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I THESSALONIANS 4: 13 - 18

"THE RAPTURE"

Intro: Some who ridicule idea of rapture, they say word rapture not in the Bible. Greek  word
       "harpazo" translated "caught up" means "to be snatched way by force" . In  Latin it is
       "raptus" . So word is in one of the oldest Bibles in existence, the Latin  vulgate.

I. WHAT IS MEANT BY RAPTURE?
        A. That event when the Lord, Jesus Christ snatches His church out of the  world.
        B. It shall happen suddenly without a moment's notice. "Behold I show you a 
           mystery..."
        C. We the church shall be changed "meta-morphisus"
                1. "For our citizenship is in heaven..."
PhiI .3:20 2. "This corruption must put on..."
1 Cor. 15 3. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God..."
1 Jn 3:2 4. One moment maybe on my way to work, maybe sleeping at
                        night, the next moment with the Lord.

II. WHEN IS THIS EVENT TO TAKE PLACE?
        A. No man knows the day or the hour.
                1. If we say we do we are boasting to superior knowledge than even  Christ had
                   on earth.
                2. It could happen at any time.
        B. For years Bible scholars have been waiting for the re-establishment
                of nation Israel.
                1. O.T. prophesy concerning Israel.
                        a. Cast out, scattered, gathered again.
                        b. The gathering again was to be the sign of the end.
                                1. "When the Lord shall build up Zion..."
                                2. "And in the last days when I shall gather them..."
                2. Since this took place in 1949 we are now looking for the rapture of  the
                   church which will be the next great fulfillment of Bible prophesy. 
                        a. Jesus said, "When these things begin to come to pass look  up..."

III. WILL THE RAPTURE PRECEDE THE GREAT TRIBULATION?
        A. My personal opinion is that it will.
                1. I Thess. 5:9.
                2. In Luke 21:36, Jesus told the disciples to pray that they would be  counted
                   worthy to escape all (these things) and to stand before the  Son of Man.
                3. The order of Book of Revelation.
        a. Three divisions (messages to churches).
        b. Chapter 4:1.
        c. Song of church, Chapter 5.
        B. Why the confusion?
                1. Reference to beast making war on saints.
                2. Matt. 24, gathering together of His elect after His return.
                3. Attempts to equate " last trump" of I Cor . 15 with 7th trumpet of Rev. In
                   I Cor. a military allusion, the absence of the article precludes an
                   association with "the 7th trumpet."

IV. WHAT SHOULD I DO? 
        A. Quit my job? Sell my house? 
        B. "Occupy till I come." 
        C. Watch, wait, be ready.