Luke 21:25-28; “And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves; people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (ESV – all emphasis is mine).
Revelation 1:7; “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so, Amen.”
Then, 1 John 3:2; “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is.”
These are just a couple verses referencing two different times. The Luke and Revelation verses are obviously about Jesus returning to the earth at the end of the tribulation. The John verse is a reference to our being taken up to meet the Savior in the air to be kept from the wrath of God. This is found in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 and Revelation 3:10.
When the Rapture takes place (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53), only those who were in God’s will prior to the crucifixion of our Savior, and all who will have received and accepted Jesus from Calvary to that moment will be taken up to meet Our Savior in the air.
Even though a significant number of people from around the world will disappear, it will be over before those who have not received Jesus could even blink an eye. In 1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the Trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
Should anyone try to say the trumpet is part of the Trumpet Judgments of Revelation, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 states, “For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the Trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
Before there is any misunderstanding about the number of those who will be raptured, Jesus stated in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
From the very beginning, the “easy” part for humans has been to accept the ways of this world. The hard part is to sincerely believe that: Admitting we all are sinners; Believing Jesus is truly a part of the Holy Trinity who is referred to as God’s Son and who came to this earth as a human to provide the only sinless blood sacrifice for our sins that the Father could ever accept; and finally all who Call on the name of the Lord will be saved. That’s found in Romans 10:9-13.
Those who are truly a part of the Shepherd’s flock right now are definitely looking forward to seeing loved ones who have gone on ahead. However, my greatest wish is to see My Jesus for the first time and to bow down to Him and kiss the feet that walked this earth for my benefit. He could have just as easily decided we weren’t worth His efforts and could have left us to fend for ourselves. If that had happened, no one would be able to enter Heaven.
However, John 10:18 states, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
Is it any wonder that all who have received and accepted Jesus are totally looking forward to the day we’re taken off this sin-filled planet?
A song written in 1983 by Dianne Wilkinson (1944-2021) was performed regularly by the Southern Gospel Group, The Cathedrals. It is titled “We Shall See Jesus.”
1.) Once on a hillside, people were gathered, hoping to see Him as thousands were fed. He touched the blind eyes, healed broken spirits; He moved with compassion while He raised up the dead.
2.) Once on a hillside, people were gathered, watching as Jesus was crucified. No one showed mercy to the One who had healed them. Yet Jesus loved them as He suffered and died.
3.) Once on a hillside, people were gathered; for Jesus had risen and soon would ascend. Then as He blessed them, He rose to the heavens, and gave them His promise to come back again.
4.) We shall see Jesus, just as they saw Him; there’s no greater promise than this. When He returns in power and glory, we shall see Jesus; we shall see Jesus, just as He is.
Our Savior’s sacrifice was for all humans, not just the Jews. John 10:16; “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.” Please note, God’s chosen people, the Jews, do not get a free ride into Heaven. They have the same obligation to receive and accept Yeshua as their true Messiah as everyone else. Those that have already done so are known as “Messianic Jews.”
In today’s overall Jewish population worldwide, it’s estimated that only about 2% to 3% are Messianic. At the Rapture, those Messianic Jews will be taken up to be with Jesus along with all other believers from around the world. All of us will receive new immortal and imperishable bodies along with a mindset like our Savior’s.
For all non-believing Jews, they will become special people to be persecuted by the ultimate antichrist. In Zechariah 13:8-9, their final outcome is stated as, “In the whole land, declares the Lord, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one-third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver and test them as gold is tested They will call upon My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people, and they will say the Lord is My God.'”
No one can earn their way into Heaven by doing works, nor can anyone buy their way to get there. Ephesians 2:8-9 is very specific with: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast.”
One thing that is absolutely certain is that our God will not lie (Titus 1:2). What He has given to us in His Love Letter (Bible) is His promise of where we will spend eternity based on the decisions we make. He will force no one to accept His Son, but will accept all who truly do.
Looking at all the “end-of-this-age signs” that are given to us in the Bible, it is obvious that the last major sign to be completed – The Rapture – is almost at hand. The ultimate antichrist cannot appear until the Holy Spirit is removed, as given in 2 Thessalonians 2, and by removing the Holy Spirit, all who are indwelt by Him must be taken up as well. That will be the Rapture, which will open the door on Earth for the appearance of the final antichrist.
All who are left behind will go through the absolute worst seven-year period of time this earth has ever experienced. That’s why we try so hard to follow our Savior’s Great Commission to get His word out worldwide about gaining Salvation.
We are not guaranteed tomorrow, as the Rapture could occur at any moment. Please, if you haven’t done so yet, consider asking Jesus to forgive you and come into your heart and be your eternal Savior. The only other option is to take your last breath without Him and spend eternity in the lake of fire with Satan and all his demons.
Definitely hope to see you at the feet of our Savior when, not if, the time is here.
Shalom! (Peace) Maranatha! (Come, Lord Jesus!)