Rapture Ready

Exactly a year ago today, Hamas attacked Israel and the world changed. 

Not just the world as a whole but every person in the world. There was a shift. 

My life has been different ever since then, here’s why. 

“Jesus is coming back”

All my life I have heard and believed that Jesus Christ is coming back and that He is going to rapture His church. There have been many signs, wars, rumors of wars, famine, disease, and strange natural occurrences, and then Israel was attacked prophetically and it got real, real fast. 

I won’t go into all the prophecies and different aspects of the significance of what happened last year or the year since then. I will, however, explain how this event caused me to change and how I’ve been able to find a balance between two extremes.

What the Bible says

As I mentioned, for as long as I can remember I have been told that “Jesus is coming back”, over the years I have come to understand and believe this. 

The Bible tells us of the rapture of the saints and Christ’s return many times. 

For example:

Acts 1:10-11,  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 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.

Hebrews 9:28, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

These are just a few of the many verses that tell of the second coming of our Lord. We are also told that “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,” (Matthew 24:36) God the Father alone knows when the Son will return so we are to always be ready. 

Matthew 24:44, Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Even though I grew up with this knowledge it was something I would rarely think about, even after salvation. I knew it would happen but I wasn’t living for it. 

Then 2020 came and COVID shut down the world, we were convinced the rapture was going to happen any day, and there was a scene of urgency that came on me. It was really the “last days” I had always heard about. That lasted for a while, then the restrictions lifted and things slowly got back to some semblance of normal. 

While the urgency didn’t go away completely it did take a back seat to the other things I had going. Over the past few years, it has been a bit of a cycle between being focused on the return of Christ and our commission until He comes (Matthew 28:18-20), and my focus drifting to things of this world. Not sin or worldly pleasures mind you, just things that won’t last, the things that are only for this life. Still, the times of urgency grew as more and more in this world began to change and more and more sermons were preached on the end times. Then at a church camp I attended over the summer of 2023 one of the pastors preached about end times prophecies and declared that it could be the year Jesus returns. That sparked the fire yet again. I’ll admit it had begun to flicker a bit before everything went down in Israel, but since then it has been steadily burning. 

Keep the fire burning

The main reason the fire would dwindle in my past was simply distraction. Instead of focusing on evangelism, I would be focused on my job. Instead of pressing in with my relationships with God and my family, I would dream of getting married. Rather than being kingdom-minded and moving forward spiritually, I would get stuck in a rut. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these things and we can all find ourselves stuck in a routine, we need to remain focused on eternal matters. 

It is easy to get sidetracked when serving God, the devil is always tempting us and trying to lure us away from what we are called to do. Sometimes it may not be or appear inherently bad, but as long as he can get us to “just lay off” and not be productive for the kingdom then he has done his job. 

If you are in a similar position as I was, be encouraged that you are not alone. I’m still not perfect and sometimes I do catch myself getting caught up in temporary pleasures and I need to refocus on what matters. I challenge you to assess your life, what are you distracted by? Do some soul-searching and remove the things that may be dragging your attention away from the main thing.

“Keep the main thing the main thing” - Pastor Greg Mitchell

We must press in when we feel discouraged or begin to be distracted. Something I’ve found that helps me is reminding myself every day that it could be the day of Jesus’ return. 

The truth is when I used to think about the Rapture, even as a Christian I would have an apprehension, there are so many unknowns about Christ’s return and I’m the kind of person who likes to be fully prepared. What I’ve come to realize is that there is nothing I can do to know how the rapture is going to happen, the only thing I can do is make sure I keep my heart right (Proverbs 4:23) and look forward to Heaven (Philippians 3:20-21). 

Now, instead of fear, when I think of the time when Jesus will rapture his church I am excited because I know that I will be going home at last. 

It’s up to you

If after reading this article you realize that you have allowed the world to distract you so much that you are no longer right with God, or you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, you can be saved. If you want to give your life to Jesus or rededicate your life to Him, say this simple prayer. 

Dear God, 

I admit I’m a sinner, I believe that You died on the cross for my sins, please come into my heart and wash my sins away. I surrender my life to you. Make me a new creation and help me to serve you for the rest of my days. Thank you for saving me. 

In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer welcome to the family! The Bible says there is rejoicing in Heaven when someone gives their life to Jesus (Luke 15:7). I encourage you to do 2 things. First, tell someone about your decision this will help solidify it for you. Second, talk to your Pastor, mom, or trusted Christian friend and ask them for guidance as you embark on this new journey. (Optional number 3 is let me know! Scroll down to the “I want to hear from you!” section and tell me about your conversion experience!)

Sermon to listen to:

The leader of the church fellowship I am a part of preached a powerful sermon about what has been happening in Israel lately. Here's the link if you would like to listen to it yourself! The sermon starts at time stamp 27.41.