By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #5 ~
At the end of this age, Jesus Christ will come down from heaven. With all authority, He will lovingly, powerfully, suddenly, quickly, and safely take up all the believers who are remaining on this earth. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet,” we will be taken out of this evil age, and be taken up from this earth. Immediately we will see Jesus, and then be with Him forever. This is the rapture of the Christians! 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
At this time, we will be caught up together with all the believers from all time. “We who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds…” 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Those in heaven and those on earth will be gathered together to be with Jesus Christ. Then we will see all the believers, which includes loved ones, family members and friends who went to heaven before us. What a great reunion, what a glorious celebration this will be! This is our hope, our future – this is the truth, what surely will take place, and what we should all be looking forward to. Matthew 24:31
“…to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17. We will not just see one another, but we will see Jesus. Then we will hear His loving voice and His truth-filled words. Finally, it hits us, we are actually with Jesus, our Lord, Savior, Friend and Husband. Filled with awe and overflowing with joy, with great emotion we will praise and thank our Lord, and tell Him, as Revelation 7:9 says, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.”
“We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He is.” 1 John 3:2. Not only will we see Jesus, but we will also be like Him. That is, we will be glorified, we will receive our brand new body. Do you realize that no believer in heaven or on earth at this time is glorified, is fully saved? This takes place at the rapture. And for believers now on earth, we are justified, we are being sanctified, and we will be glorified at the rapture, when all believers from all time will receive their perfect, powerful, immortal and spiritual bodies. Our salvation will finally be complete! How wonderful this will be! Glory be to God! Romans 8:28-30, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
When will this take place? No one but God knows the exact time. But God does want us to know the general time of Christ’s coming and the rapture; and it won’t be long because we are now living in the end times. It is Matthew 24 that helps us see the general time of His coming, and gives us the best chronology of end time events. It tells us that the rapture (vs 31) will be after the birth pains (vss 4-8), after the Antichrist is revealed (vs 15), after great tribulation (vss 9, 21, 29), after the gospel has been preached to the world (vs 14), and after the end of the age, the signs in the heavens (vs 29). The rapture will take place sometime during the last half of Daniel’s 70th week, but we do not know the day or the hour.
The rapture of the church, the first event at Christ’s coming, is a most pivotal, critical and climactic point in human history. Why? 1) All believers are happily with Christ, our salvation is complete and we are glorified. 2) This present evil age is over, and the day of the Lord, God’s righteous wrath, will then take place on earth. 3) Then the good age will begin, when Christ will reign on this earth, and we will reign with Him. The rapture – what a glorious moment this will be, and O what it means for all eternity! Think about it. Believe it. Be excited about it! Look forward to it! “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20
JESUS LOVES ME – Anna B. Warner / William Bradbury
“Jesus loves me! He who died Heaven’s gate to open wide; He will wash away my sin, Let His little child come in. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.”
“Jesus loves me! He will stay close beside me all the way; He’s prepared a home for me, and some day His face I’ll see. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.”
P.S. – Our church will be hosting a Bible Prophecy Conference on April 1-2. The speakers will be Marv Rosenthal, Alan Kurschner and myself. Check it out on the front page of www.HopeBibleChurch.US – it’s going to be a great conference, and I want to invite you to attend.