What elements are involved in the rapture's placement in prophetic events

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17  "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord."


In today's post we are interested in understanding what elements or events are typically considered when discerning the rapture's placement in the ordering of prophetic events. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 stands as the flagship passage on the rapture of the church.  Concerning the interpretive approaches to this teaching, the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology notes:
"The major divisions of interpretation of Paul's words center on the relationship of the time of the rapture to the tribulation period that marks the end of the age. Pre-tribulationalists teach that the church will be removed before the seven-year period that marks the end of the age."


A second group, the midtribulationalists, contend that the church will be raptured during the tribulation after the Anti-Christ's rise to power but before the severe judgments that prepare the way for Christ's return to establish his rule on earth.


Another approach to the problem is that of the posttribulationalists, who believe that the church will continue to exist in the world throughout the entire tribulation and be removed at the end of the period when Christ returns in power."1


The purpose of this post today is not so much to compare and evaluate each of those viewpoints (which will come in a future post). Rather the point of today's post is to explore what Bible scholars, teachers and pastors factor in when arriving at placing the rapture Pre (before the tribulation); Mid (half-way through the tribulation) and Post (near the end or at the end of the tribulation).


1. Premillennialism.
For those who champion either viewpoint, the common ground between all three perspectives is the belief in a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ as recorded in Revelation 20, as well as the teaching of His second advent occurring to set up such a kingdom.2 
chart is from Bible.org


2. Duration of the Day of the Lord or God's outpouring of wrath
The phrase "day of the Lord" figures quite prominently in discussions surrounding the timing of the rapture, being that all are agreed that Christians will not be subject to God's wrath. (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9). In passages such as Revelation 6-19 we see the unfurling of the title deed to planet earth by Jesus, wherein all the trumpet, seal and bowl judgments are taking place.  Though strictly speaking the rapture is not decisively mentioned in Revelation, other circumstances mentioned lead many scholars to offer up reasons for the rapture being a pre, mid or post-trib event.


Obviously the pretribulationalist will define the entire future seven year tribulation period as comprising the day of the Lord.  The midtribulationist distinguishes the first half of the tribulation from the second half, called by Jesus in Matthew 24:21 as the "great tribulation" - hence the "day of the Lord". The post-tribulationalist looks at the  latter third or tail-end of the tribulation period as being the worst, citing the seven bowl judgments of Revelation 16 as the direct wrath of God or "day of the Lord".  


3. The identity of the "tribulation martyrs" in Revelation 7 & 14
Among Pre and Post-tribulational people is the issue of identifying the believers who die in the tribulation period. Who are they? Pre-tribulationalists will argue that they are not the church, being that the text never calls them such.  Meanwhile Post-tribs will counter by saying that if the Holy Spirit was removed from the earth in a Pretrib rapture scenario, then how would people be experiencing conversion unto salvation. Such an issue factors into discerning where the Bible places the rapture in relationship to the tribulation period.


4. The relationship of the rapture to Christ's second advent
The issue as to whether there is a time delay between the rapture and the second advent will determine which of the above positions is believed. Pre and Mid-trib people see both events as distinguished, almost like a Part 1 and Part two of Christ's return.  Post-tribulationalists see both as composing one and the same event, with virtually no time delay whatsoever. The chart below, from Wikipedia.org visualizes this point:

       5. Interpretation of Daniel 9:23-27 or "Daniel's 70th week" and Matthew 24
All three viewpoints interact quite a bit with Daniel, whereas Mid and Post-tribulationalists see the rapture being spoken of in Matthew 24. Virtuallly all Pre-tribulationalists would say that the rapture is not discussed by Jesus in his sermon on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24, being that his concern is exclusively with His second Advent, a distinct event from the rapture.

We could probably reference several more elements, however these five tend to be the top ones when reading any books, literature or hearing sermons on the rapture's placement in prophetic events.

Endnotes:
1. Walter Elwell, General Editor. The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Baker Book House. 2001. Page 983.




2. Other schools of thought in regards to the term "1,000" years in Revelation 20 treat the chapter as referring to a symbolic period of time that is occurring right now in heaven and will culminate in Christ's second advent, a general final judgment of believers and unbelievers and then the eternal state of Revelation 21-22. Typically those who espouse Christ's millennial kingdom as occurring right now in heaven are deemed "Amillennial", being that they do not believe there to be a future, literal 1,000 year reign of Christ upon this earth.


A second version teaches that through the gradual evangelization of this world, multitudes of people from every nation will be won over by the Gospel, thus leading history into a "Gospel" golden age (a millennium of sorts). At the end of that undefined period, Christ will return and usher in the eternal state following the final judgment.  Such a view is call "post-millennialism". Amillennialists and Postmillennialist typically do not engage in the rapture debate, being that they do not view the tribulation as yet future, but rather having to do more with a general persecution of believers throughout the ages or as having occurred in the first century when the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.

Relationship between the rapture and Christ's resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:23 "But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming".


Introduction & review
Yesterday we did a flyover of the Bible's teaching called by Bible teachers and theologians: "the rapture". One of the clearest texts on this event is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. "1 In today's post we want to understand what relationship "the rapture" has to one of the central teachings of the Bible - Christ's resurrection.


Illustrating and connecting Christ's resurrection and the rapture
Understanding "firstfruits"
In Paul's sweeping overview of prophetic events or eschatology in 1 Corinthians 15:23-28, he ties in his entire discussion on the centrality of Christ's resurrection to all the major teachings of last things (eschatology), including the rapture. Paul defines Christ's resurrection from the dead as being the "first fruits", an agricultural imagery taken from the Jewish festival commemorating the ingathering of the first stalks of the barley harvest. (compare Leviticus 23:10-11).


To illustrate what Paul is talking about, I can recall one time a gentleman inviting my wife, children and I to a harvest gathering that he and his family had every year. They raised corn and their farmlands stretched as far as the eye could see. When we arrived, that farmer and his family were standing outside the front of their barn, where row upon row of paper bags lined the front entryway. As folks were pulling up from the community, the farmer and his family would simply hand out a bag full of corn for each family to take home and enjoy. What they were doing was sharing the "first-fruits" of their harvest. Now it would be a couple of months before the final big harvest would occur (More on that in a moment).  But here is the point: those "first-fruits" gave a sample to people of what kind of corn was going to come from those fertile fields of corn.


The organic or logical connection between Christ's resurrection and yet-to-occur resurrections of various groups of saints
When Paul states Christ is the "first-fruits", he is logically and organically connecting Christ's resurrection from the dead to what will be the ingathering of his church at the rapture before the Tribulation period. Another event that shares this same logical or organic connection is the raising of tribulation martyrs and Jewish saints who believed upon Him at His return at the end of the tribulation period. Mark 4:28 confirms this interpretation of "organic connection" - "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head." Though the stages in a plant's development may very well be separated by chronological time, yet organically speaking everyone recognizes the plant to be one and the same plant; whether seed, blade, head or mature head. What Paul is saying is that Christ's historical resurrection from the dead previews for us what will be those logically and organically connected resurrections that will occur in the future.


How "first-fruits" relates to "final harvest"
As I said earlier, our farmer friend above had invited people to come and partake of the first-fruits of his corn crop. But then there came another event that occurred a couple of months later where that same farmer celebrated harvest with his church. He would invite the people to come for an evening of games, good down-home Gospel music and a testimony from him of how faithful God had been to them in that year. Now over the weeks following that first-fruits celebration, the farmer and his sons went out to gather in that corn in stages. Hundreds upon hundreds of acres of corn needed to be gathered.  It took time, but eventually the entire crop was brought into the silos.


How the rapture teaching fits under the larger umbrella of Christ's resurrection and the resurrection of the righteous
When Paul here writes of Jesus being the "first-fruits", he then says: "after that those who are Christ’s at His coming". That underlined word speaks of what we have been describing all along - an organic connection to the original event.  Hence all those who by God's purposes of grace are called, convicted and who believe on Jesus as Savior and Lord are included in what the Bible calls by the umbrella term: "the resurrection of life" (John 5:29); or "the resurrection of the righteous" (Luke 14:14; Acts 24:15). Just as the farmer and his sons above took several trips out to the fields to gather in that one big harvest, Christ too is described as either participating or overseeing the gathering in of all His chosen people in distinct stages.


We know that the rapture or "gather up" of the church is included in the larger event of "the resurrection of the righteous" because of the fact it is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, just several verses down stream from 1 Corinthians 15:23. Thus to see how scripture seems to lay this all out, we can use the below diagram to aid us in our understanding:


        The Resurrection of the righteous
Christ's resurrection--------rapture-----------resurrection of Jewish
"first fruits"                      & of church         believers & tribulation
raising of saints in                                                         martyrs
Mt 27:53. 33 A.D

Closing thoughts: The rapture is important due to its connection to Christ's resurrection
Even though the events of Christ's resurrection, the future rapture of the church and resurrection of believing Jews and tribulation martyrs are distinct events, yet they all fall under the umbrella term of "The resurrection of the righteous".2 This truth enables us to see then why the rapture of the church must never be separated from a discussion regarding Christ's resurrection nor His second coming.  I close out today's post with the following statement from 1 Corinthians 15:19-22 "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive."


Endnotes:
1. The word translated "caught up" from the original Greek was rendered by the Latin Vulgate, the Bible version used by the church of the middle ages, with the Latin word "rapturo". Being that the earliest English translators and theologians were familiar with the Latin, the doctrinal name assigned to the Biblical teaching of Christ's "catching away" or "catching up" of his church came to be known as "the rapture".


2. Included in this resurrection of the righteous theme is the raising of the saints in Matthew 27:53, which we did not discuss in this post. 

An overview of the Bible's teaching of the rapture

Acts 1:9 - And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 - Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

What is the "rapture"

    What do we mean when we speak of the believer's catching away by Christ or what is called  "The Rapture"?  The word "rapture" comes from a Latin term "rapturo", which in turn is a translation of the Greek word from the original language of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 - "to be caught up".  A general overview of the Bible's teaching on the rapture will be the focus of today's post.

The reality of the rapture

    Almost no one disputes the reality of the rapture or "catching away" of Christians at Christ's return.  With His return will come the total and unmingled wrath of God on this world.  1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9 remind us that Christians do not have to worry about enduring God's wrath.  Clearly the rapture, much like our physical resurrection, has direct connection to the Lord ascending into Heaven in Acts 1:9.  

No doubt the miraculous ascent of Christ will be repeated corporately in the life of every Christian.  If a Christian has already went to be with the Lord in death, then that saint will be resurrected in a new body and then raptured, followed immediately by the living saints' bodies being transformed and raptured upon Christ's return. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 gives us the fullest treatment of this mass miracle.  Other passages too give hints to the details surrounding this event in passages such as Matthew 24; 1 Thessalonians 5; 2 Thessalonians 2 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-57.

The question about the rapture's timing and occurrence

    The more fundamental doctrine of the Christian's involvement in the resurrection of the righteous is what makes the rapture teaching so important. Though everyone agrees that there will be Christians' bodies raised or transformed at the rapture, we do have one area of which there is no consensus - namely the rapture's timing. 

When studying Bible prophecy or eschatology three headings can be used in categorizing Bible doctrine: definites, positions and opinions.  Definites include those teachings which determine salvation, positions have to do with those areas or distinctives that entire denominations or church groups teach. Opinions of course refer to those areas of Biblical teaching that though important, yet because of relative lack of information result in allowances for legitimate disagreement. In regards to the timing of the rapture, we would have to state that a number of opinions exist as to when it will occur. 

Pre-trib, Mid-trib or post-trib?    

    Three major opinions exist as to when the rapture will occur.  Many Bible teachers point to a period of time in which God's wrath will be unleashed upon planet earth that is called "The Great Tribulation".  From texts such as Daniel 9:23-27, we come to realize that this period will last 7 years.  
Questions of course center around whether or not the church will be raptured "before", "mid-way" or "towards the end" of this period.  The opinions are respectively referred to as "Pre-trib", "mid-trib" and "post-tribulationalism". The diagrams below summarize these positions (from website link: en.wikipedia.com)

   

If space permitted, we could appeal to many texts to rally support for each of these opinions.  Being that the Lord has purposely inserted a "mystery" element into the chronology of prophetic events, piecing together the sequence of events on Bible prophecy can prove challenging.  The reader is encouraged to look at passages such as Matthew chs 13 and 24-25; Daniel 9:23-27; Jeremiah 30; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and ch 5; 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 3,6,7,14 for further study.  

So why does the rapture matter?

    1 Peter 3:15 states - "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear".  Every Christian should have a good enough understanding of what they believe to help unbelievers see the hope of Christ.  This includes where one stands on the rapture.  Whether or not I believe the next big event is the rapture, the revelation of the anti-Christ or some major war does have immediate bearing on how I will live.  Being able to grapple with questions about the problem of evil and suffering, tsunamis and starving children are examples as to why it is our responsibility to live out our theology and have a living theology.

Some marks of God's church

Acts 2:40-42 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Introduction:
Today's post will feature the very first church service ever recorded in the New Testament. The day was the Day of Pentecost. It was a day that the Jews celebrated to mark off the gathering in of the Wheat harvest and to commemorate the giving of the Torah or Law on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19-20. However there was an event that forever eclipsed those two events that occurred in Acts 2, the coming of the Promised Holy Spirit per Jesus' statements in John 14,15,16. 

When the Holy Spirit came, the church was born and the New Covenant Age was inaugurated. In Acts 2:37-47 we see the beginnings of the early Christians coming together.  What they did characterizes some of the chief marks for the church to follow throughout the remainder of the New Testament.  Furthermore, we could say that what we see here in these verses are indeed some mark's of God's church.  In short order we will list some of these marks of God's church and discover what is to be an ongoing, ever intensifying pattern of church life in God's church.  Note some of the following mark's of God's church:

1. Missions.  Acts 2:37-39
As Peter's audience was "pierced to the heart" (NASB) or as it states in the original language "shocked deeply in the heart" in Acts 2:37, we see them ask the question: "Brethren, what shall we do?"  Peter then urges them to respond to the Gospel.  Peter's first sermon here in the Book of Acts aimed at explaining the events surrounding the coming of the Holy Spirit so that He could then evangelize His audience. Missions is not only the first purpose or mark of the church mentioned here, but it is also referred to again in Acts 2:47 



2. Preaching. Acts 2:40 
Acts 2:40 states - And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” It was to be by the vehicle of Apostolic preaching that the Lord would strengthen believers and convert sinners. 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 reminds us - "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."






3. Making Disciples. Acts 2:41
In Acts 2:41 the Holy Ghost says - "So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls." Notice how the early church began fulfilling Jesus' Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20.  Such a commission is not just an apostolic commission, but also the Great Commission to His church.  We see: reception of the Word by faith (compare Ephesians 2:8-9), followed by the converts getting baptized.  Thirdly we see some measure of church membership, being that the rolls were kept and "3,000 souls were added". Every ministry in the local church needs to be about making disciples not only in the church, but also in preaching and doing missions to make disciples of all the nations. 




4. Ordinances. Acts 2:41,42,47
What do I mean when I write that term "ordinance"? An ordinance is a pattern commanded by Christ directly to His church in the Gospels, preached upon and practiced in Acts and explained in the Epistles. In the New Testament Church we have two such rites that qualify under that description: water baptism and the Lord's supper. Wherever God's people are gathered together to hear the preaching of the Word, practice the ordinances and are about the Father's business of doing missions, that dear friend marks the existence of the local church. More could be said but we will move on to two more marks of God's church here in Acts 2.




5. Loving fellowship. Acts 2:43-46
When you walk through Acts 2:43-46, you discover just how joyful and loving the early church must have been. These people were "feeling a sense of awe" (2:43); "who had believed were together and had all things in common" (2:44); "were sharing" (2:45); "one mind" (2:46); "taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart" (2:46). Pastor Rick Warren has noted that the Biblical mandate for the church's fellowship is two-fold: "temple courts" or large group worship and "house to house" or small group fellowship. Thus the local church must needs have both preaching services whereby God's people can worship in song and word as well as have occasion to come together in small groups, whether in Sunday School on Sunday Mornings, some time of small groups in homes or small group Bible studies. Both patterns engender loving fellowship in God's church. 






6. Worship. Acts 2:47
Here we see the mark of worship. Worship is ascribing "worthship" to God by way of singing and preaching. Worship is rooted in grace and is aimed towards giving glory to God. Where is it that worship aims? Worship is vertical in its heavenward focus on the Triune God and it is outward focused in energizing people to share Jesus in missions. Amazing isn't it? The Holy Spirit here in Acts ends this chapter with missions and reminds us that from beginning to end, the church should be all about missions. These then are some of the marks of God's church.

Next big thing #1: Death, Hell or Heaven

Hebrews 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment

Revelation 14:13 "And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

Introduction:
The George Gallop Institute reports that 70% of all Americans believe in Heaven and 53% believe in Hell. I invite the reader to click first on the following link, which features a simulation of every person being born or dying on earth in real time: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/a-real-time-map-of-births-and-deaths/280609/

In today's blog we are going to be featuring the first in a periodic series of what I am calling "Next big things".  These are particular events that will impact every human being who has either lived or who is living today. Whether rich or poor, Christian or none Christian, the Bible spells out for us in big "bill-board style" what the next big things are up and coming. There is an event that for either this blogger or you the reader or someone you know that could happen when you least expect.  The next big thing to which I refer is: "Death, Hell or Heaven".  There is only One way in which you can be sure you're ready for when that "next big thing" may occur - that of course is by grace through faith alone trusting in Christ alone.

All human beings occupy one of three states
Many theologians and Bible teachers have pointed out that in the Bible we can understand human beings as occupying one of three states: There is a living state, followed by an intermediate state that begins at death and concludes at resurrection (resurrection of the righteous for believers and a second, separate resurrection of the wicked for unbelievers).  These first two states proceed the third and lasting state, the eternal state, that entails the New heavens and earth for believers and Lake of fire for unbelievers following the Great White throne judgment in Revelation 20. Only in this current living state do we have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and by Grace through faith believe, repent of our sins and be saved from the wrath to come.


What follows then is understanding the next big thing of death, and recognizing that there are two places spoken of in scripture wherein a person will occupy: Heaven or hell. Two men will aid us in understanding what this next big thing is all about so that you can be sure you are ready once it happens to you. The first man is the rich man in Luke 16 and the second man will be the thief on the cross in Luke 23.  In looking at both of these men, we can note two general truths about death, Hell or Heaven. I will simply give the reader the headings and then explain them as we go:
1. Those who go to hell are born once and die twice
2. Those who go to heaven are born twice and die once


So let us note the first man, the rich man in Luke 16, and see how he portrays....
Those who go to hell are born once and die twice
All who are born into this world are described as having been born in Adam, in sin and in death. (Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:19) One preacher has illustrated this by noting that man's birth is like a dot, with an arrow proceeding infinitely ahead of him, representing the fact that he is an everlasting soul. (.--------------------------------------->)

The Rich man in Luke 16:19-31 was undoubtedly born, and lived as we see in Luke 16:25. Then like every man, the Rich Man died as seen in Luke 19:22. That Rich man had been born, lived and now died physically. Where did he go? His living state on this earth was done, and now the intermediate state of his soul began. The Bible says that this Rich man, in Hades (or Hell) lifted up his eyes in torments.  We can note some traits of this first man who died and went to hell:

1. He was unexpected by many to die and go to hell. Lk 16:14
The reader must understand that for Jesus' listeners, this would had been a shocking development. The Rich man would had been the last guy you would had expected to end up in Hell. Rich people were often thought to had done the right things in the sight of God and man to obtain their level of wealth. Earlier in Luke 16:14 even the Pharisees, the self-righteous religionists of their day, were noted for their opulence. Nevertheless Jesus' teaching is quite clear, the Rich man had been born, lived  and died in his sins. Sadly a person don't have to do one thing to die and go to hell.  This rich man had his heaven on earth and did not want God in his life. Some people are going to end up in Hell that we would never expect, but notice also...
2. He was unrepentant. Luke 16:24
The rich man was in agony in the flames. He wanted comfort, like he had in his living state here on earth. (Luke 16:19) Like the people who will be under the wrath of God on this earth in the great tribulation recorded in Revelation 16:9,11,21, the Rich Man evidences no repentance, only rebellion against God.
3. He was un-forgetful Luke 16:30
Father Abraham reminds the rich man: "remember during your life". The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to "his father's house, for he has five brothers". The rich man's perpective on Lazarus as the "begger at his gate" had not changed. In hell, the person refuses to change. Ironically, the rich man is now the beggar and Lazarus is in comfort. (Luke 16:25)
4. He remained unconvinced of the scriptures. Luke 16:30
According to Luke 16:29-30, after father Abraham tells this rich man that his brothers have the law and the prophets to guide them to the saving knowledge that will spare them from the flames, the Rich man flatly says: "No Father Abraham." A person in hell is still convinced they have a better way and plan. Sadly, whatever state an unbeliever leaves this world, they will continue in a downward and increasingly inward spiral of sinfulness and opposition to the Lord and His book.

Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment. We've noted that the Rich man had been born once, lived, and died a physical death, ending up in hell to await judgment.  The second death will occur according to Revelation 20:14-15 when death and hades, that is to say every unbeliever whose name had never been recorded in the lambs book of life, is cast into the lake of fire.  More will be spoken about the Great White Throne judgment in later posts. However for now we can say this where we get the idea of "the second death" and hence the sad reality of hell for those who are "born once and die twice." The Rich man describes such a person. But now let us turn to another man, the thief on the cross, who represents....
Those who go to heaven are born twice and die once
The scene is Golgotha in Luke 23:39-43. As is often the case in Biblical discussions about death, heaven and hell, we can be surprised to learn who ends up in both places. For this thief on the cross, he would had been the last guy you would expect to end up in heaven. To go to hell, there is sadly nothing you have to do. To claim neutrality on the issue of salvation and Jesus Christ is to declare your rejection of Him. (John 3:36) However in order to get to heaven, there is nothing you can do to contribute. In short order we can note the following about the thief on the cross and his being born twice and only having to die once:
1. He received God's Word. Luke 23:38-39

2. He repented Luke 23:40-41


3. He relied on Jesus Luke 23:41-42

4. He was regarded justified. Luke 23:43 


Clearly the Holy Spirit was doing a work of grace on this man's heart, for he experienced what Jesus had described in John 3:3 as the New birth. He was born again by the Spirit of God because of God's Sovereign Spirit working forth for him to act and embrace Jesus Christ by faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Though the remainder of the New Testament explains such realities in more detail, we can say that the thief on the cross was, in a sense foreshadowing the New Testament reality of the new birth - born again, and only had to die once. He by grace through faith embraced the Lord presented to Him by the Spirit. Thus like that thief, you have to be born physically and then spiritually in order to be assured that when you die physically, you will be "absent from the body but present with the Lord". (2 Corinthians 5:6) The promise to all true Christians is that when they die right now, blessings will attend them (Revelation 14:13); a rich entryway will be supplied (2 Peter 1:11-12) and Jesus Himself will be there to receive them. (Acts 7:55)

This is why death, Hell or Heaven is the next big thing. My prayer is dear friend is that you are ready for it. Would it be that you would be born twice, and only have to die once. Would it be that by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that we could be in His presence in the intermediate state that lies between death and resurrection, and then the eternal state that follows for world without end.

Why the doctrine of Heaven is crucial for the Christian

Luke 23:33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

The last guy you would expect to see going to Heaven
Yesterday we looked closely at the doctrine of hell. We noted "The Rich Man" in Luke 16 as being the last guy anyone in Jesus' time would had expected to go to hell. The Rich Man was wealthy and would had been considered by all human standards to be blessed by God due to his opulence. Today we are going to consider a second man, the thief on the cross who hung beside Jesus, who in many ways is a contrast to the rich man. The point of this post is to consider why the doctrine of Heaven is so crucial for the Christian. Before getting to the thief on the cross, we will first briefly survey the Bible's teaching on heaven.

What Jesus and the Bible teaches on Heaven
As we travel through Genesis, we see 30 or so mentions of the word "heaven" with most references to either the first heaven (sky) or second heaven (universe).  In Genesis 28:12 we read: "And he (Jacob) dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to the heavens. And behold, angels of God ascended and descended upon it."  Jacob's incredible experience shows the activity of the third heaven touching down here on earth.  According to John 1:51, what Jacob saw was none other than an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ.  It is in 2 Corinthians 12 that the Apostle Paul refers to this realm as the "third heaven" (hence the reason for terming the first two realms of the sky as "1st heaven" and the universe as "2nd heaven"). 

According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the third heaven or "current abode of the redeemed" is described as a place of:
1. Joy. Luke 15:7,10
2. Rest. Revelation 14:13
3. Peace. Luke 16:19-25
4. Righteousness. 2 Peter 3:13
5. Service. Revelation 7:15
6. Reward. Matthew 5:11,12
7. Inheritance. 1 Peter 1:4
8. Glory. Romans 8:17,18

Further reflection upon heaven demonstrates it to be literally:
1. Place - John 14:1-3
2. Prioritizing Jesus - Acts 7:55
3. More beautiful than the natural mind can comprehend - 1 Cor 2:9; 2 Cor 12:2
4. Palatial entryway for every Christian. 2 Peter 1:11

With that brief survey of the believer's destination that is called by the name "heaven" or "paradise" in the scriptures, now we are going to meet the thief on the cross.

The last guy anyone would had expected to had died and gone to heaven
To all people witnessing the crucifixion, many would had assumed that the thief on the cross was soon going to die and go to hell. Luke gives us this touching portrait of God's grace working that day in the life of a man that would have no chance of ever giving back. Crucifixion was reserved for the most vile offenders. Yet the thief gives us a portrait of a man who avoided hell.

Without a doubt he is a contrast to the rich man in Luke 16.
The rich man was a man of influence, and was considered by some to have had some measure of righteousness based upon his wealth. Even though he was considered to be most likely to die and go to heaven, instead he died and went to hell.  The thief on the other hand, who had neither wealth nor influence, was afforded access into Heaven. Why?  Whenever you compare him to the rich man in yesterday's post, you find two completely different hearts:

1. The thief believed God's Word Luke 23:38-39
Unlike the rich man, who was unconvinced by God's Word (Lk 16:30), the thief on the cross was convinced, evidencing the Spirit's work of saving grace in His heart.
What had they written on the board above Jesus' head? "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS". By fulfilling prophetic scripture, Jesus Christ indeed was the crucified King. The soldiers mocking and the other thief's taunts were in response to the words written. The Jews had begged Pilate earlier to take it down, but Pilate told them in John 19:22 "what I have written, I have written". The repentant thief had a quite different response. In seeing and hearing those words, which undoubtedly were to become part of sacred scripture, the thief's attitude was changed from one of ridicule to repentance. 

2. The thief was repentant Luke 23:40-41
Unlike the rich man who died unrepentant and remained so in hell (Luke 16:24), the thief states in Luke 23:41 "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." Only God's Sovereign grace could show this thief the awfulness of his own sin and the awesomeness of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:25-26) This thief repented, ignored the crowd and the other thief, and chose to look to Jesus.

3. The thief relied on Jesus. Luke 23:41-42
Sadly the rich man remained unchanged in hell, ever relying more on his own abilities. He still though of himself as the master and Lazarus as the begger.
What did the thief come to believe about Jesus and himself? That Jesus was without sin (Luke 23:41), The King (23:42) & Savior (23:42). Meanwhile the thief saw himself deserving his punishment and being a beggar in need of the Master's touch.

4. Thief was regarded justified by faith, thus gaining entry Luke 23:43
The declaration of Jesus: Today you will be with me in paradise" would not had been stated to a man who was still remaining guilty in the sight of God. By grace through faith and repentance this man was declared fit to have entryway into heaven or paradise! He avoided Hell by believing on Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins.

Why the Doctrine of Heaven is crucial for the Christian
Much like yesterday's post, we see similar benefits for the Christian in considering more closely the reality of heaven:
1. Eternal perspective. It puts into sharp focus eternity and the need to trust in Christ. It should raise the burden to get the gospel to as many people as possible. 

2. Emphasizes the need for Grace. For the Christian, Heaven has the positive benefit of helping us praise God for His grace and to rely ever more on such grace. 


3. Emphasizes Christ's righteousness, not my own. Only through Christ can I have confidence before the Just and Holy God.  The thief on the cross evidenced the Spirit's saving work through his faith and repentance in Jesus Christ.

4. Emboldens perseverance. The wonderful truth about Heaven emboldens perseverance. Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:11-12 "for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
12 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you."