1 Thessalonians 4 at verse 16.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trump of God, and
the dead in Christ shall rise first.
2 Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air.
3 And so shall we ever be with
the Lord, the one that we have been
hearing about, whose person has been so magnified
before us.
4 He is coming back.
Brethren, we're going to see him.
We're going to be like him.
We're going to be with him forever.
5 Drawing the meeting to a close, I
want to talk to you about the Lord.
I want to draw your attention to certain
wonderful things 6 that will be seen or
take place at the rapture.
Let me enumerate them, please, will you?
For in these verses, there are probably about
a dozen things.
Look now again at verse 16.
The Lord himself, the wonder of his person,
7 shall descend from heaven, the wonder of
divine movement, with a shout, the wonder of
divine power.
8 The dead in Christ shall rise, the
wonder of selective resurrection.
9 Then we which are alive and remain,
the wonder of transformation, shall be caught up,
the wonder of rapture.
10 Together, the wonder of completion, the first
time the church will seem to be complete.
11 Again together, secondary idea, the wonder of
reunion.
12 To meet the Lord, the wonder of
revelation.
13 In the air, the wonder of assembling.
14 So shall we ever be, the wonder
of eternity.
15 With the Lord, the wonder of his
companionship.
16 What a day, glorious day this will
be!
17 The Lord himself shall come.
18 Listen to him in the upper room.
Let not your heart be troubled.
19 Ye believe in God, whom ye have
never seen?
Believe in me when ye can't see me.
20 In my Father's house are many mansions.
If it were not so, I would have
told you.
21 I go to prepare a place for
you, and if I go, I will come
again.
22 On the precincts of Bethany, with hands
outstretched in blessing, slowly he went.
23 The fact of his going is the
proof of his coming.
I will come again.
24 The same Jesus.
25 Brethren, he is coming back, and he
is coming back personally.
26 No angel will take his place.
Gabriel is too insignificant for this.
27 That wondrous moment in the divine calendar.
28 The Lord himself shall descend from heaven,
the wonder of movement.
29 That day he shall leave his Father's
throne and step into mid-air.
30 The terminus is not Bethlehem this time.
31 The terminus later on will be Jerusalem.
32 But this time he is coming into
mid-air, and as he comes, he shouts.
Did you get that?
33 The Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout.
Now, why does he shout?
You know, the Lord does lots of things
that we think he doesn't need to do.
34 But why should he shout?
Speaking is the method which divine persons have
chosen to express their energy.
When they want to release their power, when
they want to express their energy, they speak.
Now, let me illustrate.
A way back yonder in Genesis 1, the
Lord said, Let there be light.
Now, when he spoke, he released his energy.
What happened?
And there was light.
Come to John 5.
Here's a man lying at the pool.
38 years he's been there.
It's a long time.
Will thou be made whole?
How can I, Lord?
Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
And when he spoke, he released his energy.
The man rose, took up his bed, and
walked.
Go forward.
Revelation 19.
The Lord is coming to establish his kingdom,
coming to vanquish every foe.
How will he do it?
Come on, brethren.
He'll do it by speaking, says the inspired
writer.
Out of his mouth went a sharp sword
with which he will vanquish his enemies.
The sword is for judgment.
The mouth is for speaking.
When he comes in that day, he'll never
strike a blow.
By the word of his mouth, he'll defeat
every foe.
But before that, he's coming for us.
What a tremendous work awaits Christ.
Yonder, for centuries, the dead in Christ have
lain.
On that day when he comes, millions of
Christians will be alive.
It will be his work to raise and
change the dead.
His work that day to transform the living.
How will he do it?
He'll do it by speaking.
The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout.
Come with me to Bethany for a moment,
please.
Because the dead in Christ must rise.
Watch now.
Roll away the stone.
So roll it away, Allison.
Lazarus, hither, come!
And the voice of Christ penetrated the spirit
world and brought Lazarus back into his body.
Now you say, I know what happened now.
No, you don't.
He walked out.
No, he didn't.
He was bound hand and foot with grave
clothes.
Resurrection is peculiarly the work of Christ.
Now, but just a minute.
Just a minute.
The power that can raise one man can
raise a million men if the same power
will operate.
If the same voice shall speak, come again.
Lazarus is four days dead.
The process of corruption has already taken place.
That's what concerned Martha.
Behold, he stinketh.
Now watch.
The power that can raise a man four
days dead can raise a man 4,000
years dead if necessary.
All that is required is that the same
person come, that the same person speak, that
the same person releases energy.
Oh, the wonder.
The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout.
And the dead in Christ shall rise first.
What a moment when it takes place.
Listen to what it says.
So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown in corruption.
It is raised in incorruption.
It is sown in dishonor.
It is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness.
It is raised in power.
It is sown a natural body.
It is raised a spiritual body.
Listen again.
It is sown in corruption.
Ah, yes, that body will corrupt.
It will disintegrate.
It will decay.
On that resurrection morning handled by the power
of Christ, it will be raised in incorruption.
Never will it decay, decompose anymore.
Listen.
Raised in incorruption means this.
That it will maintain for all eternity its
original perfection.
Corruption is a moving away from an original
condition.
Now, right.
So that when it's raised in incorruption, it
means it will maintain its primitive splendor and
perfection to all eternity.
Sown in dishonor, raised in glory.
Philippians 3, this vile body, this body of
humiliation fashioned like unto his body of glory.
You see, this body goes down dishonored, shamed
by the presence and practice of sin.
How often, how often the blood is mounted
to our cheek as we've thought of what
we've said and done.
It is sown in dishonor, shame, raised in
glory.
So that the dishonor that marked this body
will be absent from that body.
All the passions that cry for satisfaction will
never be known again.
That body will be raised like unto Christ's
body of glory.
There it is beautiful, resplendent, attractive.
There in all its symmetry and all its
perfection, raised in glory, a body like unto
his own body.
Sown in weakness, raised in power.
Do you read it like that?
Maybe you read it like this.
Sown in weakness, raised by power.
Doesn't say that.
It says that body is sown in weakness.
You know, after all, it's only a fragile
tenement of clay.
How easily the strongest of us are cut
down.
It needs clothing to save it from the
elements, to shelter it.
Hang the notice over, please, will you?
Fragile, handled with care.
But on that resurrection morning, Christ will raise
it and he'll raise it in power, not
by power, in power.
That is, as weakness marked this body, power
will mark that body.
It will be a body instinct with energy,
a body marked by inherent power through God's
vast and wonderful creation will move swift as
the lightning's flash to serve God and Christ
eternally.
Marked by inherent power.
Never again shall we know sickness.
Never again shall we know breakdown.
Never again shall we know exhaustion.
There in that body, a body marked by
inherent power, we shall serve God and Christ
forever and ever.
It is sown a natural body.
It is raised a spiritual body.
That word natural, it is sown a soulish
body.
It is raised a spiritual body.
What does it mean?
It is sown a natural or soulish body.
It means it's a body governed by the
soul.
Isn't that right?
See, albeit you've got the spirit of God,
there's been many a day when there was
tension.
Isn't that right?
And soul and spirit were in conflict.
The soul won the day.
But it's a, it's a, this body governed
by the soul is a perfect body as
far as the functioning of the senses are
concerned.
In that day it will be raised a
spiritual body.
A body governed by the spirit.
But just a minute.
How can you have a body and it
be spiritual?
What does it mean when it says it's
raised a spiritual body?
Well, now I'll tell you what it does
mean.
And then I'll tell you what it does
mean.
When it says it is raised a spiritual
body, it does not mean a body composed
of spirit.
What it does mean is it's a body
that will express spirit.
And if you want to know something of
that spiritual body, you read the resurrection chapters.
For the body in which Christ was here
for 40 days is the body in which
he went to heaven.
There you'll find it's a body that's not
governed by the laws that govern this body.
There you'll find that it's a tangible body.
A spirit hath not flesh and bone as
you see me have.
It's nothing ethereal, nothing ghost-like, handle me
and see.
It's a body that could appear and disappear
as he prepared them for the permanence of
his going.
It's raised a spiritual body.
We which are alive and remain, so there
are thousands of living believers to be changed.
Listen to the inspired writer.
Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed in a moment in the
twinkling of an eye at the last trump.
Behold, I show you a mystery.
Two questions, please.
One, what is a mystery?
Two, what is this mystery?
Now, in dealing with this word mystery, it
will give me the opportunity to draw your
attention to the fact that it is folly
to try and interpret your New Testament with
an English dictionary, for it was written in
Greek.
Got that?
What is a mystery?
Well, now in English, the word mystery means
something that's mysterious, something that's hidden.
In your New Testament, a mystery is something
that is revealed at the time that God
chose to reveal it.
That which was kept secret from the world
since the world began, but now is made
manifest.
A mystery is something that is revealed at
the time that God chooses to reveal it.
Now, what is this mystery?
Well, now they say, well, now this is
the mystery of the rapture, but just a
minute, you never leave the earth in 1
Corinthians 15.
Is that right?
Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed in a moment in the
twinkling of an eye at the last trump,
for the trumpet shall sound, the dead shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
You never leave the ground, the earth in
1 Corinthians 15.
You see, when you read that, you read
it in the context of 1 Thessalonians 4,
and you're perfectly right to do that, but
you must put them both together.
The change here is the mystery of the
change that will take place at the rapture.
We shall not all die, sleep, but we
shall all be changed.
That's the death blow to partial rapture.
Come again.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed.
The change will take place in a moment
in the twinkling of an eye at the
last trump.
Let me deal with that.
In a moment.
Now, a moment is the smallest possible divisible
point of time.
Got that?
A moment is the smallest possible divisible point
of time.
Let me illustrate.
A year, a month, a week, a day,
an hour, a minute, a second, a moment.
As quick as that.
Got that?
In the twinkling of an eye.
Sometimes they say, well, now, it's just like
when your lid drops.
Well, that's quick enough.
The twinkling of an eye at the last
trump.
What would that mean?
Well, the scholars we've been hearing so much
about tell us that it's an allusion to
the Roman army, well known in the Greek
world.
The first trumpet, you strike calm.
The second trumpet, you're marshaled.
The last trump and you're off.
Well, that's possibly right.
Don't believe anyone that tells you, please, it's
the last in a series, for there weren't
any before it.
Very simply, I believe it's the last sound
that we'll hear on earth.
Now, you might say to me, but just
a minute, you're not trying to tell us
it's a literal trumpet.
Now, that's very good that you arrived at
that conclusion, but that's just what I'm saying.
Well, now you say to me, just a
minute, I have heard those dealing with first
Corinthians, first Thessalonians 4 and first Corinthians 15,
and they've spiritualized the trumpet.
Well, now I'm not here to criticize my
brethren, far be that.
I'm only here to tell you what the
passage means.
What does it say?
At the last trump, for the trumpet shall
sound.
So it's going to sound.
Not such a quiet affair as we've been
led to believe, but possibly it's like John
12 and Acts 9.
In John 12, the father spoke to the
son, the folks around thought it thundered, but
he heard clearly and distinctly.
So it says, the last trump, the trumpet
shall sound, the dead shall be raised incorruptible
and we shall be changed.
Back to first Thessalonians 4 now, please, will
you?
Then we which arrive and remain shall be
caught up.
Well, think of it for a moment.
Christ has descended.
Can you see him yonder centered in the
aerial and astronomical heavens yonder far above earth
for everyone?
Yes.
And as soon as he shouts, he raises
the dead changed.
He changes the living and immediately, like steel
to a magnet, we make for Christ by
an outside power.
We are translated.
It's not ascension.
Christ ascended in his own power.
This is an external power.
We are caught up, snatched away, quickly, unexpectedly
glorified.
Gloriously.
We shall be caught up together for the
first time.
The whole church shall be together.
Oh, what that will mean to Christ.
The whole church gathered together in a very
secondary way.
It indicates that we're going to be together.
I know that there are some who teach
that when the dead are raised first, we'll
all and we are changed.
We'll all there'll be reunion on earth before
we go there.
That's what I call reading between the lines.
But nevertheless, nevertheless, we're all going to be
together.
And who could who could pass an occasion
like this without speaking of the wonder of
reunion?
To meet the Lord.
Caught up together to meet the Lord.
The revelation of his person.
You know, brothers and sisters, I wasn't reared
in a Christian home.
I have a deep longing to meet the
man who not only change my destiny, but
transform my life.
I have no idea what he looks like.
Don't pay too much attention to the artist's
impression.
Isn't it amazing that you read your New
Testament and you have no idea what Christ
looked like physically?
Oh, we've heard talk today about moral glory.
We've heard phrase after phrase announcing his preeminence
and perfection and supremacy and sovereignty.
We've listened to the Baptist witness to the
Christ.
Brethren, I believe that he's far more wonderful,
far more beautiful than ever.
My tiny mind is conceived.
I believe that Christ is wonderful.
He's perfect.
He's beautiful.
He transcends any thought of perfection and manhood
that we have ever known.
We're going to meet the Lord.
He'll stand out yonder amongst the crowds in
the heavens, central to his gathered bride, Christ,
to meet the Lord in the air.
Why in the air?
Two reasons.
Number one, it's been there that Satan has
operated as the prince and power of the
air.
Think of it.
Think of the impotence of Satan.
That all these ransomed beings will make for
Christ through his domain, and he can't stop
it.
Absolutely helpless and impotent as the redeemed throng
make for Christ.
Oh, what a gathering that will be.
And Satan and his host will just need
to stand and watch.
Watch now.
But in the air, in the air, because
that's the only place that could hold us.
Ten thousand times, ten thousand and thousands of
thousands shall gather together, marshalled in the air.
And everywhere you look, you'll see thousands upon
thousands of redeemed humanity gathered around Christ.
Oh, can you hear Christ saying, behold, I
and the children which God has given me,
so shall we ever be.
Eternity is dawned.
Dawned in its fullness, in its richness, in
its completeness.
Eternity will have substance to our experience in
that day.
This is just the beginning of the ages
of ages.
So shall we ever be with the Lord.
I want to talk to you about heaven.
Now, this is not easy.
Listen to me for a moment.
Can you see that first scene in heaven
when we're all there and suddenly Christ manifests
his glory, displays his splendor, uncovers his excellence,
manifests his majesty.
And that manifestation of Christ will prepare us
for the next.
And in the next situation in heaven, he'll
display glory, manifest power, uncover excellence, and that
will prepare us for the next.
For just as he never manifested himself in
the same way down here, so up there,
every manifestation of Christ will be different.
And that will go on and on into
the depths of eternity.
Think of it.
Constantly Christ manifesting himself, moving the whole of
heaven at the time.
Every eye upon him, drinking in something of
the glory of his person, of the wonder
and excellence of himself.
And brethren and sisters, we'll never reach the
end of Christ.
There'll never come a time when we'll say
we know it all.
We've seen it all.
For there are depths in Christ that we'll
never fathom.
There's a fullness and perfection in Christ, and
we'll never reach the end of him.
And up yonder in the glory, as he
uncovers excellence, as he manifests splendor, as he
displays glory, maybe, maybe just for a moment,
our eyes shall go back to Vancouver and
Liverpool and we'll look at Christ and we'll
wonder, brethren, why it was we never learned
to trust him more.
When we can see in eternity the glory
and wonder of Christ, as he fills all
heaven and all eternity.
Oh, brethren, what a wonderful person.
What a day, glorious day that will be.
Tell me, tell me.
Have you ever tried to visualize it?
Have you ever tried to think of stepping
onto a shore and finding it to be
heaven?
Ever thought of breathing in air and finding
it to be celestial?
Ever thought of feeling the throbbings of life
and finding it to be the life that
is eternal?
Ever thought of grasping a hand and finding
it to be the hand of Christ?
Ever thought of looking into a face to
find it to be the face of Christ?
Oh, what a day, glorious day that will
be.
When we look upon his face, him who
saved us by his grace.
When he takes us by the hand, leads
us through the promised land.
What a day, glorious day that will be.
I tell you, earth has nothing on this.
It's bonnie spots.
Do you understand the word bonnie?
It's a good old Scots word.
Yes, all earth's beautiful beauty shall be gone
completely by reason of a glory that excels
us and central to all heaven, central to
the Father's house, central to the administration that
is eternal.
There Christ shall be, filling it all and
each one of us taking in something of
his wonder and perfection and glory.
Oh, I want to make Christ big.
I want you to recognize how great he
is.
For this one that fills eternity can fill
our hearts and our lives.
Say, say, up yonder
when we look at Christ, oh, you've heard
this before, as we look at Christ, we'll
begin to realize that what we sang down
here was only too true.
Brethren, tell me, deep down, now be honest,
deep down, do you not feel a lack?
Do you not feel at times you're not
responding as you should?
Do you ever feel that despite all your
activity, it's not being done the way it
should be done?
By and by, when I look on his
face, beautiful face, thorn-shadowed face, by and
by, when I look on his face, I'll
wish I had given him more, more, so
much more, more of my life than I've
ever given before.
By and by, when I look on his
face, I'll wish I had given him more.
Oh, Christ, oh, Christ, we love thee.
Oh, Lord, we've never been what we ought
to be.
But oh, in our heart of hearts, we
love thee.
We want to be bigger and better.
By and by, when we kneel at thy
feet, beautiful feet, nail-pierced feet, by and
by, when we kneel at thy feet, we'll
wish we had given thee more, more, so
much more, more of my life than I've
ever given before.
By and by, when I kneel at his
feet, I'll wish I had given him.