Jack Jurgens's Ministry Library

Living in the light of the rapture

And we’ll read from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. And chapter 4. Now that was some good food. So, thank you, everyone, on behalf of the Assembly and all those who enjoyed it. We certainly do appreciate everyone who worked so hard to provide all of that good food. It was very good. I forgot tonight—it’s the first time I’ve forgotten to do this in a long time—but I forgot for some reason to put on my belt today, which normally means that my, well, we call them trousers; you call them pants, right? Which normally means that, well, they’ll slide away. But because I’ve been, well, eating over the past week, they seem to be standing up very well. So it doesn’t really matter that I forgot my belt, right? Although my wife says I don’t preach very well if I don’t have a belt on. So there we go. You be the judge of that. But we do appreciate all those who have put in a lot of effort to bring all that food and supply. It was very, very nice indeed. So thank you for doing that. It’s been a great pleasure, of course, to be with you during this week. And we look to the Lord to bless and help us tonight.

Right, we’re stepping away from the subject of the local assembly. And what we’re going to do is think about the return of the Lord Jesus, but we’re going to think about it in very practical terms. So what I call this meeting is “Living in the Light of the Rapture.” And really that summarizes Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. When he speaks about the return of the Lord Jesus in this letter, primarily he is referring to the rapture. That’s the coming of the Lord Jesus to the air for His saints. And it’s something that could happen at any moment. I hope you believe that. In the UK, everyone would have shouted “Hallelujah!” at the tops of their voices. And if you believe that, you’ll believe anything. We are very reserved in the United Kingdom. They wouldn’t have said a thing, just like you. They would have been stony and silent. But I believe, at least, I thought in America, you know, there’d be a little more celebration. But anyway, I believe at least that the Lord Jesus could return even today, at any moment, even before the meeting is finished— that the Lord Jesus could descend to the air and every believer in Him caught away to meet Christ in the air. That’s what we call the rapture. And that is a scriptural word as far as the Latin Bible is concerned, but maybe more about that later. Rapturo, to be caught away to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. So that’s what Paul is emphasizing in 1 Thessalonians, that aspect of the coming of the Lord Jesus. And at the end of every single chapter in 1 Thessalonians, Paul will speak about the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Now, when you get into 2 Thessalonians, he’s not so much speaking about the rapture, the Lord Jesus coming to the air. In 2 Thessalonians, he’s going to emphasize what sometimes we call the revelation or the manifestation—that Christ is coming in glory, not to the air, but to the earth, to establish and to set up His kingdom and to reign for a thousand years. Now, there are at least seven years between the rapture and the revelation, but 1 Thessalonians is all about the rapture. 2 Thessalonians emphasizes the revelation. I’ll make distinctions between them in a moment. But in both of these epistles, that truth never exists in some kind of vacuum. Whenever Paul teaches truth, it should have a practical impact on the way we live our lives. It’s not just something airy-fairy and future. It is truth to change the way that we live here and now. And that’s why I’ve called these two meetings “Living in the Light of the Rapture.” So that’s 1 Thessalonians tonight and tomorrow, God willing, at high noon, living in the light of the revelation. So we’ll think about 2 Thessalonians.

Now, you were singing that hymn, right? Right. And I’m sure you’re well taught here. I know you get some good men from England, so you must be well taught, right? Or Northern Ireland. But you know just that hymn by Mr. Daniel W. Whittle. I think he was an American, by the way. I think he worked with Mr. Dwight L. Moody. Now, that hymn—did you think about which aspect of the coming of Christ it was about? Because in actual fact, he’s mixed it all up. He’s mixed it all up. So we were singing in verse number one, “He’s coming to reign as the glorified Lord.” Absolutely right. What’s that? Well, that’s not the rapture. He’s not coming to reign as the glorified Lord at the rapture. That’s the revelation when He comes to earth. And then you get to the second verse, and the second verse says this: “Caught up together to Him in the sky.” What’s that? Well, that’s not the revelation. That’s the rapture. So in verse one, you’ve got the revelation. In verse two, you’ve got the rapture. Verse three says He’s coming to give to the warring earth peace. Now, what’s that? Is that the rapture or is that the revelation? It’s the revelation, when He comes to earth and establishes His kingdom, peace. So I’d like to think that Mr. Whittle knew what he was doing. But verse one is revelation; verse two is rapture; verse three is revelation. Verse four: “Waiting and watching, prepared for review.” That’s the review of the judgment seat. So he has in view, in verse four, the rapture. So rapture, revelation? No, the other way around. Revelation, rapture, revelation, rapture. I’d like to think he knew what he was doing. Otherwise, he’s completely misunderstood, and he’s completely misunderstood the two aspects of the second coming of Christ, and he’s viewed them as one. So these things are very important, very important. We’ll make some distinctions in a moment.

Let’s read these verses together. So 1 Thessalonians chapter 4—not criticizing the hymn at all. If you’re in the good of the truth, you can sing it all and enjoy it all, no doubt. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse number 13. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse number 13. So these are very, very precious words to those of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus. They describe the next event in the prophetic calendar: The Lord Jesus is coming to the air for those who belong to Him. So 1 Thessalonians 4 and verse 13 says this: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep.” These Thessalonians were very young Christians. They had not been saved very long at all. As far as their age is concerned, they might have been older people, but as far as their salvation was concerned, they’d only recently trusted the Lord Jesus a number of weeks or months. And he says, “I don’t want you to be ignorant about this, about those which have fallen asleep.” Now, that is biblical language to describe Christians who have died. They’re not asleep as you and I speak of sleep. But this is a lovely way of describing death for the believer in Christ. Their bodies have been laid in a grave. Their bodies are sleeping. And you understand that when you go to sleep, you go to sleep with the hope and expectation that you will wake up come the morning. Now, this is a lovely way of describing what happens to a Christian’s body when they’ve died. Their soul and their spirit go immediately to be with the Lord Jesus. That’s far better. But their bodies are buried in the ground, and it’s as if they are sleeping. Why? Because there’s a day coming when the bodies of Christians will be raised again from the dead, and they will be reanimated, and those bodies will be joined with the soul and the spirit of that individual. That’s resurrection. So obviously, these Thessalonians had a concern about some of their company, some of their number that had died. They had fallen asleep, and he says, “I know that you are sorrowing.” He’s not telling them not to sorrow. When loved ones die—and death is an inevitable part of life and human existence—when loved ones die, we are sorrowful. But here’s what Paul says. He says, “I don’t want you to sorrow”—that ye sorrow not, even as others—those who are not saved, don’t know Christ—which have no hope. So I expect you to be sorrowing, but I don’t want you to sorrow to the extent of those who have no hope. They’re not believers in the Lord Jesus. Now, here’s why: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and we do, there’s no doubt about that statement at all—although Paul is asking you to think about it and to affirm it. For if we believe, and we do, that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them which have fallen asleep, those which have died in Jesus, then will God bring, or even gather together with Him. Now, Paul, you need to explain how that’s going to happen.

So he says, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord”—and Paul obviously thought that he could be a part of that company—”we shall not prevent.” We will not go before. We will not have any precedence over them which are asleep, those that have died. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven.” He will descend from heaven with a shout, or literally enveloped, wrapped in a shout. That shout is His. That shout is characterized by the voice of the chief angel, the archangel. There’s one archangel who is named in the Bible; his name is Michael. It’s not so much that Michael is in view here, but it characterizes the shout of the Lord Jesus. He shall descend from heaven with a great shout and it will be archangelic in character. Speak about that in a moment. It could even be characterized as the trumpet of God. What a shout it’s going to be. And when He descends from heaven in that shout, those who have died in Christ, they will rise first.

Then, we which are alive and remain, we shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. Now, you see that little phrase, “caught up together”? Caught up. Now that is in the Latin Bible, the word “rapture.” So that’s why we call this aspect of the coming of Christ the rapture. It’s the idea of a snatching away, a catching away. There is strength, power, energy—almost violence—associated with the word. These individuals will be snatched away from the earth, and they’re going to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. So we which are alive and remain shall be raptured together with them in the clouds, white fluffy things, into a meeting with the Lord in the air. By the way, the Greek has two different words that are translated air. One Greek word describes the air which is above the mountaintops; the other Greek word describes the air which is beneath the mountaintops. So either the air in which birds fly or the higher atmosphere in which there are satellites and that sort of thing. You say, which air is in view here? Right. Well, it’s the lower atmosphere, the lower air. So the Lord Jesus, at least, is coming beneath the top of Mount Everest. He’s coming right into the air and the atmosphere where even the birds fly. Remember that the devil is the prince of the power of the air; that is the lower atmosphere. So we’re going to meet the Lord in the air. Okay.

“And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Now, by the way, we’re not meeting Him in the air, and then He’s bringing us back to earth. That would be rather disappointing. I don’t know about you; I’d be disappointed. Caught away to meet the Lord in the air, and we’re coming straight back again? No, no, no. You have to go to John 14 for that. The Lord says, “If I go, I will come again, and I will take you by the hand, receive you unto Myself; but where I am, not where you are, where I am, you will be also.” Of course, He’s been speaking about the Father’s house. He has been speaking about heaven. So when the Lord Jesus meets us in the air, He is going to take us to the Father’s house. He’s going to take us to heaven. And this is what we call the rapture. So verse 18: “Wherefore, comfort, comfort one another with these words.”

Now, you just read a couple of verses with me, won’t you, in 2 Thessalonians? Just look at chapter one. You’re turning over the page. 2 Thessalonians 1 and verse 7. Paul says, “And to you who are troubled,” again, he’s speaking about the return of the Lord Jesus, but now he’s not speaking about the rapture. Now he’s speaking about the revelation. He’s coming back to earth, at least seven years later. He says, “When Christ is revealed, you who are troubled—you are suffering tribulation at this time—he says, you will rest with us.” When, now listen to this, “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven,” not the rapture, the revelation. Now He’s being revealed from heaven with His mighty angel, enveloped or wrapped this time not in a shout, but in flaming fire, taking vengeance, communicating judgment on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction away from the presence of the Lord. Isn’t that very solemn? You see, the rapture is associated with rejoicing and comfort and encouragement; but the revelation, when the Lord Jesus comes to the earth, that is associated with fire and with judgment and even with destruction. And those who know not the Lord Jesus, they will be banished away from Him, away from His presence into everlasting judgment. That’s very solemn, but those are the two aspects of the coming of Christ.

Right, just turn back to 1 Thessalonians 4. We will wander for a moment through those verses, and then we’ll see how Paul makes this truth very practical. Now, let me say again, and I want to re-emphasize this because I don’t know what you’re like when it comes to prophecy. I’m sure you’re rock solid, but I need to talk about a few of these things. And I know that there is fried chicken and there is curry and all sorts of things, right? Even those Korean donuts. I wanted to—a brother said to me, “You should try one of those; they’re really good.” And I wanted to, but dirt got there before me and the top box disappeared. So maybe there’ll be some left later. I know it’s all floating around in the belly somewhere, right? Do your best. Do your best to stay with me, and I won’t shout too loud. I know some of you like it when I’m dramatic, but do your best.

1 Thessalonians, the rapture—that’s what’s emphasized: Christ coming to the air for His saints. The Bible teaches that that could happen at any instant. It is imminent. Not meaning that it must happen at any moment, but that it could happen at any moment. The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven in that shout. He’s descending to the air. Every believer in the Lord Jesus—every believer is going to be caught up, snatched away from the earth to meet Christ in the air. That is the rapture. That’s the emphasis of 1 Thessalonians. But there are two aspects to the second coming of Christ. That rapture is the first aspect. It’s the first stage. After the church, every believer in the Lord Jesus, from the Day of Pentecost until the rapture—after the church has been gathered to meet the Lord Jesus in the air, for the first time ever in history, the great assembly will be gathered together in one place with their Lord and Savior. What a dramatic, what an awesome occasion that will be. You say, but millions upon millions of Christians from the Day of Pentecost—you say they’re dead and buried. You’re right. You’re right. But Christ is going to raise them out from the grave. And we’re all going to meet Christ in resurrection or change. We’re all going to meet Christ in the air. What a demonstration of tremendous power when the Lord Jesus takes the church home. We’re going to go to be with Christ in the Father’s house. You say, what’s going to happen on earth? Well, on earth, as soon as the church is raptured, God is going to take up His dealings again with the nation of Israel, and He’s going to take them through the refining fire of the tribulation period on earth. That’s an awful period—seven years of divine judgment upon primarily unbelievers who will be living on the earth. It’s not for me. I’m not going to see one second of that tribulation period. I’m going to be taken away before it comes. But seven awful years of tribulation, judgment upon the earth. More about that tomorrow. And then at the end of those seven years, the Lord Jesus is coming again. Revelation 19 says heaven will be opened. You cannot see into heaven today. Living in New Jersey, you look to the sky and you see, well, you see the satellites that are distant, don’t you? Blue skies, the sun’s always shining, I know. Today was a bit of an anomaly, right? But normally in New Jersey, you’re staring into the blueness of the sky. You can see a long way, but you can’t see heaven. In Revelation 19, you’ll be able to see heaven. Because after those seven years of tribulation judgment on the earth, then heaven—you read it in Revelation 19—heaven will be opened. You’ll be able to stand on earth and see right into heaven. And Christ will come in glory and majesty. Every eye will see Him. Every knee will bow before Him, whether willingly or forced to bow the knee in worship before Him. He will come to destroy His enemies. He’s not coming for His saints then; we’re already with Him. He’s coming with His saints. He’s coming to establish a rule of righteousness and justice and equity on the earth. For a thousand years, King Christ is going to reign in righteousness. Two aspects to the second coming of Christ. I hope you know that inside out. And if you do, when you were singing that hymn, you were thinking to yourself, “Hmm, revelation, rapture, revelation, rapture,” weren’t you? I wonder. Anyway, two aspects to the second coming of Christ. You say this is all very strange? Shouldn’t be. You see, when the Lord Jesus came the first time—that was 2000 years ago—it was one coming, but there were two aspects to it. When Christ comes in the future, there’s one coming—His second coming—but there are two aspects to it: the rapture and the revelation.

You say, what about this first coming? How do you know? When the Lord Jesus came the first time, He came to a little place called Bethlehem. It was very quiet. Not many knew that the Son of God had come. Isn’t that remarkable? I know that there was an angelic appearance to the shepherds. And I know that Zacharias and Elizabeth and Joseph and Mary knew a little bit about the fact that the Christ was born. And here are some shepherds coming in: “You will find Him wrapped, lying in a manger.” There He is in swaddling clothes. Not many knew He had come. And for 30 years, the Lord Jesus lived in relative obscurity. We know very little about Him and about His life. And then Luke says, about 30 years of age, everything changed. About 30 years of age, He was baptized in the River Jordan. And the Spirit of God came to rest upon Him. And the Lord Jesus, for the best part of four years—maybe even longer—He entered into His public ministry. And then everyone knew about Him, and everyone wanted to see Him, and everyone had heard of the mighty miracles that He had performed. Do you see that it was one coming, but there were two aspects to it? A quieter, more private stay, and a much louder, more public manifestation.

Now, if that was the case at the first coming, you can be sure it will be the case at the second coming. So there are differences to be made, just like we made differences between the great assembly and the local assembly. So there are differences to be made between the rapture and the revelation. Let me give you a couple of differences, and then we’ll speak about the rapture. For example, there are absolutely no signs whatsoever to precede the rapture; it could happen at any moment. There are no signs to indicate, “Yes, it’s going to happen next week. Yes, it’s going to be next month.” Not a single sign. But the revelation has a huge amount of signs attached to it. You read Matthew 24. The Lord says there will be famines, and there will be pestilences. The Lord says there will be signs in the sun. The sun will not give its light. There will be signs in the moon. The moon will be darkened. There will be signs in the stars. There will be earthquakes. There will be wars and rumors of wars. There are a huge number of signs to indicate that the second coming of the Lord Jesus to the earth is very soon, but not the rapture. No signs at all.

Did you notice that when it comes to the rapture, the language is very comforting? Paul says at the end of these verses, “Comfort one another with these words.” The truth of the rapture is to encourage and to comfort one another. He says to His disciples in the upper room, “Peace, peace be unto you. My peace. I’m coming again.” The revelation is different. We read in 2 Thessalonians 1: fire, destruction, judgment. You see the difference between them? You have to differentiate between the rapture and the revelation. The rapture is something that is New Testament revelation only; but the manifestation of Christ when He comes to the earth, the Old Testament is full of that glorious coming of Christ to the earth—full—but you’ll not find the rapture there. I know it’s pictured; as we look back to it, we can see Enoch who walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. What a picture of the rapture, by the way! But the rapture is not in the Old Testament; it’s in the New Testament that the truth of the rapture is being revealed. So there are differences.

Now let’s think about, first of all, what Paul has to say in some detail about the rapture. And let’s try to explain this, and then just as we come to the end of the meeting, we’ll see what the practical implications of this truth are. So we’re thinking about the rapture, not the revelation at least seven years later after the tribulation. Look at verse 13. You could just write over verse 13 the word “sorrow.” Obviously, these Thessalonians had reported to Paul, and they were separated at this point in time, hence why Paul is writing a letter. Obviously, these Thessalonians had reported to Paul that one or more of their number had died. Now, they might have died through natural causes; they might have died because they were being persecuted for being Christian. But no matter, one or more of their number had died. And they were very upset. So you write over verse 13 the word “sorrow.” And this is what Paul says. He says, “I don’t want you to be ignorant concerning those who have died, those who have fallen asleep.” He says, “I know that you are sorrowing.” That is expected. Christians are expected and are allowed to be sad and sorrowful when loved ones die. But listen to what he says. He says, “You sorrow not, even as others that have no hope.” He’s saying those who don’t know Christ, those who are unbelievers, they have no hope of resurrection. They have no hope of life beyond the grave, but you do. So you sorrow because your loved ones have died, but you don’t sorrow to the extent of those who don’t know Christ because you know there’s resurrection. You know those loved ones of yours will be raised again. You know that there is life after death. Isn’t that wonderful? So we sorrow, brethren, but if our loved ones knew Christ, then there’s a sense of rejoicing in our hearts that, in a day to come, we’ll see them again. They’ll be raised from the dead. We’re going to meet them, either in the air or in heaven.

Sorrow. Now, it seems as if the Thessalonians had lost sight of that truth of resurrection because of their grief. And so Paul, in verse 14, gives them some security about resurrection. I do. I love the argument. You follow the argument. Paul says, “I’m going to give you some security now, some guarantee that your loved ones who have died in Christ will be raised again.” You say, well, what is the guarantee they’ll be raised again? What’s the security? Simple. “For if we believe”—or since we believe. I think if Paul was preaching this, he would have waited for a response—”Since we believe, don’t we?” “Yes, we do.” “That Jesus died… yes, we believe that. And that Jesus rose again—yes, yes, preacher Paul, we believe that!” “You do, I hope!” He said, “Since we believe that, even so, those which have fallen asleep, those that have died in Jesus—or in Christ, they’re believers—God is going to bring or gather together with Him.” This is a cardinal truth of the faith. What is our security? What is our guarantee that loved ones in Christ will be raised again? The death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. That guarantees it. So if Jesus died and rose again, in exactly the same way, God is going to raise believers from the dead to live again. And He’s going to gather them together in a day to come, in the air with the Lord Jesus. So resurrection is secure—it is guaranteed on the basis of the fact that Christ died and rose again. Isn’t that wonderful? It can’t fail then, can it? Can it? Resurrection can’t fail; life after death cannot fail because Christ died and rose again, and those believers that die in Him will follow His patterns; they will be raised in a day to come.

So he speaks about sorrow. He speaks about the security that we have in Christ. And then verse 15 seems to be a separate but connected side issue. In verse 15, you have a supposition that on the part of these Thessalonians, they had supposed something, but they were wrong. Listen to verse 15 and see if you can identify what they had supposed. Paul says, “This we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent, shall not have any advantage over those that have died.” So these Thessalonians, they seem to believe that those who were still alive when the Lord came—and remember, some of their number had died—but these Thessalonians believed that those who were still alive when the Lord came would in some way have an advantage over those that had died. Perhaps they thought that those who had died would miss the rapture and would only be raised at the revelation; we don’t know what they thought. But for some reason they thought those who had died were going to miss out on some aspect of the coming of Christ. Paul says it’s not the case; your supposition is absolutely wrong. He says, “Those of us who are alive and remain, we won’t have any advantage. Not at all. We’re not going to precede those who have fallen asleep.” Now, Paul, you better explain how that’s going to be the case. So from verse 15—which is supposition—to verse 16, this is all about the Savior. Now this is what’s going to happen! Isn’t this glorious? And we could spend a couple of weeks, couldn’t we, on these verses? But verse 16 says, “For the Savior’s coming.” The Savior’s come. He says, “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven.” Literally, in Greek, “Himself, the Lord shall descend from heaven.” Isn’t the rapture personal and intimate? You know when it comes to the revelation, don’t you, that Christ is going to send angels into the four corners of the earth and the angels will gather the elect together unto Christ. You say, that’s not happening here? There’s no mention of the angels here. Thank God! It’s Christ Himself who is descending from heaven into the air. It’s Christ Himself who’s coming for us. We must be precious to Him. We must be valuable to Him. “Himself, the law shall descend out from heaven.” You say, I know what you’re saying, preacher Dan, but listen, the rapture is not very intimate, is it? You say, there must be millions of believers in the Lord Jesus around the world today—not to mention those who have already died in Christ. From the Day of Pentecost onwards, you say, when this happens, there literally are going to be billions in the air—literally. You say, I’ll enjoy the rapture, just to meet the Lord in the air; it’ll be wonderful. But I’ll just probably, from some sort of distance, be saying, “There’s the Lord! There He is!” I don’t think so. I think—and this is miraculous—I think the rapture is very personal and very intimate. Do you know what the Lord said in John 14? He said, “If I go, I will come again.” He said, “I will receive you unto Myself.” That’s the rapture! The word literally is this: “I’ll come alongside you. And I will take you by the hand.” Продолжение следует… I’ll bring you unto Myself. I think it will be incredibly personal. Christ is coming for me, and He’s going to take me by the hand. He’s going to lead me to the Father’s house. Personal, intimate—my Savior, your Savior, our Savior—is coming for us. Thank God He’s not sending Moses, not sending Abraham, not sending Paul; He’s not sending an angel. The Lord Himself is coming.

So that’s the Savior. And then notice, too, in verse 16, His shout. He’s descending out from heaven, literally enveloped in a shout. You have never heard a shout like this! I know in John chapter 11, the Lord Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth!” That was a shout of some power; this will be even greater. The shout has the idea of a word, a military word of command. Christ is descending to the air with a word of command. It goes right back to John chapter 5: “All those who are in the graves shall hear the voice.” The day is coming: All those that are in the graves shall hear the voice—His voice, the voice of the Lord Jesus. He’s shouting to dead ones. He’s shouting to the dead in Christ. They’re coming right out of the grave. That shout! Now, it’s not that the archangel is involved, I don’t think. The Lord Jesus is far greater than any angel, by the way. Hebrews chapter 1. He doesn’t need the strength and power of an angel to do what He’s going to do. Rather, His shout is, listen, archangelic in character. You say, what about this archangel? There are some very famous angels in the Bible. One of them is called Michael. He’s the chief angel, the archangel. Another one is called Gabriel. You’ve heard of them. Whenever you find Gabriel on the scene, Gabriel always brings some kind of revelation; he reveals truth. Michael is always associated with power. Power! Whenever you find Michael, you read in Jude, for example, or read in Daniel. Wherever you find Michael, he’s always in conflict with the devil, infernal powers. He was arguing with Satan over the body of Moses. That’s Jude. And he said, “I rebuke you, Satan.” No, he didn’t. The devil’s more powerful than Michael. He said, “The Lord rebuke thee!” Well, now here is the Lord, and He’s coming right into the devil’s domain and He has a shout that is archangelic in His power. He’ll destroy! He’s already destroyed the devil. He’s coming right into his domain. He’s going to snatch bodies out of death from the very domain of the one who had the power of death. It’s powerful! And this shout, too, is like the trumpet of God. This, I think, is the call heavenward. We which are alive and remain will be changed. Those that are dead in Christ, their bodies will be raised. All caught up—all called up—with this great shout, which is trumpet of God in character.

Now, 1 Corinthians 15 will tell you about the last trump. That’s the last trump as far as the church age is concerned. Do you know what I like to think about in terms of this trump of God? Revelation 4 verse 1. And after the Lord Jesus has spoken to the churches—seven churches, Revelation 2 and 3—Revelation 4 verse 1, a door is opened in heaven and a trumpet-like voice says to John, “John, come up here!” Now that’s not the rapture, but it’s a lovely picture of it. When the church age has come to an end, a door is opened in heaven and the trumpet-like voice that he’d heard at the beginning—it was the voice of Christ—said to him, “John, come up here!” That’s what the trumpet of God is: It’s the voice of Christ that says to us, “Come up here! We’re going to meet Him in the air.”

So there’s the Savior in verse 16; there’s the shout in verse 16. And then, well, you’ve got the sequence because verse 16 says at the end, “The dead in Christ shall rise first.” So no, you’re not going to have an advantage over them because they have priority in order. The dead in Christ will rise first. Do you remember 1 Corinthians 15? That’s the mystery of the change! In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, says Paul, they will be changed. 1 Corinthians 15 is not the revelation of the rapture—it’s the revelation of the change that will take place at the rapture. So those who are dead in Christ shall be raised first, and according to 1 Corinthians 15, in an instant, their bodies will be changed! In a moment. The word in Greek is the word for “atom.” So in an atom of time, in the smallest divisible moment of time—just in the blinking of an eye—those bodies will be raised and changed. But don’t forget the sequence. You say, what about those of us who are left? Verse 17: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be carried off by force…” We shall be snatched away, plucked from Satan’s domain. We’re going to be eagerly claimed by the Lord Jesus. And we’ll all be caught up together into a meeting with the Lord in the air.

“Comfort one another with these words.” I tell you, that was tremendous! What a blessing that should have had for the Thessalonians. But listen, and this is my last 10 minutes—this meeting isn’t really about the doctrine of the rapture. This meeting really is about the impact that that truth should have on your life and my life. If we really believe it, if we really believe the imminent return of the Lord Jesus, then the way that we live should be different. Different! Now you say, where do you find that? Well, I did tell you to read 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, right? I’m sure you did that. That’ll take you about two minutes. 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5. I don’t really want to say this, but there is a rapture sandwich. I know you’ve been eating too much, but there are sandwiches here. You see, Paul never, never—you say, I don’t get on very well with Paul. You know, he always starts his letters with all this doctrine. Paul always starts his letters with all this teaching. And I’ve got one chapter in and I’m just suffering under the weight of the doctrine! But Paul is very practical in all of his letters. You know, you can divide Paul’s letters basically into two parts: The first half is always doctrine, teaching; the second half is always practice. You say, what’s he doing? He’s always forming a firm foundation and basis of truth which has a practical impact on the way we live. Now, these verses are no different because at the start of chapter four, you have practical exhortation. Then at the end of chapter four, you’ve got the rapture. Then at the start of chapter five, practical exhortation again. You’ve got a rapture sandwich. And the reason Paul has done that is to show us that that glorious truth should affect the way we live.

Now, here are three things that I’m going to pick out. I’m just going to drop them in front of you, and then I’m done. There are many more things. Here is Paul’s first lesson. He says, in light of the soon coming of Christ, he says, “You good Christians should be sanctified.” What does that mean? Just in case you think I’m making it up, look at chapter 4, look at verse 3. He says, “This is the will of God.” You say, hang on, he hasn’t yet got to the rapture. You say, “Are you sure this is practical instruction in light of the rapture and the second coming?” Well, look at the end of chapter three. He says, “The Lord make you to increase and abound in love towards one another,” for this reason—that your hearts may be established without any kind of blame, without any kind of censure, in holiness before God, even the Father, in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. Oh yes, he’s been speaking. That, by the way, is the rapture and it’s the judgment seat. He says, “I want you to be without blame at the judgment seat.” One way in which you can be without censure at the judgment seat—without any loss—is by loving one another. And immediately he goes on to say, “This is the will of God, even your sanctification.” I think we need this word more than ever today. Bye! Please, folks, listen—especially you younger folks—but not just you younger folks. Paul says, “In light of the soon coming of Christ, I want to tell you what God’s desire is for your life.”

Young people always ask—or at least they do in England—”How do I know the will of God for my life?”—by which they basically mean, “How do I know which girl to marry?” or “How do I know which boy to marry?” Right? Whatever the case. That’s basically what they mean. But anyway, “How do I know the will of God for my life?” Well, here’s where the will of God begins—with the word of God. You got that? And the word of God will teach you a good deal about which girl you should marry and which girl you shouldn’t marry, and which boy you should marry—a believer who believes the same kind of truth as you do—and which boy you shouldn’t marry—an unbeliever. If you want to know God’s will for that, read the Bible. Now here’s what Paul is saying: He said, “Look, here is an aspect of God’s desire for your life; this is not the will as if God only has one desire; He has many desires for you as a believer.” He says, “Here is one aspect of the will of God: It is your sanctification.” Thank you. What is sanctification? This is practical sanctification. I’m not going into the difference. Paul is saying God’s desire for your life in light of the soon return of Christ is— a practical, everyday separation from what is evil, what is impure, what is unclean. He says, separate yourself from the filth that is in society.

But sanctification isn’t just negative. Sanctification is also positive. It’s not sanctify and separate yourself from only. That’s the negative; it’s separate yourself to in the positive. Absolute devotion to Christ. So here’s the lesson. You ready? Christ is coming at any moment. You say, “I believe it.” How does it affect my life? Be sanctified! Make sure that in your everyday living, you are separating yourself away from the filth, the sin, the iniquity of this world. Run away from sexual immorality. Flee fornication! Every instance and appearance of immorality and sin—keep away! You say, “It’s very difficult, you know. It’s so alluring and attractive. How do I keep away?” Or remember the positive side: by devoting your life and your time to Christ, you will find that you have less time and less inclination—although the attraction is always there whilst we’re in the flesh—less inclination for the filth of this world. Now, I’ll be very pointed: These Thessalonians lived in a filthy society. The history books tell me that every man in Thessalonica had at least four women. He had one woman to look after the affairs of the house domestically, he had another woman who was his wife and raised legitimate children, he had another woman that was used for other purposes, and another woman who was used for… I’ll not go into the sordid detail. It was immorality. Paul says, “Stay away from them! That’s not for you as those who belong to and who appreciate the soon coming of the Lord Jesus!” So, young folks, keep clean from all the sexual immorality in this world.

So there’s lesson one: Be sanctified. Here’s lesson two. Look at verse 9. “But as touching brotherly love,”—that’s the word Philadelphia. You know, Philadelphia means love of a brother. He says, “As touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you, because, in fact, you have been taught by God to love.” And the word there is not Philadelphia. The word there is agape, love. “You’ve been taught of God to love one another.” And indeed, you do this towards all the brethren in Macedonia. That was the region in which Thessalonica was. You say, well, thanks, Paul; that’s very kind of you! He’s saying, “I don’t just want you to be sanctified; he says, I want you to be sacrificial in your love for one another.” And he says, “You’re doing that! You are doing!” He says, “In light of the soon coming of Christ, I want you to be Philadelphia love.” It’s a beautiful word, isn’t it? It’s the love of the family.

He says, “You Thessalonians—I know some of you don’t belong to the same sort of earthly physical fleshly family.” I know that, he says. “We all belong to the same spiritual family.” You know that, Thessalonians—every other word is “brethren, brethren, brethren, brethren.” What’s Paul saying? He says, “We’re part of the same spiritual family.” And the love—now I’m saying this with a bunch of teenagers in my house, right? I’ve got children who are teenagers—brothers and sisters! The love that should be experienced between family members—that’s what I tell the older boy anyway when he’s beating his sister with… no, that doesn’t happen in my house, right? But anyway, the love that there should be between family members—he says that characterizes you as a spiritual family: Philadelphia!

And he says, “You also agape love one another.” You’ve thought about that word, haven’t you? That’s the word that describes unconditional love. It is a word that describes a person who will lay aside any thoughts and feelings he has about another. It doesn’t matter what they’ve said to him in the past. It doesn’t matter what they’ve done to him in the past. It doesn’t matter what they look like, what they sound like, how they smell—unconditionally, I will sacrifice myself—my money, my time, my effort, my love. I’ll sacrifice what I have to bless you because I love you. You say, well, I do love most of the saints, but there is a sister here who in 1967 said something to me that I’ve never forgotten, and I can’t love them. Well, you’re wrong because God knew every sin that you’d ever committed against Him. You were odious in His sight, but unconditionally—in the sense of being unclean, defiled, filth because of sin—but unconditionally, He loved you and He sacrificed His Son to save you from your sins. It’s love!

Now, what I like about this is Paul says, “Philadelphia love?” Tick! He says, “You’re doing it! Great!” “Agape love?” He says, “God has taught you how to love that?” Tick! “You’re doing it? Great!” “Thanks, Paul!” What does Paul say? Now, sometimes he just can’t help himself, can he? Sometimes you’d like to say to Paul, “Listen, Paul, just sit down in a chair and have a coffee, right? Have one of those yum-yum donuts. Just relax, brother Paul.” Because what does he say in the verse? He says, “I know that you love, but verse 10, do it more and more!” Do it more and more! Increase more and more! Love more and more! You can’t do it enough!

So here’s the lesson: How are you doing? Be sanctified, be sacrificial in your love towards one another. I close with this point, and there are lots here, but when you come into chapter 5, well, see if you can do the alliteration. Your genius is here, right? Verse 5, and Paul, by the way, has been speaking at the start of chapter 5 about the tribulation. He’s been speaking about the day of the Lord. Interesting that the rapture comes before the day of the Lord because the rapture does come before the day of the Lord, right? We’re going to be taken away before the day of the Lord, before the tribulation judgment comes on the earth. And Paul is talking about that in chapter five. He says, “Verse 9: God has not appointed us to wrath.” We’re not going into the tribulation! We are not appointed to wrath. That’s not eternal judgment, hell fire— that is tribulation wrath in Thessalonians. He says, “We’re not appointed to that, but to obtain salvation.” Now, this is how you live. And how do we obtain salvation from that judgment? Because the judgment’s coming on the earth, and we’re on the earth. Well, this is how you obtain salvation: “Christ is taking you out of the earth.” He’s taking you to the air. Hallelujah! They’re wonderful the way it all fits together! This is what Paul says! “Verse 6″—no, no, “verse 5.” He says, “You are sons of the light,” which basically means you’re saved! He says, “You are sons of the day.” You know what characterizes the period of the day, don’t you? Light. He says, “You’re saved.” He says, “You don’t belong to the night. You don’t belong to darkness.” Therefore, verse 6—”Let’s not sleep as others do, but let us watch and let us be… not sanctified; be sacrificial.” No, “be sober.” Do you know what he’s saying? The tribulation period on earth is for the sons of darkness—those who aren’t saved! But you’re not sons of darkness; you’re sons of light, which means the tribulation is not for you. God has not appointed you to wrath. You belong to the day and to the light. So he says, “Live consistently with what you are!” Those who belong to the darkness and the night sleep, because people sleep at night—not in meetings. But those who belong to the day, they’re not characterized by sleep! They’re characterized by being awake and alert and focused in their minds and their thoughts! He says, “Be sober! Live Christian lives that are not lazy and lethargic, but Christian lives that are attentive. Be awake and energetic spiritually! Be busy!” He says, “Be sober!” What tremendous lesson! Living in the light of the rapture! I hope your Christian life is energetic! You say, “Dan, you just wait until you’re twice your age and you’ll realize how difficult it is to be energetic!” I’m not talking about physical energy; I’m talking about your spiritual life, what you’re doing for Christ: your exercise for Him, your work in the assembly, your prayer life, your Bible study life, your evangelistic outreach! Don’t be lazy! Christ is coming! Be busy! Be attentive! Be energetic! Be awake! And be self-controlled in a spiritual sense. Be sober!

So there you are—be sanctified, be sacrificial, be sober. There’s a whole lot more besides, but God will bless His word to us. Let’s just pray.

Filed under: Ministry, rudge-daniel