Now, the topic of the rapture of the church is often something that is either controversial – which means people don’t exactly know how to take it and they have very many different opinions about it – or often is completely neglected by thousands of thousands of churches all around the world. This is something that I believe is the work of the enemy. To neglect what is most likely the most important thing that can be promised to believers in Jesus is definitely to steal from them their only hope, their blessed hope, the main hope for every believer.
And the title of this message is “The Mystery of the Rapture”, and it’s not for nothing. It truly is a mystery. In fact, I want you to know that a mystery is not secret. Secret is secret and mystery is mystery. And when the Bible wants to talk about mystery, the Bible talks about mystery. When the Bible wants to say secret, the Bible says secret. Mystery and secret are two different things. Mystery is something that is not hidden, but is transformed from shadow to substance. Something that at a certain point we saw it, but we didn’t understand. Then, in light of new revelations, now we understand what it was all about. Yet, secret is something that is hidden and that we cannot see nor feel.
So when God reveals secrets, it’s something we never heard of. When God reveals a mystery, we are going to say, “Aha! Now I understand it.” And it’s interesting because for the entire Bible we find 33 times the word “mystery”. We find it in the Old Testament in the book of Daniel. The mystery that we’re talking about is that dream that Nebuchadnezzar had. And that mystery eventually was solved by God, the God of Israel, who revealed the true meaning of that dream to Daniel, for him to share with the king. And that mystery was all about things that existed and will come to pass. And then Daniel just interpreted it. He received an understanding of something that existed. Thus, it’s a mystery.
Yet, we find that word mystery also in Romans and Corinthians and Ephesians and Colossians and 2 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy and in the book of Revelation. In the book of Daniel, the mystery was all about the true God. The mystery revealed who the real God is. When all the other people tried to give their own interpretations, it was the Lord God of Israel that gave the true one.
But then as we move in Romans 11, there’s the mystery about Israel and God’s plan for Israel, which means Israel has been there. They are going through things, but there’s a mystery about their role even in the future that God in Romans 11, in light of Jesus and in light of New Testament, is indeed revealing to all people. So that’s Romans 11. In Colossians chapter 2, is the mystery of the true Messiah. Colossians 2:2 talks about a mystery about Christ. And if that’s not enough, in Ephesians 5:31-32, we see the mystery of the relationship between the church and Christ. It is a mystery.
“Mystery” is a word that reveals a wonderful truth about our relationship with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The word mystery means, “the counsels of God not revealed to ordinary mortals.” In other words, because we know the One who knows all, we know things others don’t and can’t know.
In Matthew 11 Jesus rebuked the cities where He did not do many miracles because of their unbelief. Then He said this:
Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.”
Remember many of Jesus’ encounters, including all of His negative ones, we were with the supposed ultra religious of the day, the Pharisees. He revealed that things had been hidden from them and revealed to babes, who are symbolic of the spiritually uneducated.
Acts 4:13
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
Because they, and we, know Jesus, there are things revealed to us that those who are wise in their own eyes and supposedly prudent, meaning they think they have it all figured out, don’t know.
Because we know Jesus, we know He is coming again to receive us unto Himself. We know this will happen when the dead in Christ rise first, and then we who are still alive will meet Him and them in the air. Because we know Jesus, we know this event will last for only a twinkling of an eye, but the result of it will last forever.
Because we know Jesus, we know things others can’t know because they are spiritually discerned. Because we know Jesus, there are things revealed to us that are not understood by ordinary mortals, meaning those still spiritually dead.
A thing described as a mystery is not something we don’t or can’t know. It’s just the opposite. It is something unknown to those who don’t know Him.
1 Corinthians 4:1
Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
A steward is one who is charged with the responsibility of distributing the master’s good to others. We are stewards, caretakers, of the mysteries of God and charged with making them known in our homes, families, and churches.
Ephesians 6:19
“…and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.”
The gospel is the key that opens the door to understanding God’s mysteries. Without it, others will never understand the glory and hope of knowing God and all the things that those who know Him now see clearly.
Tell someone about Jesus today!
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,