Worship

“Getting Ready” by UPPERROOM and Maverick City Music

Scripture

“For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” -1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, ESV, emphasis added

Learning from Biblical Teaching

It has been such a privilege to sit under Joy Endsley’s teaching on the rapture and tribulation for the past four weeks. She took us on a quick and deep dive into 1 and 2 Thessalonians, which is the clearest portion of Scripture regarding the rapture—being “caught up” with Jesus. I thought I would share some treasured moments from her teaching.

Paul ends this passage of Scripture to the Thessalonians with this exhortation: “… encourage one another with these words … (1 Thessalonians 4:18, AMP).” For those of us longing for the awaited return of Jesus, this Scripture is the greatest thing we can meditate and build our hope upon for this soon coming day!

I have been pondering late at night, as I recover from jet lag, about what it is going to look like when the rapture occurs and the Holy Spirit is taken with the Church (2 Thessalonians 2:7). At that moment, the restraints against evil will be taken from the Earth. There will be nothing that holds back wickedness, evil desires, ungodly purposes, or the flood of satanic pursuits for the Earth and mankind. Darkness will devour the Earth like a tsunami. In the initial days, no one will be declaring and commanding wickedness to cease. No one will be preaching about repentance or returning to Jesus until the 144,000 Jews arise to take the gospel.

I picture the looting of believers’ properties and investments; vacant Christian-led corporations; neighborhoods where Christians had lived sitting empty. The established boundaries of peace and order that exist around the homes of believers would no longer exist. Can you picture the churches where some of the staff remain because they truly never knew God? Congregants will come to Sunday service expectant to see the people they knew but will be sprinkled among those who remain, alone in their despair. Doctor’s offices, hospitals, airlines, military bases, restaurants, school campuses will be missing key people—people the Lord had raised up to lead and build and plant for His glory. Workers in all segments of society will suddenly just have vanished. Think about this for a moment. Luke 17:27-37 paints a picture of what life will look like in the moments of the rapture for those who are left behind.

Understanding the Biblical Timeline

But if we go back to the above passage of Scripture, pay close attention to the reality: there are no signs of the coming rapture. He comes “like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2).” Instead, there will only be three sounds: a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. However, Scripture provides prophetic signs to signal the coming of the tribulation. Today, we are seeing an acceleration of these events coming to pass. But even with that, we must pay close attention to the prophecies being fulfilled leading us to the coming seven-year tribulation.

“‘As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.’” -Matthew 24:37-44, emphasis added

“‘It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.  It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.’” -Luke 17:28-30, emphasis added

The reason Paul says to comfort one another with the reality of his words is that our hope in Jesus’ return should be ever before us. He will spare His righteous Bride from the wrath of God. He has shown that truth throughout Scripture, and His character is unchanging. As the days grow more and more evil, we must spur one another in our faith that Jesus is coming soon! There are different beliefs about the order of events at the end times. In my opinion, based on my own study of Scripture, I do not believe that we will endure the tribulation. The tribulation is declared to last over a seven-year period for God’s judgment and wrath upon the wicked and Israel. Jesus paid for our wrath and judgement on the cross and declared, “‘It is finished (John 19:30).’” His payment for sin and judgment was through the acceptable sacrifice of His very life for you and me.

Going back to the above passages, there will be a sound of His coming, and all the Earth will hear it! We will be caught up (harpazo), which actually means snatched out or away; carried off by force, suddenly. The three distinct sounds will take place first. Then those who have died and have known Jesus will go first, and those of us who are living will rise next to meet Jesus together in the clouds. “… and so we will always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17b)!” From that moment on, we will be with Him for all of eternity!

Look at what happens in this moment according to 1 Corinthians 15:51-54:

“Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.'” -1 Corinthians 15:51-54, ESV

This is such glorious and comforting news to those who are in Christ. But what about those who endure the tribulation? The seven years that they will endure will be under the evillest rule of the Antichrist. Many who come to know Jesus during that time (because of the 144,000 witnesses in Revelation 7 and 14 and the two witnesses in Revelation 11) will be beheaded and martyred. They will be the saints of the tribulation, mentioned throughout Revelation. People will be made to take the mark of the beast or lose their lives. The Earth and its inhabitants who remain will endure the horrific judgments of God and face His wrath. Three plagues mentioned in Revelation 9 will kill a third of mankind. Salvation will still be available to those on the Earth, but they will endure this period of Hell on Earth.

One key note based on the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 is that half of the Church will not be ready for His return. Half will be totally caught off guard, consumed with the world and its lusts and desires. We are already watching the great falling away of believers that will take place before the return of Jesus (2 Thessalonians 2:3). I believe that many who profess to know Jesus simply because they are born in America or raised in church do not know Him.

Our Present Calling

Beloved in the Lord, we have a mandate in this hour that is twofold! First, we must get ready! What does that mean? It means if you have just one eye open, it’s time to ask Jesus to awaken you to the hour in which you are living. All of our senses need to be awakened! We must live with sobriety of the hour with our gaze fixed on Jesus.

Then, we must go! When I picture my neighbors or loved ones who don’t know Jesus having to endure the tribulation when we are gone, my heart quickens. When I picture entire nations remaining because only 1% of their population knows Jesus, my heart quickens. We must go and preach the gospel. We must go and bring them the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus while we still can. There is not much time left, and if we have any ounce of compassion for the lost who will be left here, the greatest thing we can do with our lives right now is devote it to preach the gospel. I urge you with all of my heart—go in boldness, compassion, and conviction that Jesus is coming soon. If you don’t tell them, who will?

Can you hear the sound of His coming? Can you see the signs of the Day of the Lord quickly approaching? We are to comfort one another with this truth and then move in compassion for those who have not heard. The time is nearing. Let’s go!

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