Whilst very few will consult a fortune-teller with a crystal ball it is also true that not many will look at God’s Word. Whereas the former has proven to be totally unreliable the latter has a flawless record regarding prophecies concerning the future.
When the Son of God came into this world many prophecies were fulfilled. Two examples are:
- The very specific prophecy about the small town in which the coming ruler, who had existed from eternity, would be born (Micah 5:2).
- The very detailed prophecy about the one via whose womb He would come, and about His nature, as both God and Man (Isaiah 7:14).
Throughout the Bible there are also numerous prophecies concerning His second coming. Someone has calculated that for every prophecy in the Bible relating to Christ’s first coming, there are eight which look forward to His second.
But this future coming will be in stages. Firstly there will be a coming, into the air, for His saints (all true believers in Him) and then a coming, to earth, with His saints.
The Lord Jesus referred to His coming for His people and taking them to be with Him when he was in the Upper Room.
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3).
This pronouncement was made so that troubled hearts would not remain in that state. Undoubtedly His teaching had the desired impact, and it should have that same effect on the lives of Christians today.
The coming of the Lord Jesus for His people is a certain future event that could happen at any time. The primary passage that provides the details about Jesus’ coming for His saints is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. As this is the next certain event in world history let’s consider some basic points from these verses that are intended to bring comfort and encouragement to every believer.
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope” (v.13).
The Thessalonian believers lacked information about what happened to fellow Christians who had “fallen asleep”. The expression that Paul uses instead of the word “died” is refreshing and insightful as it reminds everyone that there will be a future resurrection of the body. Death is not the end. We learn elsewhere that, although it was “sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44a).
“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (v.14).
Every Christian believes that Jesus died and rose again, thus we can know that the souls of believers who have died will return with Christ when He comes for His living saints. The prophecy of the rapture (Christ’s coming for the Christians) is as sure to be fulfilled as the prophecies of Christ’s death and resurrection.
“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep” (v.15).
The Lord has promised that the “dead in Christ” will be raised in glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:43a) and be united to their souls when He comes. There will be a marvellous transformation as everyone “in Christ” will be eternally changed.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (v.16).
The Lord Jesus will come from heaven and the same voice that commanded Lazarus to come out of the grave will be heard by all the “dead in Christ”. They will rise and be with the Lord – a glorious prospect!
“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 thus we shall always be with the Lord” (v.17).
Paul included himself in those who could be alive when the Lord returned. Of course, he is now numbered among the “dead in Christ” but this signifies that he believed in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus for His people.
There are presently millions of believers on earth and all of them who remain alive will be taken up when the Lord Jesus comes into the air. They will instantly have glorified bodies and thus be completely free from sin’s power. The flesh (the nature that humanity inherited from Adam), which wars against the Spirit (Galatians 5:17), will be forever gone. Now, by God’s grace, they will be in the presence of Jesus forever.
“Therefore comfort one another with these words” (v.18).
You might wonder how else Paul could have concluded this teaching about the rapture of the Church. It should be a great comfort and encouragement for every Christian, even in the darkest of times.
The prospect of being with the Lord is a great hope for all believers but there is another reason why we can rejoice about being taken to be with Him. It is because we will escape a coming wrath.
Early in this letter to the Thessalonians Paul could write of how they had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
The phrase “to wait” reminds us, once more, of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus, but we also see that He will deliver His people from a “wrath to come”. This wrath is that which will come upon the earth in a future day. It will be an awful time of judgement on earth when people will know that it is "the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16). The same Jesus who comes for His people will also bring judgement upon this earth that has rejected Him.
Paul writes later on in the same letter about the “day of the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 5:2), the time of God’s wrath upon earth, but the believers are reminded, comforted and encouraged that “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
The next certain event in this world is the rapture of the Church. It is a tremendous hope to be saved from a coming wrath and eternal judgement and to know that at that moment all believers will enjoy sinless perfection and dwell in resurrected, immortal, glorified bodies. The Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).