Lesson for October 2, 2024

The Rapture to the Eternal State

Lesson 1

The Rapture

Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope [Rapture], even the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

We know the Rapture is coming. It may not occur in our lifetime, but we still know it’s coming. So, our responsibility is to continue to live our spiritual lives. The imminency of the Rapture is a doctrine for spiritually advancing believers because they are the ones who anticipate the Rapture with joy. The next prophetic event is the rapture of the Church. Distortion of the imminency of the Rapture results in instability and foolish speculation about the time of the Rapture.

The Rapture is a technical theological term for the resurrection of the Royal Family of God, the Church. Once the Royal Family of God is completed (which is known only to God), the Church (the body of Christ) will be resurrected to meet Jesus Christ in the air. The Church Age is that period of human history when the Royal Family of God is being formed on earth. (I Thessalonians 4:13-17; Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:16, 4:4-5; Colossians 1:18, 24, 2:19)

The Rapture is imminent, meaning that it could occur anytime during the Church Age. There are no prophecies other than the Rapture that have to be fulfilled before it occurs. The Church Age began 50 days after Christ’s resurrection (10 days after His ascension) with an event called Pentecost when the Holy Spirit began to “baptize” believers into the body of Christ. (I Corinthians 12:13) Jesus prophesied the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Luke 24:49.

James gives an admonition in James 5:7-8. “Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord (the Rapture). The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near (imminent).” The farmer invests by sowing seed. He must break up the soil and sow the seed, then he must wait. There’s nothing he can do while waiting; the seed will either come up or not. Either he will have production, or he will not, depending upon the soil and the rains. The farmer does not have control over those elements. Every day you live, you decide what your life will be. So, while the Rapture is imminent, no one really knows when it will occur. (Revelation 22:7,12,20)

I Corinthians 6:14, “Now God has not only resurrected our Lord, but He will raise us up through His power.” After His physical death, Christ’s human spirit went to the third heaven into the presence of God the Father. His human soul went to Hades. His human body went into the grave. After three days and nights, the power of God the Father restored His human spirit to His glorified human body. (Acts 2:24; Romans 6:4; I Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians2:12; I Thessalonians 1:10; I Peter 1:21) And the power of God the Holy Spirit restored His soul to His glorified human body. (Romans 1:4, 8:11; I Peter 3:18)

I Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

I Corinthians 15:51-54, “Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again [and we do], even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord [Rapture] shall not precede those who have fallen asleep (died in Christ). For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; in fact, the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are living, who remain on the earth shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

“Being asleep” is an analogy for a believer’s body in the grave, waiting for the Rapture. Like the resurrection of Christ, believers who have died prior to the Rapture will be raised from the dead. Their souls and human spirits will be returned to their earthly body in a moment (“in a twinkling of the eye”) and then their earthly body will be instantly changed into a resurrection (glorified) body like Christ’s. (Philippians 3:20-21)

For those believers who are alive when the Rapture occurs, their earthly bodies will be changed into a resurrection body. They will be raised into the atmosphere to meet Jesus Christ, along with those believers who died before them during the Church Age. Gabriel is believed to be the herald of God for the Church and will give a shout heard by believers, followed by the sound of a trumpet, when the Rapture occurs.

Therefore, comfort each other with these words means the Rapture should be a source of comfort when you have lost a loved one who was a believer in Christ. This doctrine should be a source of blessing as you face the adversities of life and realize that there is something far better beyond this life.

Revelation 3:11, “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”Hold fast means to seize, to grasp, to get possession of, and to become the master of something. You should be “holding fast” to Bible doctrine by consistently learning and applying it, in preparation for the Rapture. Understanding and applying the doctrine of the Rapture provides stability for the royal family in the plan of God.

The Rapture removes “the sting” of physical death, according to I Corinthians 15:54-58. The Rapture removes the hopelessness of bereavement, according to I Thessalonians 4:13-14. The Rapture is a source of comfort in time of the loss of a loved one, according to I Thessalonians 4:15-18 and Philippians 1:6. The Rapture is a part of ultimate sanctification, according to Ephesians 5:26-27. The Rapture is the basis for confidence and joyful anticipation of the resurrection of the Church, according to Titus 2:13, Philippians 1:6, and I Peter 1:3.

 I John 3:2-3, ^“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”