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FROM THE PASTOR'S STUDY

Topic: The Feast of Trumpets

The Rapture: Believe It

by Darrel Cline
(darrelcline biblical-thinking.org)

In our studies about the Rapture of the Church we have noted that the Rapture is the instantaneous translation of living believers in Christ out of this world into the presence of the living Christ as He descends into this world's atmospheric heaven. This is clearly taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and I Corinthians 15:51-53.

We have shown (055) how the Rapture is tied to the resurrection of all believers in Christ who lived during the period of time between His resurrection and this Rapture event. The point that we made was that this event was going to occur, not at the end of human history, but while people are going about their daily living. This event will be a huge shock to those people who know nothing about the Rapture and are suddenly caught by it. Imagine what the reaction will be when, in a blink of an eye, several million people world-wide suddenly disappear from this world. If you are here when it happens, and are not one of those raptured, you may well be looking right at someone when they suddenly disappear before your eyes and their clothes will lie crumpled on the floor. (Fellow believers, we aren't taking these rags we presently wear with us!)

Now, the most natural reaction of folks who hear about the Rapture for the first time is disbelief at two levels. First, there are those who say, "Aw, the Bible doesn't really teach that!" But they only say that because they have never really studied their Bibles--because it does teach it and people who study the Bible have seen it taught there for the last 2,000 years!

Then, there is the other group of disbelievers. These folks say, "Look, the Bible makes a lot of goofy claims about miracles--the Red Sea drying up a lane so people can cross it, a dead body made alive just because it was tossed into the grave of a prophet and touched his bones (most folks don't know this Bible story, so the objector who uses it is more familiar than most of us with his Bible)--surely you don't believe all that nonsense do you?"

What do we say to that? My current response is a quote by Neil Anderson: "You don't create reality with your mind!" In other words, it doesn't matter if a person believes Truth or not, as far as the nature of Truth is concerned. If a person doesn't believe in the Law of Gravity, he will still splat! when he steps off a ten story building. Truth's essential identity is unaffected by whether people believe it or not.

But, people are not unaffected by whether they believe the Truth or not. The Truth remains unaffected by faith/disbelief. People do not remain unaffected. If a person believes the Truth, he enters into the benefits of the Truth believed. If a person disbelieves the Truth, he enters into the disaster reserved for those who refuse to align themselves with the Truth. If you believe in Jesus and the Rapture, when it happens, you will be instantly translated into the ecstasy of eternal life. If you don't believe it, you will when it happens! But you won't have its life.


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This is article #056.
If you wish, you may contact Darrel as darrelcline at this site.