We're going to finish 1 Thessalonians 4 this evening, God willing. Last week we were looking at the characteristics of the rapture and brought out several points where the rapture is distinguished from the revelation of Jesus Christ. I had a handout for everybody. I think there's one copy out there. If anybody wants that, handout, I can make more copies. I had put that in another book that I had written. And I think it's helpful to see the rapture coming, Christ coming for his saints in the air, the revelation, he's coming with his saints to the earth. And then several other things that distinguished those. But all right, first Thessalonians. Chapter 4, we'll go ahead and read verse 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. 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. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Another characteristic of the rapture, as revealed in our text, is the glorious union that will take place. all the saints of God, every believer, Old Testament, New Testament, up to this point, will be united together with glorified bodies with the Lord. It's going to be a miraculous thing to see this come about. We'll all be united together. And never again will we be separated by death or distance, will forever be with the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. When we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, so shall we ever be with the Lord. We'll see Him face to face. We'll be conformed to His image. We'll bask in His glory. Gone will be the disappointments, the heartaches, the sins, the trials that often troubled our earthly existence. We are going to be in the very presence of the One who loved us and loves us more than anyone in the entire universe. We're going to see all of His majesty, all of His glory. We're going to experience His power unlike anything we've ever seen before because He's going to take away everything that hindered us, everything that hurt us in this life. He's going to take away that old fleshly nature and we will forever be united in with our Lord never again. Never another thought of sin. Never again a wicked motive in our hearts. Never again divided affections between the world and the Lord. The fruition of the prayer of John 17 is going to come full circle The our great high priest who prayed that prayer is going to make it a literal reality. We are going to be in union with him. And gone will be. All of the things that plagued us. In this earthly existence. And we'll bask in the glory of the Lord. We're going to experience the power of His presence. Right now we do. He's in our midst tonight. We've gathered to worship Him, to lift up His name, to glorify Him, to sing praises unto Him. But imagine, if you will, when we're caught away to be with the Lord forever, can you envision all the saints of all the ages, dressed in spotless white, surrounding the throne of our Lord, rejoicing in His presence and singing, worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Everyone with glorified voices. We will, for the first time in our lives, we will be in complete compatibility mode with everybody we're with. Everybody there will be a child of God, chosen of God, redeemed by the blood, indwelt by the Spirit, sharing in the glory of Christ. This is what it means to be forever with the Lord. What a glorious prospect for the future. And how our hearts should long, how they should pant, how they should anticipate the literal realization of 1 Thessalonians 4, 17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air, in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Now, as I study this passage, and I use the term rapture quite often, it's not in the Bible. So I use it because it's a familiar theological term, just like the word trinity. is not in the Bible, but the doctrine is taught in the Bible. Now the word rapture doesn't occur, but the phrase caught up conveys the meaning of the saints being raptured into the presence of the Lord. Now what's fascinating, I was studying and I ran across a passage in a book by Warren Wiersbe. He wrote that he had one time heard a sermon by the Greek scholar Kenneth Wiest. Is that how you pronounce his name? W-U-E-S-T. All right. And he heard this sermon that Kenneth Wiest was preaching, where he gave all the meanings for the Greek word caught up. as it was elsewhere used in the New Testament. It's really an eye opener as it relates to the doctrine of the rapture of the saints. And so I just want to give you a sampling of what he said, how this phrase caught up is used elsewhere in the New Testament and how it can be applied in this passage in our way of thinking. The word caught up means to catch away speedily. It's the translation in Acts 8.39 where the spirit caught away Philip after he had led the Ethiopian to Christ. Think about this, to catch away speedily. When the Lord returns in the air, we which who are alive and remain shall be caught up quickly. How quickly? In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. We shall all be changed. This means that we should live every moment in the expectation of our Lord's return, lest He come and find us out of His will, so that we will not be ashamed at His coming, because He's going to speedily catch us away. The second one, it means to seize by force. John 6, 15. And I think this, we said it suggests that Satan and his emissaries are going to do everything in their power to keep us from leaving this earth. And he made the point that it may suggest that some of the saints will be so attached to this world that they'll have to be literally dragged away. Like the passage in John 6.15, like Lot being delivered from Sodom. they'll be scarcely saved. And then another meaning to catch away, to be caught away, is to claim for one's own self. And this views the rapture from our Lord's point of view. As He comes to claim His people, His believers, His jewels, He's going to gather them all up. They belong to Him. Another way that this is translated, or the meaning of it, is to move to a new place. And Paul used this word when he described his visit to heaven in 2 Corinthians 12, verses 1-4, where he relates his experience of being caught up into the third heaven. How amazing is that? We're going to move to a new place. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. And he said, he promised, I will come again and receive you unto myself. When He comes, He's going to take us to that glorious place. Right now, we're just pilgrims. We're strangers in this world. Our citizenship is in heaven. And one day, He's going to take us there and fit us for His presence. This vile body shall be fashioned like unto His glorious body. And then the last way that it's used is to rescue from danger. in Acts 23.10. And it suggests that the saints of God will be taken home before the time of the tribulation that will come to the world from God. And I think 1 Thessalonians 1.10 where it says that we've been saved to wait for His Son from heaven. whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. I believe that that refers to our salvation. But I also believe that I'm going to be delivered from the wrath that's going to be poured out on this earth. He's going to rescue me just like He did Enoch right before the flood. He's going to catch us away. Now, verse 18. We'll move from the characteristics of the rapture to the comfort that is experienced. And it's a very concise statement. He says, wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Paul ends chapter four with an exhortation to use this passage as a source of comfort. The prospect of the Lord's imminent return is intended to bring comfort and solace to the hearts of troubled or discouraged saints. You know, this world can be burdensome. Trials and valleys and difficulties and sickness and setbacks and disappointments have all afflicted us as human beings. There are times we are weighed down, discouraged, troubled. If only we would focus more upon the comfort of glory. Remember that sermon I preached on feasting on the hope of future glory? Nobody remembers that. I preached it in December when I went to preach in, let's see, where was it? At King's Edition Baptist Church. I don't know how long it's been since I preached it here, obviously too long. But I really believe that this is something we need to learn to do more of. Instead of focusing on This world is so full of turmoil. Let's focus on preaching the gospel while we're here. But don't let your hearts and your minds to be overcharged with the cares of this life. Things that just get your mind off what's really, truly important. I often think My sins are forgiven. I am on my way to heaven. If from tonight on is nothing but trial and turmoil and difficulty, who am I to complain? I have lived such a wonderful life, saved by the grace of God, washed in the blood of the Lamb, indwelt, directed, enlightened by the power of the Holy Spirit. How our minds ought to focus on what we have in Christ. Oh, if we would learn to focus more on the glories yet to be revealed in the future. Our hearts would not be so prone to be overcome with fear and disappointment and distraction. We have to learn to draw comfort from the anticipation of future glory. Even though our world is filled with trouble, affliction, and disappointment, we must learn to look forward to the glory that is yet to be revealed in us. Paul said that. I reckon that the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. As I thought about this passage, I my mind went back to how the martyrs must have clung to verses like this. As they were. Put into dungeons. Their bodies racked with pain on on devices of torture. Where they would tie their their hands and their feet And they would stretch their bodies until their bones went out of joint. And then they would beat them with rocks in their teeth and bust their teeth out so that their mouth would become infected. And their bodies would be just overwhelmed with pain and affliction and trial and heartache I can't even begin to think what they went through. And I would like to think verses like this is what helped them as they realized that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with what shall be revealed in glory. Many were burned at the stake. Some who believed in baptism by immersion. I think it was Luther that said if they want to be baptized, baptize them for all eternity. And he'd have the people in Germany would drown them. It's sad. This is what our forefathers went through. This is why I don't give up on church truth so easily. I won't give up on it by the grace of God. Our forefathers were tortured and beaten and hunted down like dogs and put to death. And yet they remain firm. How? Their hope was not in the things of this world. Their minds were fixed on the world to come. And I'm sure that many martyrs relish these verses as they were being led away to be burned at the stake. None of us have even had the threat of that. That's not to say that we won't. But I hope that we're prepared. by remembering this world and its comforts are not our home. This is not all there is and we certainly should not set our affections on it. These verses should bring comfort to those also whose loved ones have gone on to be with the Lord. I look out on our little flock. And the saints of God, I can remember where they sat, how they sang, how they shook your hand, how they prayed. One day, I believe that they're going to be in heaven with me. I think the real focus is all going to be on the Lord. But the comfort is that they're there. They're with the Lord right now. They're awaiting the day of glorious resurrection. We need not worry for them or fret for them. To be absent with the body is to be present with the Lord. What greater comfort is there? There's coming a day of glorious reunion. where the saints of God will never be separated by death again. These verses should also comfort us as we realize that the saints of God will be translated out of this world of sin and woe. I believe it will happen prior to the tribulation when the wrath and fury of Almighty God is going to be systematically poured out upon the inhabitants of the earth. It is the time of Jacob's trouble and it will be unlike any trouble the world has ever seen. God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. And just as Enoch was translated to heaven without experiencing death prior to the worldwide flood, The saints of God will be delivered and translated before the flood of God's judgments are poured out in the form of trumpets and vials and seals in the book of Revelation. As I look at this, I just there would be little comfort for the saint of God in knowing that he would have to go through the terrors of the tribulation period. and experience the unrighteous reign of the Antichrist upon the earth, because that is who is going to be ruling this world system. It's also significant to note that every reference relating to the catching away or the rapture of the saints always suggests deliverance, comfort, joy, and glorification. On the other hand, the revelation of Christ in the second advent of the earth always carries with it a component of judgment for the unsaved. And then finally, these verses comfort us as we consider our state of future glory. I've already alluded to this, but it needs to be said again. Imagine never ever having even the thought of sin ever again. Never to be troubled by Satan, who's a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Never again will we commit an unrighteous deed or think a wicked thought, will be in the presence of the Lord, wholly conformed to His image. We will be finally delivered from a world that is saturated with sin and miraculously translated into the realm of celestial glory where we'll bask in the grace of our God and worship Him in the beauty of holiness. There's a song, I'm not going to try to sing it, but that song says, nothing between my soul and the Savior. That's going to be a reality. And how my heart longs for a literal fulfillment of these verses. and they inspire a purifying hope that causes me to look forward to the day when I'll see the Lord as He is and I'll be like Him. We have a promise, beloved. Now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him. For we shall see him as he is, and everyone that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. The comfort of the rapture. Let's all stand, have a song.