Are you hanging in there? I received a message the other day from a sister who lives across the country. She poured out her heart, telling me how waiting for the rapture and all she’s seeing in the meantime is wearing her down some days. I could only reply and tell her I was feeling the same. Truthfully, when Covid struck three years ago, I thought we would be making our exit via the rapture soon, like, way sooner than this. I started ranting to people about how close the rapture had to be. Yet, here I am, still waiting.
I still believe it’s close, but close has taken on a new meaning these days. I’ve come to understand that close could be today, ten days, or even two years away. Considering all that’s at stake, that at our departure, lives will be traumatized and some lost, I must remember to keep “them” in mind, those poor souls who will be left behind.
Our waiting is based upon the goodness of a God who, in His mercy, desires that none perish but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). I sometimes feel kind of selfish since I know what will befall “them,” and still I long for Jesus’ appearing each and every day. That longing doesn’t make me or my faraway sister or you selfish. In Titus 2:13, we’re told the rapture is our blessed hope, and 2 Timothy 4:8 promises a crown of righteousness for all who love His appearing. Our homesick hearts are longing for home. Yet here we all are, still waiting.
I’m hanging in there. On the longest of long days waiting, I remind myself that God can’t lie. He says He will come, so He’ll come! When you think of it, the entire concept of the rapture is preposterous. Seriously, the dead rising and the alive being caught up seems like some impossible fantasy–unless you’ve read the Word of God and see just how truly spectacular He has historically made a way. He’s been known to part a sea and part a river to deliver His people. He floated a family in an ark as a means of rescue. He took a prophet to heaven in a blazing chariot. All that tells me that a little thing like a rapture will be an easy feat for the Creator of galaxies.
The wearing down of us watchers makes complete sense, especially when we’re surrounded by rain clouds of doubting Christians, mockers and scoffers who try to convince us to hunker in a bunker stocked with food for seven years. Or Christians who say we’re already living in the millennial kingdom (yeah, whatever). Doubters abound, and rapture watchers get tired.
So my message to you today is the same as mine was to her: First, I admit I get worn too and need to focus on what fosters my faith rather than what fuels my fear. I’ll share with you the best advice I’ve been given (by the Holy Spirit), which is to watch less of the rising darkness and focus more on the coming Light. Rapture videos from various sources always encourage me and help me in the waiting. When life is going on day after day, it’s easy to lose sight of its certainty. I need reminders week after week. I have a small collection of rapture videos and articles by some of my favorite teachers on the Rapture page of my site. Maybe they will be the shot in the arm you need to remember that help is on the way.
Next and best, I advise you to cling to Jesus. That’s not just Bible talk. It’s our only hope of retaining our sanity. If you’re not having a quiet time daily, do it. Read the Psalms. Read the Gospels. Saturate yourself in the Word. Nothing calms fear like the presence of Jesus. Nothing gives renewed strength and revived energy like walking with the Son of God. Watching the world drains. Reaching for the Word restores.
As I mentioned in the opening of the article, another point I shared with my friend was that it’s God’s mercy that keeps us here. What we suffer for this brief time pales in comparison to what the left behind will have to endure. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13), so let’s hang on a little while longer for “their” sakes.
I’ll now tell you my final words of reassurance that I wrote to her. You’re not alone. I know it feels as if you are. In her case, rain-cloud Christians and rapture-doubting Christians are her closest friends and relatives. That may be your trouble as well. And if you do have one or two in your life who are waiting and watching as you are, be the encourager to them that you long to have for yourself.
If you don’t have a group of believers in your life with whom you can talk about the rapture and find encouragement, you can join us, a small group that gathers through Zoom on Thursday nights to cover rapture topics. We are becoming friends and bonding as family. We’re all different ages and stages and come from all walks of life. No matter who you are or where you’re from, you have a place with us. If you would like to know more, visit DaybreakGathering.com. That one page should tell you everything you need to know and how to get started.
I ended my message to my sister in Christ by saying that I can’t wait to meet her (in person) ^^UP ^^ there in heaven. I feel the same for you. I can’t wait for us to be together and worship the One who will rescue His own soon, whatever soon looks like. Until then, be blessed and hang in there.
Your sister in Christ,
Lisa
If you would like to read Lisa’s previous Rapture Ready articles, you can find them here: Lisa’s Rapture Ready Articles/Series.
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About Daybreak with Lisa:
Daybreak is a way of life, one of exposing the rising darkness and telling of the soon-coming Light. We only have so many daybreaks remaining before that final sunset when we, as believers, are caught up in the air to meet Jesus.
As an author, Lisa Heaton is a storyteller with a heart for truth. Her greatest desire in her fiction and nonfiction work is to challenge the reader to discover the truth of who Jesus is and who they are to Him. Now, here as we wait for the any-minute arrival of Jesus for His church in the rapture, Lisa’s latest mission is to warn the lost and wake the found and to help others discover their unique voice to share the truth of our times. More at DaybreakWithLisa.com. Contact Lisa at Lisa@LisaHeatonBooks.com.