p. 7 | CAUGHT UP TOGETHER

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 16, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 11.

“CAUGHT UP TOGETHER.”

THE doctrine that the people of God will all be perfected together, that neither those who have died in the past nor those who are alive when the Lord comes will have precedence in going up to glory, is guarded on both sides. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews attention is called to the faithful line from Abel to the prophets of Israel, and of them it is expressly said: “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise; God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Verses 39, 40.

On the other hand, in the fourth chapter of Thessalonians, we are told that those who are living when Christ comes shall not precede those who have died before that time. The statement here is just as explicit as that in Hebrews: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. 4: 15-18.

So it is to be a matter of comfort to the living saints, until the Lord comes, concerning those who die in the Lord, not that they have gone to heaven, but that they will be gathered at the Lord’s coming, to “meet Him in the air,” and then to be ever with Him. Note that He wakes them with the “trump of God;” then note what Christ Himself says concerning His coming to gather His saints. After the appearance of certain signs in the sun, moon, and stars (all of which are in the past), He says, “The powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt. 24: 29-31.

That this gathering is a part of the execution of judgment, we also adduce the testimony of the Lord Himself: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5: 25-29.

That the promises of the Gospel can be fulfilled to the dead only by a resurrection from the dead, is emphatically stated by the apostle Paul: “If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen; and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” 1 Cor. 15: 13, 14. Now if Christ was powerless to proceed any further with the work of salvation without a resurrection, how can the purpose of the Gospel be fulfilled in dead men without a resurrection?

But the apostle throws still further light on the subject. He says: “Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we [the living] shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” Verses 51-53. Immortality does not inhere in “this mortal.” It can become immortal only by putting on immortality at the coming of the Lord. The changing of the living at that time will be equivalent to the resurrection of the righteous dead in glorified bodies.

Here is the point where the victory comes in; for “when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” Verse 54. Death has no more sting, and the grave is robbed of its temporary victory. Then “the Lord, the righteous Judge,” will give crowns of righteousness to all them that love His appearing. See 2 Tim. 4: 6-8. “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory;” not through any immortality of our own, or any righteousness of our own, but “through our Lord Jesus Christ” and “the power of His resurrection.”