Does John 14:1-4 Speak of the Rapture

Transcription

1 Lesson #64 Does John 14:1-4 Speak of the Rapture Presented Live on April I. Introduction and review A. We spent all of our time on Palm Sunday in an intense language study of this passage, John 14: In doing so, we concluded that this passage did speak about the rapture, telling us Jesus perspective of this event 2. And in that study, we learned five key elements concerning the rapture plan of God a. Our Savior is preparing dwelling places for us b. Those dwelling places are located in the abode of His Father, that is heaven c. But those dwellings are intended to be temporary d. When the Holy Spirit directed John to use the Futuristic Present as the tense of the verb I come, He did so to emphasize two key elements of the rapture to come (1) It is certain, and (2) It is imminent e. And that Jesus will come back for us (1) One more time, and (2) In the same way that He came before (3) This is a very important, key word (4) pa,lin palin {pal'-in} (5) This word is defined in the most authoritative Page 1 of 8

2 II. Greek Lexicon as: to repeat in the same (or similar) manner, again, once more, anew of something a person has already done. (BDAG, p. 752) (6) Again tells us that: (a) Jesus will come the next time as He came the first time bodily or physically (b) the first time He came from heaven (c) Jesus will come the second time as he came (d) the first time from heaven Coming again is the counter part of going away B. During our previous study we referred to a couple of valuable works 1. BDAG Bauer, Danker, Arndt and Gingrich, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament 2. TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (10 vols.) by Kittel, Gerhard, Bromiley C. These findings will become even more valuable as we continue our study The place that this passage, John 14:1-4, holds in the rapture discussions contained in the Bible A. If this passage does speak of the rapture, as I am convinced it does, it is the first passage in the Bible to talk about the rapture 1. There is no clear prophecy of the rapture anywhere in the Old Testament 2. In the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew contains the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 & 25), but in that discourse Jesus does not deal with the rapture or even with the Church, but instead with the nation of Israel (which is not involved in the rapture) a. Why is that important? b. So that we don t seek to define the rapture by the information contained in Matthew 24 and 24 c. For example: Matthew 24:36-37 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. d. Or Matthew 25:13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. B. Why is that? 1. The rapture has always been a mystery Page 2 of 8

3 III. 2. A mystery in the New Testament is something that at one time had been hidden, but is now revealed to God s people. 3. Our Biblical proof: 1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 4. Why would the Lord God hide the rapture from His people Israel? a. They same reason that He hid the coming Church b. Was the Church really a mystery? c. Consider, Ephesians 5:32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. d. And that was done so that the nation of Israel could make a clear and unadulterated decision as to whether to accept or reject their Messiah C. And so John 14:1-4 joins the other rapture passages in the Bible, all of which are contained in the epistolary literature of the New Testament 1. 1 Corinthians 15: Thessalonians 4: Thessalonians 2:1-12 Is the language of John 14:1-4 the only proof that this passage contains Christ s promise of His return for His bride? A. There are other key pieces of evidence to support this determination 1. Some of that evidence is internal 2. And some of that evidence is external B. It is contained in the Upper Room Discourse 1. Since there are important passages contained in the epistolary literature of the New Testament refining the doctrine of the rapture, and 2. Since the Upper Room Discourse serves as the foundation or seed bed of New Testament doctrines, 3. The Upper Room Discourse should contain an explanation of the rapture C. A large number of early church fathers, some of whom were disciples of John s disciples, believed that this passage related to us Jesus perspective on the rapture D. The description of the Church as the bride of Christ is carried forward in this passage in that it aligns itself with the Jewish marital system. 1. Does Scripture really state that the Church is the bride of Christ? a. John 3:29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; Page 3 of 8

4 but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. b. Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. c. Revelation 19:7-8 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. d. Revelation 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 2. In that system: a. The bride and groom pledge themselves to each other b. The groom then leaves his bride to return to His Father s place of abode c. There he constructs a dwelling place for he and his future wife d. And when it is complete, as determined by his father, he returns to claim his bride, then bring her back with him to the home he has prepared 3. In John 14:1-4 a. Jesus tells His disciples that He is leaving to return to His Father s home b. He further tells them that there will be dwelling places prepared for each of them c. And that when His preparations are complete, He will return for them d. And take them to their new home 4. Jesus modeled his rapture picture explicitly after the Jewish marital system E. The most prominent and instructive of all rapture passages in the New Testament is that found in 1 Thess. 4: How does this passage compare to that one? Page 4 of 8

5 a. John 14:1-4 (1) Troubled [1] (2) Believe [1] (3) God and me [1] (4) Told you [2] (5) Come Again [3] (6) Receive you [3] (7) To myself [3] (8) Be where I am [3] b. I Thess (1) Grieved [13] (2) Believe [14] (3) Jesus and God [14] (4) Say to you (by the word of the Lord) [15] (5) Coming of the Lord [15] (6) Caught up [17] (7) To meet the Lord [17] (8) Always be with the Lord [17] 2. There is an exact match between these two passages linguistically, conceptually and chronologically 3. The discoverer of this parallel was: J. B. Smith, A Revelation of Jesus Christ: A Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Scottdale, Pa. Herald Press, 1961), pp IV. In spite of all of this overwhelming evidence in support of the rapture interpretation of this passage, are there those who disagree? A. There are those who disagree and seek to deny the rapture. Some of those theories are the following: B. The believer s death theory 1. This theory provides that the passage does not speak of the rapture but of the believers death 2. When the believer dies, the Lord Jesus comes and gets him and carries him to heaven 3. That sounds wonderful but that is not what happens upon the death of a believer 4. During the dispensation of the Church, when a believer dies he or she is imediately in the presence of the Lord 5. See 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord-- 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight-- 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Page 5 of 8

6 6. It is the believer going to the Lord upon their death, not the Lord coming to the believer 7. How does we know that? Consider Acts 7:56 and he (Sthepen as he was being stoned to death) said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." 8. Moreover, 14:3 uses the word again to refer to in the same manner 9. Jesus came in bodily form and therefore will return in bodily form 10. The believer s death theory does not provide for the bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ 11. Also there is a further problem with the word again which means once more time, not millions of more times C. The salvation theory 1. This theory claims that 14:1-4 speaks of the return of the Lord Jesus is when he enters a believer s life upon his salvation 2. Here again, this theory does not speak of a return in bodily form 3. That would also mean that it happens millions of times and not just once again 4. And it does not provide for us being taken back with Him, which does not happen at the moment of justification or the dwelling places Christ is preparing a. What about the possiblity of our hearts being the dwelling places He is preparing? b. They would not be prepared for us but for Him c. And our hearts are not located in heaven where these dwelling places are located 5. The passage speaks of our Lord receiving us unto Himself, but at the moment of salvation He does not receive us, it is we who receive Him [see John 1:12] D. The resurrection theory 1. A third theory teaches that what Jesus is speaking of in 14:1-4 is His own resurrection 2. That is that He will die and then return to the disciples after three days 3. But that misinterprets the chronology of the event 4. In 14:1-4 Jesus goes to the Father first, and then returns for us 5. If the resurrection was His return then the ascension is out Page 6 of 8

7 of order 6. Again Jesus first coming was from heaven and so will be His second, not from the grave 7. This theory makes no provision for the preparation of dwelling places E. The Pentecost theory 1. This theory provides that the coming again is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church at Pentecost, filling, empowering and controlling them 2. Does this theory fit the language of 14:1-4? a. He came the first time in bodily form as the second member of the Trinity b. At Pentecost God came in the form of a spirit and as the third member of the Trinity c. That does not fit with the meaning of the word again d. Once again, this passage speaks of our Lord receiving us unto Himself, not us receiving Him e. It s always believers who receive the Holy Spirit, not the other way around, see: (1) John 20:22 (2) Acts 2:38 (3) Acts 8:15-27 F. Finally, there are some who reluctantly admit that there will be a rapture, but seek to push the timing of it back so far that it will have little effect V. Final Thoughts A. Once again we should consider what Jesus uses to preface this magnificent passage 1. John 14:1 Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2. Remember the same admonition which came from Paul: 3. 1 Thessalonians 4:18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. 4. Both verbs are in the imperative B. Jesus command is directed at your heart C. Paul s command is directed at the hearts of others through your heart Believer s Bible Class, & Douglas W. Brady Page 7 of 8

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