Introduction:     (Illus: Employee sweeping up in a machine shop with clean clothes under his jump suite…"You see, I stay ready to keep from gettin' ready--just like I'm ready for Jesus!") Friend, are you ready for the return of Jesus? He's coming again! As we look at these verses today, examine your heart to see if you are ready for His coming. Jesus is coming for a certain people: those who are ready to go! Are you ready for the rapture?

I.          THE PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED

A.                 The Savior Will Be Involved.

The One Who died to redeem the bride on the cross is the One Who returns to rapture the bride off the world! (Illus: This fits in with Jewish wedding tradition!) His coming will be accompanied by:

·        A Shout – (1) A military command. Jesus is calling the hosts of Heaven to assemble for action against the enemy: the air (Eph. 6:12 ). (2) Jesus promised that there would come a day when the dead would hear His voice (John 5:25 ). It was this shout that was heard by Lazarus that brought him back to life.

·        The Trumpet of God - Throughout Jewish history, the trumpet was used for many different, but important reasons.

o       To announce the feasts - Num. 10:10

o       To announce various celebrations - 2 Sam. 6:15

o       To announce a sacred assembly - Lev. 23:24

o       To sound an alarm during a time of war - Num. 10:9

o       To assemble a crowd - Num. 10:2; Jud. 6:34

o       To make an announcement - 1 Sam .13:3; 2 Sam. 15:10 ; 1 Kings 1:34 ; 39; 41

There seems to be a two-fold purpose here: (1.) to assemble the people of God - Ex. 19:16-19. (2.) To signal His deliverance of them - Zech. 1:16 ; 9:14 -16.

B.         The Saints Will Be Involved
The rapture will include:

·        ALL the saints! - There is no such thing as a partial rapture.

·        ONLY the saints! - There will be many fine, moral and religious people who will not be taken when Jesus comes. One of the tragedies of that day will be that many will be left behind who thought they were ready. Don't think you are ready, be sure you are, Matt. 24:44! ( Ill. Luke 17:34-36!)

II.         THE POWER INVOLVED

A.                 Of The Resurrection

The Thessalonians believers believed in the immediate return of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, they were afraid that their fellow believers who had already died had missed out on the rapture and on heaven as well. Paul writes this passage to let them know that there is coming a day when even the dead will rise again!

·        We serve a God who is able to exert this kind of power (Eph.3:20)! This should comfort our hearts (v. 18). The same God Who moved in power to create with world and all that is within it, is the same One Who will raise the bodies of the dead. I do not have to understand the mechanics of the event to be blessed by it! All you and I need to know is that all those saints we have known and loved will one day have their bodies raised from the dead! By the way…

·        Not a single one of them is in the grave today (2 Cor.5:8)! - When He comes for their bodies, He will bring their spirits with them. They will receive a new, glorified body and will be taken up from the earth to be transported to glory!

B.                 Of  The Rapture

"Caught up" = "a strong, irresistible and violent act". It literally means, "To seize by force, to carry off by force, to claim for oneself eagerly." It is interesting to note that this word conveys the idea of force.

• No force will be able to prevent His coming for us!
• No force will be able to hold us here when He does come.

The bottom line is this: when He comes we go! (Illus: It is at this moment in time when the saints will forever lose these fleshly bodies! We will be changed, 1 Cor. 15:51-52 and we will be made like Jesus, 1 John 3:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:42-57! Imagine what that body will be like!)

III.       THE PROMISE INVOLVED IN THIS EVENT

A.                 There Is The Promise Of Rescue

·        From Our Enemy

The Bible says that He will come in the "air". This is significant! He will come directly through enemy territory. He will call up His Bride into the realm of the enemy and He will lead her safely and triumphantly through the devil's territory as a display of His power and victory over all the powers of evil! We could never get out of here on our own! He will take us safely through all the way to glory!

·        From The Tribulation

Jesus He will take His church out of the world before He judges the world in the Tribulation, Rom. 5:9, Rev. 4:1, etc. We will be rescued from this earth before the wrath of God is unleashed against it!

B.         There Is The Promise Of Reunion

The phrase "together with them" implies the fact that you and I will enjoy a blessed reunion with those we have seen taken in death! We all have loved ones on the other side we long to see! We will see them then!

C.        There Is The Promise Of Revelation

"and so shall we ever be with the Lord." As glorious as a reunion with our departed loved ones may be, it pales in comparison to seeing Jesus Christ the One Who gave His life on the cross for our redemption!

D.                 There Is The Promise Of Rejoicing

"so shall we ever be with the Lord." We are going to be wherever He is forever! Whether it is in Heaven around the Father's throne or whether it is on the earth ruling with Him for 1000 years, it will be a time of endless worship and praise. It will be a time free from sin and filled with His glory. It will be a time when all the tears are finally wiped away from our faces, Rev. 21:4. It will be Heaven! For to be with Jesus is to reside in THE place of glory!

Conclusion:       The whole thing I am trying to say today is this: He's coming, and He's coming for His people. Now, the question you have to answer is this: when He comes are you going? You can go, but only if you are saved! He will come again and He will remove His people. When that day comes, will you go, or will you stay? It will all depend on what you do with Jesus Christ. In the end, what He does with you hinges upon what you do with Him!