The Seven Raptures in the Bible

July 21, 2013 PM

Pastor Craig Ledbetter

Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland

www.biblebc.com

 

I.       Introduction

 

A.    What is a Rapture?

 

1.      Normally people die, and when they die, three things happen:

 

a.       Their body becomes dust again – buried

b.      Their spirit goes back to God (Eccl 12:7)

c.       Their soul separates from their shell of a body and goes either to heaven, or to hell (Luke 16:19-23; 2Cor 5:6-8)

 

2.      But a Rapture is a special event that bypasses death!

3.      A Rapture is the rapid transportation of a person from this life to heaven without dying. A “snatching away.”

4.      It is a Latin word "rapturo" which means "to seize upon with force" or "to snatch up." Like a thief stealing a purse! It is used in 1Thes 4:17

 

a.       We which are alive will be caught up together with people who are resurrected – at the same time

b.      To meet the Lord Jesus in the air

c.       We don’t use rockets, airplanes, meditation, etc. Jesus Himself gathers us to Him

 

5.      Let's examine the following Scriptures:

 

a.       1 Thes 4:17                  Refers to it as being "caught-up"

b.      Philp 3:20,21               Called a "changing" of bodies

c.       John 14:1-3                 Called a "receiving" of the believers to Jesus Christ

d.      Hebrews 11:5              Called a “translation” – a “taking away”

e.       1 Cor 15:51,52            It all happens "in the ____________ of an eye"

 

B.     Song of Solomon 2:8-10 is a great Old Testament Scripture that describes Jesus coming to the earth to get His bride, and take her away with Him, while all hell breaks loose on this planet!

C.     Loads of Scriptures we are going to see tonight that refer to God snatching away people

 

1.      Sometimes before judgment

2.      Sometimes just because He wanted to

3.      Sometimes he gathers all people together TO the place of judgment!

 

D.    There are Seven Raptures that I can find in the Bible.

 

1.      They are NOT all the same thing – some people try to force all raptures to be the same!

2.      Three happen very rarely at the beginning of time up until Jesus

3.      And then Four happen all around the time of the Tribulation

4.      They describe God’s intervention into human history to show that He interrupts life at times for His purposes. Let’s learn what they are!

 

II.    Message - Seven Raptures As Seen in Scripture

 

A.    Enoch (Gen 5:21-24; Heb 11:5)

 

1.      Enoch was unique in all the men in ancient times before the flood. 

2.      God took Enoch to heaven in his body.  This is the first man to be raptured to heaven in the scriptures.  He did not die. He just disappeared.

3.      This is a man who never will die either!

4.      What a way to go!

5.      he is how you and I will go if you are born again!

 

B.     Elijah (2 Kings 2:11)

 

1.      Chariot and horses of fire travelling like lightening

2.      A whirlwind “sucked up” Elijah into the chariot

3.      Took him up in an instant into the sky

4.      Elijah didn’t die. Elijah escaped death!

5.      Not quite like you and I get to go, but it will be good enough for Elijah!

6.      He will return one day, bodily, in the Tribulation, and WILL die (Rev 11), and then will resurrect, and be raptured AGAIN!!!

 

C.     Jesus’ Ascension (Acts 1:9-11)

 

1.      Jesus died at the age of 33. Murdered by the Romans at the demand of His own people, the Jews. And buried and His tomb guarded by 4 soldiers for three days and three nights

2.      Jesus rose up from death and broke out of that tomb and for forty days, he showed Himself ALIVE! Never to die again!

3.      Then, just 10 days before the feast of Pentecost, Jesus, was raptured to heaven – He ascended to heaven in His resurrection body.

4.      He left slowly enough so that His 12 apostles could watch Him go!

5.      Took the Old Testament believers with Him (Matt 27:50-53)!

 

D.    Church Age Saints (1Thes 4:13-18)

 

1.      So, at the Rapture, believers who are alive at that moment will be "caught up" in the air, into the clouds, and in a moment in time join the Lord in the air as He briefly descends into the clouds for us, and then whisks us away back to His Father’s house in heaven.

2.      We will be changed mid-flight on our way UP

3.      Just as the resurrected bodies are reanimated, and perfected, so will our bodies be!

4.       “The last trump” should not be confused with the seventh trumpet judgment in Revelation – these are two different shofar/trumpet blasts.

5.      The last trump will be the last words Christians will hear from Christ. Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

6.      Rev 4:1 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”

7.      Don’t forget, according to John 14, Jesus comes to get us to TAKE US TO HIS FATHER’S HOUSE – not to bring us right back down to earth for Armageddon!

8.      This is OUR Rapture!

9.      It is the BEGINNING of the time of Jacob’s Trouble – the Tribulation

10.  Just thankfully, we won’t be here!

 

E.     The Two Witnesses (Rev. 11:3-12)

 

1.      NOT Jehovah’s witnesses! But Jesus’ witnesses!

2.      Moses – turns water into blood and brings plagues upon the whole world

3.      Elijah – stops it for raining during the entire first 3/12 years of the Tribulation

4.      These two men are the only men preaching for 42 months, with NO ONE wanting to hear them!

 

a.       Where is everybody if we are all still here when the Tribulation is going on?

b.      We are all gone at this time! Proven by the fact that the whole world rejoices when they are finally killed!

 

5.      They are finally killed

6.      Everyone in the entire world will see their dead bodies lying in the street in Jerusalem

7.      And then, there will be a VOICE from heaven saying… “COME UP HITHER”

8.      And in a moment, their heads will pop back onto their bodies

9.      And they will STAND

10.  And then they will rise up into the air and disappear into the clouds!

11.  Whew!

12.  What a way to go!

 

F.      Tribulational Believers (Rev 14:14-16)

 

1.      Jesus raptures out of this world those believers who got saved during the last half of the Tribulation!

2.      Just towards the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will step down and gather people who have been saved during the last half of the Tribulation (Rev 7:13,14).

3.      NO ONE gets saved during the first 3 ½ years!

4.      There are many Christians today who think this is OUR Rapture, and that WE have to:

 

a.       To not be ready for Christ’s snatching away at any moment

b.      But, to ENDURE to the end of the Tribulation to be saved and raptured

c.       To NOT get the mark of the beast

d.      To be on the lookout for the antichrist

 

5.      But this ignores the previous raptures, and requires that we have to go through almost the entire Tribulation.

6.      In Revelation 14, there is no time for these believers to go UP and experience the Judgment Seat of Christ, and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

7.      Could that be just for those IN the Tribulation? I think so!

8.      This is the rapture that is at the last trumpet! For sure. Just not OUR rapture!

 

G.    The Damned to Armageddon (Rev 14:17-20)

 

1.      Right after the catching away of Tribulational believers, there is ONE MORE rapture!

2.      The gathering of all the damned from all over the world, and their materialising in the Valley of Megido (Joel 3:1,2; Zeph 3:8)

3.      Where they will face the final wrath of almighty God when Jesus literally, visibly, and powerfully returns to this world as King!

4.      We will not be part of that rapture!

5.      We will be on horses riding behind the Lord Jesus!

 

III. Application and Conclusion

 

A.    A Rapture is a special event that bypasses death!

B.     A Rapture is the rapid transportation of a person from this life to heaven without dying. A “snatching away.”

C.     Loads of Scriptures we are going to see tonight that refer to God snatching away people

 

1.      Sometimes before judgment

2.      Sometimes just because He wanted to

3.      Sometimes he gathers all people together TO the place of judgment!

 

D.    There are Seven Raptures that I can find in the Bible. They describe God’s intervention into human history to show that He interrupts life at times for His purposes.

 

1.      Enoch (Gen 5:21-24; Heb 11:5)

2.      Elijah (2 Kings 2:11)

3.      Jesus’ Ascension (Acts 1:9-11)

4.      Church Age Saints (1Thes 4:13-18)

5.      The Two Witnesses in the Middle of the Tribulation (Rev. 11:3-12)

6.      Tribulational Believers (Rev 14:14-16)

7.      The Damned to Armageddon (Rev 14:17-20)

 

E.     Which one has YOUR name on it?

F.      You decide NOW what happens later! I have decided to follow Jesus!