July 21, 2013 PM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
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
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
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!