When Jesus comes back in conquering power, the church, dead and alive, will be caught up in the air to meet him, not to stay up there, but to join his return in triumph to participate in his exultation.

The Book of Revelation has these words in its final chapter, Come, Lord Jesus, as Christians we long for his return. But what will it be like?

Hi, I'm Nathan W. Bingham, and thank you for joining us today for renewing your mind. Although there is disagreement among Christians about the timing of Christ's return, the Bible is very clear on certain aspects of his coming.

As R.C. Sproul concludes this week's study on the work of Christ today, he explores what the Bible says about Christ's return and in particular what the Bible says about the rapture. Here's Dr. Sproul.

Today we come to the last in our series of messages on the work of Christ and we'll be looking briefly at the return of Jesus at the end of time where he will consummate his kingdom.

And so even though his earthly work has been finished with the cross and with the resurrection and he has ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father, nevertheless there's still more to come.

He will come again at the end of time to finish the work of his kingdom. Now for centuries, the church has referred to the return of Jesus

as the blessed hope. I want to comment on that briefly. The return of Jesus is our hope. It's something that we long to see, can't wait to experience.

We've got to ask the last words of the New Testament where the words even so come Lord Jesus. Now when we use the word hope in the English language, we refer to something that we wish would happen.

We would like to see take place but we have no guarantee or assurance that it will come to pass. You may ask me, do you think the Steelers will win the Super Bowl this year? I will say, I hope so. But don't bet on it.

The New Testament category is the word, elpus in Greek which is translated hope is not something that lacks certainty. The hope of which the New Testament speaks refers to those promises in the future that God has made whose fulfillment is absolutely certain.

There's no doubt about it. And so we have this hope and this hope that we have been given by God and by the Holy Spirit is a hope that will never disappoint is a hope that will never make us ashamed.

And this particular hope is blessed. It is the blessed hope of the promise of Jesus return. Now the New Testament has a lot to say about Jesus' future return. And we don't have time in one message to look at all the aspects that are connected to it.

But I want to look at least at the correspondence that Paul had with the Church of Thessalonica about these matters of the return. And I look first of all at First Thessalonians chapter 4 beginning at verse 13 where Paul writes these words.

But I do not want you to be ignorant brethren concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so, God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus.

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 by no means precede those who are asleep.

For the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

And then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And thus we shall always be with the Lord, therefore comfort one another with these words.

Now what I've just read here is Paul's teaching about what is popularly called the rapture.

The rapture refers to the coming of Jesus and the being caught up in the air with him of the saints.

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