Truth That Changes Lives

JP Jones: The Apostle Paul says that this truth, the truth of Christ's second coming, is the blessed hope of the church. It is God's desire to give us hope, to give us hope that heaven is ours.

Greg: Thank you for joining us on Truth That Changes Lives. Pastor JP Jones is the senior pastor of Crossline Community Church in Laguna Hills, California, and a professor in biblical studies at Biola University. Today on Truth That Changes Lives, Pastor JP will be giving us a message from a series entitled Devotion. Let's listen in as JP gives us part one of The Rapture.

JP Jones: If you have your Bibles, would you open to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4? The Apostle Paul talks about what we can only imagine. He talks about the hope of heaven and the soon return of Jesus Christ. This was a foundational teaching for the Apostle Paul, an essential teaching as it is throughout the entire New Testament.

In the book of Titus, the Apostle Paul says that this truth, the truth of Christ's second coming, is the blessed hope of the church. It is God's desire to give us hope, to give us hope that heaven is ours, to give us hope that there's coming a day when every tear will be wiped away, when all pain will cease, when sin will be removed from our presence, and Jesus Christ will make all things new. There is hope and encouragement in understanding that very soon Jesus Christ is coming back.

The Apostle Paul is writing in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 to answer some of the questions about this truth because the believers at Thessalonica had questions just like we do. They questioned what happens to people when they die. They questioned when is Jesus Christ coming back. They questioned what are going to be the signs of this coming and what are going to be the circumstances of this event. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and chapter 5, the Apostle Paul seeks to answer some of these questions.

This is what he says: "My brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep."

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, 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. Therefore encourage each other with these words. Now brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."

"While people are saying 'peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. Let us not be like others who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled."

"For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as in fact you are doing."

These words of the soon coming of Jesus Christ are written to bring us encouragement. They're written to bring us hope. They're written to bring us joyful anticipation of our eternal home in heaven and of the soon return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Now, it's true that there is great interest and fascination and even controversy over some of these issues. But as we talk through this text and look at this passage, I'd like to talk first of all about the facts of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, I'll talk about the opinions or speculation concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ, and thirdly about the impact or the application to our lives that this truth of the second coming brings to it. Just looking at the text, here are some of the facts. Verse 13 says, "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."

Here's the first fact that the Apostle Paul presents to us: Jesus died and rose again. It is the bedrock of the Christian faith. The essential message of the gospel is Christ's death and resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul says, "We delivered unto you what was of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that he was buried and that he was raised again on the third day according to the Scriptures." There're a lot of truths in the Bible, important truths, but the first important truth is this: that Christ died and rose again.

As Paul is about to give us a teaching concerning the second coming of Christ, he starts with this foundational truth of Christ's death and resurrection. I've had many conversations with people that basically go something like this: "Well, what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me. And if Christianity is true for you, that's great, but I have something else that's true for me." Truth is relative.

I read an article the other day about this because this mindset, it's relativism or existentialism, the new name now is postmodernism, it's the prevailing mindset that's trickling down in our educational system. Whenever I have a conversation with someone who gives me some type of response like that, I use this illustration. Let's suppose we go up to the top of the building here and we look out. If we were standing on top of this building, maybe 30, 40 feet, and I say to you, "Let's suppose for the sake of this discussion, I don't believe in the law of gravity."

"In fact, I'm very sincere in my belief with respect to the law of gravity. But you do believe in the law of gravity. And we have an argument about whether gravity exists, and you try to prove to me that gravity exists, and I say, 'Well, if gravity's true for you, that's true for you, but kind of floating is true for me and that's true for me.'" Out of frustration, you push me off the building. What do you think's going to happen?

Every time I've had this discussion, the person says, "Well, you're going to fall down to your death." And I'm going to say, "Well, what if I don't believe in gravity? Because I don't believe in it, does that mean it doesn't exist?" They kind of roll their eyes and say, "Well, I see what you're saying. You're trying to say that there're certain things that are true whether you believe in them or not." I say, "That's exactly right."

They'll say something like this: "Well, yeah, that's true like in mathematics or science or history. There are certain things that are just true. But Christianity is a religion, and in the area of religion and philosophy, it's all relative. So what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me, right?" Right. Well, did you know that Christianity isn't primarily a religion or philosophy? It's either an historical fact or it isn't.

Jesus Christ is a person of history who made certain claims, and the Bible says certain truths about Jesus. The key historical truth about Jesus is that he died and he rose again. It either happened or it didn't happen. It's an historical issue, and the argument about it isn't what you believe is true is what you believe is true and what I believe is true is what I believe is true. The argument is an historical argument; it either happened or it didn't happen.

It is an established historical fact that Jesus died and that he rose again. In this passage in 1 Thessalonians 4, it is on the basis of that established historical fact that Paul is going to argue and going to teach and going to present a message about the second coming of Jesus. You see what Paul is saying is, "I'm going to start with something that you know to be true, that you trust to be true, that you've put your faith in. And from that, I'm going to talk about something that is coming in the future."

"You can have the same level of certainty about it, the same level of faith about it. Even though it hasn't yet happened, it is true just as the death and resurrection of Jesus is true." Jesus is coming back. It is the blessed hope of the church. The second thing that the Apostle Paul says here is that Jesus is coming back and he's bringing with him those who have died in the Lord. That was the question that these believers at Thessalonica had.

"What about people who've died? What about my friends, my family, people who love the Lord and they've died? What happened to them? Where are they? What is their experience with God in death?" Paul says, "I don't want you to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope." He doesn't say "don't grieve." But don't grieve over the death of someone as if you didn't have any hope in heaven.

Heaven is a certainty and the eternal relationship with God that a believer has is a certainty. Paul says in verse 14, "We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." Jesus is coming back and he's going to bring with him all true believers who have come to know him. Every believer in Jesus Christ that has died is with the Lord right now in heaven. When Jesus comes back again, they are going to come back with him.

When Jesus was on a cross dying for our sins, next to him was a man who, in his final moments, said, "Jesus, will you remember me when you come into your kingdom?" Jesus said, "Today you'll be with me in paradise." Jesus gave hope to that man that at his death he was going to be in paradise with him. Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, "To be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord."

When we die, our spirits leave our body. The body is into the ground, but our spirits, if we are believers, go to be with the Lord, awaiting this time when Jesus will come back and we will come back with him. That's the fact of this passage. Jesus is coming back and he's bringing with him those who have died in the Lord. Paul says also in this passage that when Jesus comes back, there're going to be believers alive on earth at that time.

They're going to be able to see and experience this awesome event of Christ's second coming. He says here, "We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, 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." Paul says we who are alive are going to see this phenomenal event, this world-changing event of the second coming of Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul put himself in that group as if "I might be one of the participants." People have debated what Paul meant and did he really believe that Christ was going to come back in his lifetime.

If so, how does that give credibility to those claims since it's been 2,000 years and it hasn't happened? The reality of what Paul says here is it could happen anytime. Nothing has to take place before Jesus could come back. He could come back at any time. Peter in 2 Peter chapter 3 says this is one of the statements that mockers or criticizers will give. 2 Peter 3, they'll say, "Yeah, you've been talking about his coming, it hasn't happened yet. When is it going to happen?"

The same thing as Jesus' teaching in Matthew chapter 24 and Paul's teaching here in 1 Thessalonians 4 and chapter 5: it could happen anytime like a thief in the night. When you least expect it, when you're saying "peace and safety," when you're having your nice comfortable discussion as if those things didn't really matter, the end could come and you're face to face with eternity. For believers, that gives us great hope.

Great hope, great anticipation, so that Paul would even say, "I would love to be in that company. I would love to be in that company." There are going to be people alive when Jesus Christ comes back. He says in this teaching that there is a resurrection order. First those who have fallen asleep, those who have died, are going to be resurrected. And then those who are alive. What this teaching is is what we call the rapture of the church.

In this passage what it's saying is there's coming a time Jesus is coming back. Those who are alive are going to be witnesses to this event. Those who have already died in the Lord are going to be with Jesus. Jesus is going to first resurrect those who have died, their bodies are going to be resurrected. Then the experience is going to be for those who are still alive; they're going to be resurrected.

This event is known as the rapture because in the Latin Vulgate, which is the Latin translation of the Greek New Testament... After the Greek New Testament was written and it was translated into various languages, Latin, because of the influence of the Roman Empire, was the dominant language. And so the Greek Bible was translated into Latin. In the Latin Vulgate, the term there where it says, "And those who are alive are going to be caught up with the Lord," the Greek word is the word *harpazo*, meaning "to catch up" or "to snatch up."

The Latin word is *raptus*. That's where we get the word "rapture." If you've heard that or read anything about that, the doctrine of the rapture is this teaching of Jesus Christ coming back and gathering together believers to himself. Those who've already died, resurrecting their bodies, and those who are alive, taking them up immediately to be with him in heaven. It's called the rapture of the church. Tremendous teaching to give us hope, to give us comfort, to encourage one another.

In 1 Corinthians 15, a parallel passage that goes into more detail about the resurrection dynamic, it says that this body is sown a perishable body but it's raised up an imperishable body. Then it says, "In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, we will all be changed." Did you know that men are going to get to heaven before women? Because it says in Revelation chapter 16 that there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour.

I said that last service and one of the women came up to me and says, "Well, if that's true, it's only because the Bible says the dead in Christ are raised first." There is a resurrection order and this is what Paul wants us to know. The reason why he wants us to know, because what caused this teaching or what motivated him to even write this is a question in the minds of the people: "What about my dear ones who've died? What's happening with them? Will I see them again? What's God's plan for them?"

He writes words of hope and assurance: "They're with the Lord. They're with the Lord. And when Jesus comes back, he's going to bring with them all who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Then there's this great resurrection event and first those who have died, their bodies are going to be resurrected. It's going to happen in a moment, you won't be able to consciously even see it, but there is an order and it's first those who've already died to be with the Lord."

"They will receive resurrection bodies. Then those of us who are alive are going to be caught up together with the Lord." We don't know when it's going to happen, but it is going to happen. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ and you're still alive, you're going to be caught up with the Lord. Paul writes to the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter 3 and says, "Our citizenship is in heaven, and from there we are eagerly awaiting a Savior who is going to translate and transform this humble body to be like his glorified resurrected body."

That gives us hope. There's coming a time when Jesus is going to wipe away every tear, it says in Revelation chapter 21. He's going to take away all pain. He's going to heal all cancer. He's going to restore all relationship. He's going to remove all sin. He's going to take away the very presence of evil. We will live eternally with him in joy, in hope, and in love. It's going to be greater than even we can imagine. He writes these words to give us hope and encouragement if we're followers of Jesus Christ.

Greg: What a great message for all of us today. Pastor JP provides us with great insight. That is why we'd like to make it available to you on CD. Just get in touch and mention today's date. We'll send it your way for just five dollars. Or if you'd like to support this ministry, you can write to us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or give us a call at 949-916-0250. That's 949-916-0250.

For your gift of 25 dollars or more, we will send you a signed copy of JP's new book, *Facing Goliath*. Please join us every Sunday at 9:00 or 11:00 AM at Crossline Church in Laguna Hills. The address is 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or check us out on the web at crosslinechurch.com. We're going to get to the address and phone number again in a moment, but before we do that, Pastor JP, do you have any insight from today's message?

JP Jones: Thanks, Greg. Every person is looking for hope. It's what we so desperately need: to have a hope for the future, to have a hope for our lives today, to have a hope that will give us strength to face whatever challenges that we might be going through. That is exactly what Jesus Christ wants to give us. He wants to give us hope. The truth of Christ's second coming has been given to us by God to give us hope.

These are the words of Titus chapter 2: "We await the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ is coming again, and he's coming to set us free. He's coming to make all things new. The truth of Christ's coming gives us hope right now. This is the hope that the Bible has for us who know Jesus. It's the hope of heaven. In Revelation chapter 21, the Bible says this:

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a beautiful bride, beautifully adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and he will be their God.'"

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain. The old order of things have passed away.' And he who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new.'" God is going to make everything new. When Jesus Christ comes back again, he's coming for us. John chapter 14 says he's gone before us into heaven. He's preparing a place for us.

Jesus promises that if he goes away, he's going to come back to bring us to be with him forever. That's hope. Do you have that hope in your heart right now? Do you have the certainty of heaven in your heart? Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? The Apostle John wrote this in 1 John chapter 5: "This is the witness that God has given us. It is eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has the life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life."

God wants to give us eternal life and wants to give us the hope of eternity with him, the hope of Jesus Christ coming again. All you have to do is open up your heart to Jesus and ask him to come into your life. Would you do that right now? Lord Jesus, I open my heart to you and I ask you to come into my life, and I ask you to give me the hope, the hope that I'll spend eternity with you forever. Thank you for being my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Greg: We want to help you in your relationship with Christ. Please get in touch with us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or call us at 949-916-0250. On the internet you'll find us at crosslinechurch.com. We hope to see you at one of our services every Sunday at our new campus in Laguna Hills. For more information and directions, please go to crosslinechurch.com. Please join us next time on Truth That Changes Lives.