A key problem in the church today consists of its silence on the rapture, which often comes from its adherence to false beliefs generated by amillennialism or an unwillingness to talk about it. As a result, no one stresses the glorious transformation that we will experience when Jesus comes for us.

I once attended a church for several years where the pastor told others privately that he believed in the pretribulation rapture, but he did not mention the word from the pulpit. He believed in the resurrection of the dead and possessed a wondrous and deep biblical understanding of the Gospel past and present, but I never heard him talk about the glorious transformation of living believers at Jesus’ appearing.

I recently attended another church until I heard the rapture mocked from the pulpit by an assistant pastor and learned that the teaching pastor attributed the biblical promises of a restored Israel to allegory. These pastors pushed Jesus’ return to the far distant future, at the end of the age, and failed to teach the saints about the “blessed hope” when eternity will become a reality.

Without the pretribulation rapture, where is the hope for troubled souls and wounded hearts? If the church is headed for a part of tribulation or, God forbid, all of it, then our immediate anticipation is more likely death rather than the wholeness and healing Jesus will give to us when he appears.

Those who falsely attribute God’s promises of restoration for Israel to allegory rarely if ever talk about Jesus’ promises of restoration for us as New Testament saints. Those who refuse to preach about the rapture, in effect, deny the hearing of this precious hope to those sitting in the pews or at home listening online. They make death the expectation of the saints rather than Jesus’ glorious appearing.

I am not saying that everyone reading this will live until the rapture (although it’s closer than we can imagine), but our blessed hope signifies that we live in anticipation of that glorious day when Jesus gives all those in Christ a glorious imperishable body, grants us an inner wholeness that we can now only dream about, and completes our adoption into God’s family so that it becomes a joyous experience for all of us.

Paul wrote about this rapture hope in Romans 8:23-25, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

This is the “blessed hope” of Titus 2:13. Our expectation is not the wrath of God that will be poured out during the day of the Lord or the seven-year tribulation. Dying side by side with the Christ-rejecting world experiencing God’s horrendous judgments is most assuredly NOT our “blessed hope.” No, no, no! Our imminent expectation consists of seeing Jesus face to face, and that moment is rapidly approaching.

A Glorious New Body

When Jesus comes to take us home to heaven, we will receive immortal and imperishable bodies. Does this not lift our eyes upward during the many difficulties here below? The apostle Paul assured the saints in Philippi concerning this glorious expectation, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Phil. 3:20-21).

The apostle says our future bodies will be just like Jesus’ glorious resurrection body. Wow! We will possess physical, resurrected bodies in which we will reign with Christ forever. This is our future Gospel hope that remains hidden in most churches today, either because of false doctrines pertaining to the millennium or by pastors unwilling to stir up controversy by mentioning the word “rapture” from the pulpit.

In 1 Corinthians 15:52b-53, we find additional details of our glorious and wonderful Gospel hope, “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” Through the apostle Paul, the Lord promises that his followers will receive immortal physical bodies when Jesus returns for us (AKA the rapture).

If we are alive at the time of his appearing, Jesus will instantly transform our aging and achy bodies into immortal physical bodies just like his. If we die before that, he will bring our dead bodies to life again, never again to be subject to the illnesses of this life, aging, or death.

Either way, we will not miss out on the rapture, our wonderful new bodies, or our quick trip through the clouds to the amazing and wonderful place Jesus is now preparing for us in his Father’s house (John 14:2-3).

I love these words from Randy Alcorn in his book, Heaven: “Inside your body, even if it is failing, is the blueprint for your resurrection body. You may not be satisfied with your current body or mind—but you’ll be thrilled with your resurrection upgrades. With them, you’ll be better able to serve and glorify God and enjoy an eternity of wonders he has prepared for you.”

This exchange of our dying or dead bodies for resurrected ones will be like swapping an old rusted out Ford Pinto held together with duct tape for a brand new, shiny red Porsche Carrera (red is my favorite color). However, our new bodies will never deteriorate, grow old, or wear out as even the best-built and most expensive cars will do over a long enough period of time.

Our new bodies will remain forever immune to all sickness and disease! This signifies the end of all doctor and dentist appointments for us. Aches, pains, physical suffering, and aging will all be relics from our distant past. What a glorious reality to contemplate! Does this hope not brighten our days as we watch for Jesus to appear?

Glorious Inner Wholeness

In his book All Things New, John Eldredge adds this about our future experience in glorified bodies, “We are all traumatized and fragmented; no one passes through this vale of tears without it. And our Healer will make us whole again. . . . Think of it—to be whole hearted. To be filled with goodness from head to toe. To have an inner glory that matches the glory of your new body . . . .”[i]

I previously shared my story of the Lord’s healing of the deep wounds of my past and how the Lord enabled me to overcome PTSD. Although he wonderfully restored my life in miraculous ways, the trauma and fragmentation of which Eldredge spoke remains a reality for me.

Although I have experienced wonderful and dramatic healing during the past decade, I still yearn for the total inner wholeness about which John Eldredge writes. I long for the increased sharpness of mind, emotional healing, and Jesus’ deliverance of me from the presence of sin that will be mine in eternity.

I ache for life promised to me after “this vale of tears.” This will be our reality when Jesus bursts through the clouds to carry us back to the place he has prepared for in his Father’s house in heaven (John 14:2-3).

Do you understand why I so vigorously defend premillennialism and the pretribulation rapture? These are not meaningless arguments without relevance to our daily lives as we deal with COVID-19, verbal abuse or worse, financial woes, betrayals, shattered dreams, and growing anxieties.

No, it’s the promise of Jesus’ imminent appearing that enables to face frightful days and sleepless, tear-filled nights with hope of a glorious day ahead for us front and center in our hearts and minds.

Talk of a distant resurrection from the dead with an undefined existence in eternity does not comfort our hearts nor provide any lasting hope after the sermon ends and we continue to face lives in turmoil. No, it’s our hope of what will happen at the rapture that helps us get up the following day to face a chaotic world and endure the hardships of this “vale of tears” as John Eldredge so aptly describes it!

The rejection of the rapture or the lack of courage to talk about it has led to a dearth of hope in the church today. If our immediate hope is death either by natural causes or the Lord’s wrath during the tribulation, is it any wonder why anxiety remains such a significant problem among believers? I cannot imagine life apart from a hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing. I would be pulling out my hair!!

That’s why I will continue to defend the pretribulation rapture regardless of the mocking and scorn I continually receive as the result of my stand.

It’s not that I do not respect other believers with differing opinions, but my confidence in the pretribulation rapture has come as the result of thousands of hours of study over the course of five decades, and I cannot take any other position than that of supporting and defending the pretribulation rapture.

It’s precisely this hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing alone that draws our focus to our Redeemer, which is so desperately needed in the church today.

Jonathan Brentner

Website: Our Journey Home

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E-mail: Jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com

[i] John Eldredge, All Things New (Nashville: Nelson books, 2017), pp. 93-94.

 

From 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the Cross is folly to those who are perishing; but to us who are being saved, it is the Power of God.” (emphasis mine – ESV)

Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

 Matthew 10:38-39, “And whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me, is not worthy of Me. (39) Whoever finds his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake, will find it.”

Colossians 2:13-14, “Any you, who were dead in your trespasses, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him; having forgiven us all our trespasses; (How?) (14) by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Please note, those who have Jesus have the forgiveness. Those who refuse to call on Him will account for every sin they ever commit on this earth.

Philippians 2:8-11, “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by being obedient to the point of death, (also John 10:18) even death on a cross. (9) Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name; (10) so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth; (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” And yes, this includes satan who will bow and confess before beginning his eternity of torment. Jesus became lower than the angels for a time (Hebrews 2:9), but only until the perfect sacrifice was completed for us. Then He took His rightful place on His throne at the right hand of the Father. (Acts 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1 and Hebrews 1:3 as examples)

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:22-24, “He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth. (23) When He was maligned, He did not answer back; when He suffered, He threatened no retaliation, but committed Himself to God who judges justly. (24) He Himself bore our (my) sins in His body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By His wounds you were healed.”

One point to be made here, He gave us the gift of a true pathway to eternal life for all who will accept and receive the gift given at Calvary. He is fully aware that as long as we are in our human bodies on this earth, we will slip and sin. John covered our way to forgiveness in 1 John 1:8-10. We still confess what we have done, and ask His forgiveness. Without the Son, the Father will not forgive. (John 3:18; 1 John 5:12) That’s the unforgiveable sin, to leave this earth and never having accepted Jesus as Savior. This is blaspheming the Holy Spirit by denying a part of the Trinity, the Son of God. When a person denies Jesus, they’re denying the whole Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s an all-or-nothing offer, that is made to everyone on this earth.There are so many who would rather believe satan’s lies because he tells them what they want to hear.

‘All lifestyles are perfectly all right; there are many ways to heaven without Jesus; you’ve got plenty of time to seek Jesus later; and his favorite – Did God Really Say?’ The love of power and money has turned many previously good pastors into false prophets. Suddenly, they don’t see a problem with all the alternate lifestyles that God calls abominations. They preach to the ego, rather than the soul. Meanwhile, they travel about in their private jets and “enjoy” their huge bank accounts.

Romans 8:1, “There is therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:8, “Those who are in the flesh, cannot please God.” Romans 8:10, “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness.” This earthly body we are in is meant to be shed and forever changed to one that will last through all of eternity. 1 Corinthians 15:53, “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable; and this mortal body must put on immortality.” We will have bodies, and a mindset, that is free from corruption and sin, and it will last forever.

 

Likewise, all those who appear at the Great White Throne Judgment – Revelation 20:11-15 – will have immortal forever bodies; but designed to live in torment forever with absolutely no relief. False prophets who tell you that God will not send anyone to hell, or will not leave them there are wrong. First, God does not “send” anyone to hell, and would rather that all would change and accept Jesus so they could be eternally saved. (2 Peter 3:9) He will allow free will to any who choose not to receive the gift, and to be separated from Him forever. 

A 2002 song by Marty Funderburk has a very deep message. It’s been performed by numerous artists, and I would like to just give the chorus:

“Calvary calls me to surrender; Calvary calls me to obey. Into a dying world it calls me, to be a light along the way. For the Cross demands allegiance; I’ll give nothing less than all. I’ll answer, ‘Here Am I’, when Calvary calls.” 

With everything that’s happening in this world today, we all need Hope; and mine is in the form of Jesus the Christ. With all the opportunities I had in my earlier years to call on Him, I let Him down in so many ways. God gave me more than enough chances, and truth be known, He would’ve been justified in turning me over to the evil one. I know I had prayer warriors constantly asking the Father to please keep trying. I do the same for all our loved ones today. One day, I believe the Holy Spirit made one more plea that I finally heeded. It started out just as an impulse, but after a few minutes, I found myself telling Jesus I knew I had disappointed Him in so many ways. I knew I could never be perfect on this earth, but also knew my eternal destiny changed for the better that day. 

God loves us so much He offered His Son to be our Savior. (John 3:16-18 and Romans 5:8) There is nothing we can do to earn that gift, and no earthly price can we give to buy it. 

Our only response is to receive the gift and accept Jesus as our Savior. Calvary called, and He answered for us. He took the punishment and pain that rightfully is ours. He even had to experience a moment of separation, for the first time ever, from the Father. It was at the moment that every sin that would ever happen on this earth was laid on our “Perfect Sacrificial Lamb”. God is pure and holy, and had to turn away as our Savior’s sin-free blood covered those sins. (Psalm 22:2 and Matthew 27:46) That is, it covered all those sins of those who truly confess they are sinners; believe and have faith that Jesus’ death on the cross was for all of us; ask Him for forgiveness and to be our Savior. We also have faith that God raised Him on that third day to show that sin and death had been conquered once and for all. (Romans 10:9-13) 

As I have pointed out many times, is it hard to understand that anyone who rejects Jesus will be rejecting the Father? The entire Trinity was present at the creation of this earth; present through everything that happened all the way to Calvary; and still is present today. Our God, His Son and the Holy Spirit will be there when this earth passes, and the new Heaven and Earth are created. This time, there will be no sin allowed in the new world. Everyone there will finally be just as Jesus is – totally sin free. 

WE are seeing more events going on in this world that could be, as Jesus described them, “Birthing Pains”. Eventually, any day now, our Deliverer will call up all true believers to meet Him in the clouds, in the air. We will be spared from the upcoming wrath that will be worse than anything that has ever occurred on this earth. He said in Luke 21:28 that when we see these signs taking place, to look up. He said our redemption is drawing near. Everything He spoke of, and all the other prophetic authors spoke of, are here, and they are more prominent than ever before. 

To gamble with your eternal soul is a very poor choice to make. When Jesus said, “It is Finished.” (John 19:30), He was saying that all that had to be done was complete. Calvary called; Jesus willingly answered (John 10:18), and He made the pathway open to all who would be a part of His Flock. (John 10:16) The choice is totally up to you, and no one can make it for you. It’s either Jesus or satan – no third option. Satan is the master of deceit, and knows what lies ahead in his future. He is just arrogant enough to want to pull as many as possible from the Savior that he and his followers can. 

In Jesus, there are no lies, no deception of any kind. His words are straightforward and true. John 14:6, “Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by Me.” This is absolute. There is no other way to eternal life in Heaven. If you listen very carefully, you can hear the Savior call out to you from Calvary, “I Am Doing This For You.” Will you answer, “Here Am I”? He’s waiting. 

Maranatha 

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