#312 - 7 Reasons for PRE-Trib Rapture

Unknown (0:03): This message was recorded live at Arvin Assembly of God. What you are about to hear is a sermon preached during one of our regular church services. We pray that as you listen, the word of God strengthens your faith, deepens your understanding, and draws you closer to Jesus. Let's tune in to today's broadcast.

Speaker 1 (0:28): First Thessalonians is where we're gonna be at this morning. We're gonna be reading from chapter four through verse 18. How many of you have noticed here lately it seems like the topic of the end of the world keeps coming up? I mean, over and over and over again. We see it in, the fascination with movies.

Speaker 1 (0:52): We see it on social media from everything talking about aliens to World War three to nuclear disaster. We've got the war with Iran. We've got the war with Ukraine and Russia. We just had a a devastating earthquake that happened down in Venezuela. And they're saying that literally the ring of fire has is lighting up like never before.

Speaker 1 (1:22): And so there are things that are happening one right after the other. And for a lot of people, the when we begin to talk about the end of all things, for some, it might be entertainment. For others, it might be fear or worry or anxiety. But here's the thing that I want us to understand today. The Bible actually has a lot to say about the return of Jesus Christ.

Speaker 1 (1:54): The apostle Paul wrote to a little church that was grieving. They were worried that they had missed out on this event that we call the rapture of the church. And when the apostle Paul wrote to them, he didn't go through a laundry list of all the bad things that were happening in their culture and in their society. And, certainly, there was a lot of things that he could have touched on in the Roman world. But what he did instead is he began to talk about Jesus coming back.

Speaker 1 (2:32): I want you to notice quickly with me how Paul ends this small letter to the Thessalonians in verse number 18. He says, therefore, comfort one another with these words. I want you to know this morning that the rapture of the church is a comfort to those who are right with God. I love that song we sang this morning. Soon and very soon, we're gonna see the king.

Speaker 1 (3:06): And I believe that Jesus can come back at any moment. The question question for you this morning is, are you ready? The end times are meant to be a comfort to you. Now there are four main views about the timing of all of this. Four ways that Christians line up this whole idea of the rapture and the tribulation.

Speaker 1 (3:37): Now I wanna make sure that we're all on the same page because the tribulation is an event that is described by the Bible that will last for seven years. And the Bible calls this period of time Jacob's trouble. There will never be another time like this, and there has never existed in the past a time like the tribulation. And so there are different views. Does the church go through this period of time?

Speaker 1 (4:11): Does it go through the tribulation? For some, they believe there is no rapture. There are some that believe that the church will go through the tribulation that's described in Revelation. Some believe that the church will be raptured midway through the tribulation, and some believe that the church will be raptured before the tribulation. Now we hold one of these positions as a church here at Arvin Assembly of God.

Speaker 1 (4:46): And perhaps by your notes, you've already picked up on what we're gonna talk about this morning. We believe that the church is taken home before the tribulation. We call that a pretribulation rapture. Now for the students in the eschatology class, this is gonna sound very, very familiar to you. We don't hold this view because it's the most comfortable, because being raptured to heaven is is some kind of an escape.

Speaker 1 (5:20): We don't believe in this because it's convenient. There's a lot of pushback today against folks that say, oh, you just want to believe that. No. We hold to this because we believe that it is the most biblical position that you could possibly take. So this morning, I'm gonna go very, very rapid fire.

Speaker 1 (5:50): This is very unlike me. And so I want you to know we're only doing a survey, very rapid fire. Seven reasons. Seven reasons for a pre tribulation rapture. Now I've got to disclose this right out of the gate because this outline is not mine.

Speaker 1 (6:10): I repeat, I did not come up with this outline. It actually comes from a book on the end times. And this author by the name of Mark Hitchcock arranged this into a word. We call it an acronym. You'll see that at the top of your notes to where we can see every reason for the pretrib.

Speaker 1 (6:33): And I'm gonna walk you through these seven because I think that he's right, and I think that the Bible backs him up. Now so that you understand that this is a survey, I've taught this before, and it took me ten weeks to go through this outline on Wednesday nights. I was trying to remember how long it's been, but it has been several, several years ago. So I'm gonna try to condense this down here for us within the next thirty, forty minutes or so. Now have you found first Thessalonians yet?

Speaker 1 (7:12): If you have, would you stand for the reading of God's word? First Thessalonians chapter four. We're gonna be reading verses 13 through 18. The apostle Paul says, but I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus.

Speaker 1 (7:52): 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 by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

Speaker 1 (8:33): Let's pray. Father, in the mighty, precious name of king Jesus, we thank you for the comfort and the hope that you have given us in your word. I pray that it would be a means of encouragement this morning for those who are right with you. But, Lord, in the same way, I pray for those that are not right with you that you would prick their conscience, that you would wake them up out of their sleep. And if they're not right, you'd bring them home in Jesus' name.

Speaker 1 (9:09): Amen and amen. You may be seated. Now here's the question that we're gonna ask this morning. Why? Why do we believe in a pre trib rapture?

Speaker 1 (9:28): The first answer is this. It starts in the book of Revelation. It is the place of the church in the book of Revelation. Now here's something that I want you to follow me with because this is actually hidden in plain sight. In the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, the church is everywhere.

Speaker 1 (9:52): Jesus stands in the middle of the lampstands and he writes the letters to the seven churches. And if you were to go through and highlight in your Bible every time the word church is mentioned, it shows up 19 times in the first three chapters. That's incredible. 19 times. And then something very interesting happens.

Speaker 1 (10:20): You turn the page and then you get to Revelation chapter four verse one. And from that point forward, the church is gone. Notice with me what John says in Revelation chapter four. He says, after these things, I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me saying, come up here, and I will show you the things which must take place after this.

Speaker 1 (10:57): Wanna draw your attention to the phrase, come up here. John gets called up. John gets caught up. A door opens in heaven. A voice that sounds like a trumpet says, come up here.

Speaker 1 (11:18): And from this point on, John is watching the scenes that are gonna unfold in in the book of Revelation covering a period of time of seven years from the perspective of up there. Now it's interesting. You might say, why is this important? Because from chapter four all the way through to chapter 18, That is 15 chapters for you mathematicians. It is the most detailed description of the tribulation anywhere in the Bible.

Speaker 1 (12:01): The word for church is not there, not even once. So I want you to follow me on this. The church is mentioned 19 times in the first three chapters of Revelation. And then all of a sudden, they're gone. Zero mention of the church for 15 straight chapters.

Speaker 1 (12:28): I want you to think about this. If the church was going to walk through the tribulation, wouldn't those 15 chapters be the place to talk about it? This is the one section of scripture that tells us the most about the tribulation, and the church is not even mentioned. And so the question that we've got to ask is, where did the church go? Well, the church shows up again in Revelation chapter 19.

Speaker 1 (13:06): But I want you to watch how she shows up, so take note of this. It says starting in verse seven, let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready. Who is the wife? The wife is the bride of Christ. If you are part of the church today, I'm not talking about memberships.

Speaker 1 (13:38): I'm talking about if you have been born again, you are called the bride of Christ. You have been promised to the bridegroom. And so here at the end of Revelation, it says that his wife has made herself ready. And then verse eight, and to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. The bride has made herself ready.

Speaker 1 (14:17): I don't want us to rush past that. This means that she's already prepared. This means that she's already dressed. She is arrayed in fine linen. And verse eight tells us what that linen is.

Speaker 1 (14:34): It is the righteous acts of the saints. In other words, the books have been opened. Her record has been gone through. She has already been rewarded, and now she is standing ready, Already prepared. Already dressed.

Speaker 1 (14:55): Already rewarded. Which means that she has been home with Jesus for a while. Long before she returns with Jesus who will be riding on a white horse in the same chapter down in verse number 11. Here's the point. The church is not pictured coming out of the tribulation.

Speaker 1 (15:22): Why? She was never in the tribulation. Now that's the first reason. It is the place of the church. She's not on earth during the tribulation.

Speaker 1 (15:33): She is home. So come back to the question with me. Why do we believe in a pretrib rapture? Here's number two. It has to do with the rapture versus the return.

Speaker 1 (15:50): Now there is a tension within the Bible that a lot of people either don't notice or they just skip right on over. The New Testament talks about Jesus coming back, but it describes his coming in two different ways. And at first, if you look at them, they don't seem to fit together. One set of verses says that Jesus comes for his people. He comes and catches us up to meet him in the air in some other verses.

Speaker 1 (16:24): I wanna take us back to what we opened with this morning in first Thessalonians chapter four. It says that at the coming of the Lord, we will meet him in the air. We'll meet him in the air. Jesus doesn't come all the way down. We go up.

Speaker 1 (16:47): We meet him in the air. He comes for us, his bride. But I want you to notice now another set of verses because there's a second coming described, and this one isn't in the air. This one is what we would call boots on the ground. Zechariah fourteen four.

Speaker 1 (17:09): It says, and in that day, his feet I gotta pause there. Who is his feet? It is king Jesus' feet, and it's amazing to me that Zechariah prophesied of Jesus hundreds of years before he was ever born. But in that day, his feet will stand on the Mount Of Olives which faces Jerusalem on the East and the Mount Of Olives shall be split in two from east to west. His feet stand on the mountain.

Speaker 1 (17:45): This time, he comes all the way down to the earth and he doesn't come alone. Guess who's with him? His bride, his church. In first Thessalonians chapter three verse 13, Paul says that so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and father at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. And so the question is this, which one is it?

Speaker 1 (18:21): Does he come for his saints, or does he come with his saints? Does he stop in the air, or does he stand on a mountain? And the answer to that is yes. It is all of it because these are not contradictions in any way. They are two stages of one coming, and the tribulation happens right in between these two.

Speaker 1 (18:52): The first part, he comes for us and we meet him in the air. We call that the rapture. Then there will be a tribulation for seven years and he comes with us back to put his feet back on the earth. And by the way, what will he do at that moment? He will execute judgment at that time.

Speaker 1 (19:17): So here's the thing that settles it. One of these coming, the rapture, really has no signs at all. And when I say that, it doesn't mean that there aren't things that should alarm us, but there is nothing that needs to happen for Jesus to come back in in the sense of the rapture. But in the second coming of the Lord, there are signs everywhere. Matthew twenty four thirty says, then the sign of the son of man will appear in heaven.

Speaker 1 (19:55): This is describing the second coming when his feet touch the earth. It says, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Think about this. The whole world sees it. There are signs in the sky.

Speaker 1 (20:21): Everybody mourns. This isn't quiet. This isn't sudden. This isn't a surprise. This will be the most announced event in all of history.

Speaker 1 (20:37): But the rapture, there's no warning. It just comes suddenly in the moment, in a twinkling of the eye, we will be changed. And so there are two stages to the second coming of Jesus Christ. He comes first and foremost for us, the church, his bride, and then he comes with us. These are the two comings.

Speaker 1 (21:07): This is the second reason, the rapture versus the return. So we come back to the question now. Why do we believe in a pre tribulational rapture? Here's the third one. It is exemption from divine wrath.

Speaker 1 (21:26): Now I gotta be very careful here because this is where a lot of folks stumble and fall on this right here. People hear that the church escapes the tribulation, and they're thinking that we're saying that Christians don't suffer, that we get a pass on all of the hard stuff. But that's not it at all. Jesus told us the opposite. In John sixteen thirty three, Jesus said, these things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace.

Speaker 1 (22:05): In the world, will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Notice what he said. In the world, you will have tribulation. We're not promised an easy life.

Speaker 1 (22:24): If you didn't know it by now, believers get sick. Believers lose their jobs. Believers bury people they love. Some believers, even right now today, are dying for their faith in other parts of the world. This type of tribulation is normal.

Speaker 1 (22:43): Jesus said so himself. So I want you to understand the difference. There is tribulation, small t, and every Christian and in every generation goes through difficult times. And then there is the tribulation, capital t. Seven years that are described in the book of Revelation.

Speaker 1 (23:10): And these are not the same thing. So what makes the tribulation different isn't that it's just hard, isn't that it's just tough times, that it isn't just the way the cookie crumbles. It is whose hand is behind the tribulation. So I want you to watch this. Look who opens the very first seal in Revelation six verse one.

Speaker 1 (23:42): John says, now I saw when the lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, come and see. Notice that the lamb opens it. It is not Satan. It is not man. It is the lamb of God.

Speaker 1 (24:06): From the very first seal to the very end of all the judgments, there are 21 in total from from chapter six all the way up to chapter 18. The tribulation is the wrath. It is the hand of God that is being poured out onto the world for rejecting him. This is what makes it very, very different. This isn't just suffering.

Speaker 1 (24:41): This is judgment. Now there is a promise. I want you to take note of this. In first Thessalonians chapter five verse nine, the Bible says, for God did not appoint us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. God did not appoint us to wrath.

Speaker 1 (25:13): Church, that is the reason for the cross. Jesus took the wrath, the judgment of God that you and I deserved. And so why would God turn around and pour his wrath out on the very people that his son already bled and died for? God did not appoint us to wrath. This is how God has always worked.

Speaker 1 (25:49): He doesn't judge the righteous along with the wicked. Before the flood came, Noah was was sealed inside of an ark, and he began to rise above all of the waters. Before fire fell on Sodom and Gomorrah, there was an angel that came in and grabbed Lot by the shirk tail and yanked him out of the judgment, the wrath of God that was being poured out. God's pattern is the same. And every time and in every place, he gets his people out before the judgment comes.

Speaker 1 (26:38): So the wrath of God is real. The wrath of God is coming. But the good news this morning is he did not appoint us, those that have been washed in the blood of the lamb, those of us that follow Jesus Christ. And I gotta say it. I hate that I have to say it this morning, but I'm not talking about some cookie cutter Christianity.

Speaker 1 (27:06): A little, oh, yeah, Lord. I'll I'll praise you. No. We're talking about enduring until the end, not this casual Christianity. Casual Christians will become casualties.

Unknown Speaker (27:23): God has not appointed us to wrath. It is coming. It's back to the question. Why do we believe in a pre tribulational rapture? We got three down.

Speaker 1 (27:37): Here's number four. There's an event that the Bible promises is coming for every believer. And when you ask when this happens, this event we're about to talk about, it forces a gap. There is a time gap between the rapture and the second coming. Now the Bible says that every one of us that believe in Jesus Christ has an appointment.

Speaker 1 (28:07): We're not talking about the lost. We're talking about believers. And the Bible calls this the judgment seat of Christ. Let's read about it in second Corinthians five ten. It says, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done whether good or bad.

Speaker 1 (28:37): Notice he says, we must all appear. Now this judgment seat is not about whether or not you're saved. That has already been settled at the cross. This is about your rewards. Every believer standing before Christ will have their life book opened up, and they will evaluate what you have done for Christ on this earth.

Speaker 1 (29:07): And there will be things that will remain such as gold and silver, and there will be things the bible describes like wood and straw, and that'll just get burnt up. But there will be rewards that are handed out at this judgment. Now here's the question that matters. When does this happen? Because it can't happen before he comes in the rapture.

Speaker 1 (29:35): We're still here. We're living our lives. And I want you to see it's not gonna happen when he comes back when his feet touch the earth on the Mount Of Olives either because go with me back to Revelation chapter 19 verses seven and eight. When Jesus comes back down, the bride has already been dressed. She's already been rewarded.

Speaker 1 (30:08): She's already been made ready. Look at it. It says that the righteous acts of the saints. That means that her books have been gone through, and it is finished by this point. So the question again is when did this happen?

Speaker 1 (30:28): It happened in between the rapture and the second coming when he brings us back. There is a window there, a stretch of time when the church is home with the Lord standing before him, being rewarded. And the judgment seat needs to fit somewhere on this calendar. The only place that it fits is within that seven year time period. Now there's another event that'll happen during this.

Speaker 1 (31:01): We the Bible calls this the marriage supper of the lamb. We can't get into that this morning, but we will see the marriage supper of the lamb and the judgment seat of Christ that happens during the tribulation. So that's reason number four. It is the time gap. So, again, why do we believe in a pretribulational rapture?

Speaker 1 (31:26): Four down. The fifth one is probably one of the most overlooked. And once you see this, I don't think you'll be able to unsee this. There's a reason that the Antichrist has not shown up yet because somebody is holding him back. So this is number five, the removal of the restrainer.

Speaker 1 (31:53): Now in second Thessalonians chapter two, Paul is writing about the end of all things, and he's talking about a figure who's going to come, the man of lawlessness, the antichrist. And Paul says something strange about him. He says, this man cannot show up yet because something is holding him back. Look at it with me in second Thessalonians chapter two verses six and seven. He says, and now you know what is restraining that he may be revealed in his own time.

Speaker 1 (32:40): For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. I want to walk through this with you so you can understand this. I want you to notice the word restraining. What does that mean?

Speaker 1 (33:02): It means that there is a force that is holding the Antichrist back from being revealed. Something is keeping the lid on the pot, so to speak. The evil is already there, but Paul says that this mystery of lawlessness, it's already at work, but it can't break all the way loose just yet because somebody is standing in the way. And there's a little detail that Paul slips in here. I want you to watch the words with you.

Speaker 1 (33:41): If you mark this in your Bibles, mark this. In one breath, he calls the restrainer a what? He says, you know what is restraining. And then in the very next breath, he calls it a who. He who now restrains.

Speaker 1 (34:04): So we have a what and we have a who. We have a force and we have a person. So the first question that we've got to ask is who has the power to hold back the most evil figure in all of human history. Who could possibly do that? There's only one answer that's big enough.

Speaker 1 (34:30): It is God himself in the person of the holy spirit. Now that is the who. But what is the what? How's the Holy Spirit doing that even right now? He's doing that through you and me, through the church.

Speaker 1 (34:54): Now Jesus already told us who we are, but he told us what we are as well. In Matthew chapter five verses thirteen and fourteen, he says, you are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world.

Speaker 1 (35:26): A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. I want you to think about this. Salt holds back decay. Light holds back darkness. That's the church in the world right now.

Speaker 1 (35:46): And the Holy Spirit living inside of his people as we are spread out across the earth pushing up against evil every single day. You are part of the reason that it isn't worse than it is. Now it's interesting to note that most pre millennial, I've gotta say it like this, scholars and commentators, they note that up until the return of Jesus Christ, society will become progressively worse and worse and worse. And they picture just before the rapture of the church that the state of the church is gonna be likened to Laodicea. That means it's the lukewarm, apathetic, care bear Christians that are in the world.

Speaker 1 (36:39): So why does society keep getting worse and worse? Is it because we're not running for school boards? Is it because we're not trying to dip our toes into society? No. It's because the church is losing its saltiness.

Speaker 1 (36:55): The church is not shining its light like it used to. And so society is progressively getting worse and worse and worse. We're playing games in the house of God. We're playing church on Sunday morning. And so up until the return of Jesus Christ, there is still a restraining force that is keeping the lid from the antichrist coming back.

Speaker 1 (37:33): I want you to notice what happens next. The Bible tells us that the restrainer gets taken out of the way, and then look at second Thessalonians chapter two verse eight. It says, after the restrainer is taken out, then the lawless one will be revealed. Now notice he says, and then then the lawless one will be revealed. Not before, after the restrainer comes out of the way first.

Speaker 1 (38:10): Only then can the Antichrist step onto the stage. So I want you to follow the order with me now. The Holy Spirit working through the church is holding evil back. Now in order for the antichrist to rise, this restraint has to be removed. And how does the spirit work through the church?

Speaker 1 (38:36): How does this happen? The church first must be removed from the earth when she goes home to be with the Lord at the event that we call the rapture. It's sort of like salt being taken away off of the meat. As long as there's salt on the meat, I know we don't do this here, but in Brazil, Marcia's dad has a favorite dish and it's called carne do sol. It's literally called sun meat.

Speaker 1 (39:06): And they'll put all kinds of salt on this and they'll throw it out literally in the sun, and the sun will cook it. But if you begin to remove that salt, decay starts to get in. The tribulation cannot fully break loose while the church remains on the earth being salt and light. And so the church has to go first. That's reason number five, the removal of the restrainer.

Speaker 1 (39:41): The lid stays on as long as we're here. The Antichrist cannot rise unless we're gone, which means we're gone before he ever shows up. So why do we believe in a pre trib rapture? Here's the sixth reason. It's the imminency of the rapture.

Speaker 1 (40:03): Now this is a big word for a very simple idea. This means that Jesus can come back at any moment. There is nothing that has to happen before he comes back. There is no sign. There is no warning.

Speaker 1 (40:25): There are no boxes left to check. He could come back today. And the reason we believe this isn't just because it sounds good. It is the way that the Bible speaks about his return itself. Over and over again, the Bible uses two very little big words.

Speaker 1 (40:51): It's the phrase at hand. The Lord is at hand. I can only give you a couple this morning, but look with me at Philippians four five. It says, let your gentleness be known to all men for the Lord is at hand. The Lord is at hand.

Speaker 1 (41:12): There's no event in front of it. There's no list. It is just he is near. He is close. Now James happens to say the same thing, and you'll recognize this one because we walk through it together as a church in James chapter five verses eight and nine.

Speaker 1 (41:30): He says, you also be patient. Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. So we see that phrase at hand, and James throws in that the judge is standing at the door.

Speaker 1 (41:56): He's not down the road. He's he's not waiting for another sign to be fulfilled. He has his hand on the doorknob, and he is ready to walk through, and court will be in session. And then the last word on this comes from Jesus himself in the last chapter of the Bible. Three times he says it.

Speaker 1 (42:18): Here's the last one. Revelation twenty two twenty. Says, he who testifies to these things says, surely I am coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Speaker 1 (42:35): He said, surely, I am coming quickly. This isn't us just hoping he's gonna come back. This is a promise from the Lord himself. And I want you to notice how John answers that promise. He says, even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Speaker 1 (42:58): That is the response when you're right with Jesus. That is the response when you understand that he can come back at any moment. Because if he says, I'm gonna come here at any moment, and you say, yes, come now, Lord Jesus. That means you're ready because there's a lot of folks today that says, let me go bury my father. Jesus would say, let the dead bury their own dead.

Speaker 1 (43:25): Give me till tomorrow. Give me till next week. But Jesus says, no. Today is the day of salvation. So even now, Jesus, come quickly.

Speaker 1 (43:38): Are you right with him this morning? If the rapture were to happen right now, would you be left behind? So when we understand the imminency, we say, yes, Lord, even now. Come quickly. Just come.

Unknown Speaker (44:01): Let me give you the last thing. Why do we believe in a pre tribulation rapture? The seventh one really isn't a new argument, but it's the reason that everything else matters. This is the point of everything. The apostle Paul put a name on this.

Speaker 1 (44:26): He calls the rapture the blessed hope. The blessed hope. Look with me at Titus chapter two verse 13. He says, looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and savior Jesus Christ. This is a blessed hope.

Speaker 1 (44:55): Paul tells us to look for it as if it is the best news that we've ever gotten before. And that's really the test of any of the different views of the end times. Listen to me now carefully. You've got to ask yourself, if I believe what I believe, whether it be a mid trib or a post trib or no rapture at all, is that really good news? Is that really a blessed hope?

Speaker 1 (45:28): Because here's the thing that Paul did with the rapture. Now I want you to remember how we started this morning. The Thessalonians, they were grieving. They buried people that they had loved. They were scared that some of them had missed out on the rapture.

Speaker 1 (45:46): And so Paul writes them this long beautiful passage to encourage them that the Lord is coming back and that the dead in Christ shall rise first. And then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds. And then again, look how he ends it in first Thessalonians chapter four verse 18. He says, therefore, comfort one another with these words. This is the whole reason he wrote it.

Speaker 1 (46:19): The rapture is meant to be a comfort. It's something that you lean on when you're standing at a graveside. It's something that you lean on whether it's yourself going through a trial or a tribulation or it's a word that you would give to a brother or sister that the Lord is coming back. That is a comfort to one another. That yes, soon and very soon we're gonna see the king.

Speaker 1 (46:52): This is a comfort. And here's what really settles it for for me. If Paul believed that the church was gonna have to go through the tribulation first remember, that's seven years of the wrath of God. We're not talking just normal trials and tribulation. This is the hand of God pouring out his wrath.

Speaker 1 (47:18): If he believed that the church was gonna go through that, could he honestly call this a comfort? Could he say it with a straight face? Comfort one another because you're gonna have to walk through the wrath of God. Listen. That's not a comfort.

Speaker 1 (47:43): But what Paul did give was words of pure comfort. He wrote this as hope. And our only view that lets the rapture be pure comfort, as Paul says it, is the one where Jesus comes for his people before the tribulation ever hits. And that's reason number seven, the blessed hope. The end times weren't given to scare you.

Speaker 1 (48:14): It was given to comfort you. Would you stand to your feet with me?