THE SHOUTS OF JESUS

Part Three

Jesus’ Provision for His Church

 By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

This series called “The Shouts of Jesus” comes to the final instance recorded in scripture where Jesus did not just speak words; but shouts a command loudly. As we study this last shout, we see that unlike the previous shouts we have covered, which occurred in the past, this shout has yet to take place. It is a future event that will occur on the Day of Christ when Jesus returns to call His church home. This shout is in the form of a command. It is a shout of a command that demonstrates the power of God through Christ over all of creation and which focuses on those who are members of His Church.

 

The Second Coming of Christ is a major theme in the Bible. There are over three hundred verses in the New Testament that mention the Second Coming of Christ. This is just about one verse for every thirty verses of the whole New Testament!

 

The last shout of Jesus is spoken about in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians for several reasons, but one reason was to assure followers of Christ they had not missed the return of Christ. Many Christians in Thessalonica were concerned about their loved ones who had died. Due to personal doubt and the influence of false teachers they feared that their dead relatives who were Christians had missed the second coming of the Lord.

 

Paul in 1 Thessalonians speaks of The Day of Christ in the fourth chapter and the necessity of being ready for His return. He references the crucifixion as well as the resurrection of our Savior. He also discusses the progression of events that take place on the day that our Lord Jesus Christ returns, which is called “The Day of Christ.” We’ll begin in 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

 

“13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”

 

We see here Paul’s concern for his fellow Christians. He wants to make sure they understand and remember that they do not need to fear for their loved ones who have passed away. He encourages them to avoid grieving over the future of those who have died in the faith. He assures them that there is an assured godly hope that they will be reunited with them in the future. He states the core belief of all Christians in verse 14, that Jesus died and rose from the grave. He relates this absolute truth with another one; that God will bring with Him those Christians who have “fallen asleep” or who have died in the past. As we have learned in the first part of this series. Jesus Christ sees the death of a believer as simply the sleeping of the body and the release of the spirit of the person into the presence of the Lord. It is recorded in the Gospels several times that when Jesus spoke of the death of a person, He viewed it as the “sleeping” of the body, while the spirit of a Believer went to be with God in Heaven. Be sure that you understand that your soul does not sleep at death only your body, as it waits for the return of Christ to be resurrected (John 11:11-13, Acts 7:58, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57). “Soul sleep” is a heresy and a misinterpretation of Bible passages discussing the death of followers of Christ.

 

This truth of eternal life for those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior gives us hope and surety of our salvation as well as where we go when we no longer live. Several scriptures give us assurance that we serve a Savior that is Lord over us even when we are dead.

 

Romans 14:7-9

“7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

“9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep(dead), we will live together with Him.”

 

We also know that the thief on the cross to whom Christ granted salvation was to be with the Lord in Heaven upon his death (Luke23:43).

 

Paul here speaks of those who have passed away as being “asleep.” Jesus also spoke and taught this belief. The Greek word here in 1 Thessalonians for “asleep” is “koimao” and can be interpreted, “to sleep, slumber or be dead.” The word for resurrection, “anastasis,” is a word that only refers to the body which comes from two Greek words meaning “to stand up.” It is only the Body which will stand up in the resurrection, because our souls will have already gone to Heaven to be with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23). Paul is basically explaining that those loved ones who were Christians and have passed away will experience being in the presence of Christ when they die. Their bodies will sleep waiting for their resurrection into glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:50-52) at the return of Christ. They will be reunited with their bodies at the resurrection as their earthly bodies are transformed into eternal glorified bodies.

 

Verses 13-14 gives amazing hope to anyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end. It is a release of your spirit from your fleshly body so that it can go to Heaven and be with Christ. As for your body when you die, it decays and turns to dust, but that is not the end of it either. For on the Day of Christ, when Jesus Christ gives His Heavenly Shout, this pile of dust and elements will be reconstructed into a glorified body and reunited with your spirit in Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:51-57). It is difficult to fully comprehend what a glorified body will be, but it will be eternal and last forever. It will no longer possess any of the sinful fleshly nature it had when you were alive on the earth. Paul continues with his explanation of the events taking place on the Day of Christ.

 

“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 not precede those who have fallen asleep.”

 

In verse 15 Paul shares that any Christian that is alive when our Lord and Savior returns will not be reunited with Jesus Christ until those who have “fallen asleep” or dead, are taken first. This Paul verifies by the statement that this fact is established, not by the word of mere man, but by the “word of the Lord!” Paul continues with the sequence of events taking place on The Day of Christ. Paul in essence is telling us that those followers of Christ who have passed away before us are “first in line” to be resurrected. This should not concern us since the whole action of this gathering up of the saints, both dead and alive, will be in the blink of an eye!

 

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

 

This shout of Jesus Christ upon His return to the earth will not be heard by non-believers. They are not allowed to participate in this resurrection. Theirs will be another fate, one of judgment and punishment. They too will receive an eternal body, but one which will endure the heat and fire of Hell. This is why it is so critical we share the Gospel with those who have not accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Their eternal life is at stake!

 

We are told in scripture that Jesus after His resurrection remained on the earth for 40 days ministering and teaching people and then ascended into Heaven from the Mt. of Olives. We are also told that He will return in the same manner as He ascended.

 

Acts 1:9-11

“9 He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

 

Pastor Lee Eclov gives us a visual description of what may take place before Christ makes His appearance on the Day of Christ.

“When time has reached its fullness, Jesus Christ will rise from His sapphire throne, pass through the arches of glory – past the altar of sacrifice stained by His own blood, past the altar of incense, fragrant with the prayers of the saints, past the awesome living creatures who worship Him night and day – and summon one great archangel to accompany Him. He will cross the great gulf fixed between heaven and earth and step through the curtain of the sky. No need for a star to point Him out this time. No need for shepherds or wise men to spread the word. No disguises of baby flesh or swaddling clothes…This time there will be no mistaking His coming. He will come, it says, with a loud command.”

 

Paul continues with his description in 1 Thessalonians.

 

“16 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.”

 

Here we see in verse 16 that the Lord Jesus Christ will appear and descend from heaven. Three sounds will be heard when this takes place. The King of kings and Lord of lords will give a shout. There will also be the voice of an archangel and the sound of the trumpet of God.

 

The Greek word for Christ’s shout here in the Greek is “keleusma” and means a cry of incitement, an urging or a command to provoke to action. It is used of a charioteer calling out to his horses or a commander calling out his soldiers. At this instant, the dead bodies of those who are true followers of Christ will rise from their graves and be transformed into glorified bodies as we saw above in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54. We are not told what Jesus will say in this “SHOUT” to His Church on the earth. It seems to indicate that it will be some sort of command; a call to attention. Possibly it will be a command as simple as “COME TO ME.” One theologian has suggested it will be a shout of “ENOUGH” reflecting Jesus’ command to end the influence of Satan and his demons upon the earth. Personally I agree with J. Vernon McGee and feel that it might actually be Jesus Christ calling out in such a way that each of us Christians who are alive hear our personal name spoken. Can you imagine the pleasant and exciting shock, to see Christ appear in the skies and hear Him speak your personal name, calling you home to Heaven! Whatever Christ shouts in this command, He WILL get your attention! You won’t miss His shout to call you home to Heaven if you are a Christian.

 

Immediately, in the blink of an eye (about 1 thousanth of a second) (1 Corinthians 15:52) Christians who are still alive on the Day of Christ will be taken up to meet Him in the Heavens. The hope we have here in verse 17 is that we shall ALWAYS be with the Lord from this moment on. This means for ETERNITY.

 

“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.”

 

Paul here speaks of what happens to those Christians who are alive when Christ returns. The word he uses for “caught up” is “harpazo” which means “to snatch away.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 describes this “snatching away” as happening in the “twinkling of an eye” quicker than a blink. Our body will be transformed and be made incorruptible (eternal, never dying). (1 Corinthians 15:35-54, Philippians 3:2, 2 Peter 1:4, 1 John 3:2)

 

There are many speculations as to when Christ’s return will take place. Some theologians believe it will be before the Great Tribulation. Others believe it will be half-way through the Tribulation and still others believe it will be at the end of the Tribulation. There are also other creative permutations of when Christ will actually return as well. My belief is that Christ will return before the Tribulation begins. Those theologians and pastors who believe in this timeline for Christ’s return are: J. Nelson Darby, Clarence Larkin, William Eugene Blackstone, C.I. Scofield, Harry A. Ironside, Gleason Archer, Donald G. Barnhouse, Charles Ryrie, Hal Lindsey, Chuck Smith, John MacArthur, Tim LaHaye, Charles Stanley, Norman L. Geisler.

 

As you consider this climactic SHOUT that will take you home as a Christian consider the following questions. Look up the scriptures and determine what the Holy Spirit is teaching you through them so you can be ready for the Lord’s return.

 

What benefits await Christians at the Lord’s coming? Read John 14:2-3, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5, 1 Peter 1:3-5 for answers.

 

What should be our attitude towards Christ’s coming? Read Mark 13:33-37, Philippians 3:20, 2 Timothy 4:8b for answers.

 

What behaviors characterize those who are staying ready for the Lord’s return? Read Romans 13:11-14, Philippians 4:5, James 58-9, 1 Peter 4:7-11 for answers.

 

Following are some truths from the commentary on 1 Thessalonians by Pastor John Phillips;

 

1 Thessalonians chapter 4 reveals five facts about the Rapture.

 

The second coming of Christ is a positive truth. (“shall” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 5:3) and (“shall not” 1 Thessalonians 4:15, 5:3)

 

It is a personal truth (“we, ye, us, I, you” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15, 17, 5:1, 4-6, 8-10)

 

It is a pivotal truth (“but” 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 5:1, 4, 8)

 

It is a progressive truth. (“for” 1 Thessalonians 4:14-16, 5:2-3, 7)

 

It is a practical truth. (“wherefore” and “therefore” 1 Thessalonians 4:18, 5:6, 11)

 

“The Holy Spirit is the dove of God. He has a strong homing instinct. When He is received into a human heart. He brings that homing instinct with Him. He heads us toward Home! At the time of the Rapture, He will simply pick us all up, living or dead, and take us there to the accompanying shout, trump, and voice.” John Phillips

 

Paul ends this book (letter to Christians) with an encouragement to take comfort in these words.

 

” 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

 

This last SHOUT of Jesus Christ completes this series on the shouts of Jesus. We are still waiting to hear this shout. Are you ready? Before Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven He commanded us to “go and make disciples…baptizing them…teaching them to observe; all that He had commanded.” We have a responsibility to obey His command and instruction for not only will it help us be ready for His return, it will also impact our rewards in Heaven. But more importantly, as we share the Gospel with others and they come to faith in Christ recognizing Him as their Lord and Savior, they too will experience hearing Jesus’ SHOUT and eternal life in Heaven. They will be saved from an eternal existence of punishment in Hell. Do you care for the souls of others? Jesus Christ did, He died for them on the Cross. He desires to have all people come to Him.

 

As we anticipate the return of Christ, we must seek to live out the ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

When Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven from the Mt. of Olives He left His disciples and us with a mandate for ministry.

 

Matthew 28:16-20

“But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

We see that the response of the disciples and other followers of Christ obeyed this command.

 

Mark 16:19-20

“So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.”

 

We too are to obey the commands of Christ and reach out and share the Gospel. We are to teach those who come to faith. When we do this we are helping build the body of Christ.

 

Other teachings of Holy Scripture, when lived out, will assist us in being ready for the return of Jesus Christ on the Day of Christ spoken of in the Bible.

 

We are to seek to live pure as Christ was pure.

 

1 John 3:3

“And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

 

We are to see to love and serve one another.

 

Galatians 5:13

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

 

We are to seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to let the word of Christ richly dwell within us. These instructions are contained in two parallel passages in Ephesians and Colossians.

 

Ephesians 5:18-21

“…be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

 

Colossians 3:16-17

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

 

We are to seek to discover and use our spiritual gifts in the edification of the Body of Christ.

 

1 Corinthians 14:1 “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts,”

 

1 Corinthians 14:12 “…seek to abound for the edification of the church.”

 

As we grow spiritually, walk as Jesus walked and are filled with the Spirit we manifest the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-24

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

 

This Christ-like lifestyle will assure we will be ready for the return of Christ.

 

I end this series with two scripture passages for you;

 

Philippians 1:9-11

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

 

Jude 24-25

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”