Look up
And lift up your head
for your redemption draweth nigh.
Luke 21:28
For those who grew up in church, many “religions” taught to look up for the soon return of Jesus to take His followers to be with Him in Heaven. I can remember as a child being told as a scare tactic to behave because Jesus could come back any day and get us and I better behave or I would be left behind.
Many of those same teachers alluded or even predicted the coming of Jesus in years past, only for those specified times to come and go and Jesus’ followers still remained. The way of teaching in those days of old caused many to lose faith in the return of Jesus or in the teachers telling about it. It was like “crying wolf’ and nothing happened, many stopped listening or looking up. Some walked away from faith in Jesus altogether since He didn’t return when others predicted. Others simply stopped looking up, and began to focus on themselves and their dreams to achieve success in life.
That created a great opportunity for the enemy to slither in and begin using some of these same people to remove God from every area of our lives. Overtime God has almost completely been confined to the four walls of a church building, not including home Bible studies and things of that nature. Mostly He was removed from schools, courthouses, and all public places as not to offend people of other faiths. Over the years, our Creator has become looked upon as the mean God of the Old Testament, and Jesus was pushed to Sunday church time. Sadly, in these end-times, people are even beginning to argue who Jesus really was and what He stood for; it’s blasphemous and a travesty. One of many signs that His return is soon.
In our world today, anyone who believes in the only living God who created this world, and breathed life into us, and who also sent His only son to die for our sins, Jesus our Messiah, are now seen as the enemy to the world. It should come as no surprise really, Jesus told us in His Word that this would happen. (Luke 21:12)
Regardless of the speculations, the missed supposed rapture dates in the past, and false teachings that abound, the truth still stands, Jesus is coming back for His followers.
We won’t know the day or the hour
Whenever anyone says that Jesus is coming soon, the auto-response from others is, “we won’t know the day or the hour.” It’s sad that people can remember that piece of the scripture and say it with such confidence and authority on the subject while not even knowing the whole story themselves. Why don’t they know the whole story? Because that’s the phrase the preachers teach “their followers.” These same people only listen to the pastor and don’t study God’s Word for themselves.
The rest of that passage says this:
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:36-39 KJV
Did you see the second “BUT”? That’s the part they fail to teach. Jesus is saying that there will be signs just like in the days of Noah (Noe). Noah was warned and told to build an ark. Those who wholeheartedly live for God and believe in His son Jesus, will NOT be surprised. He gives countless confirmations of prophesy throughout the Bible, and direct teaching from Jesus of what His Believers should look for when He is about to call them up to meet Him in the air. (1Thessalonians 4:16-17)
He is saying in that passage that His return will take the “unbelievers” by surprise while they are partying and not living their lives in honor to Jesus and looking up for Him.
Then the naysayers rebut with: but Jesus said He will come like a thief in the night, so we won’t know. That phrase in scripture is also for the unbelievers. For the Believers, Jesus says He will show signs of His coming and to look for the birthing pains to know it’s soon. He wants us to be ready, He wants us to tell others, and He wants us to be excited for His return. It’s this hope and excitement that He gives His Believers that helps them have peace in the signs leading up to the rapture.
Never before in the history of this world has all the signs He speaks of in His Word for us to watch for, have they happened simultaneously.
Rapture arguments:
You say: I’m afraid to believe in the rapture. I’m afraid if I get my hopes up and He doesn’t come that I will be depressed and lose my faith.
Response: If you could “lose your faith” because He didn’t come when you hoped He would, then you didn’t really have faith in Him. You just liked the idea of what you thought might happen. Every day we are still here is one day closer to meeting Him in the air. Keep the faith, the faith in Him to do what He says He will do.
You say: there is no rapture in the Bible.
Response: Have you ever studied the Bible yourself or have you allowed preachers and teachers to tell you what it says? When you study the scriptures, He will show you that He is coming to get His followers before the seven year tribulation. He will show you His entire plan before during and after the tribulation in His Word.
You say: I believe in the mid-tribulation rapture.
Response: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you scriptures to support your beliefs. As long as you are ready for the rapture, it doesn’t matter when it happens. Consider this though: Jesus said that He had to leave so that the Holy Spirit could come and dwell in us, as His gift to us. The Holy Spirit will not be here during the tribulation according to scripture. (2Thessalonians 2:3-8) He is restraining the anti-Christ. When Jesus calls the Holy Spirit up and He leaves, Jesus’ followers are called up as well, we leave with Him. There is no scripture that supports Jesus taking the Holy Spirit away from His followers and telling them “good luck” during the tribulation without the Holy Spirit.
You say: People will think I’m nuts if I warn them about the rapture.
Response: Should you be worried about what others think and of being persecuted or judged by them as you share the gospel, or should you be more concerned about what God says to you on judgment day when He asks you why you were only worried about your own salvation and not the salvation of others?
Some scriptures to study
- Matthew 24
- Luke 21
- John 3
- John 12:25-26
- John 14:1-4
- John 15:3,4,20-24,51-52
- Ephesians 1, 2:8-10
- 1Thessalonians 4:15-8, 5:1-11
- Revelation 3:3
Study these scriptures slowly. Pray for the Holy Spirit to show you His truth in His Word. He says He will show you all things if you ask. (Jeremiah 33:3) He is your teacher. (1John 2:27)
Don’t take anyone’s word for the truth of God, search His Word yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you all truth straight from the source.
Test everything, hold onto what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Are you ready?
Here’s the deal, Jesus has been showing the prophesied signs of His coming for a while now. In 2023 alone, since the beginning of the year, the “coming signs” elevated to “daily signs.” We are now in the birthing pains, the beginning of sorrows, He spoke about and the delivery/resurrection is any day now. (Matthew 24:8)
ARE YOU READY?!?!?
Stop, drop, and pray NOW! Be ready to time the “contractions” for this event. It’s any day now.
Not sure if you are ready?
Keep it simple. Do the ABC’s and repent today.
- A: Admit that you are a sinner.
- B: Believe in your heart that Jesus is the son of God and that He died for your sins and rose from the dead for you.
- C: Call on Jesus and repent of your sins and turn back to Him and ask Jesus to show you the way.
Then…LOOK UP!
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28
In summary
What are we instructed to do? Warn and comfort each other with these Words from scripture.
“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Thessalonians 4:18)
- “Rejoice evermore.
- Pray without ceasing.
- In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
- Quench not the Spirit.
- Despise not prophesyings.
- Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
- Abstain from all appearance of evil.
- And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24