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The Muslims are on a rampage against Christianity and the Jews. Some softly liberal commentators think that they could be "appeased" by giving them a large chunk of Israel. They should have learned from history that tyrants cannot be appeased. British Prime Ministers Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain tried to "appease" Hitler by letting him have Austria and then Czechoslovakia. But fanatics only view such appeasements as signs of weakness - and then demand more.

The Muslims are indeed a pack of fanatics. The Koran directly teaches them to persecute Christians and Jews - and many of them believe what their "holy" book says. Listen to this religious fanatic, who conspired with those who terrorized the World Trade Center on September 11.

ALEXANDRIA, VA. - Zacarias Moussaoui, charged with conspiring in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, on Monday called today for the destruction of the United States and Israel in his first extensive public comments since his arrest.

"America, I am ready to fight," said Mr. Moussaoui, a 33-year-old French citizen who was arrested in August and later accused by federal authorities of being the 20th hijacker in the attacks. "I want to fight against the evil force of the federal government."

A hearing that was supposed to focus on defense complaints about Mr. Moussaoui's prison-cell conditions took a startling turn when he walked into the courtroom, sat down and immediately raised his hand.

When the judge gave him permission to speak, he launched into a 50-minute discourse on Islam and what he described as the corrupt American justice system, and he accused his lawyers of joining in a governmentwide, anti-Muslim conspiracy to execute him.

As his court-appointed lawyers looked on, occasionally shaking their heads, Moussaoui spoke out against the United States, Israel and Russia, saying he prayed to Allah for "the destruction of the United States of America" and for the "destruction of the Jewish people and state."

Quoting often from the Quran, Moussaoui framed his trial as a struggle between a devout Muslim, willing to die for his religious beliefs, and a group of "pagans, Jews, Christians and hypocrites." He described himself repeatedly as a "slave of Allah." Still, Moussaoui made clear that he was sticking to his not-guilty plea and wants "to defend my life."

(New York Times, April 23, 2002, p. 1).

Yes, you heard him right! This Muslim who helped in the September 11 attacks called for the destruction of the United States.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Moussaoui "called upon Allah to establish Muslim control over much of Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States. 'I pray to Allah for the destruction of the Jewish people and state [of Israel],' Moussaoui said" (Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2002, p. A-12).

Last Wednesday, April 24, marked the 87th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. From 1915 to 1923 the Muslims in Turkey systematically exterminated 1.5 million Armenian Christians. You see, the Muslims have been doing acts of terrorism against Christians and Jews for a long time. But their fanaticism is reaching new heights in our day.

Islam is being unmasked as a bigoted, cruel and dangerous religion. And the explosion of this fanatical belief is one of the signs that we are now living in the last days. The rapture could come at any time - when true Christians, living and dead, will be translated to meet Christ in the clouds of Heaven, to meet the Lord in the air.

One of the ways we can study the pre-Tribulation rapture is by examining several "types" of the rapture in various parts of the Bible. A type is an illustration given in advance. The antitype is the New Testament fulfillment of the type. In part one of this series of two sermons, which I preached this morning, we saw that Enoch's translation into Heaven without dying is a type of the rapture. Enoch walked with God, so he was taken to Heaven without dying. Then, we saw that Noah escaping the judgment of God in an ark, during the Great Flood, is a type of the true Christian escaping the Tribulation period by being caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Noah moved with fear and built the ark, which saved him and his family. Those who are moved by godly fear to seek Christ in genuine conversion will be prepared to escape the coming judgments on the world during the last half of the Tribulation. Then, we saw how Lot's escape from the judgment of Sodom was a type of true believers escaping the judgment of the world when they are raptured before the great Tribulation.

These are striking illustrations, types of the rapture spoken of in our text:

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [die], but we [true Christians] 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 shall be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51-52).

Now we come to three more types of the pre-Tribulation rapture: the Exodus, Daniel saved from the lions' den, and the ascension of Christ. These all give striking illustrations of what God will do when He translates living and dead Christians directly into Heaven.

I. First, the Exodus is a type of the pre-Tribulation rapture.

The children of Israel moved from the promised land to Egypt during a time of great famine, because there was "corn in Egypt" (Genesis 42:2). They prospered in Egypt, and grew into a large nation there, under the guidance of Joseph, Pharaoh's minister. "Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph" (Exodus 1:8). The new Pharaoh feared that the Hebrews were "more and mightier than we" (Exodus 1:9). And so the Pharaoh made the Hebrews into slaves and treated them very cruelly.

God raised up Moses to lead the Hebrews out of slavery and bondage to the Egyptians. When Pharaoh would not let the Hebrew slaves go with Moses, God sent ten plagues on the Egyptians.

Please turn in your Bible to Exodus, chapter ten, verse twenty-four. The ninth plague had come upon Egypt, a thick darkness, "even darkness which may be felt" (Exodus 10:21). Then, in verse twenty-four we read:

"And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind…" (Exodus 10:24-26).

This is a wonderful type of the rapture. Notice the words, "there shall not an hoof be left behind." This foreshadows the words of our text, "we shall all be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51). When the rapture comes, all living and dead Christians will be taken out of the Egypt of this world. Every Christian will be translated, caught up out of the "thick darkness" of our time. "There shall not an hoof be left behind." Every real Christian will be taken up to meet the Lord in the air.

But notice this: while all the Hebrews left with Moses, not a single God-rejecting Egyptian left with them in the Exodus. All the Hebrews were taken out, but not even one idolatrous Egyptian was taken with them. Egypt is a type of sin in the Bible, and idolatrous Egyptians typify lost sinners. If you are not converted, you will not be raptured. You will be left behind in the thick Egyptian darkness of the Tribulation.

II. Second, the deliverance of Daniel from the den of lions
is a type of the pre-Tribulation rapture.

Another wonderful type of the rapture is given in Daniel, chapter six. Please turn there in your Bible. Typical forecasts show that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

Daniel's enemies conspired against him, to get rid of him as prime minister of Babylon. They induced the king to make a law that no one could pray to any God or man except the king for thirty days, or that person would be thrown into a den of lions. Daniel opened his window and prayed to God three times a day, as he had always done. They caught him and cast him into the lions' den. The king did not want to do this, but was forced to by his own law. Daniel was put into the den of lions, but the king fasted and worried about him all night. In the morning the king came and looked down into the pit where the lions were kept. There was Daniel! Notice chapter six, verse twenty-three:

"Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God" (Daniel 6:23).

Notice that the words "up out of" appear twice in this verse. The Hebrew word could even be translated "lift" and "lifted." Daniel was "taken up out of the den" - he was "lifted" out of it. You see, the lions were not kept in a cage. They were kept in a pit. So, the king lifted Daniel out of the lions' pit.

I believe this to be a remarkable type of the rapture. True Christians will be "taken up out of the den" of this dark world, which is dominated by Satan, who walks the earth "as a roaring lion" (I Peter 5:8). As God delivered Daniel from the den of lions, so He will rapture true Christians out of this demonic old world.

"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 shall be changed"

(I Corinthians 15:51-52).

III. Third, the resurrection and ascension of Christ are types
of the pre-Tribulation rapture.

In Luke 24:39 we are told that the resurrected Christ was not a spirit, but had a resurrected flesh and bone body. In Acts 1:10 we are told that Christ's resurrected flesh and bone body was picked up into Heaven. These are pictures, types, of the rapture. Please turn in your Bible to I Corinthians, chapter fifteen, verse twenty:

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (I Corinthians 15:20).

This verse clearly shows us that Christ is the firstfruits - the first to be resurrected - and that others will follow. Most of the whole fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians is devoted to this subject. Notice that this passage connects the resurrection of Christ and the rapture:

"Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain [empty], and your faith is also vain" (I Corinthians 15:12-14).

Then he moves from this negative reasoning to say:

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (I Corinthians 15:20).

Then, we are given an even clearer picture of this in verse twenty-three:

"But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming" (I Corinthians 15:23).

So, the firstfruits is Christ in His resurrection and ascension, and this shows that the rapture will follow - "afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."

He continues this chapter by speaking of the resurrected body, how it will be composed. Then he gives our text, in verses fifty-one and fifty-two:

"Behold, I shew 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 shall be changed"

(I Corinthians 15:51-52).

Thus, the resurrection and ascension of Christ are types of the rapture, when true Christians will be "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (I Thessalonians 4:17).

So, we have seen three types of the rapture: the Exodus, where God took the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt; the deliverance of Daniel, when the king lifted Daniel out of the pit of lions; and the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, "the firstfruits" of the resurrected ones.

All of this is wonderful, but only if you are saved. If you are not a true Christian, there is no promise in the Bible that you will be raptured. Instead, the Bible teaches that you will go to Hell. Please turn with me in your Bible to Hebrews, chapter ten, verse twenty-six:

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:26-27).

Who are those that will experience this judgment? The answer is in verse twenty-nine:

"Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite [insulted] unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29).

The only way to escape punishment for your sins is to have them cleansed by the Blood of Christ. Christ died on the Cross to pay for your sins. He has risen from the dead, and is now alive in Heaven, at the right hand of God. You must see that your life is going nowhere without Christ. You must give up on yourself and turn totally to Christ. Otherwise you will go to Hell instead of being raptured.

Scripture Read Before the Sermon by Dr. Kreighton L. Chan: I Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:

"Christ Returneth" (by H. L. Turner, 19th century)/
"Caught Up Together" (by Dr. John R. Rice, 1895-1980).