother you. The words “trinity,” “mission,” “demons,” and “sovereignty” are not found in the Bible, either, but they are all doctrines clearly taught in the Bible.
“Rapture” is a Latin word that means “to seize, to catch away.” It can mean “to take by force,” like in John 6:15 when the crowd wanted to “take” Jesus by force and make Him their king. When the rapture occurs, those who are living at that time will defy “gravity” and be taken up. The Bible calls this a “mystery” in 1 Corinthians 15:51.
Imagine you took small pieces of copper, lead, zinc, iron, platinum, gold and silver and metal scattered them over your yard. And then you let the grass and weeds grow over them. What would happen if you took a giant electromagnet and swung it over your yard? Some of those pieces would leap up, coming right through the dirt, if necessary, and cling to the magnet. Which metals would do that? Not the zinc, or the lead, or the copper, or even the gold. Only the iron would.
My friend, when Jesus Christ comes, those who share His nature are going to be caught up.
· Reunion. “Caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air…”
What a homecoming day that is going to be! In your daily Bible reading in Genesis have you ever paid any attention to a phrase that is repeated again and again?
· Genesis 25:8 “Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years…” now watch it, “and was gathered to his people.”
· Genesis 35:29 Isaac died and “was gathered to his people.”
· Genesis 49:43 Jacob died and “was gathered to his people.”
This does not mean a burial with other people in some cemetery. This was the gathering of God’s people—family, friends, fellow believers.
Sometimes people ask, “Will be know one another in heaven?” Absolutely. We will not know less in heaven than we know here.
And, here’s a bonus—we will know people we have never known! Peter, James and John knew Moses and Elijah on the Mt of Transfiguration—all without any name tags!
Warren Wiersbe says this word “meet” “carried the idea of meeting a royal person or an important person. Adrian Rogers said, “It’s a technical word that speaks of welcoming a returning dignity, going out with an entourage to greet him.” And how long will that “meeting” last? “And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Death has been a great separator. For believers, the rapture will be a great reunion!
3. Living in Light of His Coming.
The doctrine of the second coming of Jesus isn’t in the Bible so we can discuss and debate all of the finer details that are involved. We are taught about the second coming to live every day “in light of” the second coming.
How do we live in light of Jesus’ second coming? The “bookend” verses of this passage are verse 13 and verse 18 and in those two verses there are two words which tell us how to live in light of His coming.
Measure of Confidence...enjoying Hope. Look at the last word in verse 13. “That ye sorrow not, as others who have no hope.” Real living is having hope.
· Some have no hope. Listen to people. Many are “hopeless.”
· Some have a false hope. Others have their hope in hopeless things.
· Some have an uncertain hope. They know the facts, but have no faith that the facts are so. They seemed to be certain, yet have no hope.
Ill: 3 boys...traveling. “Boys, when we get home you’re going to be a
whipping.” We had assurance, but no hope.
While the world is hopeless, believers are hope-filled. Ours isn’t whistling in the cemetery. It isn’t empty “wishing.” Ours is rock-solid confidence, a blessed assurance. We know what the future holds and we know Who hold our future!
· The coming of the Lord is called “the blessed hope,” Titus 2:13.
· 1 John 3:2-3, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And everyman that hath this hope in him purifieth Himself, even as He is pure.”
· 1 Peter 1:3 “...His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
· Hebrews 6:18-19 “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, which have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…”
We are confidence that it will be just as the Bible said it would be. Jesus is coming again to receive us unto Himself, John 14:3.
Ministry of Comfort….extending Help. Look at verse 18. “Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.” Dying offers no comfort. For many it will be a time of great joy as they hear the words of Jesus say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." For others it will be a time of shame and regret, I John 2:28, "And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at his coming.”
An inscription on a gravestone in an old cemetery not far from Windsor Castle in England read:
“Pause, my friend, as you walk by;
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, soon you will be.
Prepare, my friend, to follow me!”
A visitor who read that epitaph added:
“To follow you, I’ll not be content
Until I know which way you went!”
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”