SHOW NOTES

• • The Bible's accounts of Enoch's translation and Elijah’s removal from the earth tell us nothing about what happened to them after they were removed from the Earth. We can only know they did not see death on earth.

     

    Hi everyone, I’m Tammy Becker.  Welcome to the Almighty God and Gospel Girl Podcast.  This is an exciting episode, well most are exciting to me because they involve our creator, but this is so fascinating to me today that we are going to take from our readings 1 Kings 10 to 2 Kings 5, Elijah and his ascension into heaven.  Now if that doesn’t excite you then you better sit down and listen carefully to these words again.  Elijah had not yet died!  He went to heaven in his physical body—he was translated or as we would say, “he was raptured.”  Ok let’s take a look at what that means really.

     

    The story of the translation of Elijah is a thrilling account of God removing one of His faithful servants to glory.  Of course, there is nothing unusual about God taking one of His saint’s home--we are all going home to be with the Lord someday.  However, what makes this story so interesting is that Elijah had not yet died.  He went to heaven in his physical body--he was translated or as we would say, "he was raptured." 

     

    The word "rapture," is from the Latin word "rapio," meaning "to seize" or to be "caught up."  One day all the saints will be caught up to be with Christ.  In II Kings 2:16, the Bible says that the sons of the prophets, who were with Elijah, went looking for him--they couldn't find him.

     

    Again, in the book of Genesis, we read of another account of a sudden disappearance--the translation of one of God's servants, Enoch: Genesis 5:22-24, "And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: [23] And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: [24] And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."

     

    In Hebrews 11:5, there is a reference to Enoch's disappearance.  As with Elijah, the Bible says that people looked for Enoch but they couldn't find him--he had suddenly disappeared:  "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

     

    Are you aware, dear Christian friend, that someday soon, and I believe in the not-too-distant future, God is going to call the saints home--all of us?  Like Enoch, and like Elijah, we will be raptured or caught up to glory in our physical bodies.

     

    I want to give you three points to ponder, as I develop our thoughts around the title, "." Skipping Death, Ascension of Elijah”

     

    1. The Sequence of Events
    2. The Timing of the Rapture

             III. The Necessary Preparations

     

     

    1. THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

     

    As we look to Scripture in I Thes. 4:14-18.  The Bible says, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, 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. [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: [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."

     

    There are three things we find in this passage that will all take place simultaneously:

     

    Number One, The Lord Will Appear in the Clouds

     

    The songwriter wrote, "What a day that will be when My Jesus I shall see, when I look upon his face, the One who saved me by His grace.  What a day, glorious day that will be."  Stop and think about it for a moment.  The Lord will suddenly appear, and we will see Him for the first time ever.  We will see Him in all His glory--the one Who died for us, the One who redeemed us.  Dear Christian friend, this is the blessed hope--we will see Christ.  Don't let discouragement or the storms of life distract you from this glorious truth--we will see Him.  So often, we tend to look at things below, rather than things above.  When we look too long at the trouble around us, we can forget what awaits us. Way back in the book of Job, we find one of God's dear saints discouraged.  Yet, he did not allow his discouragement to distract him from what he knew deep in his heart; that he, too, would one day see Christ.  He wrote, "Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins be consumed within me" (Job 19:27).

     

    Number Two The Dead in Christ Will Rise First

     

    All the saints of the church age will be suddenly resurrected.  The graves will hold their bodies no longer.  Jesus will shout with a shout, and the dead shall come forth:  John 5:25, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."  You will notice from that verse that only those who hear will live and come forth.  There is another resurrection that will take place at the Great White Throne Judgment.  This is for the Christ-rejecter and the unbeliever.  His body will stay in the grave until Judgment time.  Friend, I can tell you this; if I were not a Christian, I would become one today.  With a sense of urgency, Jesus beckons, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" 2 Cor. 6:2b.

     

    Number Three The Saints Will be Caught Up

     

    Again, we must look to the Bible and what it says in verse 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."  Notice the words, "And so shall we ever be with the Lord."  Now let me read the very next verse (vs.18), "Wherefore, comfort one another with these words."  Do you need comfort today?  Are you a little discouraged?  Do you need something from the Lord?  According to Paul, we can find solace and comfort in this blessed promise.  When Jesus comes, all our problems will fall to the earth like old rags.

     

    Remember the song, "When We See Christ"

     

    It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,

    Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ.

    One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,

    So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE

Elijah knew when his translation would take place.  It tells us that in II Kings 2:1. Whether Enoch knew he would suddenly disappear, we are not told. However, he, like Elijah, probably knew that the Lord was coming for Him.  In the New Testament, the saints are not given any advance notice; that's why we are to be living in state of readiness, serving the Lord--being faithful, knowing He could come at any moment. 

There are Two Things We Must Understand:

Number One He Will Come Unannounced

The sudden disappearance of the church saints will come unannounced--we will not be told; it is a sudden happening.  Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:51-52, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."  Again, in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, he wrote, "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. [2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

Because of the sudden and unannounced coming of our Lord, we, as Christians, must live every hour for Him--He could come today.  This is why in Titus 2:12-13, it says, "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; [13] Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ."  Can I ask you a serious question?  Are you living in readiness for his return?  Is your life an example to others?  Are you faithful and loyal to your church?  Are you using your talents and God-given gifts for His glory?  Jesus said in Luke 12:43, "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing."

There is a danger, I fear, that many Christians will not be ready; many will not be serving Him.  His coming will catch them off guard--it will be a sudden appearance.  Jesus said in Luke 21:34, "And take heed to yourselves...lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with [sic] the cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."    God help us to make certain we are faithful, and that we are living in readiness for His return.  If He comes tonight, His coming will be unannounced, but we will be ready.

Number Two He Will Come When Least Expected

In Matthew 24:40-44, Jesus gives this prophetic statement: "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. [41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. [42] Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. [44] Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."  We are told to "watch."  We are told to "be ready."  Remember, He will come when we least expect Him to come. The question is; how can we be ready? I think we can be ready if we are living like Enoch and Elijah were living.  Two things:

They were men with a strong faith.  The Bible says, "By faith Enoch was translated...for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."  If our faith is strong, then we will be ready, no matter when Jesus comes.  Our faith will be the thing that will keep us the dark hours, waiting for the daylight to shine through.

Lester Roloff used to sing, "Living by Faith, in Jesus above, trusting confidently in His great love; I'm living by faith and feel no alarm."

Friend, a strong faith will keep you in this hour--a strong faith will keep you in the hours ahead, and a strong faith will keep you looking for the hour of His return. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13b).

They were men with a heavenly perspective.  No doubt, they were ready to leave this old world behind.  They were like Abraham who "Looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10).  They were like the saints of old, who desired "A better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city" (Hebrews 11:16).  Though He will come when we least expect Him; we will be ready if the heart is looking for Him--if we have a heavenly perspective.  It will be a wonderful day when Jesus comes.

In 1910, Henry Ostrom wrote the song, "Is It the Crowning Day?"

Jesus may come today

Glad day, glad day!

And I would see my Friend.

Dangers and troubles would end

If Jesus would come today.

I may go home today

Glad day, glad day!

It seems I hear their song.

Hail to the radiant throng!

If I should go home today.

Why should I anxious be?

Glad day, glad day!

Lights appear on the shore,

Storms will affright nevermore,

For He is "at hand" today.

Faithful I'll be today,

Glad day, glad day!

And I will freely tell

Why I should love Him so well,

For He is my all today.

Glad day, glad day!

Is it the crowning day?

I'll live for today, nor anxious be.

Jesus, my Lord I soon shall see.

Glad day, glad day!

Is it the crowning day?

IT’S TIME TO MAKE THE NECESSARY PREPARATIONS

Let’s Make Certain We are Ready

Here’s what the Bible says in Romans 13:11-12, "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now, is our salvation nearer than when we believed. [12] The night is far spent; the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light."  Notice the words, "For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."  We are closer to the return of Christ today than the day we were saved.  Time marches on--earth is receding, heaven is opening; and friend, we are going home.  Let's get ready!  What kind of preparations should we make?

We should make certain there is nothing between us and our Savior.  When God investigates our heart, let's make certain Jesus is on the throne.  We should make certain there is nothing between us and anyone else. We should have peace that all accounts are settled.

Making Certain Others are Ready

Most of you here today have loved ones who are not ready--many who are not saved.  Lots of people will be left behind when the rapture takes place.  There should be an urgency about us to reach them for Christ.

Have you ever imagined what it will be like when the rapture takes place?  Listen to Charles Taylor, as he describes in his words what will happen at the rapture.

The translation of the church will be worldwide, for there are true believers in Jesus Christ in every country on earth, and they all shall be "taken." Every country will find itself in turmoil. Each government will have to act as quickly as possible to prevent a wild tide of anarchy and terrorism. Strong measures will be put into effect.

Millions of people will suddenly disappear from the face of the earth, including all the infant children. From all walks of life, and from virtually every phase of life, there shall be people missing.

The freeways, subways, airports, and streets will be in shambles, as many engineers, pilots, bus drivers and a multitude of private car owners shall suddenly be caught up out of this world. It will be many days before they can unscramble the mangled cars, trains and fallen aircraft.

Remaining millions of people will be wailing, dazed, and shaken by the event. They shall be frantically striving to locate loved ones in all the rubble of broken cars and amid broken storefronts and smashed residences.

Communications will be greatly disrupted. Many key persons shall disappear and much of the lines of communications, which are still above ground, will be broken by crashes of cars and aircraft. Distraught and searching multitudes will jam and overload the communication lines and systems that do remain.

Dazed and confused pleas from bewildered men over the "alert" systems will try to bring about some semblance of order. Policemen, firemen and rescue crews will work around the clock. Hospitals will overflow. Emergency shelters and first-aid stations will be inadequate. The Red Cross and all other emergency units, plus the army facilities will still not be enough.

Opportunists will add to the confusion and the misery by looting and killing. They shall feel that under such a total emergency they can get away with anything. Chaos will be on every hand.

If you are not saved, you will be left behind at the rapture; however, Christ offers you His salvation today.  He said, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2b).   

As a Christian, look at your life--are you ready for his coming?  If not, you can get ready today.