The thought of being young again and without the aches and pains of aging is almost overwhelming. When we are younger and full of “vim and vigor,” we don’t think about what the aging process and our activities do to the human body. Humans were made to be immortal before the sin in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. From that time on, God’s promise that they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit came to pass. It just didn’t happen immediately, and as a result, all humans are born to die for various reasons and under different circumstances. Some die young; some old; some from accidents or disease; and some just from age. (ESV – all emphasis mine)
There are some who will never taste death on this earth. They will be the ones in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 that will be Raptured. For anyone who has not looked at these verses, we need to review them, starting with 1 Thessalonians.
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep [have died], that you may not grieve as others do, and have no hope. (14) For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. (15) For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of command with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the Trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then, we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet Jesus the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord.”
This in itself is absolutely amazing and breathtaking, to think we could be that group that rises after the bodies of those who were saved are taken up to reunite with their souls that have been with Jesus.
Looking at 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, “Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. (53) For this perishable body must put on imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”
Two points to consider here: first, all who have received and accepted Jesus as their Savior have true and lasting hope for all eternity. We hold fast to the promise that we will live in paradise with Him forever. Those with no hope are the ones who died before Calvary that were out of God’s will, and from Calvary to the end of the Millennial Reign of Jesus, that didn’t accept Him as Savior. All of those souls will face the White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15, where they will be assigned their eternal punishment. There is no mercy, no pardon, no forgiveness, no hope. Their destiny will have been chosen by each individual that will be in that massive line.
Second, the Trumpet of God is not a part of the final judgments of Revelation. For the Israelites, trumpets or shofars have been used through the ages to announce different events. The one mentioned for the Rapture will be a special trumpet, as it is designated “Of God.” He will be announcing that His Son, Our Shepherd, is arriving in the clouds to call His flock of sheep Home. Whether or not everyone on earth hears it is questionable because of how fast the Rapture takes place. “Twinkling of an eye” is one eye-blink and considerably faster than one second.
The Bible is full of prophecies, and a number of them are specifically about end-times. All completed prophecies up to now have been 100% accurate, and the remaining prophecies will be completed just as God said they would be. The next main event is the removal (Rapture) of the Savior’s flock to keep us from the coming Wrath or Tribulation. We will not be here to witness the antichrist coming forth (2 Thessalonians 2).
One other end-time prophecy is the attack on Israel by a coalition made up of Russia, Turkey and Iran. This will include some other smaller nations as well. That coalition has been formed, but only in the last decade or so. God is keeping His word in Ezekiel 38:4, where He is “putting hooks” in their mouths. The coalition countries are having financial and other internal issues, and there sits Israel, about the size of New Jersey, with a fabulous amount of wealth and resources. This attack is not very far off. Also, the destruction of Damascus in Isaiah 17:1 is a very current possibility. With Israel’s attacks on terrorist sites there, it’s conceivable that missiles and other munitions stored there could be hit and cause a massive explosion that could level that city.
Whether or not we will see the start of these events is questionable. However, when the “peace treaty” is presented by a “very influential person,” we will not be here for that. He will be Satan’s advocate, the ultimate evil antichrist.
We will be “Where We Will Never Grow Old.” The song for this was written by James C. Moore (5/2/1888 – 6/1/1962) and released in 1914. There are several artists who have recorded this hymn, and they can be seen on YouTube.
1.) I have heard of a land on the faraway stand; tis a beautiful Home of the soul. Built by Jesus on high, where we never shall die, tis a land where we never grow old.
Ref) Never grow old; never grow old; in a land where we’ll never grow old. Never grow old; never grow old; in a land where we’ll never grow old.
2.) In that beautiful Home, where we’ll never more roam, we shall be in the sweet by and by. Happy praise to the King, through eternity sing, tis the land where we never grow old. (ref)
3.) When our work here is done, and the life-crown is won, and our troubles and trials are o’er. All our sorrow will end, and our voices will blend with the loved ones who’ve gone on before. (ref)
Revelation 21:4; “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Finally, and at long last, we will be free from the curse on all humans because of the first sin. We will have a home in Heaven prepared for us by our Gentle Shepherd Himself (John 14:1-3). No matter what it is, it will be perfect. Hank Williams, Sr. did a song where the main line is, “Lord build me a cabin, in the corner of Glory land.” For me, that would be just fine.
Unfortunately, there will be many that won’t be in the Rapture and many that won’t have a home in Glory Land. These will be the ones who refused the gift given by our Father’s Son at Calvary. They will have accepted Satan’s lies that this world is the most important thing they could ever have. Only after their last breath here will they see what the rich man found out in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus of Luke 16:19-31. After his death, he realized just how foolish he had been, but it was too late. There would be no mercy or pardon from the eternity he faced.
With everything accelerating today toward the end time (Matthew 24; Luke 21: 2 Timothy 3 and 1 John 2-5), this would be an excellent time to call on Jesus to save you and keep you from the Lake of Fire. Every sign that was prophesied is here today, along with the end-time attitudes.
When anyone truly calls out to be saved, they become a part of Jesus’ flock. John 10:27-29 tells us that no one can snatch us from His or the Father’s hands. Tomorrow could be too late, and you could be left behind. What this world will face after we’re gone is terrible beyond description.
No one will force you to accept Jesus, but all who do call on Him will be Saved. Romans 10:9-13 gives the steps to Salvation. God gave us promises that He will never break. Once you have Jesus as your Savior, you are His forever. Hope to see you at Home.
Ahavah B’Shem Yeshua! (Love in the name of Jesus!)