“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed.For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. I Corinthians 15:51-53
The next event on the prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church. The L0rd promised His disciples that He would return to
take them with Him to His Father’s house. We learn from
reading scripture that His return for His church, His bride,
can happen at any time.
There are several important points about the rapture to
consider.
First, the rapture so there are no events or signs that have to
happen before it occurs. God designed it to have a focusing and
motivating effect on our lives. If Christ could appear at any time believers of every age need to be ready every day of their lives. As a result, the believer does not look for a sign that indicates the rapture is near but rather listens for the voice of the Archangel and the heavenly trumpet call. (“He that has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Second we know that after the rapture of the church the world will be plunged into the 70th 7 years of judgment on Israel for their rebellion toward God. This period of time, foretold in Daniel and called the Tribulation, will be the second great judgment of God upon this earth. God’s wrath will fall on the world and all mankind must make a decision about Jesus Christ. Billions will die during that period, and every one who dies rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will depart this earth in anticipation of eternal hell.
Third, we know that the rapture has not yet happened. Since the Lord’s ascension into heaven believers have watched the skies in anticipation of Christ’s return. For close to 2 millennia (the Lord arose in 30 AD) the rapture has not happened. This has given unbelievers reason to mock the rapture as unbelievable. “If it has
not happened in almost 2,000 years, it is not true.” Believers however, view the timing of the rapture though their knowledge of the character of God. We know “God is not willing that any should perish”. So He waits.
The rapture places the believer in eternal fellowship with God but it is also the sign that God’s wrath is about to fall on earth. God knows that hell is so horrendous He is willing to wait for the last person who will believe before the Lord returns.. We see this in the life of Methuselah. His name means “when he is gone it will come”.
God told Enoch, Methuselah’s father, that when his son died God’s wrath would be poured out on this earth. Then in His great mercy God gave Methuselah the longest life on anyone who ever lived. God’s great compassion for every soul is seen in His longsuffering. God waited before Hi judgment fell. Would anyone listen?
What can we learn? The Lord spent a great deal of time discussing the signs of the end time – the 70th week of Daniel. The Tribulation has signs or events that indicate the time is close. As we move toward the end of 2,000 years past the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of our Lord, we can begin to see the signs for the Tribulation emerge. Israel is back in its land that God gave it. It has become a prosperous nation. Anti-Semitism and hatred of God’s people is on the rise. Israel is making plans to rebuild the Temple. Lawlessness is on the rise and the love of many for God and for their neighbor grows cold. At the same time we see the Gospel being taken into all the corners of the earth There are many events occurring in the skies above us. These are but a few of the signs that the Lord foretold. Of the Tribulation.
As we see these signs of the Tribulation unfold we understand that the rapture, which precedes it, is even closer. With that in mind we think of the words of the Lord in Matthew 24. “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” We are to live our days in anticipation that each day may be the day the Lord returns. There are no signs of the rapture but the signs of the Tribulation are becoming visible in front of us. Don’t be surprised if God waits until the very last minute to rapture His church but never doubt that He will do just that. Stay ready for
“your redemption draws near”! The rapture is one even you do not want to be a spectator for. Be sure you are an active participant on that day.