1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
• We should have the Lord’s Supper ‘until He comes.’
• We should live in light of the fact that Christ will return.
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
• ‘Asleep’ = dead.
• Christians who are still living when this happens will be ‘caught up together’ with those who had already died to meet the Lord.
Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
• The ‘hour of testing,’ or hour of trial, is the tribulation.
• The great importance of the rapture is not that we will avoid the Great Tribulation, because we still go through tough times now.
Why is the Rapture important?
1. The doctrine of imminency is emphasized by Paul.
2. The scripture indicates that the doctrine of imminency is important. Paul talks about it often.
3. What one believes about this doctrine is often indicative of what he believes about other important doctrines, such as the importance and authority of the Bible.
A brief explanation of these three points:
1. Paul explained the mystery.
• See also Ephesians 1, 3 and 1 Corinthians 12.
• Paul had been given from God the explanation of “the church,” and Paul passed the doctrines and explanation of what it means to be ‘in Christ’ to us.
• In order to be clear biblically, we have to understand the special place of Paul in the revelations of God. Paul explains how God relates to the church, what it means to be ‘in Christ.’
- For example, Matthew is written to God’s covenant people. Romans is written to those who are ‘in Christ.’
• Paul revealed the mystery of what it means to be ‘in Christ.’
2. Paul’s writings teach imminency.
• See also 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10.
3. Two peoples, two purposes.
• Israel and the Church.
• Distinguishing these two purposes helps us understand what God has for us.
How should these things affect me?
1. We should study the Scriptures carefully.
• Many Christians treat the Bible as a devotional book, or a book of ethics, or a book about the Golden Rule.
• We have to understand the Bible by studying it as a textbook.
2. We should approach life seriously.
• As a church, we need to care about people enough to reach out to them before terrible things happen.