The Watchman’s Call

Guest (Male): Standing at the intersection of the word and the world, there is a clear sound for uncertain times. Welcome to The Watchman’s Call. Join us as we stand on the ramparts of Scripture to examine the intersection of biblical prophecy and modern culture. The headlines are changing, but the blueprint has already been written. Listen as Pastor Andy Woods uncovers the prophetic significance of the world we live in. The Watchman’s Call starts now.

Dr. Andy Woods: Hi, everybody. I want to introduce you to a brand new series that we're doing on The Watchman’s Call broadcast. This series is entitled One Second After the Rapture. We know that the Rapture is coming, but what can the world anticipate will happen? What can believers anticipate will happen? And what can unbelievers anticipate will happen one second after the Rapture? That's what we want to explore in this brief series.

We're going to divide this into three parts. One second after the Rapture, what happens to the believer? That would be question number one. One second after the Rapture, what happens to the unbeliever? That would be question number two. And then finally, we'll wrap it up down the road with a third question: So what? Why does it matter? How can we take these truths and apply them to our lives today?

Let's jump right in and start with our first bullet point: One second after the Rapture, what can the believer anticipate? I hope you like the letter R because there are three Rs awaiting the believer one second after the Rapture. They are number one, a reunion; number two, a resurrection; and number three, a reward. Let's unpack those if we could.

The first thing a believer today—let's pretend that the Rapture happens this afternoon. Of course, I can't guarantee that, but let's just hypothetically say that it does. The Rapture happens this afternoon. What will the believer experience one second after the Rapture? The believer will experience a reunion.

It's interesting that the Apostle Paul taught the Thessalonian congregation about the doctrine of the Rapture. But then he had moved on in his second missionary journey, and he later wrote to that church on this same second missionary journey because they had a lot of concerns about prophecy. They didn't understand how this doctrine of the Rapture would affect their deceased loved ones in Christ because after Paul left, many within their flock had died, perhaps through natural causes, perhaps through martyrdom.

We know that the church there in Thessalonica was under heavy persecution from the unbelieving Jews and the surrounding community. It's very possible that there could have been martyrs. They wanted to know, "Paul, you taught us about the Rapture, but how does this affect our deceased loved ones in Christ? Are we going to see them again?"

What the Bible teaches is this, from 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, verse 8: Absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. When a Christian dies, their soul—the part of them that's designed to live forever—goes into the presence of the Lord in heaven. What Paul now explains to this struggling flock there in Thessalonica is you're going to see that deceased loved one in Christ immediately at the point of the Rapture.

When you're raptured—"harpazo", taken off the earth into heaven—you're going to see your deceased loved one in Christ at that point. So, the Rapture is a reunion. Paul unpacks this in 1st Thessalonians 4, verse 14. As he's describing to the Thessalonians the Rapture, he says, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus."

"Fallen asleep in Jesus" is a euphemism, a polite way of saying something, a figure of speech, but it's a euphemism for death. What happens to those who have died in Christ? Essentially, the immaterial part of them, the soul or the "psuche", is in the presence of the Lord. Absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. But at the point of the Rapture, that crowd will be placed in resurrected bodies and will descend to the earth.

Paul explains that we who are alive and remain, assuming that the Rapture happens in our lifetime, will be caught up to meet them in the air, and so we shall forever be with the Lord. Over in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 17, Paul emphasizes this point and he says, "Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up"—that's the Greek word "harpazo" where we get the word Rapture—"then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them."

The "them" refers to the deceased loved ones in Christ in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. The Rapture is kind of like going to a family reunion or a class reunion—your high school class, your college class, whatever. All of a sudden, you're around a bunch of people instantaneously that you haven't seen for a long time, and there's that immediate joy that takes place.

That's what the Rapture is like. If this happens in our lifetime, then that's where we see our deceased loved ones in Christ—grandma and grandpa that have passed on that love Jesus. Maybe there's a pastor or a youth pastor or a mentor of yours, someone that discipled you, someone that led you to Christ, and they have passed on and you're still here. If the Rapture should happen in our lifetime, as we are caught up, we will see them again immediately at the point of the Rapture. The Rapture is a wonderful thing for the Christian; it is a reunion.

Looking at our second point here, beginning with the letter R, the Rapture is also a resurrection. Notice 1st Corinthians chapter 15, verses 50 and 51. As Paul there also is describing the Rapture, Paul says in those verses, "Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will be changed."

This is speaking of the point in time where the church age believer, the child of God, receives a resurrected body. What is a resurrection? A resurrection is the opposite of death. Death involves a separation; resurrection involves a reunion. What happens when a person dies? The part of them that's designed to live forever, called the "psuche" or the soul, separates from the physical body.

This is actually something that even happened to Jesus Himself when He died. Matthew 27, verse 50 says, "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit." In other words, the soul or the "psuche" or the part of Him that's designed to live forever separated from what the Greek word for body is, the "soma" or the body.

The same thing happened to Stephen, the first martyr of the church age. Acts 7, verse 59 says, "They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'" That's what death is; it's a separation between the soul and the body. Resurrection is the opposite of death. If death is a separation, then resurrection would be a reunion.

It's the time when the soul or the "psuche" comes back into the body. It's still your body, but it's your body as God intended the physical body to be with the curse of sin pulled out of it. It's what we would call a resurrected body. When do we receive that resurrected body? The Scripture teaches us that we receive that resurrected body at the point of the Rapture.

You might be saying to yourself, "Do we really need a resurrected body?" The truth of the matter is we desperately need one. Original sin did not just damage our relationship to God, but it damaged the physical world as well, including our physical bodies. You'll remember what God said after the fall of man in Genesis chapter 3, verse 19. He says, "...till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

2nd Corinthians chapter 4, verse 16 says, "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day." The fact of the matter is, and the truth of the matter is, that I am in a physical body that is deteriorating. I'm in a physical body that is decaying. It doesn't take much to prove this is true.

All you have to do is break out your high school yearbook and compare it to a modern-day picture of yourself, let's say on your driver's license, and you'll see that our physical bodies are laboring under original sin; they're in a state of decay. We desperately need a resurrected body. The whole world that we're living in, the whole cosmos that we're living in, is in a state of decay because of original sin, and that affected our physical bodies.

Notice what Paul says as he deals with this subject in Romans 8, verses 19 through 23. He says, "For the anxious longing of creation awaits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, awaiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body."

Original sin in Adam affected our physical bodies. As you grow older, as you get older, you appreciate this more and more. It takes more energy to accomplish tasks that you easily accomplished, let's say, in your teen years, in your 20s, etc. Our physical bodies are in a state of decay. The question is, when do we receive this promise of a physical resurrected body? Paul explains to us that we receive this body at the point of the Rapture.

If we are alive on the earth when the Rapture transpires, we receive our resurrected body instantaneously. Those that have passed on and are living in the presence of the Lord, deceased loved ones in Christ, also receive their resurrected body at the point of the Rapture. They are currently before the Lord in some kind of disembodied state, not having yet received their physical bodies.

Both groups—those in the presence of the Lord who have died during the church age before the Rapture, and those that are alive on the earth when the Rapture happens—will receive their resurrected bodies at the point of the Rapture. The Rapture is definitely something that we're looking forward to. Not only is it a reunion, but it is also a resurrection.

Let me give you a third R, a letter beginning with the word R, related to what the believer will experience one second after the Rapture. This is the concept of reward. Notice Revelation chapter 22 and verse 12. Jesus says, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done."

There's a judgment in our future. Paul explains this to us in the book of 2nd Corinthians, and over in chapter 5 and verse 10, Paul says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." You'll notice this expression here: "we must all appear."

This is not optional. This is something that every church age believer, the child of God, will experience following the Rapture, and that is something that we call the Judgment Seat of Rewards. This life ends in judgment. It ends in judgment not only for the unsaved, but it ends in judgment for the saved. There are a lot of ways to get confused about this judgment, so let me explain what this judgment is not for one second after the Rapture.

Number one, it is not for the purpose of judging sin because our sin has already been judged at the Cross of Calvary. Jesus in John 19, verse 30 says, "It is finished." That's a translation from the Greek word "tetelestai", which means paid in full. That would be in the Greek perfect tense: one-time action in the past, ongoing results. Jesus one time paid the sin debt of the world.

When we have trust in Christ as our Savior, our sin debt has been paid for sins past, present, and future. It's all been taken care of. God is not going to bring those sins up before you at the Bema Seat judgment of rewards. Moreover, this judgment is not to determine whether we're saved or not because that issue got resolved the moment we placed our trust in Christ alone for salvation.

Jesus made us this promise in John 5, verse 24: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has"—that's in the present tense—"has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of"—that's in the perfect tense—"out of death unto life." The reason I emphasize these Greek tenses is to show you that when you place your trust in Christ for salvation, you presently have eternal life.

It's not something that you're going to get down the road; it's something that you possess now. Beyond that, the moment you place your trust in Christ for your salvation is the moment you have already—it's not an ongoing process; it's something that happened in the past with ongoing results—you've already passed out of death unto life. Your salvation is secure.

Therefore, when this Judgment Seat of Rewards takes place one second after the Rapture, it's not to determine if you're saved or not; that issue has been taken care of. It's not to determine whether your sins are going to be brought back up before you; that issue has already been taken care of. If that's true, then what's the point of this Judgment Seat of Rewards that will transpire immediately following the Rapture?

It has a simple purpose: it's rather to give or not give rewards based on how we stewarded our life on earth this side of the Rapture during our earthly sojourn. Some believers are very faithful with what they have been given; others, not so faithful. It's not a situation where some go to heaven, some go to hell; it's just some are fully rewarded, some are not.

At this particular Bema Seat judgment of Christ, there will be five crowns either given to Christians or not given. It's not punitive; either you get a crown or you don't. Here are those five crowns. Number one, there is the Incorruptible Crown for the believer that gains mastery over the flesh during his or her earthly sojourn.

This is not someone that is sinless this side of the Rapture, but sins less and learns to walk in obedience to Jesus under His resources. You'll find that crown described in 1st Corinthians 9, verses 24 through 27. Secondly, there's the Crown of Rejoicing given to the soul winner. That's described in 1st Thessalonians 2, verses 19 through 20. That's someone that steps out and evangelizes consistently.

Then there's the Crown of Life for the believer that endures trials. In this life, we endure trials, and when we endure trials and become better through those trials rather than bitter, God wants to reward us for that. You'll see that reward or crown described as the Crown of Life given in James 1, verse 12 and Revelation 2, verse 10.

Then there's the Crown of Glory for the believer that faithfully shepherds God's people. This is not necessarily only for a pastor; it's any kind of situation where you're mentoring someone, discipling someone, teaching a Sunday school class, counseling someone, shepherding the people of God. There's a crown in it for you called the Crown of Glory, described in 1st Peter 5, verses 2 through 4.

The last crown that's described in the New Testament is the Crown of Righteousness for the believer that longs for the appearing of Jesus. Someone that has not become so worldly and so comfortable in this world, but is yearning for the Rapture itself. There's an actual reward given to that type of believer, described in 2nd Timothy chapter 4, verse 8. These are rewards that are either given or not given.

All the way through the New Testament, we're told to prepare ourselves for this Bema Seat judgment of Christ. Paul describes it this way in 1st Corinthians 3, verses 14 and 15. He says, "If any man's work which he has built on remains, he will receive a reward. But if any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet as through fire."

It's interesting that Paul says our works, our Christian life, goes through a fire. We don't go through a fire, but what we have produced in our post-Christian experience, pre-Rapture experience, goes through a fire. The fire reveals the quality of our works. Paul therefore says, "Be careful how you build." We all have the foundation of Christ, but we need to be careful how we're building on that foundation.

Some things are wood, hay, and stubble. What do those have in common? They're combustible. They will pass through the fire and be incinerated. Other things are gold, silver, and costly stones. What do those things have in common? They're non-combustible. The only thing the fire can do is refine them or purify them. Whatever is left after the fire finishes its work of consuming is some kind of reward that we receive above and beyond initial salvation.

The wood, hay, and stubble would represent things that we do in the Christian life that are carnal, self-motivated, things done through human power, things done for the glory of self rather than the glory of Christ. Those will be exposed as wood, hay, and stubble at the Bema Seat judgment of Christ. But then there are things that we do in our Christian experience that are for God's glory rather than our own, things produced through His power rather than our power.

These things are spiritual and not carnal, and these things will pass through the fire. They're represented by the gold, the silver, and the costly stones, and the fire will not consume them. Whatever is left after this consumption process is complete is some kind of reward that we receive above and beyond salvation. 1st John chapter 2, verse 28 talks about this Judgment Seat of Christ and tells us to prepare for it.

He writes, "Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." Now, that would be a shame not imposed by Jesus on us, but kind of a self-imposed shame. We're sort of embarrassed that we really didn't allow the Lord to express Himself through us the way He wanted during our earthly sojourn, and we're unrewarded as a result.

But if we allow the Lord to express His ways, His methods, and His life through us during our earthly sojourn, post-conversion, pre-Rapture, then He wants to reward us. By the way, what do we do with all of these rewards? According to Revelation chapter 4, verse 10, it looks to me like we take them and cast them before His feet.

Revelation chapter 4 and verse 10 says the 24 elders, who I think represent the raptured church, will fall down before Him who sits on the throne and will worship Him who lives forever and will cast their crowns before the throne. Whenever He is worshipped—and it doesn't look like it's a one-time casting because He's worshipped perpetually in heaven—we take our crowns and we cast them at His feet.

It's very similar to one of the sisters, you'll remember there in John 12, I think it is, who took the expensive oil, broke the flask, and poured the oil on Jesus because she loved Him so much. It's a capacity that some Christians will have to glorify God throughout the ages. To pay Him back? No. But to glorify Him on account of what He has done for us.

That's the significance of these rewards. How embarrassing it would be for it to come your turn to glorify Jesus but there's nothing in your hands to cast at His feet. That's why these rewards are very significant. This is another issue that will take place very fast after the Rapture. What are the three things? Number one, reward; number two, resurrection; number three, reunion. We'll talk about more items next time. God bless you.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to The Watchman’s Call, exploring the intersection of prophecy and culture. This program is a ministry of Sugar Land Bible Church, a place where the Bible is taught and the times are discerned. Visit this Sunday in person or connect with them anytime at slbc.org. That’s slbc.org. Until next time, may the Lord give you a spirit of discernment in the week ahead.