4 The Revelation ☆ 1 Thessalonians 4:15a...
"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord... "
How did Paul get to know all about the Rapture?
What was his source of information?
It is quite probable that Paul received this from the Lord during one of Christ's personal appearances to him. Or perhaps it was during his time of training in Arabia.
☆ Galatians 1:15-17...
"... it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace,
To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen. Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus."
Paul received divine revelation on the Rapture.
It was not something he made up or cleverly concocted.
God gave him the details of this mystery called the Rapture some 2021+ years ago.
5 The Reappearing ☆ 1 Thessalonians 4:15b-16...
"... that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God..."
The Apostle Paul now lays out a sequence of events that will happen at the time of the Rapture.
He states very clearly that those who are alive at the time of the Rapture will not precede (will not go before) those who have died.
The first thing to occur is that the Lord Himself (not an angel) will come again in the clouds... "The Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven..."
The Rapture will open with the personal reappearance of Jesus in the sky. At this time He does not put His feet on the Earth.
With Jesus' return three things happen...
• Jesus will descend from Heaven with a shout...
The Greek word for shout is the same as used by a general in ancient times when mustering his troops.
In the Scriptures we find that Jesus makes 3 commanding shouts...
1. At Lazarus' grave... ☆ John 11:43-44. Lazarus is raised.
2. "It is finished!" from the Cross... and some of the dead came alive... ☆ Matthew 27:50-53.
3. Christ's cry from the clouds when the dead in Christ are raised at His coming... ☆ 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
It is very interesting to note that... at each of these cries the dead are resurrected.
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.
•• There will be the call of the archangel...
possibly to summon other angels.
It maybe a cry of victory or rejoicing.
That's because the Rapture will be a great victory for the believers. Also for the angels as the Lord gathers His Bride the Church.
••• The trump of God will sound...
Trumpets in the Bible are used to signal an assembling together or a marching forward.
This trumpet will sound to announce the Lord's arrival and to summon His people to meet Him in the air. Hallelujah!
In ☆ 1 Corinthians 15:52, which is a parallel passage to ☆ 1 Thessalonians 4:16... Paul refers to this trumpet as the "last trumpet."
The last trumpet that will sound in conjunction with the Rapture is the final trumpet of this age.
It's the last trumpet of the Church age.
But... it's not the last trumpet that will ever sound.
Here's an interesting thought... question...
Will those left behind at the Rapture be able to hear the trumpet sound?
Read ☆ Acts 9:1-7; ☆ John 12:28-30; ☆ Daniel 10:7.
What conclusion do you make?
How long will it take for all these separate events of the Rapture to take place?
☆ 1 Corinthians 15:52 says that these things will take place "... in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye."
All of this will happen in a flash... in a split second.
It will be so fast that it will be unobserv-able to the human eye.
6 The Resurrection ☆ 1 Thessalonians 4:16b...
"... and the dead in Christ shall rise first."
The dead in Christ will not miss the Rapture nor any of its blessings.
In fact as we have already said, they have a head start.
The next thing that will happen (and remember all these things happen very quickly) is that the bodies of deceased believers will be raised or resurrected and reunited to their perfected spirits.
These resurrected bodies will be glorified bodies fit for the heavenly realm.
That's because flesh and blood (as it is now) cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
This is where "mortality puts on immortality and corruption puts on incorruptible."
Our new bodies will be like the resurrected, glorified body of Jesus.
Question... What happens to those people who have been cremated? Eaten by animals?
The Bible gives us several key facts about our future bodies in Heaven.
Carefully read ☆ 1 Corinthians 15:35, 42-49...
Here are 8 facts about our "new made over" bodies.
They....
• will never more be subject to disease, sickness, decay.
• will be heavenly bodies suitable for heaven.
• will be unique and different from others... not clones!
• will be superior to our present bodies.
• will be glorious... won't disappoint us.
• will be powerful... won't get tired, wear out or yield to sin.
• will be spiritual bodies.
• will have continuity with our present body... yet will be vastly changed. When you plant a seed in the ground there is continuity between what you put in the ground and what comes up.
Another interesting thought to consider.
Will the graves burst open at the Rapture?
Read ☆ Matthew 27:52-53...
What do you reckon?
What will those left behind think?