Revelation Chapter 14
VERSE 13-14 continued “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, [but] their works follow [with] them.” Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.”
The Rapture of the Church
1 Thessalonians 4
Verse 13 “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (who have died), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”
The Apostle here appears to distinguish between the Church who are *in Christ, as members of His Body, and the world in general, who “sleep in Jesus”.
*Christ is the title of our Lord as the new creature and of his office (as Head of the Church). Jesus is the name for the Redeemer, through whose sacrifice comes to all men an opportunity to share in a resurrection of the dead.
There are however two distinctive ways to interpret who is being referred to here. One is that which the Apostle appears to refer, that it refers specifically to those sanctified IN CHRIST Jesus (the brethren), the other is that it refers to ALL mankind in general as all mankind are said to sleep in death as a promised awakening or resurrection is assured by the Lord. Both views have their merits, and both are true, therefor we will consider both as being appropriate here in this study.
Verse 14 “For if WE believe that Jesus died (a ransom for ALL) and rose again (that He might be Lord and Life-giver to ALL), even so (let us believe as truly that) THEM ALSO (ALL mankind) which *sleep in Jesus (all for whom He purchased with His precious blood, who fell asleep in death) will God bring with [or by] him (from the prison-house of death).
*As was suggested a possible distinction could be alluded to here in 1 Thess 4:14 between “We” and “Them”, between the Church and the world. All mankind is said to “sleep IN JESUS” (the “Savior”), however in 1 Cor 15:18 when speaking of the brethren, those in the faith, it is stated that those among them who have died have fallen “asleep IN CHRIST”. This latter group “asleep in Christ” seems to pertain specifically to those in the beloved, the Anointed, the Church. (The word Christ means “Anointed”).
For those who are still having trouble with the concept of death being referred to as a sleep we remind them that the Apostle himself states as much here when he speaks of those who “sleep in Jesus,” and of those who have “fallen asleep in Christ”; who, he declares, are perished if there be no resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:18).
Could they perish in Heaven, or in Purgatory, or in a supposed Hell of torment?
Assuredly no one so teaches. They are already in a perished condition in the tomb; and the perishing would be absolute, complete, unless a resurrection be provided for their deliverance from the power of death. Hence, we read, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Believers die all the time, but they do not perish when they die, they merely sleep in death awaiting the resurrection.
Compare the following which all refer to death as a sleep,1 Kings 2:10; 1 Kings 11:43; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18; 1 Thess 4:14
Verse 15 “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming [Greek: Parousia; presence] of the Lord (in 1874) shall not prevent [precede] them (the saints), which are asleep [in Christ] (i.e., those of the Church who died in Christ up until 1878, at which time, the First Resurrection began and all such who have died prior to that date were raised spirit beings.
Verse 16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout (Greek: keleusma; a shout of encouragement to all men to wake up to a sense of their rights and privileges, this as a result of the great antitypical jubilee having been reached in October of 1874) with the voice (the authority) of the archangel (Michael, the chief messenger, "The Messenger of the Covenant," Mal. 3:1, i.e., Christ), and with the trump (the seventh trumpet) of God (Paul's "shout" and "trumpet" here corresponds in every way with those used by John in Rev 11:15. And the same event in Daniel's prophecy Dan 12:1 is called the standing up of the archangel Michael): and the dead in Christ shall rise first (The death of the flesh having been fully accomplished as in accordance with their covenant; they are to share in the first resurrection, the chief resurrection, and will receive new bodies like unto the Lord's glorious body.).”
The scene described here is the same event of 1 Cor 15:51, 52 of our change to a spiritual, immortal, powerful, heavenly body.
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (in death), but we shall all be changed (at death)—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead (the dead in Christ, that is those who make their calling and election sure and who are proven faithful until death, Rev 2:10) will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Thus, “Blessed are the dead who die (literally) in Christ from henceforth (from 1878 onward)” Rev 14:13
Verse 17 “Then WE which are alive and remain (The Lord's people still on the earth following this date) shall be caught up (Caught away, changed at the moment of death) together with them in the clouds (of affliction, viz., during the gathering of the trouble, just before the great storm bursts), to meet the Lord in the air (the earth’s atmosphere, not the heaven of heavens, but rather the spiritual ruler-ship of the world, now controlled by the present "prince of the power of the air." Eph. 2:2.): and so, shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Verse 18 “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
This message of comfort and assurance communicated through the Scriptures, the Word of God is likewise communicated by the members of the Body of Christ one to another.
Continued with next post.
