Rapture is Coming!

2 Timothy 3:1–4 (MEV)

Know this: In the last days perilous times will come. Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, slanderers, unrestrained, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,

Paul lays out this picture and declares this is what your last days will look like. It’s a grim picture, and I believe it accurately paints a picture of our world. With all of this, you can imagine people looking for hope. This is where the church can step in and bring some hope to the lost and dying world. The truth is, like us, they're just trying to find their way. We have hope to offer to them, we have blessed hope in Jesus Christ.

John 14:1–3 (MEV)

“Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also.

What we know today is that it is well documented in history that our Jesus lived, died, and was raised from the grave alive. More than 500 witnesses saw, walked, and talked to Jesus after the resurrection. We know that new homes didn’t pop up everywhere after the resurrection for those who believed, so he referred to a different time. This brings us to this blessed hope in Jesus: He’s coming again!!

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (MEV)

But I would not have you ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and arose again, so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall be forever with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Because of Jesus, we have incredible hope!

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 (MEV)

“O death, where is your sting?

O grave, where is your victory?”

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

We know that death can’t even touch us. I’ll be in God's presence when I breathe my last breath. If I live long enough, I may get to experience the rapture. The scripture never says rapture, so let’s see where we get it. The scripture says, “caught up together.” When this phrase is translated from Latin, the root word is raptus. It means “lifted as by a supernatural force and carried up or away.”

There is a day coming when our hope will become a reality. Jesus is coming back for His church!

Matthew 24:36–42 (MEV)

“Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Two will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and the other left.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord will come.

Based on what we know from the scriptures, we believe these are, in fact, the last days, and we have a limited amount of time to reach the lost. The day is coming. Where will you be, what will you be doing, and will you be ready?