III.  The Possession of Glory.

In our study of Israel's Glory we have noticed the promises of glory which God made for Israel in the Old Testament and also the people of glory have been identified. In this last part we want to see the possession of glory. The glory which God has promised will be possessed by the Israel of God at the second coming of Jesus Christ. We will examine the possession of glory by looking at three events which will take place at the second coming.

 A. Rapture

When Jesus comes in the clouds of Heaven, all believers will be caught up or raptured to meet Jesus in the clouds. Since all believers are in the Israel of God and none but believers are in this nation, then this is the rapture of Israel, the Lord's Kingdom, and His family. These are three names for the same group of people.

Hail to the brightness of Zion's glad morning!
Joy to the lands that in darkness have lain!
Hushed be the accents of sorrow and mourning,
Zion in triumph begins her mild reign.

Hail to the brightness of Zion's glad morning!
Long by the prophets of Israel foretold!
Hail to the millions from bondage returning!
Gentiles and Jews that blest vision behold.

See, from all lands, from the isles of the ocean,
Praise to Jehovah ascending on high;
Fallen are the engines of war and commotion,
Shouts of salvation are rending the sky!

Copied from The Baptist Challenge, November, 2004

All of the believers will be raptured; this includes those who have died and their souls are in Heaven but their bodies  are in the grave. All of the bodies of believers will be changed in a moment to a glorious body like Christ's resurrected body. At this very moment when Christ returns in the clouds, the souls of believers will return with Christ and re-enter their raised and changed bodies. The believers still living will be changed in body at the same moment, and together all the believers will be caught up to meet Christ in the clouds. At this moment the salvation that Jesus died for on the cross will be completed in the life of every believer. They will be perfect in body and soul, and every saved person will be gathered together to Christ.

They will all return to Heaven while God's wrath falls upon a lost world. This world will be destroyed by fire in a time that is called a tribulation upon all the world. The Lord had promised that Israel would be perfect some day. That promise will be possessed in the moment of the rapture. All of Israel of God will possess this salvation in all its fullness in body and soul. Each will serve God with perfect love and complete obedience from his heart.

B. Return

After the destruction of the world with fire, the Lord will make in a moment a new heaven and earth which will be perfect. The Lord will return to this earth with the Israel of God to possess it and control it at that time.

The promises to give the land of Israel as headquarters of the nation and all the earth to Israel to have dominion over the earth will be fulfilled at this time. Many times the Lord has said He would gather Israel that is scattered and place them in the land where they will enjoy the land in a perfect condition and will enjoy it forever, for they will never be uprooted from it again and scattered as in the past. The nation of Israel will possess this promise at the rapture of the believers when they are gathered from every part of the earth to Christ in the air and then placed in a perfect land of Israel at the return of Christ to the earth after the destruction of the world by fire. The people of Israel will be only believing Jews and Gentiles at this time. Every unbelieving Jew will have been removed from Israel by this time.

C. Rule

After the return of Christ and the Israel of God to the perfect earth after the tribulation on the earth, Jesus Christ will rule with His people over all the earth forever. The promise that Christ of the house of David will rule sitting on the throne of David will be possessed at that time. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords now and rules in Heaven over His kingdom now, but then at the second coming He will rule visibly on the earth. His rule will be a perfect rule that will be righteous and will bring perfect peace and prosperity to the earth forever.

This rule is divided into two parts. The first is called the millennium, the second the eternal rule. Since Jesus begins to reign on the earth at the beginning of the millennium and never gives up His throne and rule, we say He rules forever. The only difference between the millennium rule and the eternal rule is their purposes. The purpose of the millennium is to judge the saved and give them their rewards whereas the purpose of the eternal rule is to have dominion over the earth by the Lord and the saved.

Published by:
Lexington Baptist College
147-151 Walton Avenue
Lexington, Kentucky 40508
606-252-1130

Posted here by permission of Edward Overbey in October, 2004