With so many events taking place around the world (with greater frequency) many suppose the Lord will be coming back to rapture His Body (the Church) any day now. This is the same question the disciple’s asked Jesus while He was still here on earth. “When will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will arise and mislead many. Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:3-14)
Regrettably, many today would respond to these words of Jesus by saying, “Say what! Jesus, do you mean that we may have to suffer and deal with heavy persecution? Don’t you believe in a pre-tribulation rapture? I am sorry, you must be mistaken.” However, does it truly make a difference when the rapture happens? Anyone claiming to know when the rapture will take place must have failed to continue to read the rest of this passage. Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:36-39) Many will say, “Hey, wait a moment. Isn’t this referring to His second coming and not the rapture?” I guess you could make that case if you stopped reading the passage right here. However, to gain the full truth we must read on.
“Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.” (Matthew 24:36-43) Now that sounds like the rapture (for all those who feel they need to know when this will happen). I know I would choose a pre-tribulation rapture if given a choice as to avoid the pain and suffering Jesus mentioned above, but it is not a choice any of us will have the opportunity to decide. Jesus said, “For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” (Matthew 24:44-47)
Praise God as this is a blessing worth any suffering and pain. Moreover, this is part of what we can expect to gain if we are good and faithful servants of the kingdom to the end. However, reading on we will see that Jesus also gives us a warning, “But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day he does not anticipate and at an hour he does not expect. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:48-51) Many will say to this, “What? If I prayed the simple sinner’s prayer won’t I go to heaven no matter what? That is what I was told when I became a Christian! They told me, if you pray the prayer that you cannot lose your salvation. This is messed up, now you are telling me I have to do something more than pray the prayer? What about grace? Faith without works?”
Unfortunately, this argument will go on until it is too late because those who make this claim never really wanted to fully surrender their lives, they wanted a “get out of hell” insurance policy. Thus, in the end Jesus will tell them He never knew them. “By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.” (1 John 2:1-6)
Regrettably, many today would respond to these words of Jesus by saying, “Say what! Jesus, do you mean that we may have to suffer and deal with heavy persecution? Don’t you believe in a pre-tribulation rapture? I am sorry, you must be mistaken.” However, does it truly make a difference when the rapture happens? Anyone claiming to know when the rapture will take place must have failed to continue to read the rest of this passage. Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:36-39) Many will say, “Hey, wait a moment. Isn’t this referring to His second coming and not the rapture?” I guess you could make that case if you stopped reading the passage right here. However, to gain the full truth we must read on.
“Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.” (Matthew 24:36-43) Now that sounds like the rapture (for all those who feel they need to know when this will happen). I know I would choose a pre-tribulation rapture if given a choice as to avoid the pain and suffering Jesus mentioned above, but it is not a choice any of us will have the opportunity to decide. Jesus said, “For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” (Matthew 24:44-47)
Praise God as this is a blessing worth any suffering and pain. Moreover, this is part of what we can expect to gain if we are good and faithful servants of the kingdom to the end. However, reading on we will see that Jesus also gives us a warning, “But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day he does not anticipate and at an hour he does not expect. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:48-51) Many will say to this, “What? If I prayed the simple sinner’s prayer won’t I go to heaven no matter what? That is what I was told when I became a Christian! They told me, if you pray the prayer that you cannot lose your salvation. This is messed up, now you are telling me I have to do something more than pray the prayer? What about grace? Faith without works?”
Unfortunately, this argument will go on until it is too late because those who make this claim never really wanted to fully surrender their lives, they wanted a “get out of hell” insurance policy. Thus, in the end Jesus will tell them He never knew them. “By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.” (1 John 2:1-6)
