Foundations of Faith
THE END TIMES (II)
What Is the Difference Between Dying and Being Raptured? Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Those who are familiar with the Bible know that Ol’ Ben was wrong. Even death is not certain! One of the best known and loved passages of the Bible is where Jesus tells His disciples:“I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). But to most people, this is no more than a promise of what will happen when they die.
There are two passages that clearly show that the Lord is coming again for the living as well as for those who die:“The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout … and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who 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” (1 Thess. 4:16,17). “Behold, I show you a mystery:we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…. The dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we [that is, the living] shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51,52). (See Assignment 5)
These two passages show something else:there is something more for the believer than dying and going to heaven. “The dead in Christ shall rise first”; “the dead shall be raised incorruptible.” When a believer dies, the body is placed in a grave where it eventually decays and returns to dust (Gen. 3:19); at the same time, the soul and spirit go to be with the Lord “in paradise” (Luke 23:43). However happy the soul and spirit may be to be “present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8), they are incomplete without the body. At the time of the rapture, the decayed and dusty bodies of dead believers will be resurrected. Our new bodies will have the same identity as our old ones, but they will be changed. Our present body is called “a natural [or ‘soulish’] body,” that is, suited to the interests and desires of our soul. Our new body in heaven is called “a spiritual body,” that is, suited to the interests and desires of our spirit (1 Cor. 15:44, see Dec95 and Sep01 for the distinction between soul and spirit). Furthermore, our new body will be “incorruptible” and “immortal” (1 Cor. 15:52-54), that is, incapable of sickness, growing old, or death.
In 2 Cor. 5:1-4 the apostle Paul refers to four distinct bodily states with regard to death and resurrection:(1) Being alive with our present physical body (“our earthly house”); (2) having died with our soul and spirit separated from our body (“unclothed”); (3) being in heaven with our future resurrected body joined with our soul and spirit (“clothed upon with our house that is from heaven”); and (4) standing before God unsaved, without the covering that He provides for those who have trusted Christ for salvation (“found naked”). Many people today, in their pain, loneliness and distress, cry out, “Oh, that I could die and go to be with the Lord!” However, the apostle wasn’t just looking forward to dying (“unclothed”), but to the rapture when he would receive a new body from heaven to go along with his purified soul and spirit. (We will have more about his later in an issue about heaven.)
When Will the Rapture Occur? As pointed out in the previous issue, there are many different views about this. Most who adopt the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view also believe and teach that the rapture is imminent. We need to examine this word carefully. “Imminent” can mean “likely to happen soon or without delay.” But Christians have been looking for the Lord to come for nearly 2,000 years now, and that doesn’t sound like “soon.” This word “imminent” is used in connection with the rapture in the sense that the rapture is certain to occur at some time, but uncertain as to what time. Another way of looking at it is that while other events may happen before the imminent event, nothing else has to take place before it happens.
There are such things that happen in our world-such as the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 or the tragic events of September 11, 2001-that cause us to exclaim, “The Lord’s coming must be very near!” However, there is nothing in the Bible that says that these or any other events must happen before the Lord comes back for His own.
Will There Be a Second Chance for Those Who Are Unsaved at the Time of the Rapture? A woman who had seen a film about the rapture concluded that she would wait until the rapture occurred and then, knowing what had happened, would put her trust in Christ. This response is foolish for two reasons:(1) She might die before the rapture occurs; and (2) Scripture does not hold out the possibility of a second chance for those who have rejected or neglected Christ’s offer of salvation (Heb. 2:3). Three times in the last chapter of the Bible the Lord declares, “I come quickly” (Rev. 22:7,12,20). This word “quickly” does not mean “soon” but “swiftly, all at once,” that is, before one can make preparations. The rapture will take place “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52); there will be no “two-minute warning” nor another opportunity after the rapture.
In the next issue, if the Lord does not come before then, we shall examine some of the Scriptural arguments that support a pre-tribulation rapture.
Running the Race
HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE (in View of the Imminence of the Lord’s Coming)?
“A certain nobleman … called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:12,13). God has given every believer a spiritual gift to exercise and work to do (see Oct98, Jan99-Aug99). The time to serve the Lord is now! It won’t do any good to wait until after the Lord comes.
“For our [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). Would any of your friends recognize you as a citizen of heaven? (See Assignment 6)
“Be also patient, establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draws near” (Jas. 5:8).
Assignment 5: Write out a verse in 1 Thessalonians that shows that the believers were looking for the Lord to come while they were still alive.
Assignment 6: Write out three verses in Philippians 4 that tell how we should live in view of the Lord being at hand.