Come, Lord Jesus

“Come, Lord Jesus,” the last prayer in the Bible (Rev 22:20), has been the great desire of believers since the Ascension. A hopeful view of the Rapture.

On the island of Herrenchiemsee, there is a magnificent castle belonging to Ludwig II, known as “the fairy tale king.” He constructed numerous castles, spending immense sums of money on them. When you’re guided through this castle, you can see the splendor and magnificence, as well as the extravagant liberality that was employed. But then you arrive at a part that is unfinished, just a skeleton, because the king ran out of funds and was suffering from mental illness. He later drowned in the lake under mysterious circumstances. He was unable to complete the construction due to his own imperfection. Our Lord, on the other hand, is the perfect King. His resources are infinite. He’s alive and will return! He will finish building the kingdom of God and bring His plan of salvation to completion.

Our time is rushing toward this event. Consider the many wars and conflicts on earth, the recent global pandemic, frightening natural phenomena, rampant discontent in society, political chaos, skyrocketing prices, global efforts to establish peace in the Middle East, or the unrestrained hatred in the world.

One event in Germany provides a shocking example of the current state of the world. The tragic death of a bicyclist in Berlin triggered international sympathy, grief, and anxiety. The woman was trapped under a multi-ton concrete mixer, and had to be driven over by the vehicle again before rescue. The fire truck with the necessary equipment that could have lifted the vehicle, was stuck behind a blockade of climate extremists. The woman died of her severe injuries in the hospital shortly afterward. Nevertheless, the public prosecutor’s office would not bring charges related to the cyclist’s death against the climate terrorists. One protestor even mocked the victim in a tweet: “It’s climate combat, not climate cuddle, and s---t happens.” It’s just as the Apostle Paul writes: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves…” (2 Tim 3:1-2).

CNN reports of a new multifaith prayer center in Abu Dhabi: “The United Arab Emirates inaugurated the ‘Abrahamic Family House,’ an interfaith complex housing a mosque, a church, and the Gulf Arab state’s first ever purpose-built synagogue. […] The structure draws inspiration from the three Abrahamic faiths and is meant to encapsulate their similarities. […] The Imam Al-Tayeb Mosque, which is named after the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, the leading authority on Sunni Islam, is oriented towards Mecca. […] His Holiness Francis Church is dedicated to the 13th century monk St. Francis of Assisi, after whom the current Catholic pope is named. It is oriented towards the rising sun in the east. […] The Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue honors the 12th century Jewish philosopher known as Rabbi Maimonides. […] The synagogue is the UAE’s first purpose-built Jewish place of worship and, like most synagogues around the world, is oriented towards Jerusalem. […] While entirely unique, each individual building is a 30-meter (98 feet) by 30-meter cube. The unifying design is meant to provide a common base from which tolerance and understanding can be promoted.”

The New York Times tells us more about Emir Mohammed bin Zayed and his plans for the city: “American officials invariably describe him as concise, inquisitive, even humble. He pours his own coffee, and to illustrate his love for America, sometimes tells visitors that he has taken his grandchildren to Disney World incognito. He makes time for low-ranking American officials and greets senior dignitaries at the airport. With a shy, lopsided smile, he will offer a tour of his country, then climb into a helicopter to fly his guest over the skyscrapers and lagoons of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. […] In the capital, Abu Dhabi, he has overseen a construction craze that has hidden the former coastline behind man-made islands. One is intended to become a financial district akin to Wall Street. Another includes a campus of New York University, a franchise of the Louvre and a planned extension of the Guggenheim. […] To underscore the point, the prince last year created a Ministry of Tolerance and declared [a] ‘Year of Tolerance.’ He has hosted the Special Olympics and [the] Pope.”

All of this profuse luxury and religious pluralism is somehow reminiscent of end-time Babylon in Revelation 18. But as a counterpoint, a bill was proposed in Israel that would have banned public evangelistic speech about Jesus. Believers who spread the gospel of Christ would have faced prison sentences.

A Prototype of the Rapture

History is hastening toward our Lord’s return, and haste characterizes our time. Therefore, it’s time to deal with the Rapture. The truth of the Rapture was revealed to the Apostle to the body of Christ, who has sometimes been called the Apostle of the Mysteries. In the New Testament, no one spoke more frequently or clearly about Jesus’ Resurrection, Ascension, and return than the Apostle Paul. He was the one temporarily transported away as a kind of prototype. This was certainly intended, at least in part, to point to and foreshadow the Rapture of the Church. Paul writes:

“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Cor 12:2-4).

One thing is certain: Paul isn’t the emotional, gushing type. He definitely wasn’t a show-off, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He kept this experience private for 14 years, never speaking about it. Most others wouldn’t have lasted so long. They would have first told their closest friends, then others, and anytime they had the slightest opportunity: “Hey guys, listen! Guess what happened to me!”

Would we have endured the tension of keeping something like that to ourselves? So many people boast and proudly broadcast their alleged heavenly revelations and visions. But when he received genuine revelations, Paul exercised reverent restraint. This proves that the Apostle never made himself the center of attention. Now he was being forced to talk about it. It was used by the Holy Spirit, ending up in the Bible to be profitable for us.

In Christ

“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth)…” (2 Cor 12:2).

It’s significant that Paul doesn’t mention his name, although he’s undoubtedly writing about himself; as he points out in verse 7, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh…”

Yet instead of explicitly naming himself, Paul speaks generally of “a man in Christ.” This is intentional—not just to avoid self-promotion, but to make it clear who will be raptured. The Holy Spirit uses this statement to reveal salvation for the Church of Jesus. “I knew a man in Christ”—this could have been any other person. Paul has the same relationship with Christ as any other believer.

Everyone in Christ—that is, everyone who has been born again and become a child of God—will one day be taken in the Rapture or resurrected into God’s heavenly kingdom. Whether his name is Peter, Paul, or Mary…

To be in Christ like Paul, faith is essential. There can be no question of merit. The Apostle was caught up at a time when he hadn’t yet accomplished much. What was the decisive factor? Paul was a Christian, and therefore belonged to Christ. Likewise, every biblical Christian belongs to Christ. Paul also draws attention to this in the revelation he received concerning the Rapture:

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess 4:16-17).

Anyone who is in Christ through faith is presented before God as perfect: “…that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col 1:28). He has been granted every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3). He is a co-heir with Christ (3:6). He is sanctified in Christ (1 Cor 1:2). He has attained wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and salvation in Christ (v. 30).

The Church is already legally transferred to the kingdom of the Son of God, but this status later becomes tangible reality: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:12-14).

At the time, Paul didn’t know how his rapture took place: “whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth…” He couldn’t say whether it took place in spirit outside of his body, or if it was an actual physical experience. But he knew this much: God knew, and this temporary transformation had really happened. This wasn’t a vision, but a literal experience.

God knows everything. He knows that you’re His child. He knows that you have faith in His Son. He knows where you are. He knows whether you will have to experience death, or if you will experience the Rapture, and it doesn’t matter. If you die, He knows where your body is: whether in the ground, in the water, or as ashes. He knows about each baby that was never born.

Paradise

“…Such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise” (2 Cor 12:2-4).

Enoch was caught up (Heb 11:5); Moses was taken to heaven after his death (Deut 34:6). Elijah was taken to heaven (2 Kgs 2:11). Ezekiel was caught up to Tel Abib by the river Chebar, in visions during the Babylonian captivity (Ezek 3:14-15); another time he was caught up in the Spirit to Jerusalem (Ezek 8:3). Philip was caught up to Ashdod on the way to Gaza (Acts 8:39). John was caught up to heaven in the Spirit (i.e., in a spiritual vision: Rev 4:1ff.). Peter, James, and John were present at the Transfiguration (Matt 17:1ff.). But Paul was caught up to the Third Heaven—Paradise—in a unique way, and received revelations like no one else.

One of the meanings of this is that Paradise is open again. Remember that Paradise has been inaccessible since the Fall: “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen 3:24). Nobody could reach this Paradise any longer.

Now some may object, “But Lazarus was in Paradise after his death!” We have to respond: No, he was in the bosom of Abraham. The Bible does not say that he entered Paradise: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried” (Luke 16:22).

Paradise characterizes a garden. The phrase “Abraham’s bosom” comes from the Greek word kolpos, which literally means “lap” or “bay.” These potential interpretations say nothing about a paradise.

The bosom of Abraham is a partition within Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek) for believers in God. Prior to Christ, believers and unbelievers alike entered the realm of the dead (Hades) after death, to be separated there. Unbelievers went to a place of torment, and believers to a place of comfort: the bosom of Abraham. There was an insurmountable gulf between them (Luke 16:26). Paradise was still inaccessible due to sin. But when the Lord Jesus died for sin on the Cross of Calvary, forgiveness became possible. Paradise reopened. That’s why Jesus could say to the crucified thief, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

The torn curtain in the temple is a fitting image. When the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven, He brought with Him the believers who had been in Sheol (the Old Testament believers under the Law): “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Eph 4:8).

These are the gifts of the New Covenant that came into effect at Pentecost. Sin and death entered the world by means of a tree, and man lost Paradise as a result. And by means of another tree (the Cross), sin and death were defeated. Now man can find his way back to Paradise, and much more.

Unspeakable Words

“How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Cor 12:4).

Only Paul entered the Third Heaven in this way; he was truly raptured. We don’t know what he saw and heard there, because it was far beyond anything human and mortal. Albert McShane remarked, “It would be as easy to explain the workings of atomic energy to a pygmy in the remote bush, as to interpret heavenly language to earthly minds” (What the Bible Teaches—1 & 2 Corinthians).

Paul witnessed divine mysteries. He was not permitted to pass on what he had seen and heard, but it definitely had an impact on his life and on his biblical exposition. A little later in his letter, after writing about his rapture, the Apostle emphasizes the abundance of revelations he received in that context: “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (2 Cor 12:7). He couldn’t, and wasn’t allowed to pass on what he saw and heard in heaven. What’s more, the Lord gave him additional profound revelations originating from heaven that he was meant to pass on ... such as certain spiritual truths and immeasurable divine blessings in Christ.

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor 2:9-13).

The highest glories and the most glorious culminations have been made known to us through the Apostle Paul, the Rapture included. Paul received these revelations 14 years prior to the writing of 2 Corinthians, which was roughly in 56 AD. Doing the math, this means that his rapture took place before his great mission mandate and his first missionary journey (Acts 13ff.). It also took place before all of the suffering he was to experience.

Why so early? Because of his calling as a “special Apostle” to the world of nations and the body of Christ. It’s not without significance that Paul in particular was raptured: He is the one who later sets forth the revelation concerning the Rapture of the Church. This Apostle—to whom the Church was revealed as the body of Christ, who was considered the “founder” of Christianity, and who plays the greatest of roles in the Church—was literally raptured. None of the other Apostles of the circumcision received their revelation the same way. John received his revelation in the Spirit, in the form of visions (Rev 4:1-2). Paul experienced true rapture, whether in spirit or in flesh. The Rapture is a reality.

Assuredly, Paul was caught up as an encouragement for the difficult road that lay before him, and the great deal of suffering he would have to endure. He needed an immense amount of encouragement for the immensity of his mission. And the Church needs it as well. It’s certain that the Apostle was repeatedly comforted and strengthened by this look into heaven. He knew what lay ahead of him: a future with the Lord. That’s why he could later say, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” (v. 23).

We can absolutely claim this as a consolation for ourselves, since the Church is not promised prosperity. In fact, suffering is foretold. But being part of the body of Christ means that we have been gathered together into a family of equal and like-minded children of God. Jesus was our “firstborn among many brethren” (Rom 8:29), and we are called in our present time to be like He was: despised and misunderstood. And yet, “we shall also reign with him” over all things in the age to come.

Paul writes in the same letter, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor 4:17).

Suffering is but a feather compared to the heaviness of glory’s gold brick. Any suffering we experience is worth it in view of eternity. It’s worth persevering and enduring, refusing to deny the faith or give up.

“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim 2:12-13).

It’s worthwhile to continue to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!”