Central Thought: Every believer should prepare for the catching-up.
Hymn: “When the Trumpet of the Lord Shall Sound”
Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:50-55; 1 John 3:2-3
We continue our series of study on “preparing for His coming”, as we consider an event popularly called the “Rapture”. The word rapture is not used in the Bible but it means the “catching up” of the saints, both dead and alive, to meet the Lord in the air.
The certainty of the resurrection of the Christian rests on the fact that Christ Himself rose from the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23. The scriptures nowhere enjoin us to attempt to calculate the date, month or year as some have done in the past and exposed themselves to ridicule. The prospect of the rapture teaches us that it is not important whether Christ meets us dead or alive physically. What matters is that we remain faithful to the end. There are only two options for the faithful: we are either both changed and caught up in the air if we are still alive or we will be raised imperishable, if we were dead. We must daily look forward to his coming and be prepared as the consequences of missing the rapture will be grave.
Lesson Objectives:
- To understand what the catching up of the saints mean.
- To know the form, the event will take.
- To know how we should prepare for this great event.
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What is the meaning of the phrase “catching up of the saints”?
It stands for an event in the future when the Lord will raise “the dead in Christ”, give them instant spiritual bodies and they will rise to meet Him in the air. Similarly, faithful Christians who are still alive will have their physical bodies transformed to spiritual ones and in the twinkle of an eye they too will ascend to meet the Lord in the air.
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What form will these events take? 1 Corinthians 15:52
It will occur suddenly, with no prior warning. The Lord will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.
The dead will be raised imperishable first, 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16. The resurrection of the dead is a definite teaching of scripture and the dead in Christ will experience this at the Lord’s coming in the air. Ultimately at the white throne judgement all the dead will be resurrected to face final judgement. The resurrection of the dead in Christ is not for judgement but an experience of the redemption (salvation) of the body and a necessary experience for them to enjoy the rewards of the kingdom and partake in the eternal authority and government of Christ which will be established subsequently.
Faithful Christians will also be changed and caught up to be with the Lord. The spiritual body will be like the one Christ received at resurrection, “we shall be like him”, 1 John 3:2. Just as Christ disobeyed the natural law of gravity as he ascended into heaven, believers from all around the world will do likewise in a flash, in response to the call of their Lord.
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How should we prepare for the rapture?
-We must purify ourselves, 1 John 3:2-3; 2 Peter 3:11-14.
We really have no choice in this. We are either looking forward to His coming or not. As the Apostle John says, “…Everyone who has this hope purifies himself just as He is pure”. To purify is to deliberately rid ourselves of all thoughts, words, attitudes and actions that we know are contrary to the word of God. It is something we must do daily as the Lord gives us understanding. Those who spend energy rationalizing their evil ways are not looking forward to His coming.
-We must be clear-minded and self-controlled so that we can pray, 1 Peter 4:7-10; Matthew 24:42-44.
There is always the danger of the believer’s mind being clouded by his desires, pursuits, worries and the events of this life. He must keep Christ in focus, remain fervent in Spirit and be watchful.
The believer needs to “occupy” till He comes, Luke 19:11-26; 1 Corinthians 15:58.
There is no room for slothfulness in the kingdom of God. The Lord has made great investment in us and will require and account. Those who are unfaithful are not looking forward to his coming.
Daily Living Application:
Jesus Christ can come at any moment. We must be faithful and be spotless in all we do…in academics, our jobs, our business, in the church, and wherever. Everyone who has this hope purifies himself just as he is pure”.
Memory Verse:
2 Peter 3:14 NIV – “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.”