•THE
RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.
•WHAT
IS THE MEANING OF THE RAPTURE
•The
word ‘Rapture means’ to transport from one place to another.
•-
First let me say what the rapture is.
- The word rapture is derived from the Latin word ‘raptu’, which means caught away or caught up.
- The word described in our text refers to the catching up of the church from the earth to meet the Lord in the air.
- The word rapture is derived from the Latin word ‘raptu’, which means caught away or caught up.
- The word described in our text refers to the catching up of the church from the earth to meet the Lord in the air.
•How
will Jesus Return?
1.Unexpectedly. (1Ths 5:1-3)
2.Like the lightening. Matt 24-27
3.In the same Way That He left Acts 1:10-11
4.With Great Power and Glory. Luke 21:27
5.In full view of all. Rev 1: 7
•Signs
of His coming.
•Matthew 24:5-7
•For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the
Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of
wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all[a] these
things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,[b]
and earthquakes in various places.
•The
Jews will come to know the Lord.
•Jeremiah 24:4-7
•New
International Version (NIV)
•4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel,
says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I
sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.[a] 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will
bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I
will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a
heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my
people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their
heart.
•
•GOSPEL
PREACHED EVERYWHERE.
2 Peter 3: 8-9
•2 Peter 3:8-9
•King
James Version (KJV)
•8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that
one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
•9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
•Your
Friends will ask you this question.
•
•Why
Jesus did not return yet?
•We
have heard Christians talking like this the day we were born.
•How
are you going to answer?
•Seth
– 912 years
•Jared
– 962 years
•Kenan
– 910 years
•Methuselah
– 969 years. His death shall bring disaster. God gave long life to Methusalah.This is the time when God pronounce death to the disobedient people. But God Gave time.
•God
is gracious allowing us to repent before he comes.
Lamech the Younger – 777 years
Lamech the Younger – 777 years
•How
to prepare for His rapture.
•Romans 3:22-24
1.Having Jesus righteousness in You.
•John 1:17
•For
the law was given by
Moses, but grace and truth came
by Jesus Christ.
2. Believing and trusting that only through Jesus you
are saved an not by the works of the Law.
•How
to prepare for His rapture.
3.Be watchful and share to your friends about Jesus.
•2 Timothy 4:5
•5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions,
do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
•
•Be Ready! - Luke 12:35-4
•"Be ready! Be fully dressed and have your lights
shining. Be like servants that are waiting for their master to come home from a
wedding party. The master comes and knocks. The servants open the door for the
master. Those servants will be blessed when their master comes home, because he
sees that his servants are ready and waiting for him. I tell you the truth. The
master will dress himself for work and tell the servants to sit at the table.
Then the master will serve them. Those servants might have to wait until
midnight or later for their master. But they will be happy when their master
comes in and finds them still waiting. Remember this: If the owner of the house
knew what time a thief was coming, then the owner would not allow the thief to
enter his house. So you also must be ready! The Son of Man will come at a time
when you don't expect him!“
•
•Text1
Thessalonians 4:16-18
•King
James Version (KJV)
•16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead
in Christ shall rise first:
•17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord.
•18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
•
•Paul
concluded in his message to the Thessalonians Church:
•1
Thessalonians 5, 4:6
•4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so
that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children
of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the
darkness.
•LET
US PRAY TOGETHER.
•
•Father, give me a greater sense of urgency and expectation
about the coming of Christ. I want to be ready and to greet that day with joy
and celebration even though I can't know the day or hour of his coming. Give me
wisdom as I try to invest in eternal things that matter to you. Give me courage
to live with purity and holiness as I seek to offer myself to Jesus as one
prepared for his coming. Give me a sense of joyous anticipation as I await my
Savior and the blessing of his glorious return and his ultimate victory. In
Jesus' name I pray. Amen
