What Happens to Christians Who Die PT-6b-7 (1 Thess. 4:17-18)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/11/2014 10:05 AM

My Worship Time                                     Focus:  What Happens to Christians Who Die PT-6b-7

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Thess. 4:16-18

            Message of the verses:  I want to finish up on the sixth point from yesterday’s SD and then look at the last main point under John MacArthur’s outline for this section of the 4^th chapter of 1 Thessalonians. 

            The sixth point is from verse seventeen:  “Then we who are alive and remain will 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.”  John MacArthur writes “Harpazo (caught up) refers to a strong irresistible, even violent act.  In Matthew 11:12 it describes the taking of a kingdom of heaven by force.  In John 10:12 it describes a wolf snatching sheep; in John 10:28-29 it speaks of the impossibility of anyone’s snatching believers out of the hands of Jesus Christ and God the Father; in Acts 8:39 it speaks of Phillip’s being snatched away from the Ethiopian eunuch; and in 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4 it describes Paul’s being caught up into the third heaven.  It is when living believers are caught up that they are transformed and receive their glorified bodies (Phil. 3:21).  ‘In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye’ believers ‘will be changed’ (1 Cor. 15:52), rescued from the grasp of Satan, the fallen flesh, the evil world system, and the coming wrath of God.”  These things written here should make us praise the Lord for what He will do at this event for His children. 

            Now we have mentioned that there are two returns of Jesus Christ, one is the Rapture of the Church, the catching away of all of those in the church age, both dead and alive, to be caught up to be with Christ in the clouds, and then the actual physical return of Jesus Christ to planet earth at the end of the tribulation period, and in specific at the battle of Armageddon where mankind will be about to destroy each other and even the earth, and then Christ will return to the very place that He left, the Mount of Olives and stop this war and will judge those who are not believers, including the antichrist, the false prophet, and even Satan along with all other non-believers who will be thrown into hell by Christ. When we look at the passages that cover the Rapture we do not see any judgment like when we look at the second coming of Christ to planet earth. 

            At this point in John MacArthur’s commentary he goes on to further explain why he believes that the Rapture will happen before the tribulation period and as I said before I do not wish to write further about this because I agree with the position that the Rapture of the Church will indeed happen before the tribulation period from the way that I see in Scripture and I also mentioned that believers study this on their own.  John Walvoord’s book entitle “The Rapture Question” is a wonderful resource to look at that will give all of the views of when the Rapture will happen and then at the end give many evidences of why he believes that it will happen before the tribulation period that is described in Revelations chapters 6-19.  At the end of this book John Walvoord gives 50 reasons of a pretribulational Rapture.

            The Profit of the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:18):  “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

            John MacArthur writes:  “The benefit of understanding the Rapture is not to fill the gaps in one’s eschatological scheme.  As noted at the beginning of this chapter, Paul’s goal in teaching the Thessalonians about the Rapture was to comfort them.  The ‘God of all comfort’ (2 Cor. 1:3) grants to all believers the encouraging comfort of knowing that Christ will one day return for them.  At that monumental event, the dead in Christ will be raised, join with the living saints in experiencing a complete transformation of body and soul, and be with God forever.  Therefore, there was no need for the Thessalonians to grieve or sorrow over their fellow believers who had died.  No wonder Paul calls the return of Christ ‘the blessed hope’ (Titus 2:13).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful for the truth about the Rapture and how the truth of it can give great comfort to me and to pass on that hope to others.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

 Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Zacharias” (Luke 1:18).

Today’s Bible question:  “What city did Israel capture after marching around it?”

Answer in our next SD.

7/11/2014 12:09 PM