The Bible Believers Sunday Service

THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: It’s How You Played The Game

Published

7 minutes ago

April 12, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Real Victory In The Christian Life Does Not Come From Winning In The Flesh, But From Staying Close To Jesus Christ And Keeping The Faith To The End

In the 2011 movie ‘Moneyball’ Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane said: “I hate losing more than I even wanna win.”. The quote highlighted a philosophy focused on eliminating mistakes rather than solely chasing victory. In his 1993 lecture series “Dead Doctors Don’t Lie”, Dr. Joel Wallach said that if you want to be healthy, you have to “avoid stepping on the landmines” of poor health choices and vitamin deficiencies. In the life of the Christian, we avoid “losing” and “landmines” when we put our eyes squarely on Jesus Christ and trust Him and Him alone for the victory. Our apostle Paul clearly defines “losing” and “winning” in the life of the believer.

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:57,58 (KJB)

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: It’s How You Played The Game

It’s How You Played The Game

Introduction

This lost world that we live in is obsessed with winning, but it has no idea what real victory actually is. To the lost man, winning is getting ahead, beating the competition, building a name, and protecting his own position. But in the Christian life, victory is not found in ambition, self-effort, or fleshly strength. The born again believer wins when he keeps his eyes on Jesus Christ, and he begins to lose the moment he starts trusting himself, fearing his circumstances, or walking by sight instead of by faith. The issue is not whether Jesus Christ can give the victory, because He already has. The issue is whether the Christian will stay fixed on Him.

“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:22 (KJB)

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (KJB)

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” Philippians 3:7-10 (KJB)

Point 1: Losing Begins When You Take Your Eyes Off Jesus Christ

Peter is one of the clearest examples of this truth in the whole Bible. As long as his eyes were on Jesus, he walked where no man could naturally walk. But the moment he looked at the wind and the waves, he began to sink. Peter did not start going down because the Lord failed him, he started going down because he stopped looking to the Lord. That is exactly how spiritual defeat works in the life of the believer. We get our eyes on the storm, the pressure, the fear, the bills, the people, the disappointments, and the uncertainty, and once our attention shifts from Christ to the problem, we begin to lose ground.

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:28-30 (KJB)

That is why so many Christians lose long before anyone sees the outward evidence of it. They lose in the heart first. They lose in the mind first. They lose when fellowship grows cold, when prayer becomes empty, when the Bible gets neglected, and when the eyes turn away from Jesus Christ. A Christian does not have to fall into open scandal to be losing. He is already losing when Christ is no longer the center of his attention.

DL Moody said “This Book will keep you from sin, or your sin will keep you from this Book.” Moody, speaking about the daily faith needed in the life of the Christian, said “I prayed for faith and thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” I had up to this time closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since.”

Point 2: Victory Comes Only Through Jesus Christ, Never Through The Flesh

The Bible is plain that victory is not something the Christian manufactures by trying harder. Victory is something God gives through His Son. That strips away all boasting and all fleshly glorying. You are not victorious because you are disciplined enough, strong enough, or clever enough. You are victorious because Jesus Christ is sufficient. The flesh cannot win spiritual battles, and it never will. The believer who places confidence in himself is already on dangerous ground.

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJB)

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (KJB)

This is why pride is so deadly in the Christian life. The moment you think you are beyond failure, you are getting close to it. The moment you start trusting your own strength, you are preparing for defeat. God never intended for the Christian to live the victorious life in the power of the flesh. He intended for him to live in daily dependence upon Jesus Christ. That is why Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 (KJB) The victory is through Him, the strength is through Him, and the endurance is through Him. Take Christ out of it, and all you have left is religious flesh pretending to be spiritual power.

In the book of Judges, God tells Gideon that his mighty army has too many soldiers, and needs to reduce the size of it, because if not, Israel will think that they won the victory instead of it being God who gave it to them

“And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.” Judges 7:2-7 (KJB)

Point 3: Bible Victory Is Faithfulness, Not Worldly Success

This world defines winning by numbers, applause, influence, money, and recognition. God defines victory by faithfulness. A man can have everything the world admires and still be a complete spiritual failure. Another man can be battered, opposed, ignored, and afflicted, and yet be a total success in the eyes of God because he stayed true to Jesus Christ and kept the faith. Bible victory is not about being celebrated, it is about being faithful.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” 2 Timothy 4:7 (KJB)

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;” I Timothy 1:12 (KJB)

That is the pattern right there. Paul did not say he had the easiest road, the biggest crowd, or the greatest earthly results. He said he fought, he finished, and he kept the faith. That is how God measures victory.

“For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.” I Corinthians 4:17 (KJB)

The winning Christian is the one who stays in the Book, stays close to the Lord, stays humble, and keeps walking by faith when everything around him says to quit. That is why fellowship with Jesus Christ matters more than outward activity. Martha was busy, but Mary was at His feet. One was distracted, the other was centered. One was troubled, the other had chosen the better part. A believer can be active in ministry and still be losing if they are no longer sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Conclusion

The Christian life is won or lost by where your eyes are fixed. If they are fixed on the world, you will drift. If they are fixed on yourself, you will stumble. If they are fixed on the storm, you will sink. But if they are fixed on Jesus Christ, you will have victory. The issue is not whether the Lord can overcome, because He already has overcome. The issue is whether you will abide in Him, trust Him, and follow Him when the pressure is on.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:15-17 (KJB)

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (KJB)

So stop admiring the storm. Stop trusting the flesh. Stop measuring your life by worldly standards. Get your eyes back on Jesus Christ. Stay in the Book, stay on your knees, and stay close to the Lord. Real victory is not hype, image, or outward success. Real victory is keeping your eyes on Jesus Christ and remaining faithful to Him to the end. That is how the Christian refuses to lose, and that is how the Christian wins.

In conclusion, we find that one reasons sports are so popular in our modern-day culture is because we very much live in The Game. The people are the players, the game board is the world, the rules are found in the Bible, and we win eternally in Jesus Christ our Saviour who has in inheritance all set up and waiting for us.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 (KJB)

In his 1941 poem entitled “Alumnus Football”, sportswriter Grant Richland said this:

“Keep coming back, and though the world may romp across your spine,
Let every game’s end find you still upon the battling line;
For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name,
He writes—not that you won or lost—but how you played the Game.”

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

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THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: All Forever Satisfied At The Resurrection

Published

1 week ago

April 5, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The resurrection is God’s legal, public and triumphant declaration that the Gospel is true, the payment has been made and accepted, and everyone in Christ stands justified before Him.

When Jesus Christ came up out of that borrowed tomb, He was not merely resuming life as it had been before. Everything had changed! He rose in power, in triumph, in glorified victory, never to die again. Lazarus came back from the dead and would one day die again. Jesus Christ rose from the dead as the conquering Son of God, and because He lives, every born again believer has absolute certainty that death is not the end. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ is far more than mere inspiration. The resurrection is God’s legal, public and triumphant declaration that the Gospel is true, the payment has been made and accepted, and everyone in Christ stands justified before Him. My message today is called ‘All Forever Satisfied At The Resurrection’, and it will change the way you look at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the power that raised Him.

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15 (KJB)

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: All Forever Satisfied At The Resurrection

All Forever Satisfied At The Resurrection

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15 (KJB)

Today, much of professing Christianity will gather in churches all across America and talk about the empty tomb, the folded napkin, the stone rolled away, and the women who came early to anoint the body of Jesus Christ. And while all of that is wonderful, and all of that is true, there is something about the resurrection that far too many Christians miss. They see the resurrection as a symbol of hope, as a poetic triumph over sadness, as a heartwarming assurance that better days are ahead.

Modern Christianity loves the emotional side of resurrection Sunday, but it often neglects the doctrinal side. It wants the celebration without the confrontation. It wants the victory without understanding what was actually won. The doctrinal truth of the resurrection is where all the power is. It is the love of God that sent Jesus to the cross, but it was the power of God that raised Him up from the dead. Love without power is a fairy tale.

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4 (KJB)

When Jesus Christ came up out of that borrowed tomb, He was not merely resuming life as it had been before. Everything had changed! He rose in power, in triumph, in glorified victory, never to die again. Lazarus came back from the dead and would one day die again. Jesus Christ rose from the dead as the conquering Son of God, and because He lives, every born again believer has absolute certainty that death is not the end. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ is far more than mere inspiration.

THE CROSS VS. THE RESURRECTION

The resurrection is God’s legal, public and triumphant declaration that the Gospel is true, the payment has been made and accepted, and everyone in Christ stands justified before Him.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Romans 5:8,9 (KJB)

The cross is where the price was paid.
The resurrection is where God declared the payment accepted.
The cross is where Jesus died for sinners.
The resurrection is where God announced victory over death.
The cross shows the love of God.
The resurrection shows the power and approval of God.

1). A DEBT WAS OWED, SO THE PAYMENT WAS MADE:

“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.” Psalm 51:4 (KJB)

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Hebrews 4:13 (KJB)

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:30 (KJB)

2). RAISED AGAIN FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION:

“How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.” Job 25:4,5 (KJB)

“But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” Romans 4:24-25 (KJB)

3). THE COMING JUDGMENT

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:27,28 (KJB)

4). VICTORY OVER DEATH:

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” I Corinthians 15:26 (KJB)

“Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.” Romans 6:9 (KJB)

“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” I Corinthians 15:14-20 (KJB)

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” I Corinthians 15:22 (KJB)

5). WHAT THE RESURRECTION MEANS FOR BELIEVERS

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” Romans 6:3-5 (KJB)

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

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THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: Don’t Look Back!

Published

2 weeks ago

March 29, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Stop Longing For What Once Enslaved You And Start Rejoicing In Where God Is Taking You, Don’t Look Back!

The Bible is a Book that moves forward, not backwards. It was first written in Aramaic, then Hebrew, then in Greek and put into Old Syriac, Old Latin, Old German and finally in Old English. God pulls us forward into the light, Satan lurks in the shadows behind us, looking back puts us in the ring with the Devil. Staying there too long and we become bruised and bloodied in the battle. Today my message is ‘Don’t Look Back!’, and it’s a call to putting our eyes on Jesus Christ as He moves us forward here in these last days.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (KJB)

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: Don’t Look Back!

Don’t Look Back!

1). Looking Back Shows a Divided Heart

Main Text

“Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32 (KJB)

Supporting Text

“But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26 (KJB)

Truth

Lot’s wife left Sodom with her body, but her heart was still tied to what God was judging. Looking back revealed inward attachment to a condemned world.

Application

A Christian can be outwardly separated and yet inwardly longing for the old life. God wants not just our feet moving forward, but our heart moving forward as well.

2). Looking Back Is Dangerous When God Has Called You Out

Main Text

“And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” Genesis 19:17 (KJB)

Truth

The command not to look back was connected to survival. Sodom was under judgment, and hesitation in a place of judgment was deadly.

Application

When God delivers you from sin, worldliness, false religion, or compromise, you are not to linger over what He has called you to leave behind.

3). Looking Back Makes You Unfit for Effective Service

Main Text

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 (KJB)

Truth

A ploughman looking backward cannot plough a straight row. A backward glance in the Christian life destroys focus, direction, and usefulness.

Application

You cannot serve the Lord well while constantly longing for yesterday, revisiting old sins, old loves, old ambitions, or old defeats.

4). Looking Back Hinders Forward Growth

Main Text

Truth

Paul teaches that spiritual progress requires forgetting the things behind and reaching toward the things ahead. The Christian life is a forward walk.

Application

Looking back at past failures can paralyze you. Looking back at past victories can puff you up. Either way, looking back keeps you from pressing toward the mark.

5). Looking Back Can Mean Longing for the Old Life of Bondage

Main Text

“And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:3 (KJB)

Supporting Text

“We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:” Numbers 11:5 (KJB)

Truth

Israel kept looking back to Egypt, forgetting the bondage and remembering only the pleasures. This is what the flesh does. It edits the memory and romanticizes what enslaved us.

Application

Many Christians do the same with the old life. They forget the chains and remember only the passing pleasures of sin.

6). Looking Back Reveals Unbelief in God’s Future Provision

Main Text

“And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:15-16 (KJB)

Truth

The saints in Hebrews 11 did not keep their minds fixed on what they left. They looked for something better ahead. Faith looks forward.

Application

To keep looking back is often a sign that we doubt God has something better before us than what lies behind us.

7). Looking Back Can Pull You Back Into Defilement

Main Text

“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:20-22 (KJB)

Truth

Looking back often leads to turning back. What begins with a glance can end in entanglement.

Application

The Christian must guard his mind, affections, and desires, because the backward look can become a backward step.

8). Looking Back Distracts Us From Christ

Main Text

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJB)

Truth

The Christian race is not run by looking backward, inward, or sideways, but by looking unto Jesus.

Application

When your eyes leave Christ and drift back toward the world, the flesh, regret, bitterness, or nostalgia, your race will suffer.

9). Looking Back Keeps Old Things Alive That God Has Put Away

Main Text

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJB)

Supporting Text

“I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:15-19 (KJB)

Truth

God has made the believer a new creature in Christ. Constant backward living keeps old things on life support that God says are passed away.

Application

Stop building memorials to what God has already buried.

10). Looking Back Is the Opposite of Hope

Main Text

“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.” Proverbs 4:25 (KJB)

Supporting Text

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-2 (KJB)

Truth

The Christian life is built on hope, expectation, and forward vision. We are not camped in the ruins of the past. We are heading toward Jesus Christ, the judgment seat of Christ, and home.

Application

A backward Christian is usually a discouraged Christian. A forward-looking Christian is a hopeful Christian.

Practical Areas Where Christians Look Back

Past sins

The devil wants you chained to forgiven things.

Past wounds

Bitterness keeps your face turned toward old pain instead of future grace.

Past successes

Living on yesterday’s victories produces present-day barrenness.

Former worldly pleasures

The flesh loves to make Egypt look better than it was.

Old relationships and attachments

What God removed from your life does not need to be resurrected.

What Happens When We Stop Looking Back

We walk by faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJB) “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

We grow in maturity

Forward motion is the mark of spiritual health.

We become useful to God

A fixed eye makes a straight furrow.

We gain victory over the flesh

Forward focus weakens backward cravings.

We finish well

The Christian life is not about how you started, but how you finish.

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24 (KJB)

Closing Challenge

Lot’s wife looked back and died in judgment.
Israel looked back and wandered in defeat.
Paul refused to look back and pressed toward the prize.

The lesson is plain: what God has called you out of is not worth turning around to admire. The world behind you is under judgment, but the glory ahead of you is in Jesus Christ. Keep your eyes forward.

“Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32 (KJB)

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

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THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: Sunday Morning Rapture

Published

3 weeks ago

March 22, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The Bible doctrine of the Pretribulation Rapture of the body of Christ is an oft-ignored and much maligned subject here at the end of the falling away

The blessed hope of every born again Bible believer living in the Church Age dispensation is the Pretribulation Rapture, or catching away, of the body of Christ. Paul says that we are to speak about it, teach it, preach it and to comfort one another with the words in the Bible showing us the rapture. But in our day, because we live in the time Paul calls the ‘falling away’, the doctrine of the Pretribulation Rapture is not only not taught and not preached from the pulpit, it is maligned by lukewarm Laodiceans who cannot or will not ‘rightly divide’ the scripture. Today my message is ‘Sunday Morning Rapture’, everything you should know but don’t because no one taught it to you about the soon-coming catching away of the body of Christ into the clouds.

“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 Thessalonians 4:17,18 (KJB)

ruckman-commentary-thessalonians-pretribulation-rapture-second-advent-day-of-christ-lord-nteb-bookstore-saint-augustine-32095

GREAT COMMENTARIES ON THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH AND THE SECOND ADVENT, CLICK TO ORDER!!

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: Sunday Morning Rapture

Sunday Morning Rapture

The Rapture Is A New Testament Mystery Concerning The Church

The first thing we need to establish is that the church was not revealed in full in the Old Testament, and neither was the Rapture. The Old Testament contains types, shadows, patterns, and prophetic pictures, but the direct doctrinal revelation is given through Paul.

The Rapture was a ‘mystery’ truth

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (KJB)

“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.”

This is foundational. Paul does not say, “I remind you of what Isaiah fully explained.” He says, “I shew you a mystery.” That means the full doctrine was not plainly revealed before.

The church itself was a mystery not made known in other ages as it is now

Ephesians 3:3-6 (KJB)

“How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:”

The church as one body was not the subject of open Old Testament revelation. Therefore, the catching away of that body before the time of Jacob’s trouble is also not laid out in full doctrinal form in the Old Testament.

Christ and the church are joined as bridegroom and bride

Ephesians 5:30-32 (KJB)

“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

The church is not Israel. The church is the body and bride of Christ, and the removal of that bride before the outpouring of wrath fits the pattern of Scripture.

The Classic Rapture Passages

The Lord descends, the dead in Christ rise, and living saints are caught up

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (KJB)

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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.”

You will notice the following:

This is for “the dead in Christ” and those alive in Christ.
The saints are “caught up”.
They meet the Lord “in the air”.
Christ does not here come to the earth to set up the kingdom.

This is a comfort, not a warning of wrath.

The Instantaneous Change Of The Church

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (KJB)

This is not the slow gathering of tribulation survivors into a kingdom. This is the instant transformation of the church.

Victory over death

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (KJB)

“So 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. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Rapture is the church’s bodily victory before the wrath to come.!!

The Church Is Told To Wait For God’s Son From heaven

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (KJB)

“For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

That is pretribulation language. The church is not appointed to enter the wrath and then survive it. Jesus “delivered us from the wrath to come.”

Appointed not to wrath

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 (KJB)

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”

In the immediate context, Paul has just spoken of “the day of the Lord” in 1 Thessalonians 5. The church is not appointed to that wrath.

Looking for that blessed hope

Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

The blessed hope of the church is not the rise of Antichrist, not the seals, not the trumpets, not the vials. It is Jesus Christ.

Christ Promised To Receive His Own Unto Himself

John 14:1-3 (KJB)

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

This fits the Rapture beautifully:

Christ comes for His own.
He receives them unto Himself.
He takes them to the Father’s house.

This is not the same scene as His return to earth in judgment.

The Church’s Citizenship And Bodily Change

Our conversation is in heaven, not here on the Earth. Believers are not looking for a ‘Golden Age’ here on Earth, and should reject it when offered.

Philippians 3:20-21 (KJB)

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

Again, the church is looking up, not bracing for the outpouring of divine wrath.

The Appearing Of Christ For His People Produces Purity And Patience

1 John 3:2-3 (KJB)

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

This is church hope: transformation at His appearing.

The coming of the Lord draweth nigh

James 5:7-8 (KJB)

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

Though James has a strong tribulation flavor doctrinally, the principle still shows the saints living in expectation of the Lord’s coming.

The Church Is Kept Out Of The Hour, Not Preserved Through It

Kept from the hour of temptation not preserved through it. Big difference.

Revelation 3:10 (KJB)

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

Notice carefully:

Not merely kept in temptation.
Not merely kept through temptation.
Kept from the hour itself.

That is removal before the global trial begins.

The Twenty-Four Elders In Heaven Before The Tribulation Judgments Unfold

Revelation 4:4 (KJB)

“And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”

Revelation 5:9-10 (KJB)

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

Before the seal judgments begin in earnest, a redeemed company is already seen in heaven, crowned and enthroned.

The Rapture Is A Comfort; The Second Coming Is Terror For The Unrepentant

1 Thessalonians 4:18 (KJB)

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Revelation 19:15 (KJB)

“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

Those are not the same event.

Old Testament Pictures, Patterns, And Prophetic Hints Of A Pretribulation Rapture

Enoch: Removed Before The Flood Judgment

Enoch walked with God and was taken

Genesis 5:24 (KJB)

“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”

The New Testament confirms Enoch was translated

Hebrews 11:5 (KJB)

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Enoch is a powerful picture of the church:

He walks with God.
He is taken out.
He does not see death.
He is removed before the flood judgment falls.

Noah, by contrast, is preserved through the flood and pictures a remnant preserved through tribulation.

Noah: Preserved Through Judgment, Like Israel Through The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble

Genesis 7:16 (KJB)

“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.”

Noah is not a picture of the church being raptured. Noah is a picture of a preserved remnant through judgment. That actually strengthens the distinction:

Enoch = removed before wrath.
Noah = preserved through wrath.

Lot: Removed Before Fire Fell

The angels could do nothing until Lot was out

Genesis 19:22 (KJB)

“Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.”

Jesus uses Noah and Lot as end-time patterns

Luke 17:26-30 (KJB)

“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

Lot’s removal before fire falls is another pre-wrath pattern.

Isaac And Rebekah: The Gentile Bride Called Out While The Son Is Absent

Genesis 24:63-67 (KJB)

“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

Dispensationally this is a beautiful picture:

Abraham pictures the Father.
Isaac pictures the Son.
The unnamed servant pictures the Holy Spirit.
Rebekah pictures the called-out bride.

Joseph Takes A Gentile Bride Before He Reveals Himself To His Brethren

Genesis 41:45 (KJB)

“And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.”

Joseph receives a Gentile bride before his later reconciliation with his brethren, a strong picture of Christ taking a predominantly Gentile church before Israel’s national restoration.

Boaz And Ruth: The Kinsman Redeemer Takes A Gentile Bride

Ruth 4:13 (KJB)

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.”

Again, not a formal doctrinal proof text, but a remarkable pattern of redemption and marriage.

Jacob’s Trouble Is For Jacob

Jeremiah 30:7 (KJB)

“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”

It does not say the time of the church’s trouble. It says Jacob’s trouble.

New Testament Passages Showing The Tribulation Is Not The Church’s Appointed Portion

1 Thessalonians 5:1-4 (KJB)

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

The contrast is plain:

they / them = world under judgment
ye / brethren = church not appointed to that wrath

Christ delivers believers from coming wrath

Romans 5:9 (KJB)

“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

We are accepted in the Beloved, not reserved for condemnation

Romans 8:1 (KJB)

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

The tribulation is a period of divine judgment on a Christ-rejecting world and for the purging and restoration of Israel, not for condemning the body of Christ.

The Blessed Hope Compared With Israel’s Second Advent Hope

The church waits for Christ from heaven

Philippians 3:20 (KJB)

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:”

Israel awaits Messiah’s manifestation to earth

Zechariah 12:10 (KJB)

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

The church’s hope is heavenly; Israel’s kingdom hope is earthly.