The Rapture of the Church, Part 1
The night our Lord was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, He encouraged the remaining 11 disciples with these words: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2).
Then the Savior made a spectacular promise: “And 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” (John 14:3). The disciples could not have fully understood at that time what the Lord Jesus was referring to. Would it be resurrection from physical death? Yes, this will be part of the event, but every true Jew knew this already (cf. John 11:24—“Martha said to Him, ‘I know that (my brother) will rise again in the resurrection at the last day’ ”). Would it be entrance into the Kingdom at His second coming? No, for He will bring all glorified saints with Him from heaven on that great day (cf. Rev. 19:14).
What our Lord was referring to was much more than bodily resurrection, great though that will be. It will be the glorification of living Christians who will never experience physical death—a “blessed hope” for the true body and bride of Christ, the church, a hope which Israel never shared. It is born-again Christians who are “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13).
Unique characteristics of the church
While still on the earth, our Lord announced: “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18; cf. 18:17). After His resurrection, the disciples asked Him: “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). He did not deny that the long-awaited Kingdom will come someday. But He did explain that, for now, a new program would begin: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This would happen “not many days from now”—on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:5,9; 2:1), precisely 10 days after His ascension to heaven. What was this new program? It was the church—the spiritual body and bride of Christ. What was the unique characteristic of this new body? It would consist of people—both Jews and Gentiles—who experience Spirit baptism. As He clearly explained, “John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). From the beginning of the world people (including Adam and Eve) had been saved by grace through faith in God’s Word and were “born again” (cf. John 3:3). The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus that he, being a teacher in Israel, should have known this (John 3:10). But Spirit baptism had never been known, experienced or even predicted for both Jews and Gentiles in the Old Testament.
As the apostle Paul explained: “By revelation He made known to me the mystery…which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs (with Jewish believers), of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (Eph. 3:3-6).
The true church experienced a spectacular beginning—Spirit baptism on the day of Pentecost along with audible and visible sign-miracles. And it will experience a spectacular departure from the earth—physical transformation when Christ comes to receive us to Himself. This is the blessed hope—the glorification and rapture (i.e., catching up) of all living Christians to meet the Savior in the air just before the great tribulation begins on the earth.
John C. Whitcomb Bio
Dr. John C. Whitcomb is heard weekly on Encounter God’s Truth, a radio and Internet broadcast outreach of Whitcomb Ministries, Inc. He has been a professor of Old Testament and theology for 60 years and is widely recognized as a leading biblical scholar. The book he coauthored with the late Dr. Henry Morris in 1961, The Genesis Flood, has been credited as one of the major catalysts for the modern biblical creationism movement. Dr. Whitcomb’s broadcasts, sermons, lectures and writings are available at SermonAudio. To receive the very latest on his ministry, see Facebook.
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[Steve Davis] You’re starting to sound like Ted. It’s all so simple. Yet from the text you quote in I Thessalonians it seems that Paul’s encouragement was more than - “some of you might be alive when Jesus comes” - and none of them were. They were encouraged that those who already died would suffer no loss at the coming of Christ. I’m not arguing for or against the Rapture theory. My simple point is that the point that although some may experience not dying that has not nor will not be the experience of most Christians and is not “much more than bodily resurrection” which is for all the saints.Well, Steve, if I sound like Ted I guess it is OK. We don’t know each other, but he seems like a decent guy
You sound like you think that never having to die isn’t all that significant. I rather doubt that is what you think. But frankly, the idea excites me. The possibility certainly excited Paul and was a significant part of his hope. He calls the appearing of Christ “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). Seeing the Lord’s return while alive is a part of that hope. I agree with you that Paul was encouraging the Thessalonian believers about those who had died. And that is not to be diminished. The resurrection is the encouraging word to be shared at the death of any believer (and frankly I always do). But Paul also was not saying, “You have to die first to have hope.” He was repeating a truth that he had already taught, that when the Lord returned, the dead would rise to meet Him first (i.e. their dead bodies would rise, not their spirits), then those who are alive would rise to meet Christ. This is the great event to which the Church looks forward. We have the hope that if we die, our bodies will be resurrected. But we have more hope than that. We have the hope that the Lord may come before we die. Our great expectation is the return of Christ and seeing Him, which could happen at any time. The resurrection actually happens on the basis of the return of Christ. When Jesus comes, John tells us, “we shall see him” (1 John 2:28-3:3).
“The Rapture” is not a theory. It is very much part and parcel of New Testament eschatology. When exactly it occurs may be a theory, but the Rapture itself is not one. If you want to call it by another name, you may. And John 14:3 is indeed a slam dunk for the Rapture (or whatever name you prefer for the event), which is simply that when the Lord returns, He is coming just for believers, and will recieve them to himself (and yes, of course He will come to judge and to reign, but He says no word of that in John 14:1-6). You and I need to be encouraging other believers with this truth, just as Dr. Whitcomb has done. Paul and John wanted us to do it.
Do most Christians die before the Lord’s return? That is an interesting thought. At first glance it seems this must be true. But I am not as quick as you to say this is so. There are multiplied millions coming to personal faith in Christ in S. America, Africa, and Asia these days. If Jesus returned today would there be more dead Christians than living ones? I really can’t answer that one. Perhaps a scholar who has statisitics on all genuine believers world wide in the last 2000 years plus a good survey of how many evangelical believers there are today world wide would know. And he would probably need a good mathematecian to help him.
I wish you and anyone else reading this a very blessed New Year in the Lord.
Jeff Brown
[James K] Yes Kevin that is correct. However, the Holy Spirit was still active in the OT times bringing about conversion.Do you have any verses that tell us the Holy Spirit brought about conversions in the Old Testament? I know the Holy Spirit indwelled certain individuals, but I don’t remember seeing anything about His role in OT conversions.
Deut 30:6 speaks of being circumcised in heart.
1 Kings 8:60 - so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
[Jeff Brown] Well, Steve, if I sound like Ted I guess it is OK. We don’t know each other, but he seems like a decent guyHi Jeff:
You sound like you think that never having to die isn’t all that significant. I rather doubt that is what you think. But frankly, the idea excites me. The possibility certainly excited Paul and was a significant part of his hope. He calls the appearing of Christ “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). Seeing the Lord’s return while alive is a part of that hope. I agree with you that Paul was encouraging the Thessalonian believers about those who had died. And that is not to be diminished.
“The Rapture” is not a theory. It is very much part and parcel of New Testament eschatology. When exactly it occurs may be a theory, but the Rapture itself is not one. If you want to call it by another name, you may. And John 14:3 is indeed a slam dunk for the Rapture (or whatever name you prefer for the event), which is simply that when the Lord returns, He is coming just for believers, and will recieve them to himself (and yes, of course He will come to judge and to reign, but He says no word of that in John 14:1-6). You and I need to be encouraging other believers with this truth, just as Dr. Whitcomb has done. Paul and John wanted us to do it.
Do most Christians die before the Lord’s return? That is an interesting thought. At first glance it seems this must be true. But I am not as quick as you to say this is so. There are multiplied millions coming to personal faith in Christ in S. America, Africa, and Asia these days. If Jesus returned today would there be more dead Christians than living ones? I really can’t answer that one. Perhaps a scholar who has statisitics on all genuine believers world wide in the last 2000 years plus a good survey of how many evangelical believers there are today world wide would know. And he would probably need a good mathematecian to help him.
I wish you and anyone else reading this a very blessed New Year in the Lord.
I forgot my smiley when I said you sound like Ted. It was in connection with the “simple.” I don’t know Ted either but I’m sure he’s a good guy. Take it as a compliment :-)
I do think that not having to die is significant just not more than the bodily resurrection. I fully expect to either die or be alive at the Lord’s coming. The latter would be preferred. The former possible. I do not live with a daily excitement that I might not have to die. I’d rather live with a daily excitement that I’m alive to serve God at His peasure until the appointed time.
I should’ve said “pre-trib Rapture” when I spoke of “theory.” There are good but not conclusive arguments for a pre-trib Rapture. In most people’s minds Rapture in popular usage is used in connection with the pre-trib position although of course there’s pre-wrath, mid-trib, post-trib, etc. At the point where the Rapture is the first of two phases of the Second Coming it becomes a theory. The Second Coming itself which all Christians affirm is clearly taught in Scripture. The pretrib Rapture may be the hope of many Christians today particularly in North America and among Latin American Pentecostals. It is not the hope of the church worldwide in any sense nor has it been historically. The firm hope of the church is Jesus is coming again.
Don’t know the statistics. It may be that there are more Christians alive today than have lived in the past until now.
Have a blessed New Year and keep looking up. Our redemption draws near.
Steve
Jeff Brown
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