“Trouble Don’t Last Always”

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:50-52

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

There’s a lot going on in our world, but we can be comforted by God’s word in knowing that, “Trouble don’t last always”! In Christ we have the blessed hope of salvation and redemption, but what is this passage talking about?

This is all about the special event known as “The Rapture”. One might say the word, “rapture” is not in the bible. Yes, we only see the meaning of that word. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, in great detail, lays out for us what “The Rapture” is.

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

In Latin, the word for “rapture” is “rapio” which means: caught up, to carry off by force (“in a flash”-1 Corinthians 15:52), to claim for one’s self eagerly.

The Greek word is “harpazo”. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:18, to comfort one another with these words. Those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and surrendered to Jesus their desires, in exchange for His, will be saved from this wicked world, given new perfect bodies, and rescued from the coming wrath of God.

Wow!

Don’t be easily shaken by the current events of this world, rather be motivated to tell people about the hope they can have in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:58). If you’re a Christian heaven is waiting for you! Thank you Jesus! Therefore, we obey verse 18: