13. The Blessed Hope

All Christians who have died will one day rise from their graves and will meet the Lord in the air. Christians who have not yet died will be raptured, or caught up with them, to be with the Lord. Then Christians of all ages will live with God forever. The scriptural truth of the Lord’s soon return is "the blessed hope"(Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Titus 2:13).

Importance of this Doctrine:

This doctrine is very important because it provides a primary motivation for witnessing and living a holy life. For the believer, the return of Christ for His redeemed is a blessed hope indeed! The translation of "snatching away" of living Christians, commonly called the Rapture ("to catch up"), will bring an end to suffering, pain, hardship, and difficulty. We as Christians will then be with the Lord forever. Though the body is not alive between death and resurrection, the soul does not sleep, but is consciously alive in the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

For the sinner, however, the Rapture is anything but a blessed hope. To be left behind will involve indescribable suffering as God judges a rebellious and disobedient world. God desires that all mankind should ask forgiveness and be restored to fellowship with Him. He places this burden for the lost and their eternal punishment on the hearts of those who already know His love and salvation. It is for this reason that a primary mission of the church is evangelizing the world, seeking to save as many as possible from the judgment to come.

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