WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES OF GOD FOR THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH?

Today we want to look at “THE PURPOSES OF GOD FOR THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.”  

The event – Rapture- is described in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

What is Rapture? Rapture is the event in which Jesus Christ “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment which will be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period.

We must realize that our God is a God of purpose. He does nothing without a purpose.

Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 says, “And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose in this is that people should fear Him.”

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

What is purpose? Purpose is the very reason for which something exists or is done. Realize that God’s purpose remains permanent.

What then are the purposes of God for the Rapture of the church?

1. To receive the saints to Himself as promised.

Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3).

“That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).

2. To resurrect the dead in Christ from among the wicked dead.

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him…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:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:14-17).

Apostle Paul said, “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (Phil. 3:11).

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4-6).

3. To take the saints to heaven to live in the New Jerusalem and receive rewards.

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17).

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3).

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his (physical) body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).

“But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:22-23).

“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:1-10).

“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Rev. 21:9-10).

4. To change the physical bodies that are subject to death to glorified bodies that will never die.

“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: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

“Who shall change (transform) our vile (dying, worthless) body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” (Phil. 3:21).

5. To present the saints before God the Father.

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17).

“To the end He may stablish your hearts un-blameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ WITH all His saints” (1 Thess. 3:13).

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3).

“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude v 24).

6. To make the saints whole in body, soul and spirit.

“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: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23).

“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” (Phil. 3:21).

7. To receive the fruit of the early and latter rain.

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (Jam. 5:7).

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3).

8. To cause the saints to escape the tribulation (Rev. 6:1-19:2).

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9).

Jesus said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Lk. 21:36).

To escape that day of wrath and sudden destruction you should meet the following condition:  1. Not sleep (1 Thess. 5:6-7), 2. Watch (v 6), 3. Be sober (1 Thess. 5:6-8), 4. Put on the breastplate of faith, and love, and the helmet of salvation (1 Thess. 5:6-11).

9. To remove the hinderer of lawlessness.

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7).

10. To permit the revelation of the Antichrist.

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7).

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Rev. 4:1).

Time is running out, beloved! Today, you have a great opportunity to change your eternal destiny. Your name must be in the Lamb’s Book of Life for you to qualify for the rapture. You are not going to be raptured because you are acting nice. You are not going to be raptured because your name is in a church register. You are not going to be raptured because you are a leader in the church. You will be raptured only on these conditions: (1) you MUST be Born Again (Jn. 3:3), and (2) live a life of righteousness and holiness (Heb. 12:14).

Proverbs 27:1 says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (NASU). 

So hurry, and make peace with God right now!

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)