(Note – I would like to acknowledge that a great portion of the content of this message series comes from a series by the same name as taught by Pastor Bob Yandian of Grace Church and Bob Yandian Ministries in Tulsa, OK.)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV (13) But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. (15) For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (18) Therefore comfort one another with these words.
v 13 – asleep – reference to the death of Christians – we will all wake up one day, dead or alive
We do not sorrow as those who have no hope. It is OK to mourn and grieve because we will miss those loved ones.
The family of God is divided – part in Heaven and part on the earth but there is a time coming when we will all be brought together.
This event is so important that Jesus Himself will do it. He will descend from Heaven with a shout. He will be shouting all the way to the earth.
V16 – voice of the archangel – Michael
Jude 1:9 NKJV Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Perhaps when we are leaving, Satan, tries to contend for our bodies and Michael probably rebuked him.
Trumpet of God – trumpets were used to signal a gathering together of His people and the start of war.
God will deal with His family in Heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:51-58 NKJV (51) 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (54) So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.” (55) “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?” (56) The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Moment – atomos – that which cannot be divided any more – an indivisible point of time.
The rapture of the church will happen in a amount of time cannot be divided. Our bodies will be changed in a moment.
The world will not hear His voice but His sheep will hear His voice.
Philippians 3:20-21 NKJV (20) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (21) who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Jesus’ body is a prototype of a glorified body.
Colossians 3:4 NKJV When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
1 John 3:1-3 KJV Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (2) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (3) And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Now we are the sons of God in our spirits but in that day, our bodies will be made whole and redeemed and our redemption is complete.
Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, (14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Everything that we have here in the earth is a small downpayment of our inheritance.
Romans 8:22-25 NKJV For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (23) Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. (24) For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? (25) But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Salvation is for us spirit, soul, and body. We have been Born Again, are in the process of renewing or saving our minds (James 1), but in that day our bodies will be saved from all death and immortality.
v24 – our bodies are saved in this hope (eager expectation)
1 Corinthians 15:35-44 NKJV (35) But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” (36) Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. (37) And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain–perhaps wheat or some other grain. (38) But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. (39) All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. (40) There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. (41) There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. (42) So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. (43) It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. (44) It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1 Corinthians 15:35-44 NLT (35) But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” (36) What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. (37) And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. (38) Then God gives it the new body He wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. (39) Similarly there are different kinds of flesh–one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. (40) There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. (41) The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory. (42) It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. (43) Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. (44) They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
If you want to understand the rapture and the glorification of our bodies you must understand seed and harvest.
The shell of the seed is what dies but the inner part causes the outward body to come alive and produces the plant or tree.
The body and the spirit will become one.
The spirit is to the body like a hand is to a glove.
What about Cremation?
The Bible has nothing to say about cremation being wrong.
1 Samuel 31:11-13 NKJV Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, (12) all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. (13) Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
There have been saints that have been burned to death for their faith, died in fires, or drowned in the ocean and their bodies were not preserved in a traditional sense such as a funeral.
No matter what happens to someone’s physical body in death, the power of God is more than sufficient to miraculously glorify (resurrect) that body even on a molecular level.
God knows exactly where all the parts are located.
There are more important things for Christians to be concerned with.