Somewhere in the past, a divorce occurred; pastors and Bible scholars separated the return of Jesus for His church from the proclamation of the Gospel. This tragic exclusion of a key aspect of the Gospel has led to a dearth of understanding among believers regarding Jesus’ appearing and the joyful anticipation that comes with such an eager anticipation.
I recall hearing several sermons where the preacher proclaimed that all believers would die before the Lord returns. Such a message contradicts New Testament passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:51 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Paul believed that many saints would be alive at the time of the Rapture, but not so those who hold to today’s most popular views of the end times. They disagree with the apostle.
The book of 1 Thessalonians reveals that the hope of Jesus’ soon appearing was a vital part of the Gospel Paul preached during his short stay in Thessalonica. Notice what the apostle wrote about its reception among the new converts: “For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10).
Upon turning to Jesus, the new converts immediately began waiting for His appearing, aka the Rapture. Paul included the return of Jesus for His church, the Rapture, in his preaching from the very beginning of his time in Thessalonica.
In Romans 8:23, the apostle identifies a key aspect of Jesus’ appearing, “the redemption of our bodies,” and then in verse 24, he states, “For in this hope we were saved.” Paul regarded the event we call the “Rapture” as a key belief because it signified the “hope” contained in the saving message of the Gospel.
What are some of the consequences of ignoring our “blessed hope?”
Believers Lose a Source of Comfort During Times of Loss
Perhaps the most significant result of neglecting the Rapture is this: It takes the eyes of believers away from Jesus and their ultimate hope at times when they need it the most.
When I was ten years old, my dad died suddenly of a heart attack. In the midst of my grief, I read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, as friends of my parents had told me about the Rapture months earlier. The Lord used this passage to comfort me after the loss of my believing father; I regarded the meeting in the air as the next time I would see him. I cannot fully explain how the teaching of a pre-Tribulation Rapture brought hope to my heart at an early age.
The brand-new converts in Thessalonica grieved over their loved ones who had recently died because they thought their fellow saints would miss out on the Rapture. In response, Paul soothed their sorrow with a special message from the Lord stating that the “dead in Christ” would “rise first” at Jesus’ appearing (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16).
If the reason for their heartache had been a failure to believe in a future resurrection, Paul’s response would’ve been similar to what he wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Instead, he emphasized the primary role of the “dead in Christ” in the Rapture as the remedy to their lingering despair.
Whether we are dealing with sickness, pain, grief over the death of someone we love, or another loss of some kind, the hope of Jesus’ imminent appearing encourages us with the reassurance that a much better life lies in our future. It’s been sixty-two years since I first heard about the pre-tribulation Rapture, but it still provides a daily source of encouragement and comforts me during times of sickness.
Believers Lack a Prophetic Perspective of World Events
If there was ever a time when New Testament saints needed to hear about Jesus’ appearing and the wonders of life after their death, it’s now. We read about natural and manmade disasters almost every week. Lawlessness remains out of control, with store chains such as Target and Walmart measuring their annual losses in billions of dollars. Recent revelations from Elon Musk and his D.O.G.E. department reveal the theft and/or waste of trillions of dollars, much of which has lined the pockets of corrupt politicians. The threat of a nuclear war remains an ever-present threat.
I couldn’t even begin to cope with these things apart from a prophetic perspective assuring me that God is sovereignly in control of all things. The Bible tells me that Jesus is coming for us before the Day of the Lord, during which time He will pour out His wrath upon the wicked (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).
The modern-day loss of a biblical worldview in the church negatively impacts new believers as well as seasoned saints as it leaves them ill-prepared to live in a fear-ridden society. Earth-based theologies provide no prophetic context into which they can place the terrors of our day. How does one adequately deal with the deadly push for a Marxist New World Order apart from what God’s Word says about the last days?
Believers Place an Undue Emphasis on This Life
Another tragic consequence of discounting our “blessed hope” is that it leads to an excessive emphasis on this life. Many pastors sharply criticize Joel Osteen’s book, Your Best Life Now. However, their preaching emphasizes the temporal aspects of the Christian life while failing to mention the promise of eternal life or any of the benefits that lie ahead for us. Is such preaching all that different from Osteen’s premise?
This temporal emphasis results in many saints planning for their future as though Jesus will not return until long after their time on earth has ended. Such an outlook on life ignores the mindset of Philippians 3:20-21: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
The modern exclusion of Jesus’ appearing from the pulpit takes the eyes of the saints away from Jesus, ignores current realities that tell us the Tribulation period is ever so close, and, as noted earlier, leaves believers ill-prepared to deal with losses and other sorrows that will surely come their way.
Believers Rarely Hear Why Their “Blessed Hope” Matters
The message of the Gospel is this: Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended to heaven, and is coming again, at which time He will give us imperishable, immortal bodies and take us to the place He’s preparing for us.
Jesus’ resurrection means that we, too, will live forever with bodies that will never grow old, get sick, or die. This is the Gospel future; it’s our “blessed hope,” aka the Rapture: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you” (Titus 2:11-15).
Please note Paul’s admonition for Titus to “declare these things,” which included his designation of our “blessed hope” as “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Since Paul exhorted his protégé to proclaim the good news about the Rapture so long ago, would he not make the same plea today to those entrusted with preaching His Word? Is it not even more critical to do so today as we see the Day of Lord rapidly approaching?
