What about death and the Rapture?

Death is certain

· Spiritual death, the spirit separated from God.

And the Lord God commanded Adam, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. –Genesis 2:16-17 KJV

· Physical death, the spirit separated from the body.

Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. –Genesis 5:5 NIV

Will you keep this appointment?

It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement. –Hebrews 9:27 KJV

Put your house in order

In those days Hezekiah [the King] became ill and was at the point of death. The pro-phet Isaiah went to him and said, "This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."

2 Kings 20:1 NIV

This year you shall die

Then said the prophet Jeremiah to Hanan-iah the [false] prophet¼ therefore thus says the Lord; Behold I will cast you from off the face of the earth: this year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.

–Jeremiah 28:16 KJV

Tonight you will die

A rich man’s farm produced a big crop. He said, "I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones¼ then I’ll say to myself, ‘you have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’" But God said to him, "You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?"

–Luke 12:16-20 CEV

And in Hell he lift up his eyes

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day¼ The rich man died and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments¼ And he cried ¼ have mercy on me¼

–Luke 16:19--KJV

But we shall not all die

Two Old Testament examples

ü By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found because God had taken him away. –Hebrews 11:5 NIV

ü When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind ¼ Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" " Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit, Elisha replied." "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not." As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this.

2 Kings 2:1-11 NIV

Note: The no-death experience of Enoch and Elijah are Old Testament examples of what will occur at the Rapture, the first event of the 2^nd coming of Christ. Some Bible scholars believe that Enoch and Elijah are the 2 Tribulation witnesses in Revelation 11.

Don’t count on dying!

But no true Christian has any right to count on dying. There is something that is more certain than death. There are some who will never die. Those who are alive and waiting for Christ when he comes, shall never taste of death. They shall be taken as Enoch was taken, as Elijah was taken.

Joseph A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, ©1865, Henderson & Company, Toronto, Canada, 1901, Vol I, p301

A loud cry, a voice, a trumpet blast

The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a loud summons, when the archangel calls and the trumpet of God sounds; the dead in Christ will rise first, and then we, the living, will be caught up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall be with the Lord forever. Encourage one another with these words.

–1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18 Moffatt

We shall not all die

We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye¼ a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised ¼ and we shall be changed.

–1 Corinthians 15: 51-52 Amplified New Testament

John and the Rapture

· Immediately after the messages to the 7 churches

After this, I looked and saw a door that opened into heaven. Then the voice that had spoken to me at first said, "Come up here! I will show you what must happen next." Right then the spirit took control of me, and there in heaven I saw a throne and someone sitting on it.

Revelation 4:1-3 CEV

With whom is God dealing?

Revelation Chapters 1 - 5 The church age

Israel mentioned 3 times

Church " 19 times

Revelation Chapters 6 - 18 Tribulation time

Israel mentioned 26 times

Church " 0 times

Revelation Chapters 19 - 22 New heaven/earth

Israel mentioned 1 time

Church " 6 times

A door that opened into heaven

·Time: After the messages to the 7 church-es [the church age], but before the judge-ments upon the world [the tribulation].

·Event: The Rapture has just taken place.

·Place: Heaven

·Setting: A throne set in Heaven, rainbow, 7 spirits of God, glassy crystal sea.

·Persons: God [Father, Son, Holy Spirit]

24 Elders

4 Living beings

·Worship: God as Creator †

You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being.

·Singing: Holy, Holy, Holy

·Purpose: John is to be shown what must happen next; that is, what happens now that the church has been raptured.

† See Revelation 6 for worship of God as Redeemer

Christ Returneth

It may be at morn, when the day is awaking,

When sunlight through darkness

and shadow is breaking,

That Jesus will come in the fullness of glory

To receive from the world His own.

O Lord Jesus, how long, how long

Ere we shout the glad song?

Christ returneth, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Amen.

–H. L. Turner, circa 1800's