CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

 Is Jesus really coming again?

When is the rapture going to happen?

How can I ensure I don't miss the rapture?

Matthew 24:3 NKJV

"[3] Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately,

 saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your

 coming, and of the end of the age?”"

The Rapture of the Church is a subject of controversy in the Church.

There is a group that claims the Lord Jesus has already come, and that we are

 waiting for Paradise. They believe there is no rapture.

Another group claims that only believers will see the Lord Jesus when He

 comes. The world will go on as though nothing happened.

There is also a school of thought that says there will be tribulation only after

 the Lord takes us out of this world.

Even the disciples were curious, and they asked the Lord, “Master, how will

 we know when You will return to restore all things, and when will the

 end of the age be?”

Let us find out from the Truth, which is the Word of God.

Matthew 24:3-6 NKJV

"[3] Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately,

 saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your

 coming, and of the end of the age?” [4] And Jesus answered and said to them:

 “Take heed that no one deceives you. [5] For many will come in My name,

 saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. [6] And you will hear of wars

 and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must

 come to pass, but the end is not yet.”"

So the Lord tells us there will be rumors of wars and reports of actual wars.

Well, in Nigeria there is a constant threat from terrorists, and there is a

 perpetual persecution of Christians. There are threats of war. Several nations

 around the world have been Islamized, and there are ongoing battles.

Note: A battle is part of a war.

Matthew 24:7-8 NKJV

"[7] For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And

 there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. [8] All

 these are the beginning of sorrows."

There is hunger in several countries. There is less agricultural produce, more

 genetically modified organisms, and the strange abduction of farmers in

 many parts of the world today. There are earthquakes and signs of

 continental drift.

Matthew 24:9-13 NKJV

"[9] "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be

 hated by all nations for My name's sake. [10] And then many will be offended,

 will betray one another, and will hate one another. [11] Then many false

 prophets will rise up and deceive many. [12] And because lawlessness will

 abound, the love of many will grow cold. [13] But he who endures to the end

 shall be saved."

The Lord informs us that there is going to be massive persecution of the

 Church. He says it is because of Him that many are going to be hated, and

 many will be killed. He also says that because of this tribulation, many will

 become offended.

«"God, why me?"»

«"God, where are You?"»

«"God, are You not seeing what they are doing to me?"»

He says the tribulation will be so great that many will become selfish—so

 much so that they will betray one another. They will choose themselves and

 sell out their neighbours for survival.

He says many will hate one another. Reciprocal hatred will become

 widespread.

This is the great falling away.

What is the significance of this event?

Matthew 13:24-30(BSB)

"24.Jesus put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a

 man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was asleep, his

 enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. 26When

 the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

27The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed

 in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

28'An enemy did this,' he replied.

So the servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

29'No,' he said, 'if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with

 them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the

 harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then

 gather the wheat into my barn.'"

There is going to be a separation of the weeds from the wheat, just as the Lord

 prophesied. The Lord Jesus is the greatest Prophet; all His prophecies come to

 pass.

The tribulation and persecution come to expose the true intentions of every

 member of the Church.

Just like the two women who argued before King Solomon over a baby, when

 he ordered that the child be divided, the true intentions of both mothers

 were revealed.

One woman's love was willing to let go to preserve the child's life, while the

 other's heart remained hardened. The true mother pleaded that the child

 should be kept alive, even if it meant she would not be the one to raise him.

In the same way, when the Church is persecuted, many will pull away. They

 will betray the Church. Members will betray fellow believers and even their

 spiritual leaders. Many Judases will emerge.

Then many false prophets will arise—prophets of doom and prophets of

 deception. They will deceive many.

"But those who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great

 exploits."

There will be false reports that the Lord has already come. The spirit of the

 antichrist will promote deception and seek to lead many astray.

The tribulation does not follow the Rapture; according to this understanding

 of Scripture, the Rapture follows the tribulation.

Christians all over the world would face persecution and threat of annihilation... Under the guise of ethno- religious conflict.After the rapture of the church, the antichrist would introduce a peace treaty to calm the days of the tribulation, which would last for three and a half years. 

The love of many will grow cold. They will burn out. They will take a detour

 and lose their conviction. But the Lord says, "He who endures to the end shall

 be saved."

Therefore, we are to deepen our roots in Christ so that when the storms blow

 and beat against us, we will still be standing strong.

Matthew 24:14, 21–31 (NKJV)

[14] And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

[21] For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 

[22] And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. 

[23] "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. 

[24] For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

 [25] See, I have told you beforehand. 

[26] "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. 

[27] For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

 [28] For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. 

[29] "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 

[30] Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

 [31] And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." 

The gospel will be preached throughout all the earth. There will be no excuse

 for rejecting the gospel.

After the tribulation, the sun and the moon will be darkened. The heavenly

 bodies will be shaken, and then the Lord will appear in the sky. Everyone will

 see Him. He will be the only light in the heavens.

Oh, what a glorious moment!

He says, "Immediately after the tribulation..." This means that some believers

 will still be in hiding. Some will be in despair, yet not broken.

All who turned their backs on Him will be filled with fear and regret. Because

 there has already been a separation, His angels will know whom to gather

 and whom to leave behind. At the sound of the trumpet, we will be caught up

 to meet the Lord after enduring faithfully.

What a glorious day that will be!

Some believe this resembles an eclipse. If so, there would be two major signs

 still remaining: a massive persecution of the saints leading to a great falling

 away, and the darkening of the heavenly bodies. Does this align with certain

 prophecies?

We are ready for the Rapture, aren't we?

And by God's Spirit, we are taking the first flight!

Blessed be God.

Say it:

"I'm rapture-ready!"

"I'm overcoming every tribulation."

Christians all over the world would face persecution and threat of

 annihilation, under the guise of ethno- religious conflict. After the rapture of

 the church, the antichrist would introduce a peace treaty to calm the days of

 the tribulation, which would last for three and a half years. 

In the Book of Revelation, the Lord tells us that some of us are going to die for

 our faith. (Revelations 6:11) But do not fear those who kill the body; rather,

 fear Him who has authority over both soul and body.

Revelations 7:13-14 tells us about the Christians who endure the tribulation.

We are forever alive unto God, and Christ our Lord is the Resurrection and

 the Life.

Hallelujah!

A Prayer for You

May you not be blown away like chaff in the wind. May you be firmly rooted

 in Christ, and may your faith endure to the end of the age. May you be

 counted worthy to partake in the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Amen.

God bless you.

Shalom.

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