Are You Watching And Ready
For JESUS’ Return?
Do you believe in the
Rapture or Catching Away of The Church at the beginning of the Great
Tribulation? Sorry that is not going to happen! The Rapture will happen at the
Last Trumpet, The Day JESUS CHRIST returns to the earth to start His 1000 year
Reign over the nations. Please study these Scriptures: Matthew 24:29-31; Mark
13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28; 1 Corinthians 15:50-55 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1
John 2:28-3:3; Revelation 11, 14, 16 and 19.
The Church is going to be Raptured or Caught Up to JESUS just
before the Bowls of GOD’s Wrath are poured out on the nations (Revelation 14:15-18
and15-16). JESUS did not tell us that we have to endure to the end (Matthew
10:22, 24:13 [Mark 13:13]) or to overcome (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12,
21) to be saved (not salvation from death and hell, but to be saved from GOD’s
Wrath that is to be poured out on the nations of the earth) if there was
nothing to be overcome or to endure!
“By your patience possess your souls.” Luke 21:19, what does
that mean? Study The last 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation: Matthew 24:15-28;
Mark 13:14-23; Luke 21:19-28; Revelation 11, 13 ,14:1-13; 15, 16.
There is much talk among the pre-tribulation rapturists about
there is no mention of the Church in Revelation after Chapters 4 or 5. What?
In chapter 5 the 24 Elders are Christians who have been
promoted, The Church is in Heaven and on the earth until the Eternal Kingdom of
Revelation in chapters 21 and 22. There is only One Body of CHRIST – The
Church, since JESUS’ Resurrection, it is both in Heaven in GOD’s presence and
on the earth doing the Work of His Kingdom (Matthew 22:32-33; John 14:1-5; 2
Corinthians 5:1-11). In Revelation 6:9-11 the martyrs cry out to GOD; chapter
7:9-10 a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and tongue are
worshiping GOD in Heaven; chapter 8:3-4 the prayers of the saints are being
lifted up to Heaven; chapter 9:1-12 the locusts plague is only for those who
have taken the mark of the beast, if there were no Christians why make this
distinction? Chapter 11 the 2 Witnesses, are they not part of The Church?
Chapter 12:13-17, the devil seeing he is defeated in Heaven and has only a
short time is going after The Church, this will not end until he is bound for
1000 years during CHRIST’s reign over the nations, even then he will be let
loose for a season to raise up another army of people who do not want to serve
GOD; the devil is not finally stopped until the Great White Throne Judgment of
Revelation 19:11-15. Chapter 13:7-8 the antichrist and the false prophet make
war with the saints; chapter 14 the 144,000 Hebrew men who serve JESUS they are
part of The Church, “Here is the patience of The Saints, here are those who
keep the commandments of GOD and the Faith of JESUS. Then I heard a voice from
Heaven saying to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are the dead who die in The LORD from now
on”’ ‘Yes,’ says The SPIRIT, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their
works follow them.’” Revelation 14:12-13. Then comes the Rapture (Revelation 14:14-16)
and The Wrath of GOD (Revelation 14:17-20).
Some say those who did not really believe are left behind at
the Rapture and they become the Church during the Great Tribulation. If all the
“True Christians” get raptured at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, who
is going to disciple the now want to be “Real Christians” during the Great Tribulation?
That was ok for the book series and movies but it does not play out in real
life. Those who believed they are a Christian because they said a prayer at
some point in their life and that they should have been Raptured, for the most
part are not suddenly going to want to serve GOD according to the Bible, which
they do not know anything about.
What actually will happen is that many if not most of those
who believe in and depend on the Rapture at the beginning of the Great
Tribulation, when they find out that there is no Rapture at the beginning and
that they have to go through the Great Tribulation they are going to revolt
against GOD. Those who taught the Rapture at the beginning of the Great
Tribulation will apologize trying to tell everyone they made a mistake and the
Rapture will come in the middle of the Great Tribulation (Which it will not!),
before it gets really bad. They will be mock and attack, even physically those
who lied to them – many people are going to be very mad and want to extract
revenge on those who lied to them; and non-Christians are going to jump on the
bandwagon attacking Christianity and The Bible.
Pretribulation rapturists also quote this Scripture “Unless
The LORD had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for The Elect’s
sake, whom He Chose, He shortened the days.” Mark 13:20 “The Elect” is The
Church, The body of CHRIST in the earth; “no flesh” is all humanity, even The
Elect. I am not sure how this reflects on the Rapture but it does speak of
GOD’s desire not to torture His creation and to save as many as possible (Ezekiel
33:11-12; 2 Peter 3:7-9).
Now about GOD shortening the time, remember that GOD invented
time and is not bound by it as we are. Out of the 6000 years of humanities rule
(which Adam surrendered to the devil practically at the beginning and is almost
over), 7 years of Great Tribulation is a very short time and 3 ½ years is
extremely short; surly “True Christians” can “…overcome him (the devil) by The
Blood of The Lamb, and by word of their testimony, and they did not love their
lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11
All that was the introduction to the meat of this teaching,
Are you watching and ready for JESUS’ Return (Second coming)? Since there is no
Rapture at the beginning of the Great Tribulation are you ready? Have you
prepared for when you cannot go to the market to buy food, or to the pharmacy
to buy medicines, or rent an apartment, etc.? It’s going to be bad enough at
the beginning when you are hated for being a Christian, when you lose your job,
get beat up by anti-christians, or any number of things that can be done to you
and your family just because you are a Christian. Many nominal Christians are
going to fall away during this time, study the parables of the sower Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke
8:4-15.
In Matthew 24:45-25:30 JESUS gives us 3 parables of being
faithful and ready for His Return.
In Matthew 24:32-44; Mark 13:28-32 and Luke 21:29-38 JESUS gives us two parables
of watching and being ready for His Return.
In Matthew 25:31-46 JESUS tells us what is going to happen at
His Return to the nations that survive.
JESUS told us we would have trials, tribulations, tests and
persecutions all through our life as a Christian and He warns us how much worse
it will be during the Great Tribulation. So are you preparing for the Great
Tribulation? JESUS told us to know the signs of the times, prepare for His
coming and to watch for His coming so that we are not caught off guard. Matthew
24:36-51 “…Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour (watch of the night)
your LORD is coming…Therefore you also be ready, for the son of Man is coming at
an hour you do not expect…Blessed is that servant whom his Master, when he
Comes, will find so doing; Matthew 25:1-13 and Luke 12:35-48 “…Watch therefore,
for you know neither the day nor the hour in which The Son of Man is coming.”
“Then He also said to the multitudes, ‘Whenever you see a
cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, “A shower is coming”; and so
it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, “There will be hot
weather”; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of
the earth, but how is it that you do not discern this time?’” Luke 12:54-56
“Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and testing Him, asked
that He would show them a sign from Heaven. He answered and said to them, ‘When
it is evening you say, “It will be fair weather for the sky is red”; and in the
morning, ”It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.”
Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern
the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign,
and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.’ And He left them
and departed.” Matthew 16:1-4 (Mark 8:11-12) Now the sign they wanted was some
miracle to convince them He was the Son of GOD, JESUS wanted them to recognize
the signs of Scripture being fulfilled.
Remember, JESUS said that He was coming back “as a thief in
the night”, but only to those who are not watching and ready for His Return. If
you are watching for His Return by doing what He has given you to do (and GOD
has given every person a calling in His Kingdom on the earth), if you are studying
the signs of the time in which we live, if you are seeking His Kingdom and
Righteousness before everything else. Then you will not be surprised when He
returns.
But if you believe that you are going to be rescued
(raptured) before the Great Tribulation, then you probably are not preparing
for the Great Tribulation, so your experience will be even worse than if you
made basic preparations for surviving a pending catastrophic storm.
Study these parables, it does not end well for the servants who
lose track of the signs of JESUS’ Return, back slid into sin or just did
nothing. Even some will be busy doing the Works of The Kingdom as they want to
do it and miss out on Eternity, Matthew 7:13-29, 15:7-20. GOD is serious, when
JESUS says things like, “If you put your hand to the plow and look back, you
are not fit for The Kingdom of GOD.” Luke 9:57-62 Or “If you love father,
mother, siblings, spouse or children more than Me, you are not worthy of Me.” Matthew
10:37-39, what do you think He means?
JESUS said that many are called and few chosen (Matthew 7:13-14,
20:16, 22:14) what does that mean? “For GOD so Loved the world that He sent His
Only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have Everlasting
Life. He did not send His Son into the world to Condemn the world but that the
world through Him might be saved.” “To those who believed in Him He gave the
Right to be the Children of GOD, to those who were born not of the flesh but of
GOD.” (my paraphrase of John 3:16-17 and John 1:12-13) This is what JESUS was
trying to get Nicodemus to understand in John 3:1-15. Everybody is called to be
saved! But not everyone will except the Gift of Salvation.
To be of those who are chosen we must keep GOD’s and JESUS’
commandments, yes JESUS gave us about 50 commandments (though I’ve never tried
to find them all myself). GOD gave the Hebrews the Torah with all its
commandments, of which The Ten Commandments applies to all humanity (Exodus
20:1-17). Here are just a few of JESUS’ commandments: “Love your enemies, do
good to those who spitefully use you.” (Matthew 5:43-48) “Lay down your life,
take up your cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34-38) “If you keep My Commandments
you will be My disciples indeed and you will know the Truth and the Truth will
set you free.” (John 8:31-36) “Unless you repent you will perish.” (Luke
13:1-5) and the most important commandment of JESUS, The Great Commission Mark
16:14-18.
Are you ready for His Return at the end of the Great
Tribulation?
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