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. 1 Thessalonians 4:16
Down through the centuries, the Lord’s people have wondered about the moment described in our text. What will it be like to experience this great event? Nothing we could ever experience in our lifetimes will prepare us to be any less than totally astonished, amazed, and thrilled beyond measure. Some more details are provided for us in 1 Corinthians 15:52: ‘In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed’. What a great comfort this is to us!
Not all Christians believe there will be a Rapture, although all Christians will experience it. As my son used to tell me, ‘How can they not believe in the Rapture? It’s in the Bible.’ Good question! The popular saying among the anti-rapturites is that the Rapture was invented by J.N. Darby and was popularized by Dr. C.I. Scofield. That’s not true, of course. The fourth chapter of 1 Thessalonians describes this great event, and there is no reason for us not to take this description exactly as it appears. The last verse in this chapter explains why we are told about the Rapture: ‘Wherefore comfort one another with these words’ – 1 Thessalonians 4:18.
The imminent Rapture has always comforted the Lord’s people. As our bodies experience pain and suffering, we are comforted to know that at the Rapture our bodies will be changed. As we sorrowfully place the bodies of our loved ones in the grave, we are comforted to know they will experience the Rapture before we do. As we feel the reality of our own approaching death, we are comforted to know the Rapture could take place before we die. As we see our world descending into certain judgement for sin, we are comforted to know we will never experience the great tribulation.
The Lord is coming! Maranatha! -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/tE6NTHJme18