"I shall return"

The words that head this post are those referred to in the previous post. They were spoken by American General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur, to the people of the Philippines in 1942, as he left for Australia to command the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Theatre in the Second World War.

Some 1900 years earlier, very similar words were spoken by Jesus of Nazareth to His closest disciples. One of those present has recorded the words for us: "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also." (John 14:1-3; emphasis added)

We know that Gen. MacArthur fulfilled his promise to the people of the Philippines. But what about Jesus? It's now heading towards 2,000 years since He made His promise - but it hasn't yet been fulfilled! 

Listen to another of those who were present when the Lord Jesus made that promise: "... do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up." (II Peter 3:8-10).

The event to which Peter refers - "... the day of the Lord ..." is, I would contend, the Second Advent when the Lord Jesus will return to deal with the forces of evil, once and for all. However, there is a prior event to which His words also apply. This is the event referred to by Paul when, in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, he writes: "... this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (I Thess 4:15-18; emphasis added).

This event is referred to as "the Rapture" of the true church. It is that event to which the Lord Jesus referred when He said: "But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come." (Mark 13:32-33). There will be no warning. It will happen in an instant. Paul writes to the Corinthian believers: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." (I Cor 15:51-52; emphases added).

There are, in fact, three "stages" to the Rapture. The first of these is the sound that will be heard. That will be the voice of an archangel with "a cry of command" - the command to those who have already died in the Christ; true believers from all previous generations; to rise to meet with Him, “… in the air …”!  That will be followed by the sound of the shofar (not the man-made metal trumpet, but that which is created by Father God). Vance Havner, an American preacher of an earlier generation, used to say, "I'm not looking for signs; I'm listening for a sound"! – the sound of the voice of the archangel, and of the shofar.

The second stage concerns the ascent that we shall make. Paul writes: "And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds…" At the Rapture, there will be two kinds of believer. There will be those who have already died, in the Lord.

This, it would appear, was the big concern of the Thessalonian believers. “… we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”  Sleep is used in the New Testament to describe death. So Lazarus was “asleep”; the centurion’s daughter was “asleep”.

The disciples of Jesus in Thessalonica knew that the Lord would return for His people. But they also knew that some of their number has already died. Had these brothers and sisters in Jesus missed out? Paul confirms that this is not so! Indeed, he states that those who have died in the Lord Jesus will rise first!   That is, they will actually rise before the second group - those who are alive, who are left.  “… then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds …”. The Greek word that is translated “caught up” is much stronger than that. It means to “snatch up”, “to seize”, “to pull forcibly”.  This, of course, is in line with Paul’s inspired words to the Corinthian believers: "... we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,". 

I learned, recently, of a period of time known as a “nanosecond”! I use the expression “period of time” because I cannot think of anything more suitable. But a nano-second is one one-billionth of a second! That is, quite honestly, beyond my comprehension. I believe that if Paul had been privy to such information, he might well have written “… we shall all be changed in a nano-second.”! 

But Paul mentions another aspect of the Rapture that we must consider. He writes “… the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality." The resurrection body is not going to be a body of flesh and blood as are the bodies that we now inhabit, for "... flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." (I Cor 15:50). At the Rapture, we shall receive our new, and perfect, bodies, designed for eternity in the close presence of Almighty God!

The change will be a metamorphosis – just like a caterpillar that, taking much longer, changes into a beautiful butterfly. I don’t know about you, but that makes me really excited – and eager for that Rapture to take place!

The third "stage" in the Rapture is the union we shall enjoy. That union is, of course, with the Saviour, the Lord Jesus. Paul continues in that passage to the Thessalonians with the words: “and so we shall always be with the Lord.” This stage is connected to the procedures in a Jewish wedding – which is somewhat different to a wedding in either France or Scotland! However, to go through it in detail would make an already longer-than-usual post much longer still! Perhaps I shall share that in a separate post. Suffice it, for now, to say that the Bridegroom will have come for His Bride and that, while she does not know the precise moment, she may have an indication of it.

The written Word of God provides us with so many signs of the coming of the Bridegroom, - our Lord Jesus. Arguably the greatest of these is Israel, the nation, being reformed on May 14^th, 1948 – the date on which, many are convinced, the prophetic clock started to tick!

As we look at the ‘signs of the times’, (yet another potential post!) there can surely be no doubt in any Bible-believing person’s mind, that we are in the very last days – that the Rapture is, to use an English-language idiom, “Just around the corner”!

This is the Rapture.

I want to leave you with just three questions;

1 Have you been washed – in the blood of the Lord Jesus?

2 Are you watching – for His ‘coming in the clouds’?

3 Are you waiting - ?

When that great shout is heard; when the sound of the shofar echoes throughout the world; may you and I be among those who are snatched up, in a nanosecond, to be forever with the Lord.

Note. I deal a little more fully with the Rapture in my first book, "Great Words of the Faith" - links at the top of the blog. ALL royalties sent directly to Release International.