Making Sure You're Not Left Behind – Part 1

Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. The rapture is the snatching away to heaven of all Christians before the beginning of the tribulation. The Bible says before this tribulation begins, all Christians who are alive will be snatched away to meet the Lord in the air. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. For generations, people have used the Bible to concoct some pretty wild ideas about how the world will end.

So, what does the Bible actually say about the end times? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress sets the record straight about one of the most hotly debated topics in Bible prophecy, the rapture of the church. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. When you hear your pastor talking about the end times, if he does talk about the end times, do you sometimes feel a little confused with terms like the rapture, the tribulation, or the millennium? Well, as your radio pastor and Bible teacher, I want to help you gain a better grasp on the plans God has in store for you and your family. By doing so, you and your loved ones can prepare for the future with boldness and courage, not fear.

This is for you and your family. First, I want to send you my bestselling book called Perfect Ending, Why Your Eternal Future Matters Today. As a result of reading perfect ending, you and your family will come to understand the crucial, but sometimes confusing subject of Bible prophecy. Second, I'm prepared to send you an exclusive book called The End Times Illustrated. If you're like me, I find it helpful to have a visual representation of God's timeline. This 72-page illustrated book portrays God's plan in a manner that's simple to comprehend. And then finally, I'm going to send you the very popular Bible prophecy chart, which is a multi-folded brochure that you can tuck into your Bible for quick reference. All three items, my book Perfect Ending, The End Times Illustrated, and the Bible Prophecy Chart are yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. Now, it's time to get into the scriptures as our series Perfect Ending continues. Today, we're talking about one of the most hotly debated topics in biblical prophecy, the rapture of the church.

I've titled today's message, Making Sure You're Not Left Behind. Some of you, like I, are old enough to remember the name of Jean Dixon. Jean Dixon was a popular psychic in the 1950s and 60s who made a number of predictions, but her most famous prediction was made in 1956 when she prophesied that a Democrat would win the 1960 presidential election and that the winner of that election would be assassinated while he was in office.

Of course, we know in 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States, and tragically, three years later, he was assassinated right here on the streets of downtown Dallas. Well, immediately after the fulfillment of that prophecy, Jean Dixon became a media sensation. Everybody turned to her to try to find out what was going to happen in the future. Now, what most people don't realize is Jean Dixon also made some predictions that didn't come true. For example, she prophesied that in 1958, a red china would plunge the world into the third World War. She predicted that in 1970, Fidel Castro would be banished from Cuba, but her most famous false prediction had to do with the Kennedys. After President Kennedy was assassinated, Jean Dixon predicted that the widow, Jackie Kennedy, would never marry again. She made the prediction that Jackie Kennedy would never marry again.

The day after she made that prediction, Jackie Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis. Somebody did a study one time of psychics and all the predictions that they made just in one year in 1975. Out of all of the predictions that were made in one year in 1975, only 6% of those predictions actually came to pass. The world is filled with false prophecies. But compare Jean Dixon's record or any prophet's records to the Bible. Did you know the Bible is filled with hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of prophecies of things that are going to occur in the future? Many of those prophecies have already come to pass. For example, in relationship to the first coming of Jesus Christ, there are more than 250 prophecies about the first coming of Christ, prophecies about the manner of his birth, the place of his birth, the type of life he would lead. Some of those prophecies were made 1,000 years before Christ was born. And out of those 250 prophecies, every one of them came to pass. Amazingly, there are 250 prophecies about Christ's first coming. There are over 1,800 prophecies in the Bible about his second coming. You can't turn a page of the Old or the New Testament without a prediction about the return of Jesus Christ. And I believe every one of those predictions is going to come true.

The Bible has a perfect batting average when it comes to fulfilled prophecy. We're in a series right now on Bible prophecy called Perfect Ending, why your eternal future matters today. And we're looking at what the Bible says will be the events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ and what the world and eternity will be like after Jesus Christ. What are we going to be doing in heaven? What is it going to be like when Christ returns? That's what we're looking at in this series. Now, it's true in Matthew 24, 36, Jesus said, we cannot know when these things are going to happen.

Nobody should try to set dates. History is littered with the bodies of prophets who have tried to predict falsely when Christ was coming back. We cannot know when Christ is coming back, but we can know the events that will lead up to Christ's return. God wants us to understand what those events are. We are to live in anticipation of those events and live our lives in anticipation of his return. Remember what Abraham Lincoln said one time?

He said, if you can tell me where we are and where we are going, I can better tell you what to do and how to do it. Bible prophecy, what's going to happen to us in the future ought to have a very real application in how we live our lives now. Last time, we began looking at the next event on God's prophetic timetable. It's called the rapture of the church.

The rapture is the snatching away to heaven of all Christians before the beginning of the tribulation. We'll begin talking about the great tribulation next week, this time of unprecedented persecution on the earth, the time when this very real charismatic world leader known as Antichrist will rise to power. If you ever wonder how a world dictator could come to power, just look at the situation in the world we're in right now. You know, Ronald Reagan used to say the word status quo is Latin for the mess we're in. And the fact is, this world is in a mess right now.

We're in a mess everywhere, economically, politically, every way the world is in a mess. You can see how the world would long for somebody who had the answer to the economic, the sociological, the political trouble that we are experiencing. There will be a world leader known as the Antichrist. That's the beginning of the tribulation. But prior to that tribulation, there's an event that has to happen.

And that's what we're talking about today. That is the rapture of the church, the taking away of the church. The Bible says before this tribulation begins, all Christians who are alive will be snatched away to meet the Lord in the air. Now Paul describes this in First Thessalonians chapter four.

And we're not going to talk about this for long, but those of you who weren't here last week, just write this down on your outline. The rapture has four components to it. First of all, the descent of Jesus Christ. Verse 16 of First Thessalonians four.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. People ask me, pastor, what prophecies have to be fulfilled before the rapture can occur? How many prophecies have to be fulfilled before this rapture can happen? You know what the answer is? Zero.

Zippo. Nothing has to happen before the rapture can occur. Now there are some prophecies related to the second coming seven years later, and we're seeing many of those come to pass. The last remaining piece before the second coming can occur is going to be the rebuilding of the temple on that mount over there that is under Arab control right now.

But that's the second coming. The rapture could happen at any moment. We say it is imminent. The rapture could happen next year, next week.

It could happen before we finish the service today. It is an imminent event. It begins with the descent of Christ. Suddenly, without warning, the trumpet is going to sound, the archangel of God is going to shout out, and the Lord will descend from heaven. That will be followed by, secondly, the resurrection of the dead in Christ.

Again, look at verse 16. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Who are the dead in Christ?

It is all Christians who have died since the beginning of the church in Acts 2. Every believer over the last however many years it is since Acts 2 until the rapture, the dead in Christ shall rise first. Now let me remind you, when a Christian dies, his spirit goes immediately into the presence of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5-8 says that for a Christian to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. If you were to die right this moment, right there in the pew, if you were to die of a heart attack or just sheer boredom, you know what happens to you? Your spirit immediately goes into the presence of Jesus. It doesn't float around up there.

It doesn't go to sleep. You go to be with the Lord. Your spirit, the essence of who you are, but obviously you leave a body behind. We'll have to haul your body out of here. We'll have to do something with it. Some of you may have your loved ones bury it. You may cremate it.

Who knows what's going to happen to it? But that's your physical body. The Bible says it falls asleep, your physical body, but not the real you.

You don't fall asleep. You go into the presence of the Lord. But God does not mean for us to spend eternity as disembodied spirits floating around up there. Remember when God made us, he made us body, soul, and spirit.

We've always been that way. There was never a time in eternity past where you were existing without a body. You were created with a body.

You will always have a body. And it's at the rapture that those who have already died will receive their brand new bodies that God has planned for them. Thirdly, at the rapture, the removal of all living Christians.

Look at verse 17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. There will be a generation of Christian, whatever Christians are alive when this rapture occurs, they will be exempt from death.

They will never experience physical death. Instead, at the rapture, they will simply be snatched away. Harpotsos, the Greek word, they will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. By the way, who is this with them that Christians will be caught up together? It says those of us who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them. The word them refers to the dead in Christ. Those Christians who have already died. Their spirits are in heaven, but at that moment their bodies are resurrected and in a moment we'll see they're going to be changed into brand new bodies. And the Bible says if we're alive at that time, we're going to be caught up together with those Christians who have died. That Christian husband, that Christian wife, that child, that Christian friend of yours, the Bible says there's going to be a great reunion with them at the rapture of the church. We will be caught up together with them. Isn't that a great truth to think about?

I've been a pastor for 30 years. The saddest things I ever see occur at funeral services when people say goodbye to their loved ones. There is nothing more final, let me tell you, there is nothing more final, it seems, than seeing the body of your loved one lowered in a casket into the ground. It seems like it's all over at that point, that you'll never see them again. But where we place a period, God places a comma. He said it's not always going to be this way.

The pain that you feel right now, it's real, but it's also temporary. There is a great resurrection and a great reunion in heaven, and you know what the best part of this reunion is? The Bible says in verse 17, it's going to be forever. We shall always be with the Lord as well as our loved ones forever. That's the rapture of the church. Now, this isn't the second coming that happens seven years later, this is the rapture finally.

What happens at the rapture? The transformation of our bodies. Whether our bodies are already dead and we're in the ground and with the Lord, or whether we happen to be alive at that time, regardless, whatever body we have or had is going to be changed into that brand new body that God has prepared for us. A body that will last through all eternity. A body that is free from pain and sickness and the suffering of this life. Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 verses 51 to 53.

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. That is, not every Christian is going to die. Those at the rapture won't die.

We're not all going to sleep, that is die. But we all shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable and this mortal must put on immortality. This change is going to happen of our old bodies into our new bodies, the Bible says, in a twinkling of an eye.

That's how quickly your body is going to be changed into that brand new body God has for you. I want you to notice something, both in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15. Both passages say this event called the rapture will happen when the trumpet sounds. Notice in verse 16 of 1 Thessalonians 4, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with what? The trumpet of God.

And then in 1 Corinthians 15, 52, it will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. What's the importance of the trumpet? Why does he say trumpet instead of xylophone or accordion or something else? Why does he say trumpet? What's the significance of the trumpet?

Remember, this was written with a Roman background to it. And in Paul's day, when a group of Roman soldiers were about to break camp and move to a new location, there would be three blasts of the Roman trumpet. The first blast meant strike your tents and prepare to depart. The second blast of the trumpet meant fall in line and be on alert. And when that third blast of the trumpet occurred, it meant march away to your new location.

I believe the first trumpet has already been sounded by God. God has already told us, strike your tents. He's reminded us this world is not our home. We're to live as aliens, strangers in this world. Quit getting attached to the things of this world. Don't get attached to your job. Don't get attached to your position.

Don't get attached to your stock portfolio. You're going to leave it all behind. We're to live as aliens in this world. Strike your tents, God has already said. Secondly, I believe he's sounded the second blast of the trumpet.

Be alert. The Bible says we're to be looking, we're to be watching for the return of Jesus Christ and living our lives accordingly. All we are waiting for is the blast of that third and final trumpet at the rapture when God tells us to break camp, to march away into the presence of our heavenly commander.

That's the significance of the last trumpet. Now, what I've just presented to you is what I believe the Bible teaches about the rapture. Now, I realize, especially after this week's emails, not everybody agrees with me. Not everybody in our listening audience agrees with me about the rapture. So, for full disclosure, I want to share with you just for a second three different views about the rapture. I'm not going to go into any great detail about these views.

They're included in my book, Perfect Ending. But let me just give you the three different views about the rapture. I'll tell you what everybody else believes and then I'll tell you why I'm right, okay?

But we're going to look at these other views. First of all, there is what's called the post-tribulation rapture view, the post-tribulation rapture view. That is, the church will endure the seven years of the tribulation which precede the second coming of Christ. If you look on your chart there where I put the rapture, just move it over to the right seven years at the end of the tribulation. That's what the post-tribulationist believes.

Post means after. The rapture happens after the tribulation. This is the view that the church must go through the great tribulation. And at the end of the tribulation, the church, whoever's alive at that time, will be snatched away and then will come back at the second coming. The rapture and the second coming are almost concurrent events according to this viewpoint.

Now, proponents of this view make their argument this way. They say, Christians in every age have suffered tribulation. Why in the world do you believe there's a group of Christians who will escape tribulation?

That just doesn't make sense. It's not true in history. Christians have always endured tribulation. Well, as we'll see in a moment, during the last seven years of earth's history, the kind of tribulation that will be experienced is far different than any other kind of persecution Christians have gone through before. Secondly, they say, it's very obvious when you read Revelation 6 through 19 that there are believers on the earth who are being persecuted by the antichrist. If these believers are not the church that was here before the tribulation, who are they?

As we'll see next week, there's a very logical answer to that question. But that's the post-tribulation view. The church will be here for the tribulation and then will be raptured at the end. Secondly, there is the mid-tribulation rapture view, and that is the rapture will occur after the first three and a half years of the seven-year tribulation. The proponents of this view say, the first three and a half years are going to be relatively peaceful.

Everybody's going to love antichrist. And it's only after three and a half years that he turns against Israel and begins persecuting Israel in the church and that the earth suffers the wrath of God. And so the church is here for the first three and a half years, but we get snatched away before the final really intense three and a half years of tribulation. There's a variation of this view called the pre-wrath rapture popularized by Marvin Rosenthal. And basically, it's saying the first three and a half years of the seven years are natural disasters which the church will have to experience. They're called the seal judgments in Revelation 6. But halfway through the tribulation, before antichrist persecutes the world and God persecutes the world, Christians will be snatched up.

Now, there are three problems with this view of the pre-wrath rapture or the mid-tribulation rapture. First of all, Revelation 5 through 6 teaches that that first series of judgments against the earth at the beginning of the seven years are unleashed by Jesus Christ himself. In fact, in Revelation 6 too, remember it is the Lamb of God who is deemed the only one worthy to open the seals of judgment that come upon the earth.

So this is not just a natural disaster that just happened to happen. It's not even a satanic judgment. It is a judgment by God himself. Secondly, if the church is present during these first judgments in Revelation 6, why is there no mention of the church in Revelation 6?

You find them before them, you find them in Revelation 19, but there's no mention of the church in Revelation 6. And finally, as we'll see next time, Daniel 9 and other passages of Scripture treat the tribulation not as just three and a half years, but an entire seven-year period of time. And if we are here during any part of that, it means we have to suffer the wrath of God, which we've been delivered from. And next time, I'll explain how you can know for sure that you'll be among those who are delivered from the coming wrath of God. Until then, let me encourage you to take your next steps down your pathway to victory. In the event you don't have a copy of my book that coincides with today's series, I want to send you a copy of Perfect Ending, Why Your Eternal Future Matters Today. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'd be happy to send a copy to your home.

My book will come with the End Times Illustrated book that I mentioned earlier and the Bible Prophecy Chart as well. In closing, I'd like to add a word about the value of our Pathway partners and anyone who gives a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Because you give, Pathway to Victory is empowered to proclaim the truth about the End Times.

Let me encourage you with an example. Recently I heard from Juanita, who listens to Pathway to Victory in Virginia. She wrote, Pastor Jeffress, I want to thank you for the encouraging, clear, and fantastic series on the rapture and the second coming of Christ. I have learned so much through your teaching. Plus, I received your book, Perfect Ending, which I consider a must for every true believer to read. Well, Juanita, your words certainly encouraged me and you inspire all of us to invest generously into the ministry of Pathway to Victory. In fact, I'm going to take this occasion to invite every listener to give generously today because you're empowering us to share the light and life of Jesus Christ all around the world. David.

Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. You're invited to request a copy of the bestselling book, Perfect Ending, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. You'll also receive the companion guide to Perfect Ending called The End Times Illustrated. Plus, we'll include the Bible Prophecy Chart, designed to tuck into your Bible for quick and easy reference. To request your copy of these resources, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org.

Now, when your gift is $75 or more, you'll also receive the complete Perfect Ending teaching series on CD and DVD. Again, call 866-999-2965 or visit online at ptv.org. If you'd like to write, here's the address, P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.

Again, that's P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, inviting you to join us again next time when Dr. Jeffress concludes this important message called Making Sure You're Not Left Behind. That's Friday, here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway partner, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory.