by Rev. James McRobbie ©Pillar of Fire, International |
"At one moment
surrounded by the everyday scenes of this life, then in a 'moment' to be
ushered into the presence of the living, glorified Christ. . .!" |
Learn more about the power of the Holy Spirit for personal holiness
through Sanctification
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Living Word] [Back: Chapter 11]
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Chapter 12 Contents: [Manner of the Rapture]
[Rapture Will Precede Tribulation]
[Participants]
[What the Bible Teaches refers to
numerous passages from the Bible. Your study will be greatly
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the Bible and this study. All quotations in What the Bible Teaches
are
from the King James Version [KJV] unless otherwise specified.]
Chapter 12: What the Bible Teaches ABOUT
THE RAPTURE
The
second coming of Christ will have a twofold aspect. First, our Lord will
come for His saints at the "rapture," and second, He will come with
them at "revelation." Christ will not be revealed to the world at the rapture;
it will be a meeting "in the air." The focus classicus of this which
clearly defines the doctrines of the rapture is found in 1 Thessalonians
4:13-18. Not only does this scripture confirm the fact of the translation
and rapture of the saints, but also that associated with it is the first
resurrection and glorification of the "dead in Christ." We who are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, says the scripture, "shall
not go before them which are asleep" [R.V.], but the "dead in Christ shall
rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air."
Those who are
ignorant of the plans and purposes of God treat this doctrine with derision
of as being mere fanciful speculation, yet, here is the word of the living
God: "We which are alive and remain shall be caught up," to which may be
added Paul's testimony in the great resurrection discussion: "We shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, . . . this corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" [1 Corinthians
15:51-54].
Manner of the Rapture
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The catching away of the saints will
be secret. The masses of the world in general will be engaged in their
usual activities -- buying, selling, planting, building, marrying and given
in marriage, as the Lord said [Luke 17:28; Matthew 24:38], when, without
any warning or alarm, it will dawn upon them that some are missing. This
will be the prelude of the fearful "day of the Lord" when it is said that
He "so cometh as a thief in the night" [1 Thessalonians 5:2].
In His dealings with man, God is longsuffering
and waits, not willing that any should perish; but when He begins He works
suddenly. The rapture will be instantaneous; it will be "in a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye." It will be like the flash of a thought or the
dash of the lightning bolt. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came suddenly
upon the waiting ones, and there and then, the New Testament Church was
born. So will it be at the church's consummation at the rapture:
"Swifter than the arrow's flight
Shall the saved go out of sight."
The translation of the church will be
associated with a threefold heavenly manifestation. It is said that our
Lord will "descend from heaven with a shout." Christ is going to speak,
but this the unsaved world will not hear. The "hour is coming," said the
Lord, "in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and
shall come forth" [John 5:28-29]. The rapture will also be attended with
the voice "of the archangel" [1 Thessalonians 4:16]. The angels are the
"reapers." At the close of the age they are to be commissioned to gather
out and separate the good from the bad. Then, too, the "trump of God" will
sound, and instantly, the bodies of the saints, enshrouded in the darkness
and corruption of the tomb, will spring to life, while the mortal bodies
of the living saints will instantly feel every fiber of their beings thrill
with the translation glory of Christ, and, without assistance of eagle
wing or fiery chariot, find themselves being strangely borne
through the skies to "meet the Lord in the air." [Top
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"Caught up with rapture and surprise,
Caught up, our fond affections rise,
Our coming Lord to meet;
Hearing the trumpet's glorious sound,
Soaring to join the rising crowd,
Gazing beyond the parting cloud,
Beneath His pierced feet!"
The rapture will be attended with glory.
There will be the glory of the translation -- of being saved from the power
and dread of death. These mortal bodies, the objects of physical weakness
and disease, will suddenly be clothed upon with immortality, changed from
the glory of the terrestrial to the glory of the celestial [1 Corinthians
15:40]. It will be the hour of the fulfillment of the Pauline prediction
as it is rendered by Dr. Weymouth: "We are waiting with longing expectation
for the coming from heaven of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who in
the exercise of the power which he has even to subject all things to himself,
will transform this body of our humiliation until it resembles His own
glorious body" [Philippians 3:20-21]. Caught up without dying! Think of
it! -- no sickness, no death, no funeral train -- the miracle of the ages!
yet an absolute scriptural certainty.
Think of the contrast involved in
that rapture-instant! At one moment surrounded by the everyday scenes of
this life, then in a "moment" to be ushered into the presence of the living,
glorified Christ where will be seen the heavenly train of the redeemed
and the attending angelic hosts, and then to be made "partakers of his
glory." Truly, it "doth not yet appear what we shall be."
Yet, the glory of this miraculous
change and of the incomparable meeting will be insignificant compared with
the sound of the Redeemer's wondrous, welcoming voice: "Come, ye blessed,"
and of being rewarded and honored and exalted as the "heirs of the kingdom
of heaven" in His presence.
Rapture Will Precede
Tribulation
The rapture of the saints will precede
the revelation and reign of Christ; it will also precede the great tribulation.
There are various scriptures that reveal this and various reasons why this
event must take place before the tribulation.
-
(1) The word given to the church of Philadelphia holds good
to the end. That church is to be kept from the hour of temptation -- the
tribulation -- which signifies that it will be lifted above the scenes
of earth when terrific Satanic pressure will compel the world to yield
to the abominable disgrace of adoring the "man of sin" as the supreme Deity.
"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try
them that dwell upon the earth" [Revelation 3:10]. The temptation will
then be strong to deny God, to fall in line with the reckless indifference
of the masses, and even, in these awful days to come, to commit the folly
of taking one's own life. The people of God are to be "kept" from this
time -- they are to be "caught up to meet the Lord in the air."
-
(2) Speaking of His own sudden appearing "as a snare" upon
a wicked world, our Lord gave us these important words: "Watch ye therefore,
and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things
that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man' [Luke 21:36].
This plain assertion by the supreme authority of Christ Himself reveals
without equivocation that some are to escape this time of world-sorrow
that is to come. They are not to escape to some wilderness or remote part
of the earth or sea in order to secure for themselves a refuge, but they
are to be supernaturally translated into the very presence of their Lord
-- they are to stand before the Son of man.
-
(3) Before the breaking of this coming hour of anguish upon
the world of the ungodly, how sweetly may the people of God hear the voice
of the Bridegroom calling His beloved in these words: "Come, my people,
[my people, not the world], enter into thy chambers [the banqueting chamber
of the skies] and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for
a little moment [the tribulation will be shortened], until the indignation
be overpast [the tribulation will reveal God's righteous indignation against
sin]. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants
of the earth for their iniquity" [Isaiah 26:20-21]. The Lord at this time
is not to punish the good people; they will be taken away; the punishment
divinely inflicted during this time of the "indignation," or tribulation,
is for the wicked "inhabitants of the earth."
-
(4) The types likewise may serve as a court of final appeal.
Enoch "walked with God," prophesied of the Lord's coming [Jude 14], and
was translated just before the outbreak of the deluge. His life and translation
are a symbol of the church's walk of faith and glorious consummation.
-
(5) The position of the church before the scene of the tribulation
as presented by John in the book of Revelation is also conclusive proof
of the rapture of the church. At the close of the prophetic church period
[Revelation 2-3], we are told of a "door opened in heaven." John's vision
seems to follow the church through this open door. The scene is then set
in the heavens. The "open door" and the saints around the throne [Revelation
4-5] immediately at the close of the church period, is a true-to-type picture
of the rapture of the church.
-
(6) Furthermore, the period of the tribulation will be the
"time of Jacob's trouble" [Jeremiah 30:7]. God will then be dealing with
the Jews preparatory to their spiritual and national restoration. He will
also be dealing with the world, especially apostate Christendom, for the
way it will have treated His Son. The promise is given that the believer
shall not come into judgment [John 5:24]. Christ has already been punished
for sin. If the believer is cleansed from all sin by His blood through
faith, the believer cannot be judged for his sins a second time. God will
not be dealing with the church then but with Israel. There can be no other
conclusion -- the church will be caught away; it will be feasting at the
marriage banquet of the skies, being rewarded for deeds done on the earth.
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Participants
What are the character-qualifications
of those who will be participants in the rapture? "Watch" and "pray," said
Jesus, "that ye may be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of man."
Watching implies constant readiness. Prayer is the link of communion with
God -- the source of our strength. Our worthiness is not in any human effort
that we can exercise, but in the cleansing of the Spirit by the blood of
our omnipotent Sanctifier.
Turn to the chapter that deals with
the rapture [1 Thessalonians 4]. Look at the preceding verse: "To the end
he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our
Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." To
this may be added verse 3, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification,"
and verse 7, "God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."
Here it is clearly seen that holiness or sanctification
through the cleansing and keeping power of the Holy Spirit is the one and
only qualification for participation in the rapture.
Look at the parable of the ten virgins
[Matthew 25]. While the setting of this parable is that of attendants or
guests at the wedding feast, yet allowing that it has an application to
the church, it can be seen that though some were "virgins" and had lamps,
yet they failed of admission. Only those who had their lamps filled with
oil and burning went in with the Bridegroom to the wedding feast. The oil
represents the indwelling and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.
The nineteenth chapter of Revelation
tells of the "marriage of the Lamb" [verse 7]. It is said: "His wife hath
made herself ready." She is adorned in "fine linen," which "is the righteousness
of the saints." This "fine linen" is the garment of holiness. The bride
is to be without "spot or wrinkle. . . holy and without blemish." The bride
is not a spiritual infant but a qualified adult: one who has been the recipient
of chastening and refining of spiritaul character.
If, then, we would be qualified participants
at the rapture, or, granted that His coming will be delayed, and it is
our lot to pass through the portal of the grave to awake at the "first
resurrection," let us submit ourselves to the whole will og God so that
the Holy Spirit may take full possession of our beings; let us walk moment
by moment in complete separation from the world; let us go softly all our
days, that we may be ready either to "depart and be with Christ," through
the channel of natural decease, or to be partakers of that glorious translation
when we shall be "caught up" to meet the Lord in the air.
"O the King is surely
coming, and the time is drawing nigh,
When the blessed day of promise
we shall see;
Then the changing in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye,
And forever in His presence
we shall be."
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