"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. 

A (very!) short poem!!

As, yesterday, my wife and I walked back from the nearby village to the campsite in which we are currently enjoying temperatures in the high 30s C, a little creature was spotted - and prompted this shortest of verses!

Today I saw a butterfly.
In front of me it fluttered by.
With wings a sort of 'primrose yellow';
It really was a handsome fellow!

Much too hot for any serious posts.  However, we return home before the end of the week!

Life - to death - to life!

A caterpillar appears to live a life of perfect contentment - provided it doesn't become a quick snack for a passing bird!     However, the life it leads is totally mundane when compared to the life that is to come as a butterfly.  This video clip shows the metamorphosis that takes place as one creature changes into another.

Wasn't that amazing?  It is also, of course, an illustration of what happens to the disciple of Jesus when (s)he reaches the end of this mortal life - either through physical death, or at the rapture.   John writes: "Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (I John 3:2); while Paul writes: "So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body." (I Cor 15:42-44)
 

The true disciple of Jesus has an eternal destiny in which (s)he will have a glorious, spiritual, body that is yet 'connected' to the physical body in which they lived out their mortal lives.  The transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly is amazing - indeed, beyond comprehension.  The transformation of the believer into a heavenly being, is a trillion times more wonderful!   But although all will live through eternity, only those who have acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus in their lives, will live with Him.  For those who reject, or even neglect, Him, there is only the prospect of eternity without Him.

Have you made your choice?

Philip's egg.

At Café Church, Bergerac, today, my good friend Brian L mentioned that he had read the post that referred to the eggciting Resurrection Day worship service in Dalziel-St.Andrew's, Motherwell, in which the eggcellent minister used some plastic eggs, in an eggsuberantly eggspert fashion, to get the full story of the Day across to the children.

He had intended sharing the following true story at Café Church, but there was so much to be included that he decided that there was insufficient time.  He asked if I would like to share it on my blog, and I am more than happy to do so.  Have a tissue handy!

"He was 9 - in a Sunday-school class of 8-year-olds.  Eight-year-olds can be cruel.

These children did not welcome Philip into their group.  Not just because he was older.  He was 'different'.  He suffered from Downs Syndrome and its obvious manifestations: facial characteristics; slow responses; symptoms of retardation.

One Sunday, after Easter, the Sunday-school teacher led the children in an activity using plastic eggs - the kind that pull apart in the middle.  The Sunday-school teacher gave one of these eggs to each child.

On that beautiful Spring day, each child was to go outdoors and discover, for themselves, some symbol of 'new life', and place that symbolic seed, or leaf, or whatever, inside their egg.

The youngsters gathered round on the appointed day, and placed their eggs on the table, and the teacher began to open them.  One child had found a flower.  All of the children 'oohed' and 'aahed' at the lovely symbol of new life.  In another was a butterfly.  'Beautiful', the girls said - and it's not easy for an 8-year-old to say 'Beautiful'!

Another egg was opened to reveal a stone.  Some of the children laughed.  'That's crazy!', one said.  'How's a stone supposed to be like a new life?'  Immediately, a little boy spoke up.  'That's mine.  I knew that everybody would get flowers, and leaves, and butterflies, and all that stuff, so I got a stone to be different!' Everybody laughed.

The teacher opened the last egg, and there was nothing inside.  'That's not fair', someone said.  'That's stupid', said another.  The teacher felt a tug on his shirt.  It was Philip.  Looking up, he said, 'It's mine.  I did do it.  It's empty.  I have new life because the tomb is empty.'

The class fell silent.

From that day on, Philip became part of the group.  They welcomed him.  Whatever had made him 'different' was never mentioned again.

Philip's family had known that he would not live a long life; just too many things were wrong with his tiny body.  That summer, overcome with infection, Philip died.

On the day of his funeral service, nine 8-year-old boys and girls confronted the reality of death, and marched up to the front of the church building - but not with flowers.

Nine children, with their Sunday-school teacher, placed on the coffin of their friend their gift of love - an empty egg."

Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; the tomb is empty.  And because He lives, so do all who have placed their trust, unreservedly, in Him.  Hallelujah!

Adversity can make us strong.

A man found the cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.  Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had got as far as it could, and it could go no further.  

The man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings.  The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.  Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its short life crawling around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings. It was never able to fly.  

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.  

Sometimes, God will have us struggle in life. That's because He has a plan for us. He knows what's best and He knows what He is doing. We just need to trust Him.