BOOK OF REVELATION (The Rapture and Judgment Seat of Christ)

By Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD

LESSON NOTES:

I.            THE TERM RAPTURE IS NOT IN THE SCRIPTURE. However, the concept of the saints being resurrected and caught up in the air to meet Christ is most definitely biblical.

A.             It is called the, “Resurrection of the dead.”

1 Corinthians 15:35-58 King James Version (KJV)

³⁵ But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

³⁶ Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

³⁷ And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

³⁸ But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

⁴⁰ There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

⁴³ It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

⁴⁵ And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

⁴⁶ Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

⁴⁷ The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

⁴⁸ As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

B.             It is referred to being “caught up.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 King James Version (KJV)

¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

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.

¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

C.             It is referred to being “taken.”

Matthew 24:40

"Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

Luke 17:34

"I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.

D.             It is referred to being “gathered.”

Matthew 24:31 - And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

II.            THE “RAPTURE” IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE IMMEDIATELY AT THE END OF THE CHURCH AGE.

Revelation 4:1

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."

I.                 BUT WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN THAT TIME WILL COME.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 - For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

Matthew 24:42 - Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Mark 13:32-37 ³²But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. ³³Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. ³⁴For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. ³⁵Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: ³⁶Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. ³⁷And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

II.            BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THE END WILL NOT COME UNTIL THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED EVERYWHERE.

Matthew 24:14

"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Mark 13:10

"The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

III.        AFTER BELIEVERS ARE RESURRECTED AND CAUGHT UP; ALL SAINTS WILL BE JUDGED AT THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST. Yes, we are forgiven of all of our sins. But, we are stewards. Therefore, we must give an account to God of our lives.

2 Timothy 4:8

in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Romans 14:10-12 ¹⁰But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹For it is written, As I live, saith the LORD, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. ¹²So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 ⁶Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the LORD: ⁷(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) ⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the LORD. ⁹Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

IV.        REWARDS WILL BE GIVEN OUT AT THE RESURRECTION.

Luke 14:14

and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

V.             THE SAINTS WILL BE CAUGHT UP BEFORE THE GREAT TRIBULATION HITS THE EARTH.

Revelation 3:10 - Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Daniel 12:1-2 ¹"At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people-everyone whose name is found written in the book-will be delivered. ²Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 - For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

VI.        THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WHICH WILL HAPPEN LEADING UP TO THE CATCHING AWAY OF THE CHURCH.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-7 ¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, ²That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. ³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; ⁴Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. ⁵Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? ⁶And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. ⁷For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

A.             Apostasy will be great.

B.             The Antichrist will be revealed.

C.             The Church is holding back his full revelation.

VIII.                       THE HUMAN BODY WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO DIE. Sin is what has brought death of the human body.

Genesis 2:17 ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Romans 6:23 ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.

Romans 5:12 ¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned-

IX.         CHRIST’S WORK OF REDEMPTION ON THE CROSS NOT ONLY BRINGS SALVATION FOR THE SOUL; BUT THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.

1 Corinthians 15:22 ²²For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

John 11:25

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,

1 Corinthians 15:21

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

Philippians 3:10

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

Romans 6:5

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

1 Corinthians 15:42

So also is the resurrection of the dead It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;

Isaiah 26:19

Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

John 5:29

and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

X.             EARTHLY RELATIONSHIPS WILL BE NULL AND VOID AFTER THE RESURRECTION.

Matthew 22:30

"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

XI.         DEATH IS THE LAST ENEMY THAT WILL BE DESTROYED.

1 Corinthians 15:20-28 New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸ When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

XI.         CONCLUSION:

A.             PRAYER FOR SALVATION FOR YOU TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST; THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.^[1] As we close, if you have not received this Jesus pray this simple prayer:

"Father, I know that I have sinned against You. Please forgive me. Wash me clean. I promise to trust in Jesus, Your Son. I believe that He died for me—He took my sin upon Himself when He died on the cross. I believe that He was raised from the dead. I surrender my life to Jesus today.

"Thank You, Father, for Your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Please help me to live for you. In Jesus' name, Amen."

                                                 

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[1] http://www.joycemeyer.org/OurMinistries/EverydayAnswers/How+to+Become+a+Christian/. (Accessed, March 2, 2011).