By David J. Stewart | January 2011
1st Corinthians 15:51-53, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
The Bible teaches that the believer's body will be “...changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye...” Our corruptible flesh shall be CHANGED into an incorruptible body like that of the Lord Jesus when He rose from the dead...
1st Corinthians 15:20-24, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the FIRSTFRUITS OF THEM THAT SLEPT. For since by man (Adam) came death, by man (Jesus) came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming (the Rapture). Then cometh the end (the Second Coming 7 years later), when he (Jesus) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”
Amen and amen! Every believer's body will be raised up at the Rapture and changed in a fraction of a second into an INCORRUPTIBLE body that never gets sick, never tires, never diseases, never aches nor feels pain, never sins. We will be raised up by the Spirit of God, never to suffer in physical pain again. What a wonderful day that will be, especially for those of us who suffer physical pain in our bodies in this present world!!!
Here is an excellent quote from Dr. Max D. Younce's helpful book, I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!...
The Rapture Is The Redemption of Our Body.
A partial Rapture is Satan's trickery to lead one to believe that you must suffer and/or have good works to complete God's salvation. One must remember that the completion of our salvation in the redemption of our bodies! Notice in Romans 8:23,
“...even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, THE REDEMPTION OF OUR BODY.”
At the Rapture our salvation is completed. Those who have died, receive their resurrected bodies from the grave; while those that are alive have their bodies transformed as they go up to be with the Lord. (Philippians 3:20,21).
Those who propagate a partial Rapture have succumbed to Satan's subtlety. (Genesis 3:1 and 2 Corinthians 11:3,13-15). If Satan cannot convince you that good works are necessary for salvation; then, he will attempt, through his ministers, to convince you that those that are backslidden must go into the Tribulation. Some that hold this view have told me that, this is to have them suffer for their disobedience and give them a chance to redeem themselves. This, supposedly, shows God they are really Christians by now being faithful while being persecuted. Sounds good—except it contradicts God's Word!
This damnable philosophy denies the Judgment Seat of Christ for all Christians, as well as Christ's completing our salvation by His death and Resurrection. Therefore, they do not believe one is saved eternally; but, rather, must have good works in order to maintain their salvation. Very subtly, they accuse God of being a liar and unfaithful to His Word when He promised all believers they would “never perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).
SOURCE: Dr. Max D. Younce, I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!, Volume 2, pg. 101-102; ISBN-13-978-0-9815225-8-6; Morris Publishing.
Here is a wonderful passage of Scriptures evidencing that our vile earthly bodies will be CHANGED into glorified bodies, fashioned like unto the Lord's resurrected body...
Philippians 3:20-21, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be FASHIONED LIKE UNTO HIS GLORIOUS BODY, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
That ought to comfort your heart dear friend as it does mine. What a precious PROMISE from the Lord Jesus Christ! God is going to change our sickly, temporal, vile, earthly bodies into incorruptible, healthy, everlasting, glorious bodies made in the likeness of our Lord's glorified body. Hallelujah, no more neck pain!!!
1st Thessalonians 4:17 plainly teaches that all believers, the dead first and then the living, will be “CAUGHT UP” when the Lord returns. This is exactly what the word “Rapture” means, although the word itself is not found in the Bible. Likewise the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, but the all-important Word “Godhead” most certainly is if you use the faithful King James Bible (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9). All modern corrupted Bibles completely remove the word “Godhead,” and in so doing commit woeful injustice against the inspired Word of God.
Every born-again believer's body will be gloriously changed at the Rapture, which occurs BEFORE the 7-year Tribulation Period. This event is commonly referred to as the “PRE-tribulation Rapture.” The Bible does NOT teach a “POST-tribulation Rapture,” nor a “partial Rapture,” nor a “split Rapture” as some teach. The idea of a split Rapture is the view held by some Presbyterians that only New Testament saints will be caught up at the Rapture, and then Old Testament saints will be caught up at the end of the 7-years when the Lord comes again at the Second Coming. They base this false teaching upon Daniel 12:1-3. Albeit, the teaching is unscriptural. The Bible never teaches a split Rapture. To do so ignores the Judgment Seat of Christ for ALL believers immediately following the Rapture.
After the 7-year Tribulation Period, the Lord is going to return to the earth, at the Second Coming. The Lord is going to remove the Church away from the earth at the Rapture; but the Lord will return WITH all the saints at the Second Coming.
An easy way to remember this truth is this:
The Lord...
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came TO HIS OWN 2,000 years ago.
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is coming FOR HIS OWN at the Rapture.
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is coming WITH HIS OWN at the Second Coming.
May I say friend, if you have never been born-again by the Spirit of God, then you will not receive a glorified body when the Lord returns. In fact, you will be left behind to suffer the wrath of God poured out upon the earth in the Tribulation. Billions of people will die in the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, Biblically referred to a time of “Great Tribulation” (Matthew 24:21).
Whether you die before, during, or at the end of the Tribulation, if you are not saved God will punish you in Hell for ever. You will also receive some form of body, but it won't be a body fashioned like unto the glorious body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said to “fear him which is able to destroy both soul AND BODY IN HELL.” The wicked will be given bodies that can withstand the extremely hot fires of molten sulfur in Hell, suffering in excruciating physical pain, yet your body will not be consumed in the flames. What a horrible place to spend eternity!
One of the worst things about Hell the Bible says, will be knowing all that you could have had in the glory of the Lord's presence in Heaven for all eternity; but you chose to spend eternity in the torments of the Lake of Fire. Luke 13:28, “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and YOU YOURSELVES THRUST OUT.” 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9, “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, and FROM THE GLORY OF HIS POWER.” You'll endure an eternal nightmare in Hell, suffering in torments, having no rest day nor night, and you'll be completely forgotten about. Proverb 10:7, “...the name of the wicked shall rot.”
How will you feel knowing that you're burning in Hell, while others are enjoying themselves in the splendors of Heaven's riches, and you could have had it all for FREE? Is that what you want? Death is right around the corner for all of us my friend. This life is like a vapor that's here one second and gone the next. James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? IT IS EVEN A VAPOUR, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: REPENT YE, AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.”
1st Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
