Bible Discussion Thread

I've often wondered how you square 1 thess 4:17 with Hebrews 9:27.

Is it that living, raptured believers will escape physical death?

Thanks.

Hi Theresa. I think your question relates to Hebrews 9:27, that "it is appointed unto men once to die", so if all have to first die, then how can some not experience death by virtue of the Rapture?

I understand that the Hebrews writer is emphasizing the one-time death of a person & its finality, with no further time afterwards to set the life straight before facing God's Judgement. To this end, the writer writes about Jesus suffering and dying just once (verse 26) and that our sins were borne by Him only once (verse 28), which was sufficient & acceptable to the Father & was able to fully redeem the repentant sinner. So the emphasis is not only on the one-time efficacious sacrifice of Jesus, but also that the sacrifice would never/could never be repeated. Unlike some in other Churches who through the 'sacraments' re-crucify the Lord enabling the emblems of bread & wine to be 'mystically' re-constituted into the actual body & blood of Jesus. This can never happen or else we subject Jesus "to an open shame" ( Hebrews 6:6).

So, we won't be able to "square 1 Thessalonians 4:17 with Hebrews 9:27, simply because these are two different matters. The first that living & dead believers in Christ will be caught up in the air to be with Jesus (the living not experiencing death), and the second matter, that because we are sinners & "the wages of sin is death (both physically & spiritually), then all men are subject to dying (an appointment we must all keep - unless the Lord comes first to snatch His Church away before the Wrath of God falls upon the Christ-rejecting World).

Oh they'll escape physical death alright, first they die a spiritual death, then some will wish to die physically for being deceived into following the false Christ when he appears and claims to be the Messiah, and many from being tormented for five months by the locust army.

Sister Theresa:

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto man once to DIE; but after this the judgement.

This death happens by THE COMING OF THE LORD, HIM in YOU, his body.

This SECOND COMING cannot be seen: it comes like a thief in the night.

Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was ONCE OFFERED (first coming of Christ) to bear the sins of many; and to them who LOOK for him shall he appear a SECOND TIME (second coming CHRIST as the HOLY GHOST) without sin, UNTO SALVATION.

Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming FIRE.

Revelation 9:18 By these was the THIRD PART of man KILLED (first death, not literal), by the FIRE, and the SMOKE, and the BRIMSTONE, which ISSUED OUT OF THEIR MOUTH.

All of us, THE DECEIVED, are KILLED, destroyed, by GOD'S WORD.

All that is LEFT is TRUTH and LIFE.

John 14:6 ....I AM TRUTH .....I AM LIFE ....

Ezekiel 5:2 Thou shall BURN WITH FIRE a THIRD PART .....

Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring the THIRD PART through the FIRE ...

Zechariah 13:8 And it SHALL COME TO PASS, that in all the land, TWO PARTS shall be cut off and DIE (literal, go to the grave); but the THIRD PART shall BE LEFT (never see death) therein.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we (that died the first death, that came to the truth of Christ's resurrection) SHALL REMAIN (having become ONE WITH TRUTH: CHRIST) and be CAUGHT UP together with THEM (the Old Testament Saints, resurrected with Christ) in the clouds (symbolic of God's Temple, the cloud was always over the tabernacle of the Old Covenant), to meet the Lord on the air, so shall we ever be (in the presence) with the Lord (the IMAGE OF CHRIST).

Zechariah 12:7 And the Lord shall save the tents of Judah FIRST (the Old Testament Saints; resurrected with Christ), that the GLORY of the HOUSE OF DAVID (those born again of TRUTH) and the glory of the house of Jerusalem (same people) do not magnify themselves against the house of Judah.

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God will DO NOTHING, but he revealeth his SECRET to his servants the Prophets.

Theresa,

The answer is yes, those who are raptured will not see physical death. So, if the rapture happens during our lifetime, we will not see physical death. Hebrews 9:27 does not fit with 1 Thessalonians 4:17. If we think about it, and if we had to wait for every person to physically die first, there would never be a rapture because someone is being born every day.