7 The Removal ☆ 1 Thessalonians 4:17a...

 

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up... "

 

We've spoken about the dead being resurrected. 

 

What about the living believers?

 

When the dead have been raised, the living believers will immediately be transformed and translated into the presence of Jesus... without ever tasting physical death. Wow!!

 

The living will be snatched up... "caught up"... the Greek word... "harpazo!"

 

In ☆ 1 Corinthians 15:51... we read this additional information:

"Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep (die), but we will all be changed."

 

A mystery in the New Testament is not some difficult puzzle to solve or unravel.

A Bible mystery is a truth that has never been revealed up to the time when it is unveiled. Man cannot figure it out on his own. It is Divinely revealed. 

☆ Ephesians 3:5,9; ☆ Colossians 1:26.

 

The fact that believers will be caught up to heaven without dying was a brand-new truth that had been hidden in God up to that time.

It was a mystery... a totally new truth that had never been disclosed by God until ☆ 1 Corinthians 15.

 

The Lord unveiled through the Apostle Paul the "glorious mystery" that a whole generation (will that generation be us?) of believers will be transformed without tasting the sting of physical death. 

 

Didn't Jesus say this as well...

 

☆ John 11:25-26... 

"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die."

 

Hallelujah! Now that's something worthy to shout about.

 

Jesus is not coming for good people.

He's not coming for people who are religious.

Nor is He coming for people who have undergone some particular Church rite or ritual. 

 

Jesus is coming for those who are "in Him" by trusting Him and personally accepting Him as their Saviour.

He's coming for the "born again" believers. 

 

All who are "in Christ" will be caught up!

This is the glorious mystery of the Rapture!

 

8 The Reunion ☆ 1 Thessalonians 4:17b...

 

"... together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air..."

 

The dead in Christ and the living saints will be Raptured together to meet the Lord in the air.

We will meet Jesus, and... we will also be reunited with all our departed loved ones and friends who know the Lord.

 

What a day of rejoicing that will be! Come on people... this is something to really get excited about.

 

A question comes to mind...

"Will we be able to recognize our friends and loved ones?"

 

The answer is... "Yes we will!" and... we will also KNOW them.

In fact we won't REALLY know each other until we do get to heaven. It is only in Glory, when all the masks and facades are removed, that we will REALLY KNOW one another and enjoy true intimate, unhindered fellowship. 

 

There will be a quality of life in Heaven that we have never experienced before. Praise God!

 

Read ☆ Luke 16:19-31... and see who recognized who?

And ☆ Matthew 17:1-4... Who did Peter recognize but had never met before? How is that? 

 

In Heaven all of the Lord's people will possess (I believe) an intuitive knowledge that will enable them to recognize friends and loved ones as well as the redeemed of all the ages (e.g. Bible characters).

That will be truly awesome.

 

The Rapture will be the beginning of a glorious reunion!

 

9 The Return ☆ 1 Thessalonians 4:17c...

 

"... and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

 

Okay, so we meet the Lord in the air. What then?

As a pre-tribulationist (I believe the Rapture takes place before the Great Tribulation), I believe we go straight to Heaven to be with the Lord. We go back to His Father's House.

 

The Scriptures to back this argument... look at the very close parallel between...

 

☆ John 14:1-3.                          ☆ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

trouble, v. 1                                 sorrow, v. 13 

believe, v. 1                                  believe, v. 14 

God, Me, v. 1  told you, v. 2      Jesus, God, v. 14  say to you, v. 15    come again, v. 3                          coming of the Lord, v. 15 

receive you, v. 3                          caught up, v. 17 

to Myself, v. 3                              to meet the Lord, v. 17 

be where I am, v. 3                     ever be with the Lord, v. 17 

 

We will be in heaven with Jesus for the entire period of the seven years of the Great Tribulation and then return with Him to earth at His second coming (which I call phase 2).

 

And that's another "story" again.