R1572 What is the Rapture

All could use some encouragement, fighting together today in the Bible-based reading of Dr. Don Wilton about what is the rapture. He will head to first Thessalonians in just a moment. But as we open God's word no that were available on our website tewonline.org you a great place to follow Dr. world's oceans and connected tewonline.org.org. Now Dr. Don that I get in that we get about in times the fact of the matter is Jesus is coming again. That's the bottom line is that the Lord Jesus coming back there a lot of bottom lines in this and it all has to do with the Lord Jesus and today I'm going on spring. I'm going on so three questions essentially about the same subject and I have at least you know, 20, 30, 40 questions, all related to the subject to all the questions on number one. What is the rapture. What is the rapture number two. Question number two how what does this mean to me as a Christian, and the third question is what does this mean to those who are not there they'll got them down, one what is the rapture. Where do we get that from number two. What does this mean to me as a believer is a Christian number three. What does this mean to those who are not believers to my best friend.

He doesn't know Jesus, to my daughter who has not accepted Christ to my brother who rejects Christ. What does that mean to them, want you to turn with me to begin with in your Bibles to first Thessalonians chapter 4 first Thessalonians, and chapter 4, you need to see this in the word of God. Now they're all a number of passages in the Bible that speak specifically to the subject of the rapture the word rapture itself doesn't appear in the Scriptures. The word rapture. It is a transliteration of the meaning of the word. The word rapture means to be snatched to be suddenly taken to be just suddenly moved. That's the wood to be rapture. Okay it's it it's an English transliteration of a biblical understanding of the word, and I'm going to show you where that is in the Scriptures were about to read one of those passages right now so we got to begin with. First Thessalonians, which is a passage to an understanding of the rapture the rapture remember our first question, what is the rapture and me read to you. First Thessalonians chapter 4 beginning at verse 13. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters about those who are asleep cannot just stop there for second the word asleep. Those who are asleep is the biblical term that you find right throughout Scripture that is used for those who are believers who die beautiful picture and we going to get an understanding of that as we read about the rapture, so listen carefully. Now when I read this. We do not want you to be ignorant or uninformed fellow believers brothers and sisters about those who have fallen asleep, that you may not grieve as others who have no hope for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Jesus those who have already died verse 54 we declare to you by the word of the Lord Jesus, that we who are alive and who are left until the coming of the Lord Jesus will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with the cry of Kaman and with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God and the deity in Christ will rise first. Everybody look at me are on the dead in Christ.

I thought the dating Christ already in heaven. They all gonna save this for another time you hear this again, but I've got to help you understand something when you die. According to the Scriptures and will address this. The Bible say is that until Jesus comes at the time of the rapture. Our bodies are going to those of us who are believers are going to remain in the ground where they go back to dust at the time of the coming of Jesus in the rapture, which we're explaining this morning. Bodies are going to be reunited with the soul but not black.

The body I was looking at of preciousness. Bert sent back there for years and years and years your mother. My mother and father friends, loved ones know without resurrected bodies. A perfect body and that's another question I'm going to show you that the Bible tells us what we going to look like to pray we don't own so that Christian big question how do we know what we gonna look like and how do we know we going to know each other. How do we know that does the Bible teaches that yes I'm going to take you and show you that right now want to just showing you a lot of things your way. In verse 15 for this we declare to you about God's word. This is from the Lord, that we who are alive and left until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep already with Jesus for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry Kaman with the voice of an archangel sound of the trumpet and the dead in Christ will rise first thing we who are alive and lift remain on this earth, we will be court up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord.

Where does it say where we gonna meet the Lord in the present site in heaven we've already seen the word heaven with not meeting him in heaven. We meeting him in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. From that moment on. Therefore encourage one another with these words. So what is the rapture of the rapture. It is the time when four things will happen is what will happen at the rapture where there is a just a suddenness. What is the rapture.

It's a sudden taking out it is the time number one when Jesus will come down from heaven.

That's what verse 16 tells now.

Why will Jesus come down from heaven because he right now is up in heaven heaven is up in heaven is not down and we know heaven is up.

When Jesus stood on the Mount of olives off the he had risen from the data, and he rose, went to the Mount of olives and then he ascended up into heaven and God sent an angel interesting, sent an angel and said to those that were standing there looking up.

He was taken up into heaven and the angel said men of Galilee, why you standing there looking up into heaven. The same Jesus that went up into heaven is going to come back down from heaven, the rapture according to the Scriptures is the time when Jesus will come down from heaven, God is going to instruct Jesus the son to leave heaven the throne where God is one and he's going to say son it's time again why because God instructed Jesus to come down to the earth when Jesus was born in Jesus in full obedience to God the father came down and in that case, he came down to this earth, and he was born in Bethlehem as a baby. Then he went back up into heaven, where he is seated at the right hand of the father right now. That's where Jesus is in the Bible sees the rapture is the time when God is going to seem Jesus down from heaven. That's the first thing the second thing about the rapture is that allowed Kaman will be given. I wish I could explain to you the meaning of the allowed Kaman accepting the Bible sees every eye will see in every I will know we will hear it will no God is going to come on this.

This is not going to be sneaking up on us in the sense that where did Jesus come from we going to hear the Kaman and it's going to be accompanied in the third instant by the trumpet sound by the trumpet sound a trumpet is going to blow you gonna much safety today will pasta why does God use trumpet, I don't know the Bible sees is going to sound the trumpet okay watch this so there's gonna be a loud Kaman. A trumpet is going to sound and Jesus is going to be St. by broad out of heaven down towards this earth.

I'm going to get into the race of it in a minute, and everybody's going to know it, everyone's gonna know it, but he's going to stop in the clouds.

There is no mention of Jesus landing on this earth.

This is not the second coming of Jesus. This precedes the second coming. What we going to discover is when we talk about the actual second coming, which is Jesus landing on this earth.

When he lands on the Mount of olives and rivers of living water flow out of him and he marches down the Mount of olives living water flows down the Kidron Valley over the opening of hell in the Valley of Gahanna takes a left turn, goes into the Dead Sea in the Dead Sea comes back to life in Jesus marches on to the Temple Mount and the re-claims he's thrown from the seat of Satan on Mount Moriah. Jesus never leaves the earth off to that this rapture the sudden happening. None of that language.

None of that description takes place when we are talking about the second coming. So this event stands all by itself. This sudden taking out of people. The sudden appearance of Jesus and Jesus is going to come loud Kaman trumpet sound, everybody will know Jesus comes, but he stops in the clouds is going to stop in the rapture.

Your listing to Dr. Don Wilton our teacher here on The Encouraging Word and will be back in just a moment to complete this message and what is the rapture so don't go away. Dr. Don Wilton remind you we are here for you were connecting right now on our website@twonline.org that's T EW online.org and also the other end of this phone number jotted down stored in your cells Dr. Don Wilton I would be happy one of your 2 AM friends at 86689 anytime day or night, you will reach one of us happy to talk her listener prayer. Connect with resources at 866-899-9673 Palestine back in today's teaching.

What is the rapture with Dr. Don Wilton not coming to this earth to question number one is what is the rapture that's the rapture question number two is going to help define the rapture. What does this mean to me as a Christian I'm a Christian.

I'm a believer.

I've given my heart to Jesus. I confess my sin to him, and by faith I receive Jesus into my heart and life.

So how does this affect me or you as a believer when you got on so that in two ways. First of all, if you are David at the time of the rapture. If you are David you have died. Now let me use the biblical term. If you have fallen asleep before Jesus comes in the clouds you will accompany Jesus coming out of heaven because if you are a believer and you die before Jesus comes in the clouds. You've already gone to be with him.

If you are alive when he comes, if we're still alive.

If Jesus would come in the clouds to not on the next few minutes you and I will be court up into heaven is what he tells us rock. They those of us who are alive and remain will be court up.

Remember the word rapture sudden translation, snatching out so I'm standing here Jesus.

If Jesus were to come right now. Every one of us listening with you sitting, standing, driving a bus serving at a restaurant putting out a fire on vacation on a ship plane every believe if you know Jesus you will just suddenly just be court up and it's in the flesh. Paul teaches that in first Corinthians chapter 50 it's in a flash. Twinkling of an eye. It it is so that the rapture is like snap. It's quicker than the blink of an eye.

We look at it from our human disposition bluntly week time. Everything in our human understanding of then that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that but not God. God's eternal and what he does is he's going to gather all believers from everywhere across the entire world before wins every expression of the earth. He's going to gather gather all believers going pick them all up to himself, pick them all up to himself, I was coming into into the church a couple of days ago and to source a picture just warmed my heart and it was it was a little little girl coming down one of our thousand cardinals in our church and soul mom so mommy and I was just short you know from here to the edge of the thing and she looked up and saw her mommy and she just too cool. I mean, and just flung herself into her arms. You know how that warms out. This is the picture that we have served Jesus just gathering us up into his arms.

So what is the rapture, the time when Jesus comes in the clouds trumpet sound. The announcement is going to stop in the clouds.

How does this affect me as a believer five already parsed away operating fallen asleep. You and I we going to come with Jesus out of heaven be in the clouds. If we still alive. He's going to just gather us all up together to meet him in the clouds and then he's going to take all of us back into heaven we going back into heaven because the Bible tells us that that moment signals the third question in the third question that we have and we will have. This is what happens to my friend who's not a believer. What happens to my father. I love my dad but he's not a believer.

What happens to my best friend at school, not a believe what the Bible tells us two things. First of all, if your friend, your lover… This is not easy to talk about, but it's what the Bible teaches.

If that person who's not a believer is already dated, the rapture has no bearing on them because they were already in hell that they already separated Jesus told us that he Pete told us that in Luke chapter 16. He said there were two people one was a believer, and one was not when the believer died.

He went immediately into heaven when the unbeliever died. He went into hell and he never got out of the there's no interlude. So the rapture has no bearing on those who are unbelievers who have already died. Not unbelievers who are alive, like all the believers who will be alive at the time of Jesus coming in the clouds, the rapture, if a person is an unbeliever. They are not gathered up because they not God's children don't along to God. I don't call him father. You have to know him as father for him. Together you to himself. You have to be one of his family. Otherwise you get left behind. Now what does it mean to be left behind when Jesus comes in the clouds. All believers a court up, and every unbelievers going to be left Roger on the Sabbath and that immediately begins one of the worst periods of time known to mankind's and the whole subject Bible rain begins to tell us off to all believers been taken out of this world.

The rest of the world continues to function and to live for another seven years, seven years exactly 7 years and it's often the next seven years and I remember all believers where where all if you love the Lord, where you know you been taken back into heaven, and for the next seven years. God unleashes his judgment on all those who have said no will talk about that. So here's my final question three questions what is the rapture. What is that mean to me as a Christian. What is it mean to those who are not is the fourth one S. What can I do about it. Today, three things three things that you can do today number one. Be encouraged. Jesus is coming, encouraged as a believer whether you die first or whether you still alive you went because Christ has one. He's victorious, be encouraged. That's what he sees here in this great chapter in verse 18. Therefore encourage one another with words as a believing you have nothing to fear. I want you to just think about the folks there a lot of things I would love to do.

I think God intended us to be happy. I love I love my church. Hope you and I love you and I love my family and they things I'd love to do. I still got a lot of places I want to see and go and be I love all but you know if Jesus were to come. The soft noon at 2 o'clock we going to heaven that begins all time and eternity. So be encourage number 2B Sherry B Sherry share that now you know share the but sharing love shared with others until Jacob called, I had people come to me often and say please pray for me.

I blitz. Could we really pray for my brother.

I really love my brother but he doesn't he doesn't know Jesus. That's a beautiful prayer you know we pray for my son.

He grew up in my home, and he grew up and he did the Sidney even went on prison ministries in but he today doesn't know the Lord. No time for the things of God.

That's a beautiful prayer share office witness invite you know, at the very least, this is at the very least, I'm I'm just suggesting this to you and it's got nothing to do with me sometimes and be pretty tough on note can be nerve-racking and all the race of it.

It's much easier to our somebody go and eat somewhere with you than awesome to give their heart to Jesus at the very least would would you consider inviting them to come and sit with you in church October someone is here today hearing that God loves them. At the very least, at the very least, number three be safe, make sure you save yourself a powerful question perhaps is you been hearing Dr. Wilton preached from the pulpit. The Lord has been stirring your heart now is comes in the studio for these final 60 seconds together. I pray you to open your heart and what he has to say next.

Are you ready to give you a heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that Arneson and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart.

In Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting new believe some of you have said yes to Jesus Christ you just pray as you prayed hard with Dr. Wilton to give your life to Christ to rededicate your life afraid he would let us walk with you in the next tell someone what to tell us because right now at 86689 word that 866-899-9673 let's put some resources in your hands that Dr. Don has chosen just for you if you gave your life to Christ. Rededicate your life today, the number again is 866899673 is online@online.org discover great resources like this.

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