Resurrection & Rapture: ARE YOU READY?

It's not a Biblical theory or presupposition. Whether you believe it's before, during, or after the final week of Daniel's prophesy (see Daniel chapter 9), it's going to happen.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE READY?

That's easy. Look at how you're living.

If you're getting ready, you're not ready.

If you're still practicing sin, you're not going to make it.

Millions of people will sudden vanish.

The anti rapture crowd honestly believe that this event may not happen, or that it will happen when they say it will happen because they're the authority on the rapture.

The Lord and His Word is final authority so completely ignore the anti rapture crowd.

They were wrong to begin with so they can't be trusted.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NKJV) "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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

What Paul shares here, he shares it again in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (NKJV)

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."

A critical point to observe is that the Second Coming of Christ is different from the rapture explained in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4.

The events in the Middle East dictates when the Antichrist is to appear to make covenant with many (see Daniel 9:27).

But according to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, Someone is restraining the appearance of the Antichrist.

Remember.

According to Daniel 9-27, he appears at the beginning of the week (7 days is symbolic for 7 years) to sign a treaty with many.

It could be argued that this is your theory.

Interpretations and interpreters of Scripture can be challenged but the Word stands sure, irrespective of any interpretation.

We’re governed by 2 Peter 1:19-21.

So when you see the same event (rapture) happening or described twice or three times, it's for emphasis.

My point isn't to argue about when it will happen, although there's considerable debate as to when this event will occur.

But it will happen and when it happens, it will be a key moment in history that no one will forget. Especially those that are left behind.

The chaos and the confusion will devastate the billions of people that were left behind.

But the ones that may have heard the story about the sudden snatching away of people, will force them to run to find out if their Christian friends are gone. They will run to the churches. Most will break down the doors of the church to get an explanation as to what had happened.

Many of them will already know.

"BREAKING NEWS" will flash on the screens. Most will get alerts on their "smart devices."

The excuse will already be reported.

Aliens and UFOs took them to a distant planet. Many will share lies about going with them and coming back to tell the "story."

Many will have airplanes and try to offer flights to see their loved ones.

AI will generate all sorts of videos of how it happened.

NO. I'm not kidding.

But notice the order in which Paul, by the Holy Spirit shares.

First, the graves will open up of those that died in Christ. They will be instantly changed.

This is consistent with the opening of Lazarus' tomb in John 11 and the resurrection of Jesus in Matthew 28. The rolling away of the stone, of course.

Then second, we that are alive and remain will be changed and caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

So there's a shocking order.

All over the world, the graves will blast open as a definitive proof that something significant happened. Then all around the world, the people that are truly in Christ will suddenly disappear.

Their clothes, wallets, shoes, wigs, undergarments, socks, stockings, baggage, if any, and all earthly items will no longer be needed obviously.

There's no preparatory indication of this event. Just like 9/11, there's going to be no clue, warning, or indication that something is about to happen.

It just happens.

What did Paul say?

"...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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

Look at the word "moment."

g0823. ἄτομος atomos; from 1 (as a negative particle) and the base of 5114; uncut, i.e. (by implication) indivisible (an “atom” of time): — moment.

Just like in the natural, the fusion of atoms happens in an instant and explodes.

Then in a "twinkling of an eye."

Look at the word "twinkling."

g4493. ῥιπή rhipē; from 4496; a jerk (of the eye, i.e. (by analogy) an instant): — twinkling.

In other words, "don't blink."

All around the world, you're talking to a friend that happens to be a believer in Christ, and all of a sudden, they're gone. Or they walked away, and suddenly, they leave.

You spin around to see where they've went.

They went up, their clothes and other items went to the ground, but you "blinked."

People will be driving, flying on airplanes (the best), riding subway trains or railroad cars, driving on the freeway, in grocery stores or shopping malls. Or if it happens when people are going to a church service (the worst time for it to happen).

Or you're visiting a loved one at a cemetery or mortuary, or during a funeral service (another bad time).

People spend so much time arguing about when this event would happen instead of sharing the gospel of Christ to sinners so that they would be on the right side of this event.

People love to argue and waste time trying to appear Biblically smart but ignorant of the nearness of this event.

Millions disappearing is nothing to sneeze at.

But sadly today, even true believers fuss about what these two Scriptures are about instead of being ready, and sharing the gospel of Christ.

My point isn't to theorize when this event will occur, but that it will occur.

Your interpretation and mines, is subject to one source.

The God of the Scriptures.

The main question is. ARE YOU READY?

The Lord warned us to "Be ready."

Matthew 24:36-39 (NKJV) “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."

Noah built the biggest sign to the inhabitants of the earth, and folk ignored it.

The biggest sign is a true believer in Christ.

The true believers. You know. The one(s) that you deliberately ignore because of sin in your life.

The Lord's been dealing with you to share the gospel but they deliberately talk about politics and other things to keep you from sharing the gospel.

Two angels showed up in Sodom and Gomorrah. The inhabitants of these cities cared less about the event that would change their course of history forever. It's an event that most homosexuals won't discuss because it's a direct consequential event that underscores the fact that the sin of homosexuality is an abomination before the Lord.

The purpose of the Lord explaining the coming of the Lord is the sudden-ness of these events. And yes, it also underscores the mindset and attitudes of people prior to these events.

Notice that only a few got saved.

Noah and seven others. Lot and 3 others, but his wife disobeyed the Lord and turned into a pillar of salt. The rest in the cities of Noah and Lot were destroyed.

Much like today. Many are expecting a huge revival as a definitive sign that precedes the rapture.

Well, there's nothing wrong with people waking up to get saved. That's a result of sharing the gospel of Christ with sinners. Sinners finally repenting of sin and place faith on Christ alone.

However, there's many sleeping professed believers that vacilate between the world and Christ. They haven't made up their minds to be fully committed to Christ because of a love for this present evil age.

"No man putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom." Luke 9:62 (NKJV)

The crowd of people that were left behind during Noah's and Lot's day didn't have a care in the world that the Lord would judge the world.

It was just another day.

Then "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," the beginning of the end unfolds.