Don't Get Left Behind               10-17-14

No,  I have not seen the Nicholas Cage movie, I will wait until it comes out on Redbox. However, I thought it would be interesting to see what the Bible had to say about it, since it may soon become a reality. Amen? Say about what Ronnie? Oh, I'm sorry. Why, the Rapture of course. No, that word is not in the Bible, but, the Greek and Latin rendition of the English word is. In order to get a good look at the "catching away," a few verses must be looked at. The first is in the Book of John.

  1 " Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going."
John 14:1-4 (NASB)

John 14-17 concerns itself with a transitional period in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. To begin, it describes a transition of His ministry as a prophet into the ministry of High Priest. Also, it speaks of a change from Law to Grace. All that Jesus had taught up until this point was seasoned with a perspective from the Mosaic Law. Until His death on the Cross, He was still subject to the demands of the Mosaic Covenant. Understand that while Jesus was in a mortal body,He could not operate in the function of a priest, because He was of the tribe of Judah and that would have violated the Law concerning the Levitical Priesthood. So, the first act that Jesus performed as a priest was to offer His Blood on the altar at Calvary. Speaking in the upper room of things to come, Jesus told the Disciples that He was going away, but at some time in the future, He would return for them. Not only them, but for all the saints. This is important for us in this study because He says that He is going to take the saints to that place that He is preparing for them. In His Father's House. This first promise is to prepare a place. The second is to return for the believers to take them where He is. This is not speaking of a return to Earth. He is coming to take the saints to Heaven in preparation for a literal, physical return to the earth.   Here is a passage that speaks to the method of that return.

15 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
1 Thess 4:14-17 (NASB)

This passage is apparently answering a question that the church in Thessalonica had concerning  believers who had died. The concern of the church was not one of whether there would be a catching away, but one of whether their dead relatives would benefit from the Rapture or would have to wait in the grave until some future time. Were those that had already died going to be taken to that place that Jesus had prepared for them?  Here's a couple more for thought.

34 " Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Luke 21:34-36 (NASB)

Two phrases in this passage are germaine. Starting with"....for it will come upon all those who dwell on the earth..." In this passage Jesus is speaking of "that day." The Day of the Lord that the Old Testament prophets spoke so often of is in view here. The Great Tribulation is another word for it. The structure and wording leave no doubt that ALL who dwell upon the earth will have to endure that day. There is no out for those who dwell upon the earth. But, then in verse 36 the Lord speaks of PREVAILING TO ESCAPE (caps mine) If you dwell upon the earth at "that day" then you will go through all that will come upon the earth. But, "keep alert...praying.....to escape all these things...about to take place...."  In order to escape, one must be a believer. The way of escape is to "stand before the Son of Man" in that place that He has prepared.

There are many more passages dealing with this subject, but, for the sake of time and space I will look at just six more.......just kidding. One more begs our attention for a decent grasp of the subject matter.

 9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
1 Thess 1:8-10 (NASB)


It's all about that one word wrath.  That word is the same word used in Revelation about God's wrath in the Great Tribulation and in Romans 1 about His general wrath against sin. Same word. In this verse, it is speaking of a future wrath, the wrath "to come."
Because of this it cannot be speaking about God's wrath against sin as in Romans 1 for that is a present reality.Neither can it be pointing to the wrath of Hell or the Lake of Fire. The reason being that this was being written to a church of believers who were waiting for the Lord's return.(vs.10) These believers, like the believers of today have already been delivered from hell and eternal torment by our Lord's shed blood on the cross of Calvary. Now, with all that settled, look at the last few words. Who rescues us from the wrath to come. Only one period of God's wrath remains. The wrath that will be poured out on the earth during the Day of the Lord or the Great Tribuluation. Having been delivered from the wrath of Eternal Damnation we have yet to be caught away and rescued from the future wrath of that great and glorious Day of he Lord.

But, there is yet another matter to be taken up with this catching away we label the rapture.

Folks, it isn't a matter of whether or not we are going to be caught away....no,no...the great unanswered question is whether we, you and I are ready for His appearing. Look around you, can it be far off? Surely it is nearer now than it was when we were growing up. Let us take a minute and make sure that we are ready.He's coming...ready or not.

 11  Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12  Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
Psalms 2:11-12 (NASB)

God Bless