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 or "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 himself. He places this burden for the lost and their waiting 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.
Back
FIRST ASSEMBLY OF GOD
1201 W. Queen St. · Edenton, North Carolina 27932 ·
firstassembly@datalinkc.com