Eric Casagrande      /          Genelyn Novabos

 

 

The Rapture:  A New Perspective

  

My friends, I’d like to speak with you today about an event that will rock this planet to its very core, like nothing else in the history of mankind. It’s known as the Rapture, and will involve the unparalleled disappearance of hundreds of millions – if not billions – of people from the earth, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns for His Church.

Now of course, most of my readership are likely familiar with the rapture and surrounding events, but I want to share something with you that I’ve just discovered about it recently in my Bible studies, and it may well be something that you’ve also never been taught (or considered), previously.

Turn with me now, if you would, to 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18, and let’s examine how the Holy Spirit has inspired Paul, to describe the glorious rapture event:

 

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,

concerning them which are asleep, that you

sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

 

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

even so them also which sleep in Jesus will

God bring with Him.

 

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,

that we which are alive, and remain unto the

coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them

which are asleep.

 

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.

 

Then we which 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.

 

 Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.”

 

At the time of Paul’s writing, most believers at Thessalonica were strongly convinced that Jesus Christ was going to return in their lifetime. But when the years began to pass, many believers felt troubled, because more and more of their family members were dying off! So they greatly debated – to no small end – as to whether or not their loved ones would miss out on the obvious benefits of the Lord’s return in glory.

Would they ever see them again?

So Paul sets out to offer them comfort, and impart to their hearts a bit of revelation knowledge concerning the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross. He begins his exhortation in verse 1, by referring to their departed friends and loved ones, as being ‘asleep’.

 

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,

concerning them which are asleep, that you

  sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”

 

Note two points here: First, those who die without being spiritually renewed by the life imparted through Jesus Christ, die without hope – while those who have died in Christ, are not without hope. Now someone might say to me: ‘But Brother Eric, the apostle Paul is referring to living unbelievers as the ones without hope, in this verse.” Well yes, that is certainly true – and if those living unbelievers are themselves without hope, how much more so the dead? At least the living have the chance to come to Christ!

But secondly, Paul uses a familiar term in describing what we might refer to as death – namely, ‘sleep’. There is good reason for this, because the word death implies ‘finality’. The end of the road. A point of no return. Yet in his application of the word ‘sleep’, Paul implies that, at some point in the future, there will also be an awakening! He confirms this by the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5: 14, saying:

 

“Therefore He [God] says: Awake, you who sleep.

Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

 

We see a further mentioning of this in Romans 13: 11, where the apostle Paul is once again speaking through a revelation from the Holy Spirit:

 

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time

 to awaken out of sleep; for now is our salvation

nearer than when we first believed.”

 

But perhaps the most fascinating example of all, is found in the Gospel of John, where he gives a recounting of the miraculous story about Lazarus. If you open up your bible to John 11: 1-44, it describes for us the entire sequence of events.

Lazarus of Bethany (the town of Mary – being the prostitute who anointed the feet of Jesus with costly oil, and washed them with her tears – and of Martha), had become seriously ill. So they sent a message on to Jesus, informing him of the situation, hoping that he’d immediately rush over and perform a miracle, to save their dear brother.

But not only did Jesus not drop everything and head straight for Bethany, he actually waited two additional days (John 11: 6-7), after receiving the bad news!

 

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

 

So when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two

more days in the place where He was.

 

Then after this, He said to the disciples:

 Let us go into Judea again.”

 

Of course the disciples started freaking out, feeling that such a plan would spell disaster, since they were only too aware of the attempts made by the religious Jews to put Jesus to death, by stoning. It would be like marching into a viper’s den.

But Jesus had a strategy, and his plan wasn’t two days late, it was right on time! He would go and pay a visit to the, by now, deceased Lazarus (John 11: 11), for a rather dramatic purpose:

 

“These things He [Jesus] said, and after that He

said to them: Our friend, Lazarus sleeps.

But I go, that I may wake him up.”

 

Did you catch it? Lazarus was ‘sleeping’ (i.e. he was dead), and Jesus was returning to Bethany to ‘wake him up’. Yes, I said that Jesus was returning to Bethany, as that was the place where the world first received a revelation that He was their Messiah (John 1: 18-29). Remember this very important point for later!

Paul then goes on to say that we who remain alive at the rapture, will gain absolutely no advantage over those who are ‘sleeping’. In other words, we won’t depart to be with the Lord Jesus Christ, either ahead of, or without them (1 Thessalonians 4: 15):

 

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,

that we which are alive, and remain unto the

coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them

which are asleep.”

 

The word being used here – ‘prevent’ – means to exclude something else from taking place. To put it more clearly, Paul is saying: ‘Look friends, the living will not depart from this earth without including they who have gone on before them (i.e. those who sleep).”

Here then is the sequence of events: The Lord Jesus returns with a loud shout; the trumpet of God is blown; the dead in Christ rise; and we all go home to be with the Lord forever, in a new heavenly (but physical), body, similar to the body of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

But this is where it gets a bit murky for some people, because they don’t notice what the scripture actually tells us. Strangely, many believers think that we who are alive will meet up with the risen dead in the air. In other words, they believe the dead rise up to meet Christ first – and then a split moment later, those living at the time will rise up to meet them (the dead), and Christ, in the air.

Unfortunately, that isn’t exactly what the scripture says! Let’s take another look at 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17, again:

 

“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.

 

Then we which 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.”

 

My friends, if you read it very carefully, you will notice that it very clearly states what begins the event – namely, the sounding of a trumpet blast.

Then what happens? What is the first event of the sequence?

In response to said trumpet blast, the dead in Christ rise from their ‘sleep’. Notice it doesn’t say the rapture takes place immediately, upon the sound of the trumpet. It only speaks of the rising of the dead (i.e. those who are ‘sleeping’).

Friends, the trumpet blast is the ‘alarm clock’ if you will, to awaken those who are sleeping – the dead!

Read 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 once more –

 

“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.”

 

Step one: Blow the trumpet to raise the dead.

Friends, the scripture isn’t describing an event which happens in one fell swoop. No! Before you rapture the dead, you first have to raise the dead! In the case of Jesus, what happened? First, he arose from the dead, and then second, he ascended into heaven. Step one – the resurrection. Step two – the rapture.  Two very distinct events!

Read what John 20: 15-17 says, in support of this matter:

 

“Jesus said to her [Mary]: ‘Woman, why are you

crying? Who is it that you are seeking?’

Supposing him to be the gardener, she said

to him: ‘Sir, if you have carried him away,

tell me where you have laid him, and

I will take him away.’

 

Jesus said to her: ‘Mary!’ She turned and said

to him: ‘Rabboni’ (which means Teacher).

 

Jesus said to her: ‘Do not touch me. For I have

not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my

brethren, and say to them, I ascend to my Father

and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

 

The trumpet blows – and the first thing which happens is the awakening of the ones who ‘sleep’ (the resurrection of the dead). Step one, completed.

Now some might say: ‘No way, Eric. When it says that the dead in Christ are to rise first, it means to rise up into the air first to meet the Lord, just before us. You are misinterpreting this scripture.

My friend, if you honestly believe this is what 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17 means, then you are the one who is wrong! Read what some of the other translations say (NIV 1984):

 

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,

with a loud command, and with the voice of the

archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and

the dead in Christ will rise first.

 

After that, we who are still alive and are left

will be caught up together with them in the

clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we

will be with the Lord forever.”

 

The rapture is a simultaneous event, involving both the living and the dead. Take a look at how the Amplified Bible translates these verses:

 

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven

 with a loud cry of summons, with the shout

of an archangel, and with the trumpet blast

of God. And those who have departed this

life in Christ, will rise first.

 

Then we, the living ones who remain [on the

Earth], shall simultaneously be caught up

along with [the resurrected dead] in the

clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so

always [through the eternity of eternities]

we shall be with the Lord!”

 

But why stop there? Let’s go back to one of the longest running, and one of the oldest translations, namely, the Latin Vulgate (from which, whether you choose to believe it or not, nearly all  of the present day translations have been derived / influenced, in one form or other, including the KJV):

 

Latin Vulgate “Quoniam ipse Dominus in iussu et invoce archangeli et in tuba Dei descendet de caelo et mortui qui in Christo sunt resurgent primi.    Deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus.”

English Translation “For the Lord himself and at the command with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, shall descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up at the same time with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we be always with the Lord.”

I can hear the cries of protest now: ‘Okay, Brother Eric, I can accept that the rapture is a simultaneous event involving both the living and the dead. But are you serious about the dead standing on the earth with the rest of us? How on earth is that even possible?’

Yes, that is exactly what I am submitting to you. How is it possible? Read Matthew 27: 50-54, about the crucifixion of Christ:

 

“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud

voice, yielded up the ghost.

 

And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn

in two from the top to the bottom; and the

earth did quake, and the rocks were split.

 

And the graves were opened; and many

bodies of the saints, which slept, arose.

 

And came out of the graves after his resurrection,

and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”

 

When Jesus Christ shouted: ‘IT IS FINISHED’, there was an immediate resurrection of many saints ‘which slept’ (i.e. those who had died), as the scripture bears witness to us. How did those dead arise, many of whom laid there for centuries? But it did happen, even if they didn’t come out of their tombs until after His resurrection!

The scripture also supports this idea in 1 Corinthians 15: 51-53, where the apostle Paul says:

 

“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, at the

the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound,

and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,

and we [the living] shall be changed.

 

For this corruptible [the dead], must put on

incorruption; and this mortal [the living]

must put on immortality.”

 

Step two: Both the living and dead are given new bodies!

So don’t be surprised when the trumpet blows, and the dead suddenly rise up out of their graves and stand there, looking to the heavens for His next command!

Oh hallelujah!

The next command, by the way, is for all of us in the Lord, both the living, and the dead. After the awakening trumpet blast causes the dead to rise; and after we are all (living and dead) changed; comes the loud command of the Lord Jesus: ‘COME OUT!’ – or perhaps ‘COME UP HERE!’

Then, ten billion times quicker than you can blink your eye – we are gone! To be with the Lord, and our departed loved ones, forever!

By the way, did you happen to notice the similarities between the rapture, and the events surrounding the resurrection of Lazarus?

 

1.    Jesus resurrected Lazarus after two days.

2.    ’Two days’ (i.e. 2,000 years) later, we await the resurrection-rapture.

 

3.    Lazarus had his old ‘grave-clothes’ removed, at the resurrection.

4.    Both the dead and the living are given a new body, at the rapture.

 

5.    Jesus gave a loud commanding shout to Lazarus – “COME FORTH!”

6.    Jesus descends, giving a loud commanding shout, at the rapture.

 

Friends, there is absolutely no doubt that Jesus is coming soon. The signs of His imminent arrival are everywhere, like no other time or generation in history. Until that incredible moment, let us go forth and share the fantastic news of how much God loves everybody without discrimination, as shown very clearly through the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross.

Oh hallelujah! Come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

 

  

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