Are You Ready?
Are you spiritually ready for when Jesus comes back to take all His beloved home? Do you believe that Jesus is Lord, or are you waiting to see which way the wind is blowing? We read about Christ coming back like a ‘thief in the night”, with no one knowing when it will take place.
Matthew 24:36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Then we read scriptures about the Tribulation and find signs all over the place in scripture. The prophets saw the tribulation in the scriptures like Jeremiah 30:7, but they don’t seem to see the church age at all, even though we will also be affected by the Rapture. The Rapture starts the process of the End Times that leads to the second coming of Jesus. I believe these two events are the bookends of the Tribulation that lasts for seven years.
John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 tell us about what will take place at the Rapture. The Christians in Thessalonica were worried about their beloved friends and family who had died before Jesus returned and they were afraid they had missed the Rapture.
I remember my first year at Bible College, waking up with the wind howling down the marble hallways. The sound was so startling and loud I immediately ran out of my room to see if everything was OK. Still not fully awake, I ran to my next-door neighbor’s room. He was the most committed Christian I knew, and I wanted to see what he thought about these screaming winds. Oh no, he wasn’t there, and his bead wasn’t made. I remember thinking to myself, I missed it, I missed the Rapture! A few weeks before this I was struggling with my assurance of salvation because I had a professor challenge me on my faith. Was he right? Was I just playing church and speaking Christianese? Where was Bob, and why was I alone in his room? Then it happened. Bob walked in and asked what I was doing. I remember yelling in relief, “Bob, you’re here, you’re really here.” For the rest of the year my friends would often great me, “Matthew you’re here, you’re really here.” They thought it was funny every time. When Christ comes back at the Rapture, if you’re not ready, it won’t be funny. Are you ready for Christ’s return?
