Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:50-53, “I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell 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 last Trumpet. For the Trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable; and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (ESV – all emphasis is mine.)
When the above passages are combined with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, we get a broader scope of what the Rapture is all about:
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you do not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep [died]. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the Trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
Even though the above verses have been posted numerous times, some plain explanations should be given, especially for those who have not seen them before.
In his writings to the different churches. Paul uses the word “brothers” often. However, this does not eliminate “sisters,” as he states in Romans 10:12-13, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Another point that may cause some confusion is found in Romans 10:9-10, which tells us to “confess with your mouth that Jesus is “Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
The question here is what about someone who is mute and cannot speak with their mouth?
Psalm 139:1-4; “Oh Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down, and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold Oh Lord, You know it altogether.”
Psalm 139:23; “Search me, Oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts.” Then Jeremiah 17:10; “I the Lord search the heart, and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Romans 8:27 tells about the Holy Spirit that indwells all believers and one way He helps us. “And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
To unbelievers, 1 Corinthians 1:18 applies; “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”
When Paul wrote his epistles, he believed that Jesus could return even in his day, to take all believers up to meet Him in the air to avoid the tribulation/wrath. God has promised to keep all true believers from the coming wrath by removing all who are alive when the ultimate antichrist is to appear. That will be the start of the worst 7-year period of time this earth has ever experienced yet.
Going to 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only He who now restrains it will do so until He is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all powers and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the Truth, and so be saved.”
The one who restrains the antichrist today is obviously the Holy Spirit. When He is taken out of the way so that the tribulation can officially begin, all those whom He indwells must be removed also to keep God’s promise in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10, that all believers will be kept from the coming wrath. This will be what is known as the Rapture.
As stated in 1 Corinthians 15:52, it will be over “in a minute, in the twinkling of an eye.” There will not be time for anyone to pack a bag, and it won’t matter, as we will need nothing of this earth to go with us. Anyone who believes they can wait until the Trumpet and Shout to call out and be saved will be severely disappointed.
Jesus, Paul, John, and others told of what would be taking place right up to the end of this age. One of those signs would be that Israel would be back in their own land as a Sovereign nation, which did not take place until May 14, 1948. President Harry S. Truman was the first world leader to recognize Israel, and welcomed them Home after only 11 minutes of their declaration of statehood.
Many issues have taken place since then. First and foremost, Israel was attacked from several sides almost immediately by several other nations trying to destroy them. However, the Lord has kept His promise that they would never again be totally removed from their land.
Amos 9:14-15, “I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them says the Lord your God.”
We are witnessing the Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and also 2 Timothy 3 end-of-this-age signs being fulfilled on a daily basis. People are going against just about everything having to do with Jesus. Israel is being spoken against worldwide, and that includes groups in America. The remaining end-time sign to be fulfilled would be the Rapture of all true believers. Paul believed it could’ve happened in his day; how much closer are we today?
Paul’s warning in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 is happening today. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
John warns us in 1 John 2:15 not to love the world or the things in the world. He stated that those who love the world do not have the love of the Father in them. He continues in verses 18-23, telling us about antichrists who deny the Father and Son. Verse 23 is very specific; “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” He goes on to state that having the Father and Son gives us God’s promise of eternal life.
John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 state that only through Jesus do we have eternal life. This applies to all who have received and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-13).
The only other choice is that a person does not have Jesus as their Savior before taking their last breath on this earth, and they will enter eternal punishment in the lake of fire with Satan and his demons (Revelation 20:11-15). There is no third option!
No personal possessions will enter eternity with us. No one will ever go wrong by putting all their faith and trust in the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We don’t know the day or hour that the Trumpet will sound, and there’s a shout from an archangel (Matthew 24:46). Being prepared by already having Jesus in your heart as your Savior is absolutely necessary. Today would not be too early to call out for Him to forgive you and prepare a place with Him forever in Heaven as He promised (John 14:1-3).
Then you can truly say that “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder, I’ll Be There!”
Looking forward to seeing you at Home!
The post Don’t Even Have to Pack :: By Dennis Huebshman appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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