As we enter into the fourth quarter of another year, many of us have already started making plans for the close of the year and the arrival of the new year. Like many others, this is the case as well for many Christians. Ultimately however, the greatest thing we look forward to is the Rapture (also known as the Day of Christ, where He will first appear in the sky and take Christians up to be with Him in Heaven) and Second Coming of Jesus Christ (also known as the Day of the Lord when He will come to judge and redeem a fallen Earth). Many things are going to take place in the days before and after the Second Coming. (In fact, many have argued that we are already currently in the midst of the first few of the seven seals (the horsemen) – a topic we will go into in a near future article). How ready are we for the Rapture and Jesus’s return?
Significant Events Before Christ’s Return
The Rapture
Before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, there will be the Rapture of the Church, as told to us through the text in Matthew 24:36-44. In Old Testament times, God had taken up exceptionally holy people like Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:1-18, focal point v11-12) to be with Him in Heaven. The difference is that this time the whole Church of Christ is going to be ransomed through Jesus. The Rapture is God taking all born-again faithful Christians up to be with Him in Heaven.
John 14:1-3
King James Version (KJV)
14 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
New International Version (NIV)
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
New International Version (NIV)
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
The Rapture will happen in a split second, can happen at anytime, and is to redeem the Church of Christ. In the Last Days, we have to be extra vigilant. The unity, fellowship, and discipleship of the Body of Christ is crucial. Many Christians have grown spiritually weary because of pressure and tiredness. And in the last days, there are many false gospels going around, evidenced by the proliferation of cults.
2 Peter 3 tells us what will happen on the Day of the Lord when Jesus returns to judge the Earth again. As Christians, we are encouraged to keep persevering and to look forward to the Day of Christ when Jesus will appear in the sky and take us up to be with Him. We do not want ourselves or our loved ones to be left behind during the Rapture because the days that will come after that will be terrible beyond imagining. Though God may seem to tarry, His timetable and timing is different from ours. He works all things in perfect timing.
2 Peter 3:8-10
New International Version (NIV)
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Romans 8:28
New International Version (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
New International Version (NIV)
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
The Great Tribulation
After the Rapture, there is going to be a Great Tribulation. God, in His great mercy, has warned us of this. In the Great Tribulation, there is going to be a 7 years of unprecedented trouble (Daniel 12:1) for those who are left behind. The Book of Daniel also tells us about the Abomination of Desolation, and that AntiChrist will go into the Temple of Jerusalem and set up his image (Daniel 9:27). The whole world will be under his oppression, and anyone without his mark of ownership (666) will be persecuted and not allowed to buy or sell necessities and goods. This is foretold by God, not as a threat, but as a warning to His people.
Revelation 13:16-18
New International Version (NIV)
16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
The Great Tribulation will come to an end through the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This time, He is not coming as the Messiah, but in full glory as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He’ll destroy all the armies that belong to the devil and establish the Millennial Reign.
Revelation 19:16
New International Version (NIV)
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
king of kings and lord of lords.
The Ultimate Redemption
We are also encouraged in 2 Peter 3 to look forward to the day when Jesus Christ will usher in the Millennial Reign and reestablish righteousness. In the Millennial Reign, Jesus will reign for 1000 years on Earth. Satan, along with his armies, will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit or abyss for 1000 years. After the millennium, Satan and his followers will be released for a short time, then, thrown into the lake of fire. A New Heaven and a New Earth will be established as the final state of redeemed humanity. The present Heaven and Earth will melt away in fervent heat and pass away, and there’ll be no more sorrow, pain, grief, or guilt.
The Rapture, Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and this whole sequence of events, is not meant to scare those who are already walking closely with Him, and should never be seen as such. It is a vision of the ultimate redemption God has for mankind. We only need to fear if we are stubborn and willfully live sinful lives or away from God. The Rapture should be the blessed hope of every Christian. How much does it, and more importantly, our relationship with God, matter to us? What sort of attitudes should we have towards it?
Knowing What Is To Come, How Then Shall We Respond?
One of the key attitudes Christians need to have is the desire to grow daily in godliness, and the best way to do is to strengthen our devotional life. As Christians, we are called children of God (2 Corinthians 6:17-18, 1 John 3:1) and if we are so-called, the best example for us to emulate is Jesus Christ, the Son of God Himself. Jesus’s is the best example of a devotional life. His whole life on Earth was a ministry carrying out God’s purpose on Earth, even unto Calvary itself. The problem is, as Jesus has said in Matthew 26:41, for many of us, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
2 Corinthians 6:17-18
“‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
1 John 3:1,
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
We need to strengthen our spiritual lives and the way to do is by knowing the Character and desire of God for this world. We learn this through prayer, and by reading, studying, and obeying the Word of God, handed down to us so that we have daily guidance in our Christian life. We may not be perfect, but we need to strive for moral excellence, and to the best of our abilities as guided by God, live lives of purity, holiness, and righteousness. We need to live life in the light of eternity. When we are walking within the will of God, there will be the peace of God in our lives.
2 Peter 1:5-8
New International Version (NIV)
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:11-12
New International Version (NIV)
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
Because of delays, Christians sometimes grow weary, but the Bible has encouraged us in James 5:7-11, to be patient and persevere until the coming of the Lord. Many great men of God had to go through the testing of delay. Abraham had to wait 25 years before God’s promise of a son, Isaac, to him and his wife, Sarah was fulfilled. Joseph had to languish in prison for many years before he was called to his appointed role. Moses had to live in the desert for 40 years before he was called to deliver the Israelites out from Egypt. David had to struggle and wait for many years for the throne after he was anointed. The key is that these men of God never gave up on their trust in God.
James 5:7-8
New International Version (NIV)
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
2 Corinthians 4:17
New International Version (NIV)
17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
The second attitude we need to have is vigilance and being watchful at all times (Matthew 24:42,44; 1 Thess 5:4-8). Warnings abound in the Bible about this aspect of our Christian life. One of the best-known parables of Jesus is the Parable of the Ten Virgins, also known as the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, found in Matthew 25:1-13.
In the beginning, every one of the Virgins had lamps burning. By the time of the arrival of the Bridegroom, however, the lamps carried by five of the Virgins had sadly already gone out. Five of the Virgins were taken up to celebrate with the Bridegroom, while the other five were left behind. The other five had fallen away, perhaps letting skepticism and cynicism entered into their hearts and falling away from the faith and their hope of salvation and relationship with Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom. The message is clear. The return of the Lord will be completely unexpected.
Matthew 24:42-44
New International Version (NIV)
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 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. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-8
New International Version (NIV)
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
The third attitude we need to have is to stand in Christ’s victory (Colossians 2:15; Revelations 12:11). The thing we need to remind ourselves constantly as Christians is that Jesus has won the victory over sin at Calvary around 2000 years ago. The devil, the chief enemy of the Christians, will continuously try to pour doubt about this in our hearts. The fact is the devil can’t stand up or compare to God; God is in full control of everything that happens in our life, and He works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). In our moments of weakness, Jesus must be the centerpoint of our lives, and our strength and victory will come though Him. Yield ourselves to God at all times.
Colossians 2:15
New International Version (NIV)
15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Revelation 12:11
New International Version (NIV)
11 They triumphed over him [satan]
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
Romans 8:28
New International Version (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Ultimately, there is also a fourth attitude we need to develop, and that is to be Kingdom-minded (Acts 1:7-8; 2 Cor 5:11). There are still plenty of work to be done; many of us still have unsaved loved ones who will be left behind if the Rapture were to come in the near future. How will the knowledge of the coming judgement affect our attitude towards the unsaved? How much do we love them, and how much do they and their eternal hope matter to us? As Christians, we need to ask God to give us opportunities to witness to an unsaved friend or loved one. Learn to connect with people. God’s Word will not return void.
It is not our place to speculate about the specifics of the Last Days; only God has full knowledge. However, we do have roles, and our role as children of God is to extend His Kingdom. Let this be translated into action, changing self-centered schedules, until it becomes a norm in our lifestyles. The Spirit-filled followers of Jesus should be so busy with witnessing for Jesus Christ that they have no time for speculation about the exact day of Jesus’s return.
Acts 1:7-8
New International Version (NIV)
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
2 Cor 5:11
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
Everything boils down to how much our relationship with God and for our loved ones matter to us. If the Rapture were to happen tomorrow, or within the next few hours, is our greatest hope to be caught up to be with Him forever, or do we have other things in this world that we love more? The four main attitudes of growing daily in Godliness, being faithful at all times, standing in Christ’s victory, and being Kingdom-minded, are all important ones that every Christian should have.
Isaiah 55:11
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Note: This article is shaped throughout by insights gained from a sermon once given by Pr George Dass of Kajang Assembly of God.
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