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"The True Rapture" (Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
stmatthewbt.org ^ | November 9, 2014 | The Rev. Charles Henrickson

Posted on 11/09/2014 11:58:20 AM PST by Charles Henrickson

“The True Rapture” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Maybe you remember a bumper sticker that was popular a few years back, which read: “In case of Rapture, this car will be unmanned.” What that bumper sticker meant is the idea that when Jesus comes again, all the Christians alive on earth at that time will be “beamed up” suddenly, leaving the rest of the people on earth behind. That’s why the cars and airplanes and so forth will be vacated when the Christians vanish. This is the so-called “Rapture theory,” and it has been the basis of a veritable industry of popular books and movies and TV programs and radio shows. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the best-selling “Left Behind” series of books and a couple of “Left Behind” movies, one of which came out just recently. All of these books and movies and so on have at their core this idea of the Rapture as the moment when all the Christians will be taken up and disappear, and everybody else, all the unbelievers, will be left behind and not know what just happened.

So that’s the Rapture theory, and it’s usually associated with several other things taking place, which we will get into. And the thing is, there is a Bible verse that does talk about the Rapture. In fact, it’s in one of our readings for today, the Epistle from 1 Thessalonians 4. However--and it’s a big “however”--what the Rapture crowd thinks is going to happen and what the Bible actually teaches, those are two very different things. And so today I want to help you to see the difference, so that a) you will not be misled by what people talk about as the Rapture, and b) you will be encouraged and strengthened in hope by what the Scripture actually does teach. And so our theme this morning: “The True Rapture.”

The Bible verse that mentions a rapture is indeed in our Epistle today, 1 Thessalonians 4, reading as follows: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. . . .”

Now did you hear the word “rapture” in there? No, you say? Well, actually you did. Just not in English. It’s this little phrase, “caught up.” It does say that we will be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air. And the word “rapture” is simply the Latin-based word for “caught up.” In other words, we Christians will be “raptured,” “caught up,” to meet Jesus in the air when he comes again. This is true. But it’s what the Rapture teachers tack onto that, and how they misunderstand it--that’s where they go wrong.

The Rapture theory as it is popularly thought of today was basically invented, in its modern form, by a guy named John Nelson Darby back in the 1830s. Then later, in the early 1900s, it was popularized through a study Bible called the Scofield Reference Bible. Later on then, it appeared in books like “The Late, Great Planet Earth,” by Hal Lindsey in the 1970s, and the “Left Behind” series, by Tim LaHaye in the 1990s.

The Rapture, as popularly conceived, is usually presented as a “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” in a system known as “Dispensational Millennialism.” Wow, that’s a mouthful! But the theory goes something like this: Jesus is coming again, and when he comes--which we can kinda figure out by reading the headlines and matching them up with some mysterious prophecies in Ezekiel and Daniel and Revelation--when Jesus comes again, all the Christians will suddenly be raptured up and out of their daily life. Thus the empty cars and airline seats. All the people left behind, the unbelievers, will not know what happened to the people sitting next to them a moment ago who have now disappeared. Then will follow a seven-year great tribulation, when all sorts of bad things happen and the Antichrist appears on earth. We Christians will miss all that bad stuff, because we will have already been raptured, you see.

Then at some point in the chronology--it varies according to which version you hear--there will be a mass conversion of all the Jews. The temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. The political nation of Israel figures very important in this scheme, you will note. And then after the seven-year tribulation, Jesus himself will come back, for what is now his third coming, I suppose, and he will take up his throne in Jerusalem and rule there for a literal 1,000-year reign. After that, I guess we head into eternity. I’m not sure if there’s a fourth Second Coming.

Well, that’s the Pre-Tribulation Rapture in broad strokes, and the creativity of the writers and speakers to fill in the details is what sells the books and movies and TV shows and radio programs. But I want to tell you today that this Rapture is not the biblical Rapture. Do not be misled. This false Rapture will lead you away from the true hope that you have in Christ. So let’s now get into the true Rapture that the Bible presents.

Paul talks about it here in 1 Thessalonians. Here’s the set-up. The Christians there in Thessalonica have heard that Jesus is coming again. And this is true. Jesus will come again, as the New Testament teaches very clearly, and as we have it in all of our creeds: “From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.” “And he will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead.” No problem so far. So the Thessalonians know and have been taught that Jesus will come again and that they should be ready for his return, because it could come at any time.

But now the years have started to pass, and Jesus has not yet come back. And during this time, what seems like a delay, some of the Christians there in Thessalonica have died. So some of the Thessalonians are starting to wonder what will happen to their dear departed loved ones who have died before Jesus comes back. Will they be left out of all the good things that will happen at Christ’s return? And Paul here is writing to them pastorally to let them know that, no, those Christians who have already died will not be left out on the day when Christ returns. They will indeed be included in the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting.

And so this is what Paul writes: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” When Paul here uses the phrase, “those who have fallen asleep,” he’s talking about Christians who have died. And he doesn’t want the Christians who are living to grieve as though those dead Christians are going to miss out. No, we have a hope, a sure hope, to hold onto. Just as Jesus died and rose again, so will all those who have trusted in him for their salvation. The dead in Christ will rise.

Paul continues: “For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

You see, this is talking about the Second Coming of Christ at the Last Day. And there will not be a “Third Coming” or a “Fourth Coming” at some “Laster Day” or “Lastest Day.” No, all that stuff about a literal seven-year great tribulation after the Rapture, followed by a literal thousand-year reign of Christ in the city of Jerusalem in Israel--all that stuff is a misreading and a piling together of little snippets of verses, pulled out of context and misapplied. The truth is, there will be one Second Coming, on one Last Day--Judgment Day, the day when Christ returns for good. That’s what we’re looking forward to.

And with good reason! This is the biblical hope! This is what we Christians long for, with eager anticipation: the day of Christ’s return. This will be the return of our Savior. The good news is, our Judge is also our Savior: our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who, at his first coming, came as our brother, to fulfill the law for us and to bear our sins on the cross. This is the basis for the hope we have: the forgiveness and the righteousness and the redemption won for us by Christ. Jesus took the weight of our sins--your sins and mine, all of them--and he shed his holy blood for us, the once-and-for-all sacrifice that cleanses us and makes us righteous before God, justified to stand before his throne on the Day of Judgment. Then Jesus rose from the dead, showing forth the victory he has won over the grave and the devil and death itself. Some weeks later, Jesus ascended into heaven, with the promise that he will come again, in glory. And when he does, he will raise from the dead all those who have died with their faith in him. And we who may still be alive and walking around when he comes again--for he could come any day now, next week, or next year, or a hundred years from now, no man knows the day nor hour--we all will be caught up together in the true Rapture, a joyous rapture, to meet our Savior and be with him forever.

Do you see how this is such great good news? No need to make up any concocted stuff to add on. What the Bible teaches simply and plainly is true and more than good enough! Jesus is coming again! Lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh! Be watchful and wakeful and be ready! You have a sure hope. Your loved ones who have died--there is hope for them too. Jesus is coming again! Our bodies will be raised from the dead, and we will be transformed. You will still be you, except your bum knees will no longer be bum. Your bad eyes will see clearly. No more disease. No more sorrows. No more sin. A restored creation. Paradise regained, and then some. God will wipe away every tear from your eyes. A joyous reunion, with all the saints. Everlasting fellowship. We will see the Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ, and delight in his presence forever. Friends, this indeed will be true rapture!

“And so we will always be with the Lord.” No wonder Paul says: “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”


TOPICS: Religion
KEYWORDS: 1thessalonians; lcms; lutheran; sermon
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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 posted on 11/09/2014 11:58:20 AM PST by Charles Henrickson
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To: squirt; Freedom'sWorthIt; PJ-Comix; MinuteGal; Irene Adler; Southflanknorthpawsis; stayathomemom; ..

Ping.


2 posted on 11/09/2014 11:59:16 AM PST by Charles Henrickson (Lutheran pastor, LCMS)
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To: Charles Henrickson

And this whole thing begs the question: Will we as Christians HAVE TO live through the horrors of the Tribulation? I hope, pray and BEG for a pre-Trib rapture of the Church. Why? I am weak.

I will NOT make it. I would likely betray everyone I know. I cannot endure torture. I cannot endure starvation. I am a weakling. I freely admit it.

If the author is saying that we’re going to have to live through the Tribulation, and I’m going to have to see my family tortured, imprisoned, and starved, I might as well give up, because I won’t make it.

*throws hands in the air in hopelesness*


3 posted on 11/09/2014 12:06:43 PM PST by hoagy62 ("Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered..."-Thomas Paine. 1776)
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To: Charles Henrickson

Never study the return without reading 2 Thessalonians, too.


4 posted on 11/09/2014 12:08:09 PM PST by huldah1776
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To: hoagy62

I do not believe that to be true. The Church is raptured before the tribulation is my view.


5 posted on 11/09/2014 12:16:02 PM PST by sigzero
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To: hoagy62

I do not believe that to be true. The Church is raptured before the tribulation is my view.


6 posted on 11/09/2014 12:16:02 PM PST by sigzero
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To: hoagy62

The people in Iraq are doing just that, right now. It’s only going to get worse.


7 posted on 11/09/2014 12:45:14 PM PST by dragonblustar
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To: Charles Henrickson

When a Christian reads of the torture and agony the Apostles endured, it is not at all difficult to comprehend what men will do to believers prior to the Lord’s return. The Apostles had direct contact and knowledge of The Lord after His resurrection. Jesus said blessed are they that believe and have not seen. I do not believe The Lord expects a fallen man such as me to endure the horrors that will hallmark the Great tribulation ... what husband would welcome the torture and temptation of his Bride?


8 posted on 11/09/2014 1:06:49 PM PST by MHGinTN
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To: hoagy62

You may not think you will endure. But when those days come, if they do in our lives. Proudly affirm Jesus as your savior, and pray. You will endure, because you have to.


9 posted on 11/09/2014 1:55:29 PM PST by FreedomStar3028 (Somebody has to step forward and do what is right because it is right, otherwise no one will follow.)
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To: hoagy62
“I will NOT make it. I would likely betray everyone I know. I cannot endure torture. I cannot endure starvation. I am a weakling. I freely admit it.”

You are stronger than you believe, and because you recognize your ‘weakness,’ you will be strong and survive.

The fear of letting others down makes one a very powerful person.

10 posted on 11/09/2014 1:56:26 PM PST by Hulka
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To: Hulka

“The fear of letting others down AND THE LORD makes one a very powerful person.”

Fixed.


11 posted on 11/09/2014 1:57:44 PM PST by Hulka
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To: hoagy62

There’s some great videos on youtube (type in Pre-Wrath Rapture and look for some oldies by Robert Van Kampen). He explains this pretty well. The videos are of terrible quality but the sound and content is very good. The short answer is “yes” we will be here. Remember in Matt., Mark and Luke Jesus starts discussing this topic with his disciples as they have just asked him when will all these things take place. In each case He says, “...after the tribulation of those days...” What he promises is that the 2nd half of Daniel’s 70th week (what Christ calls the Great Tribulation) will be cut short. Not the 3.5 years but the time the Elect will have to endure the bad stuff. If you listen to all 3 videos (and there are lots of others but his are some of the best - some by others are not so good) he explains it very simply. After listening, I think you will have a very clear picture of the time line of events. The Lord is able to give you strength. Just look at the middle east and what is happening to believers there. I just read (here on freerepublic this morning) something like 150,000 believers are killed each year for their faith. Now ask yourself, “Why are they having to suffer and we are not?” It’s coming here as well. Perhaps not as severely - but we really don’t know. I just know that there are more and more each day in our culture that hate any and everything associated with God’s moral standards. It’s only going to get worse - just as Jesus said it would. Remember... he promised to never leave you or forsake you so don’t forsake Him. He proved his love by giving his life and because he was a man as well as God’s Son, he felt the beatings, the splinters, the thorns, the nails and the spear.


12 posted on 11/09/2014 2:07:55 PM PST by Lake Living
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To: MHGinTN; Charles Henrickson

The good pastor is merely stating historical orthodox Christian belief about the end of the world and the second coming.
What is referred to as the “ great tribulation” is described quite well in Matthew 24 and is spiritual in nature........right before the end of the world there will be a great falling away from the true Faith.
Read the papers lately?


13 posted on 11/09/2014 2:33:14 PM PST by one Lord one faith one baptism
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To: hoagy62
Will we as Christians HAVE TO live through the horrors of the Tribulation?

If the New Testament Covenant guides your Christian life then the answer is most clearly no.

Once a Christians accepts Jesus as his savior he is born again and all he will ever need is his.

Revelation was a warning to the Christians of that day when it was time to get out of Dodge. The scriptures in Revelations do not pertain to today’s Christians.

14 posted on 11/09/2014 2:41:29 PM PST by MosesKnows (Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe.)
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To: Charles Henrickson

Matthew 24, Mark 8, Luke 21 are all passages about the Olivet Discourse. Jesus plainly says, “after those days...” referring to the tribulation by Antichrist, that we will see the sign of His return...the sun will be black like sackcloth, the moon will be like blood and the stars will fall from the sky (total blackness, but unnatural blackness... and then we are to look up for our redemption draweth nigh. If you are putting all your eggs into the pre-trib basket, you will be like the 5 of the ten virgins who were not ready, had no oil when the bridegroom came. Scripture warns us to always be ready. That does not mean that He can come at any time, but to listen to the HS, so that when these signs that show the beginning birth pangs come forth, the 1st 4 seals, we know that we need to be ready to take our families to safety, thus the warning not to come out when somebody says, “Look, the Messiah is over here, or over there...” but to await the sign of His return, when the natural lights of the sky are removed. When He arrives ALL will see Him in His glory, as there will be no need of the sun any longer. At THAT time, He will send his angels to collect (gather the wheat into the barn) the elect from all corners of the world. Then He will take on Antichrist with the armies of Heaven, and I think those of the earth who did not take the mark of the beast, but were not believers, as well.

When one sees the seals of Revelation, along side the Olivet Discourse, and Daniel’s dreams, then you realize that Christ returns after Antichrist has dealt his blows against the church, but we are raptured BEFORE Christ begins His wrath against the Antichrist and those who take the mark. It plainly states that Christ cuts short the onslaught of Antichrist for the “elect’s sake”. That is somewhere in the middle of the 2nd half of the week, or “Jacob’s Trouble”. Antichrist reveals himself at the mid-point, so up to then, many will not even recognize him. At the point he reveals himself, those of us who are believers will be ready to go into hiding. And the warnings of not being lured out are plain. The sign of His return is plain. Some of us will still be doing what we can to help others to safety, but we have to also be careful that we are not helping those who would betray us. Watch Robert Van Kampen’s youtube videos. They are the best I’ve seen. They are not good quality, but he died in 1999 or 200 from cancer, so they are not recent. They date from the 1990s. Someone copied them for us so I am grateful for that. The teaching is plain, easy to understand. And remember this “the purpose of God brings the protection of God for those who diligently seek Him and obey Him. We will be given protection within the tribulation period, just as Noah was given protection within the flood. He went through it. He was protected within the sphere of danger. Those of us who prepare will also be protected, although some may give their lives for the sake of others...to snatch a few from the flames, so to speak. We are not to fear as those who have no Hope.


15 posted on 11/09/2014 2:48:33 PM PST by Shery (Pray for righteousness to be restored and for the peace of Jerusalem.)
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To: Charles Henrickson

One problem with this - it does not deal with the 70th week of Daniel. The first 69 weeks were clearly fulfilled the day Jesus entered Jerusalem. The 70th week has not yet occurred. One week - 7 years. This is the tribulation period. It is coming, and the church will not be present.


16 posted on 11/09/2014 3:00:10 PM PST by beethovenfan (If Islam is the solution, the "problem" must be freedom.)
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To: Charles Henrickson

The lead article is delusional. Did you see the word “premillennial” anywhere in this article? It disparages “Millennialists” while never telling you what to call the alternative to it. Amillennialism? Postmillennialism? Preterism? The article does not say.

The article uses the ploy of an anti-millennialist: prove the pretrib “rapture” false, then having gotten you eating out of its hands, subtly give you the idea that the author of this piece’s particular anti-millennial view, whether Amill, Preterist, or Postmill, is your only alternative.

All of which doctrines are even more false than the pretrib rapture dispensationalism thet it is so opposed to.

This “we are your only alternative” is the hook used by the anti-millennialists to entrap so many people.


17 posted on 11/09/2014 3:10:34 PM PST by sasportas
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To: sasportas

I have heard both doctrines preached in the pulpit. I have seen church upheaval over these two doctrines. I personally believe that when the Lord returns it’s over period.

That being said my question to those who would be upset with this view would be is it more important to argue doctrine on the end times or to preach the Good News? If you argue the for the former instead of the later I would suggest you are misguided as to priorities as per Christ’s own words. If you are saved either way it goes down you are ready and that is important of all things.


18 posted on 11/09/2014 3:21:34 PM PST by sarge83
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To: hoagy62

*throws hands in the air in hopelesness*

While your hands are up in the air ask God to give you strenth to do whatever needs to be done to survive whatever comes and to stay faithful to him, along with your family.

Read the last 4-5 Chapters of Psalms, where it tells how God wants to be praised....through praise and prayer you will find a strength you have never known. Blessings.


19 posted on 11/09/2014 3:43:06 PM PST by Kackikat
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To: sarge83

I’m happy to answer your question, Sarge, but maybe you could answer this for me first.

You didn’t write this article I take it, yet you are happy to defend it. In which case, I ask you, since the article did not say which sort of anti-premillennialism it represented, how about you? Which are you? Amillennial? Preterist? Postmillennial?


20 posted on 11/09/2014 4:28:25 PM PST by sasportas
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