Twinkling of an Eye?
Twinkling of an Eye?
By Dennis Huebshman
“Now this is what I am saying brothers and sisters, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I will tell you a mystery, we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling (blinking) of an eye at the last trumpet. For the Trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15: 50-53). (all emphasis is mine)
When God made man, he put an eternal soul into a temporary shell. Initially, God had intended for our bodies to be more permanent until the sin in the Garden of Eden changed all the parameters. At this point, we are moving toward death right from birth. I do not believe God was surprised by the sin as He is all-knowing, therefore He made sure we would be able to come to Him after we die by accepting Him (before the cross) and Jesus (after Calvary).
What Paul is saying here is that before the Rapture takes place, our earthly body will not last, but those who are destined to be with the Lord will eventually get an imperishable immortal body meant to last throughout all eternity. Some will not experience death but will be taken up right after those who have died in Christ.
If we go to 1 Thessalonians 4: 15-17, Paul backs all this up with further explanation. “For we tell you this by the word of the Lord that we who are alive who are left until the coming of the Lord will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command with the voice of the Archangel, and with the Trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then, we who are left alive will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.”
Couple of points to make here. First, Paul says we will ALL be Changed (1 Corinthians 15:51). What he is saying is that ALL who are caught up will receive a new body as we are being taken to meet Jesus. Those who died previously will have their souls reunite with the body left behind, however now it is converted into an eternal one. (Note: God knows where every body that ever lived is on this earth even if only a molecule or two remains.) If we happen to be one of those who has not died when the call comes, we will be changed before we get to Jesus
The amazing point is this entire process takes place in a “Twinkling or Blinking” of an eye – depending on the translation of the Bible you may read. The important part is the calling of the believers who have died since the cross, and the believers who are currently alive will all be caught up in considerably less than one second! This is where a lot of confusion will take place as someone who is not a believer may witness the disappearance of someone around them without having time to react. Here one second – gone the next.
During this event, Jesus does not come all the way to the earth, but the Raptured believers are taken to meet Him in the clouds. At the end of the Tribulation Jesus will set foot on the earth to rule and reign for 1000 years after He puts down the Tribulation Rebellion.
Also, I believe the shout from the Archangel and the Trumpet blast is meant to be heard only by those who are being raptured. Non-believers probably won’t hear either one as again it’s super-fast. Also, this is not any trumpet from the Trumpet Judgments as some would try to claim. That would put believers in the middle of the Wrath, and God has promised in numerous places that believers will NOT go through the Wrath. All throughout their history and even today the Jews announce special occasions with a sound from a Trumpet or Shofar. This one is announcing to believers their time has come, and our eternity with Jesus has begun.
One point Paul and others tried to make is the event could happen at any time. He even believed it could have happened during his lifetime. However, with all the signs given by Jesus, Daniel and others, the season was not right back then. Today we have seen almost every prophecy fulfilled except for the ones that will take place during the final 7 years. Now more than ever, we need to be ready for the call.
Once the shout takes place and the trumpet/shofar sounds, it will be too late to call on the name of the Lord to be saved from the Wrath to come. No one can confess they are a sinner and ask Jesus to save them and come into their hearts in less than one second. Coming to Him afterward will still be possible, but much more difficult and at a terrible cost. Also, those who did not accept Jesus before will be sent a delusion to have them believe in what is false. (2 Thessalonians 2:11)
Those who have died without God or Jesus will also have immortal bodies but designed to suffer through all eternity in the Lake of Fire with satan and his demons. This is real no matter what some false prophets are proclaiming today. To say there is no hell is to call the Savior a liar because He warned of its existence all during His ministry here.
As I have said before, there’s no valid excuse anyone can give for not accepting the FREE GIFT of eternal life with the Lord. Many people are accepting this world and satan over the God of creation, His precious Son and the Holy Spirit. God will allow you to make this choice but would much rather have you with Him. He has given us time to come to Jesus, but that won’t last much longer With all the events taking place today, it appears Jesus is at the door knocking for us to let Him in. (Revelation 3:20)
Please don’t wait any longer. Call on Him and you will be saved – Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13. Jesus is the only way to the Father, and the only way to eternal life with Him. (John 14:6) Your choice.
Maranatha!