Bro Koay Kheng Hin
Note: Text in grey
are transcribed and not part of the notes given.
The First Coming - Grace to Save
The Second Coming - Glory to Reign
The First Resurrection refers to our new body
The Rapture refers to us being caught up.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Coming of the Lord
13 Brothers, we do not want you to
be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who
have no hope.14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe
that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15
According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who
are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have
fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and
are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in
the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each
other with these words.
Paul was addressing something in the Thessalonian
church. That the dead will not be raised. Paul is saying that the dead will
also be raised like those who are alive. The Rapture is when Jesus comes, the
dead will rise first and those who are alive will be caught up together with
them. All will be with Jesus in the clouds. And always with him.
The way Paul writes it he believes that Jesus would
come in his lifetime.
The position that we are taking as we look
into the scriptures is that we look at the book of Revelations but Paul
predates Revelations so he don't have the scriptures that
we have. We have the benefit of Revelations. Paul had
not. Paul used the word the imminence of the coming of Christ. The church is called to live as if Jesus
is coming tomorrow. All great preachers
that comes after Paul believes the same, that Jesus would come in their
generation and this is what God wants the church to be ready for. God wants us
to understand the imminence of his coming because of our nature. It is one way
to encourage us to be diligent in our faith.
I want to look at two verses that talks about the
imminence of his coming.
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to all men.12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness
and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in
this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God
and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all
wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to
do what is good.
Here it sets a pattern of his second coming. It is
always seen in the context of the pursuit of the person of Christ. Many may
look at his second coming with different motive.
- Unfinished business here on earth
- For argumentative reasons
- They are just curious
Don't waste your time on these three. The second
coming is always associated with the word readiness, with the exaltation to
live holy life.
Most of us have a general picture of the
Rapture but not the details of its
event.
2 Timothy 3:1-4
Godlessness in the Last Days
1 But mark this: There will be terrible
times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3
without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers
of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God–
Does this describe the world we live in? Think about
it. When Paul write this last epistle, Paul sees the gospel bearing a power
that goes against forces of evil. Paul says perilous times. He was facing his
execution when he wrote this epistle and Jewish persecution was shifting to
Roman persecution so it was difficult times for the church. That is why he
yearns for the coming of Christ.
Our life consists of two perspective. One is the
immediate, what we do every day and our family. Another goes beyond this, like
what's going on in the country, beyond our family.
When things are not well and you struggle in this
world, there is such a difference in the splendour of Christ coming. The early
church was a church yearning for the coming of Christ. They were a church
looking to Christ the blessed hope.
Let's look at the Rapture.
When Jesus come, all theologians agree the
first event is the Rapture. Rapture
(harpazo) is being caught violently. But Paul uses another Greek word caught
away (rhuo).
Let's look at what it means to be Caught Away.
We are not perfect Christians. Some of you
have been longer than me. But as I grow in Christ I have now learn to be
"slow to sin" and "quick to repent". Let's nit be "quick to sin" but "slow to
repent". There is that yearning for glory
(perfectly holy in Christ). We are caught away from something, like all the
injustice in the world.
Happiness is a by-product of holiness. We
pursue it but often we cannot lay hold of it. I've shifted that thought about happiness being the by-product of holiness. Holiness
is often misunderstood. It is about grace. Having no bitterness or
unforgiveness.
One may say "I can forgive
everyone except him". Or
another who says he lay it all down and forgive all. Who is happier? Holiness
is having an intimate relationship with God. He has found a rest for his soul.
The other meaning is we are Caught Up.
When we are caught up there will be a
multitude. A history of the church from the day of Pentecost where everyone of
the church will be together as a multitude. A body united to the head who is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:2
in which you used to live when you
followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the
spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
This is the realm of the devil. Here the church is
caught up into the realm of the enemy where we declare the triumph of Christ
and his church and we are transfigured.
1 Corinthians 15:42-58
42 So will it be with the
resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised
imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in
weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a
spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is
also a spiritual body.45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living
being” ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come
first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of
the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man,
so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are
those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the
earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit
the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but
we will all be changed– 52
in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet
will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53
For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal
with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written
will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and
the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers,
stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of
the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
This is the Transfiguration. In the twinkling of an
eye we will be changed. Look at question 1.
The church now exists in the period between the Resurrection of
Christ and the First
Resurrection of believers. This period is a time of spiritual
resurrection (Col 3:1) when
the
church is called to the work of missions and evangelism. It is
indeed the time known as the "day of salvation". (2 Cor 6:2)
At the end of this period of world evangelization, the church looks
forward to the First
Resurrection; the resurrection of believers. This is a resurrection
unto eternal life, a
resurrection occurs in the event known as the Rapture of the
church.
In 1 Thess 4:17 the Greek word 'harpazo' that Paul uses denotes to seize
hastily, to draw to
oneself by swift, sudden movement. In 1 Thes 1:10, Paul uses a Greek word
'rhuo' which means a
'rescue with power* to describe rapture as a deliverance from the coming wrath.
The rapture is therefore an event that
describes the church being caught away, being removed from persecution and suffering,
from the distress of the soul and body (Phil 3:21), from the entire sphere of sin (Rom 6:6). It
is both an act of divine grace (1 Pet 1:13) and divine mercy (Jude 21).
Divine grace frees us from all sin and divine mercy that frees us
from all misery. Rapture is also at
the same time a catching up. The members of the body are now being united with the Head, for the Lord Himself will
descend and we shall be with Him forever (1 Thess 4:17). For the first time, the church of all times and from all nations will exist
together as the living and the dead are
caught up at the same time. Thus, the completed church will exist for the first
time, but not on earth but in the air. The
rapture is also a transfiguration, a changing of the body of humiliation
into a body of glory, the corruptible being transformed into the incorruptible
(1 Cor 15:51.53). The rapture is
also a declaration of triumph. As the church gathers in the air, the area of activity of the
"prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2:2), the triumph cannot be
greater. Death indeed has been
completely conquered (1 Cor 15:54). Christ has conquered
completely. His church has overcome
absolutely. The rapture manifest the blessed hope (Titus 2:13) of the church. In the rapture, all
that believers have longed for will come true. Faith will meet hope in the realized promise of the blessed
hope. There is
no other more dramatic way to meet our Lord.
Indeed in the Resurrection of Christ He is the first fruits of those who will
be resurrected at His Coming (1 Cor 15:23).
1Thess 4:16-17
For
the Lord Himself will descend from heavon with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel,
and
with the trumpet of God. And the dead In Christ will rise first.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.
Questions
- What are the characteristics of the resurrection body?
What is the constitution of man. We are spirit, soul
and body. The other interpretation is that we have a spiritual soul and a body.
Both are correct interpretation.
What is death? If you are an unbeliever, you will
not be sure. Die mean die. Or you could be here or there. They see death as the
end. Not a transition. There is a big question mark. For us we understand
differently. Death is the separation of the soul from the body. We are embodied
souls. The Greeks believed this. God made the body first. Then only a living
soul when God breath into us. We become complete at the Rapture when the
Transfiguration occurs.
What the Bible says about this transfigured body.
1 Corinthians 15:42
So will it be with the resurrection
of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
This body of ours will decay but the new body will
be incorruptible. No sickness no decay.
1 Corinthians 15:43
it is sown in dishonor, it is raised
in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
It is a body that exhibits the glory of God. It is
glorified and has power.
1 Corinthians 15:44-46
44 it is sown a natural body, it is
raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is
also a spiritual body.45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living
being” ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come
first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
There is a spirituality to the body. Now we have a
soulish as well as a spiritual. It will now be spiritual.
1 Corinthians 15:54
When the perishable has been clothed
with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is
written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
It is an immortal body. No more death.
Luke 24:39-40
39 Look at my hands and my feet. It
is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you
see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed
them his hands and feet.
It is a real physical body with flesh and bones.
Some questions will be, will we eat?
1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of
God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he
appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
The best evidence is that of Jesus' body. And Jesus
ate with them. But Jesus is now in heaven and I think he need not eat.
Also Jesus had a physical body that can transcend
space. It's an upgrade. The disciples also know who Jesus is so he can be
recognised. God glorified our body so we can be recognised.
The body we have is a seed. It will flower which is
our resurrection body. There will be a semblance.
1 Corinthians 15:49
And as we have borne the image of
the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
We will be Christ-like and will be conformed to Him.
- Will the Rapture of the church occur before the tribulation period or after the tribulation period?
This sounds one a simple question but it has been
much debated. The question is, is it pre-trip or
post-trip. It has been debated for more than 100 years.
I cannot go through exactly what is this about and
each of the verses. But after much reading, at the end of the day, we are not
sure. The church does not have a definite answer.
But to the best of my understanding, I look at
it this way. I get most of my books from Evangel. Even
if it is not conclusive, when asked I always must have an answer. I may not
know the exact answer but I will always take a position and tell them this is
what I think. If we want to take a position we have to
know why.
First is the historical perspective. From the
first century until now much of
the church is post-trip position until the 19th century. What changed is that there was a fresh theological under on the salvation history,
pre-trip came into the theological picture. Today pre-trip together with
post-trip have had much more understanding. The AOG's position is pre-trip.
I will look at pre-trip and take this position.
What does pre-trip and post-trip mean?
The First Coming -> 7 Years Tribulation
-> Second Coming (Armageddon) -> Millennium Kingdom (1000 years) - note not all agree to this ->
Eternal State
The question is when is the Rapture (Jesus
taking us)? Before the tribulation is pre-trip or after the tribulation is post-trip. There is now a minority that
even look at a mid-trip or even partial Rapture. But
we're not looking at the minority's position.
What makes us think it's a pre-trip?
Let's look at the structure of the book of
Revelations.
Roughly it goes by chapter. Chapter 1 is the
introduction and covers the risen Christ.
Revelation 1:19
Write the things which you have
seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after
this.
The which are, the present. The things which
will take place, the future. This is the chronological structure of the book of
Revelations. Chapters 2 to 3 is the present. Letters to the 7 churches. 7
churches in those region. But like all biblical prophetic book, it also points
to what's to happen in the future, how the church history worked out. This we have studied about 2 years ago at cell.
Revelation 3:10
Because you have kept My command to
persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon
the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
This is a key word. The hour of trial is the
tribulation. John's command to persevere is talking about
us, the church. And keep us from tribulation (hour of trial).
Chapters 4 and 5, John is taken to heaven in
his vision. It talks about the Throne Room of
Christ. A vision of heaven.
Chapters 6 to 18 will actually be the tribulation
period. The seals, trumpet and bows.
Chapters 19 to 22, Age to come beginning with the
second coming.
From the tribulation period onwards (chapters 6-18)
the church is no longer mentioned. This is circumstantial evidence that the
church is no longer present. We the church have been taken away.
It has something to do with a third thing.
The relationship of the church with Israel. Is Israel
no more or is the church the new Israel?
The Roman Catholic Church had a man called Martin
Luther who protested against their theology so the protestant movement of which
we are part of came about. Then came John Calvin, from who came the Covenant
Theology. Which sees Israel in the OT as
a people.of God. And the church in the NT is the people of God.
Then came the Dispensationalism.
Acts 1:6
Therefore, when they had come
together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the
kingdom to Israel?”
The disciples who were all Jews asked Jesus.
This was an important question. Jesus is a Jew descendant from David. When they
ask about Israel, they were looking at Israel as a nation. They didn't see
Christ as the savior of the
world and not just the Jews. This Kingdom that they asked about is the Davidic Kingdom.
The answer that Jesus gave was this.
Acts 1:7
And He said to them, “It is not for
you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
Jesus gave a vague answer. But when Jesus said it is
not for you to know the time, it is implied that it will happen.
Salvation is only and only for the Jews
that accepted Jesus as Saviour. They cannot be saved based on the mosaic law.
The Jews have to become a Christian to be saved.
So the church is both Jews and Gentiles. Israelites
who are saved will receive the promise of the Dravidic Kingdom. They will be
part of the Millennium Kingdom.
The question asked is why the Millennium
Kingdom? Covenant Theology do not have a 1948 forming of the nation of Israel.
That was a miracle. Nobody thought it could happen. The
Jews were already scattered all over the world. With
the birth of Israel, it brought
us back to the Dravidic Kingdom. One of the sign is the temple of Jerusalem will
be rebuilt. We don't know how but it will be built. With this event Israel came back into the picture.
Dispensationalism gave a place for Israel.
As far as the Bible is concerned, it's a Rapture.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord Himself will descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet
of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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.
The second coming and the Rapture are separate events
or the same thing? The post-trip believe that between the Rapture and Second
Coming is 7 years.
Revelation 19:11-16
Christ on a White Horse
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and
behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and
in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of
fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew
except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is
called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a
sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will
rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness
and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name
written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
In the pre-trip, the Rapture and the second coming is
the same event before the tribulation.
At the Rapture (Jesus comes for the Saints). Second
coming (Jesus comes down with his Saints). The church is in heaven in between
this period.
After the Rapture, the anti-christ is revealed. Only
the unbelievers are on earth. Events on earth no longer concerns the
Christians.
If it is post-trip, then it's very different. The
Saints will be in the 7 years tribulation.
Another reason I believe it's the pre-trip is this.
Every time the second coming is mentioned, the church was waiting in
anticipation. This is circumstantial. But if the second coming is post-trip,
and the tribulation is going to be before the Rapture, the church would not be
so excited about the second coming, the blessed hope. That's why the church
looks forward to the second coming.
In conclusion we end on a good note. In the
first coming we got saved. Now
we look forward to the blessed hope because it will be the fulfilment of his
promise.
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