05-18-2025 Caught Away
Text: I Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Old Testament is filled with prophecies about the coming of Messiah. As of today, all of them except one came true with His birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. The only great prophetic event left to come true is Christ’s return to establish His earthly kingdom. Many people want to know more about when and how this is going to happen, and what happens to us should we die before Jesus returns? The New Testament gives us some details about what will happen but not when. Only God knows. And Jesus will know only when the Father tells Him to go get His children.
This morning our text is from I Thessalonians 4:13-18 where Paul writes: “(13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, Brethren concerning them which are asleep [reference to those who have died], that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, 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 [those that are asleep refers to those who have died before the return of Jesus]. (16) For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a should, 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.” Paul is telling us that there will come a time when Jesus will call those believers who have died up to that point to be with Him in Heaven. Then those believers who are still alive will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air to be with Him. This is what we refer to as the Rapture. We don’t know when this will happen – it could be before this day ends or it could be months, years, or centuries away. But each day that passes brings us one day closer to His return. When it does happen it will be quick and those left behind will be left wondering what happened to those who have disappeared from this world. This great disappearance will signal the start of the Great Tribulation that will last for seven years. So let’s explore how are we to live until this happens.
The first we should ask ourselves how are we live in the light of the countdown to His return. We don’t know when God will send Jesus to bring His children home. But time marches on and when the call comes, we will have died or will still be alive so there’s an urgency to our lives while we wait. Remember when we were kids, time seemed to move so very slow? But the older we get; we are reminded every day how quickly time passes. Also, we feel the absence of those who have passed on which calls our attention to how brief this life on earth can be.
In Matther 24, Jesus talked about signs that would signal the end times are near. These include the increase in the amount of false teachers; wars and rumors of wars; famine, which is food shortages; pestilences, which are strange or deadly illnesses; earthquakes in various places; increased iniquity, which is gross injustices, evil and wickedness; a time of affluence, meaning there is increased wealth through money, property, and material things; and Christians will be increasingly persecuted for their beliefs. If we look around, we can see these signs are beginning to take shape. But as they all become more widespread throughout the world, it will signal we are closer to the return of our Lord.
The answer to the question of how we are to live while all this is happening is that we should resist all temptations to become like nonbelievers. Never let the things that are going on around us pull us away from our faith and what the Bible tells us about how we should live in this world. We can remain strong by studying our Bibles more to remind us how we are to be humble like Jesus, helping others when and wherever we can, and letting others see Jesus through us. And, we must never miss an opportunity to tell others what Jesus has done for us and how He can do the same for them.
We should also ask ourselves how we should live in light of the Rapture. Verse 17 of our text says that those who are alive and remain shall be caught up, referring to what will happen at Rapture. Death has taken its toll through the centuries. We have all stood by the graves of loved ones who have gone before us, and it is never easy. But if we are still alive when God sends Jesus to get His children, we will want to be caught away to be with Jesus. We will disappear from this world and everything we own on earth and everyone we once knew will be left behind to wonder what happened to us. This is why the Bible teaches us to store our treasures in Heaven and not in this earth. We make future plans, but we are to do so knowing that there is a possibility that we may not be around to carry them out. We are to live like every day could be the day we die or are caught up to meet Jesus. I John 2:28 tells us that we are to ‘abide in Him’ so that when Jesus takes us to Him, we will be confident and not ashamed of how we lived our lives for Him. Abiding in Jesus means that we are to live using Him as our example of how we conduct ourselves and tell others what He can do for them.
We should also ask how we should live in light of the coming judgment. II Corinthians 5:10 tells us that we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things we did while we were living on earth, whether they were good or bad. This judgment will come after the Rapture. It will be at this time where all Christians will have to give an account of their service for Christ as Paul tells us in Romans 14:12. God’s gracious gift of salvation through Jesus doesn’t free us from the requirement of faithful obedience. We all will be judged on how we followed the Word of God and not opinions, personal likes or dislikes, or cultural norms. It’s up to each one of us to know what the Bible says about how we are to live and then do our best to follow those standards. Yes, the church and even our parents tell us what the Bible says and guide us when we need help. But in the end the responsibility lies within each of us. We won’t be able to blame others for not knowing what’s right in God’s sight. Excuses such as not having time to study our Bible will not be accepted at the final judgement.
Examination day is on its way for all of us. Even those left behind at the Rapture will be judged at the Second Coming of Jesus to earth. Rewards will be given to those who have served Christ faithfully, always doing their best to do what is right, asking forgiveness for when we slip and fall, and constantly studying the Bible to know what’s expected of us. Peter tells us II Peter 3:11 that the world as we know it is only temporary and then issues a challenge as to what kind of life we want to live. We can meet this challenge head on and win if we choose to live holy and Godly lives. When we do that, we can put our confidence in what lasts eternally and not be bound to earthly treasure or pursuits. We are to work hard to develop a Christlike character. Then when we stand before Jesus at the final judgment, we can be assured that we will receive the rewards we have earned for our work on this earth.
Finally, we should each ask ourselves if we are confident our future will include rewards for how we lived our Christian life. If you feel that there will be regrets, then you can begin today to remove those behaviors, habits, and relationships that are contrary to what the Bible teaches us, and fully surrender your life to Jesus so that you will be able to be rewarded for serving Him. Because no one, not even Jesus, knows when God will send Him to get His children, we should not delay because Jesus could return take us to be with Him before this day is finished. When it happens, we surely don’t want to be left behind.
Until we meet again, may God bless and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.