Feeding the Sheep - The Rapture

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The Return of the Lord

"13Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

15By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

18Therefore encourage one another with these words."

1 Thessalonians 4

[This is the 8th message of this series]

This lesson is intended for mature believers (or adulting believers). For a more orderly study, if you haven't gone through all the previous messages yet, please do so first.

The Rapture

There are some portions of the bible which are polarizing, even among Christians. One of these which have kept believers divided is what is described in the passage above (verse 17).

This event of being caught up in the air is also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:52:

"in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." -- this is what is called as being raptured.

Christians of different denominations have differing teachings on the rapture and particularly when it will occur (Christians within the same denomination cannot even agree on this).

First Century

The earliest believers were expecting Christ to come back within their lifetime. And the way they lived their new life in Christ demonstrated this belief.

But as more and more of them were dying before their eyes, there would have been some feeling of confusion and even skepticism among them.

The Apostle Paul through the revelation of the Holy Spirit wrote to them words of encouragement and taught that those of them who have gone to sleep (those among them who have passed away before Christ returned) will be the first ones to rise up when the Lord returns. Then those of them still alive will be "raptured".

Be Ready

Christ told His followers that He will return for them and that they will live out their new life in Him with the hope filled expectation that He will come back one day (what day and on what hour no one knows exactly). 

Christ said: "Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once." Luke 12:35-36

Will Come Back Unannounced

The Bridegroom is preparing a place for us, His bride (the church) and He will come back, as Scriptures tell us, like a thief in the night.

One of these verses is in Revelation 16:15

"Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!"

Other verses.


And this is how our demeanor should be as we wake up to another new morning, ready and eagerly waiting (dressed in white) and all the more as we know that The Day is approaching.

Waste of Time

Debating about when He is coming back or convincing others on why we believe this event to be pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib* and shaming or looking down at others who believe differently than we do is a total waste of time.

Christ is coming back, period. Waking up each new day with this mindset is all we should be concerned about.


*more on this on the next and future messages of this series


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