The Rapture, What's to Fear?

What causes fear in us at times regarding the rapture? Does our apprehension arise from its abrupt nature or its unexpected timing? Does the unknown or the supernatural cause anxiety to rise within us? Perhaps we do not want our dreams for this life to end so soon.

I suspect many of us at times can identify with a least a few of the above reasons.

Does Scripture give us any help to relieve our apprehensions and hesitations? Is there a way to look at the rapture that sparks delight and hopefulness rather than dread or even disdain?

I believe there is.

One of the most comforting pictures of the rapture in Scripture is that of the bridegroom coming for his bride. Both Jesus and the apostle Paul purposely used language to invoke images of the Jewish wedding customs of their day when speaking of Jesus’ return for His church.

The Marriage Covenant

Jewish marriages in the first century AD began with the groom making a covenant with his bride. The groom “would drink a cup of wine with her which sealed the covenant and he would pay the bridal price for her to the father.”[i] The bridal price ensured that the groom would follow through on the covenant.

Do you see the similarities with what Jesus did for us in purchasing our salvation on the cross? He paid the price with His blood so that we, His church, might become His bride.

Jesus’ words regarding the cup of wine He drank with His disciples in the upper room resemble those spoken by a groom sealing the marriage covenant with his bride, “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood . . .’”[ii]

The drinking of wine from a cup and the announcement of a covenant both spark images of the Jewish marriage customs as well as point to fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the new covenant.

The Announcement

Once he confirmed the marriage covenant with His bride, the groom announced he was going to prepare a place for his bride in his father’s house.[iii] He would not see his bride until he completed his work on the honeymoon chamber and returned for her.

Once he confirmed the marriage covenant with His bride, the groom announced he was going to prepare a place for his bride in his father’s house.

Jesus’ words in John 14:2-3 mimic this announcement of the bridegroom, “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

I believe Jesus purposely chose words to show how His actions resembled a groom leaving to prepare a place for his bride with a promise to someday return for her.

The Return of the Bridegroom

Similar to Jesus’ words regarding His return, the Jewish bridegroom returned later to take his bride back to the place he had prepared for her.

The Jewish groom enjoyed coming as a thief in the night to quickly snatch away his bride and take her back to his father’s house. He arrived at his bride’s home with much fanfare as his friends shouted and blew a shofar or trumpet to announce his surprise arrival. The groom then took his bride back to his father’s house for seven days.

In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul speaks of Jesus coming for His church with a shout or the “voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God” (v. 16). In John 14:2-3, Jesus stated that the purpose of His return for us will be to take us back to His Father’s house. There we will remain for seven years while the Great Tribulation takes place on the earth.

The Comforting Message for Us

The brides of Jesus’ day did not fear the arrival of the bridegroom. The bride looked forward to the surprise return of her bridegroom; this was an expected and exciting part of the wedding festivities.

This picture of the rapture provides much comfort for us because of the following reasons:

1. He's preparing a place for us!

Jesus is now preparing a place especially for us. This is frequently overlooked in teachings regarding the rapture.

We can be sure this place will be amazing beyond anything we can imagine. Jesus is designing and preparing it with our specific needs and desires in mind. The best five star hotels on earth cannot compare to the place Jesus is getting ready for us.

The rapture represents Jesus return to take us to the place He has prepared for us. We can be sure this place will be amazing beyond anything we can imagine.

The rapture represents Jesus return to take us to the place He has prepared for us. Would not the brides of Jesus’ day eagerly anticipated seeing the place their grooms had prepared for them?

2. The Rapture is a groom returning for His bride!

While the element of surprise in the rapture may alarm us at times, it helps to remember this was part of the excitement for Jewish weddings of the first century AD. The groom was not coming to harm his bride, but to take her home to begin their exciting adventure together.

Rather than be something to fear or even dread, the bride joyously anticipated the day when the groom would snatch her away and take her to his home. Her groom’s surprise appearance represented a key part of the love story they would share for the rest of their lives.

So it is with Jesus’ return. He’s taking us away from this life to something wonderful, to an eternity full of wonder and amazement, which we will enjoy in new immortal bodies that will never be subject to illness, pain, gaining, or death. Jesus is coming as a bridegroom coming for His bride; it’s an act of love to give us a much better life than we can imagine.

3. The Rapture will lead to much celebration!

Once the bride and groom had spent seven days together, the feasting began. They joined their attendants, friends, and invited guests for a huge celebration of their wedding.

This is in our future as well. Revelation 19:6-10 describes the “marriage supper of the lamb” that occurs in heaven before we return to earth with Jesus. Just as with the marriage celebrations of Jesus’ day, I do not believe this will be just a sit-down dinner lasting a few hours; it will last several days, at least!

4. It’s the alternative that should be frightening to us!

Here is where the comparison breaks down a bit. During the seven days the bride and groom spent together in the honeymoon suite, the bride’s attendants and friends of the groom began celebrating.

During the seven years we are with the Lord in heaven, however, the Great Tribulation will occur on earth. Evil will flourish. Humanity will experience God’s wrath as a final call to repentance. It will be a time of great suffering and much death upon the earth.

Whenever I am tempted to fear the Lord’s return, I think of the alternative. We will be sooooo much better off being with the Lord than remaining on the earth. I believe the “sudden destruction” mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 happens shortly after the rapture.

It’s the alternative of Jesus not coming for us that should frighten us. Jesus is coming to lovingly take us out of this world before the terrible judgments and destruction of the tribulation.

Truly, it’s the alternative of Jesus not coming for us that should frighten us. Jesus is coming to lovingly take us out of this world before the terrible judgments and destruction of the tribulation.

Just as with a groom coming for his bride, the rapture represents Jesus’ love for His church. Will Jesus’ return surprise us when it happens? Most likely! Will He in love tenderly welcome us to the place He has prepared us? We can count on that.

The wedding imagery of the rapture helps us see it as an act of love rather than something to fear or dread. It’s meant to change our perspective, to help us look forward to Jesus’ return for us with excitement rather than anxiety.

When anxious thoughts of the rapture creep into your thinking, remember it’s not about striving to replace fear with hope but of looking forward to Jesus’ appearing as a bride getting ready for her groom’s arrival.

Jesus does not want us to be afraid of His return for us but rather eagerly anticipate it as the beginning of eternity or our time in paradise. He’s coming to rescue us out of this world and take us to a place of amazing beauty and joy, beyond all we can imagine.

[i] Winston, Joy, Jewish Wedding Ceremony, Article on the Rapture Ready Website

[ii] 1 Corinthians 11:25

[iii] Winston, Joy, Jewish Wedding Ceremony, Article on the Rapture Ready Website

It's Coming, Possibly Soon

The small sign flashed through the darkness, “I80 Closed Ahead.”

Tired from almost 14 hours of traveling, I drove past both the sign and nearby exit before fully processing the message. I soon began telling myself the message couldn’t possibly be true. If the interstate was truly closed ahead, there would have been a much bigger sign warning of its closure. Besides, very few cars were getting off at the exit by sign. Like me, almost everyone else kept going. I also knew of another upcoming exit; I still had time to get off the highway before being stopped.

Within a few miles I saw the flashing lights of a police car and slowly rolled to a stop. Interstate 80 was closed!

As I reflect on my response to the warning sign that night, I realize many explain away God’s warnings in Scripture regarding the tribulation in much the same way. They drive past the way of escape offered through Jesus’ death on the cross thinking the world around them will never change. Almost everyone else is going their way, what could possibly go wrong?

Scripture repeatedly warns of a coming time of terrible tribulation upon the earth. The prophet Jeremiah referred to this period as “time of Jacob's trouble.”[i] Jesus Himself described a future time of great tribulation in Matthew 24:15-29 as He warned of terrible conditions on earth just before His return in glory. The book of Revelation provides alarming details of this time of God’s wrath yet to come upon the world.

The coming tribulation will affect everyone reading this post, possibly quite soon. Either you will be caught up to forever be with Jesus before it starts or witness the beginning of this terrible time of suffering on the earth.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

Today, we see signs of the coming Great Tribulation upon the earth everywhere. In Matthew 24:4-14, Jesus gave us signs of what the world would look like as this time of tribulation approached.

It’s almost as if Jesus opened a laptop and read current news stories from the Internet to His disciples when He spoke of the signs of the coming tribulation.

Today, we see these signs everywhere we look. It’s almost as if Jesus opened a laptop and read current news stories from the Internet to His disciples when He spoke of the signs of the coming tribulation. Here are a few of the signs we see of the coming Great Tribulation:

Earthquakes: Earthquakes are following this exact pattern as the number and severity of earthquakes have rapidly increased during the past 20 years.  They are increasing like birth pangs, exactly as Jesus predicted.

Wars: “Wars and rumor of wars” abound in today’s news stories. Just today I read a news item where "experts" say we are closer to WW III than at any time in the previous 60 years.

Persecution: Persecution of Christians worldwide continues to dramatically increase, just as Jesus said would happen ahead of the coming tribulation.

The Temple: Jesus spoke of a Jewish Temple that the antichrist would defile halfway through the tribulation. Signs of this coming temple appear almost every day. The Temple Institute is now training Levites to be priests and the Sanhedrin recently named the high priest for this temple.

One World Government: The framework for the one world government of the tribulation is already in place. Those planning this coming world order are not hiding their plans and agenda; it’s no secret as to what they are planning. By 2030 the elite plan to have this worldwide socialist order in place with all nations of the world under one leader.

There is an Exit

There was an exit by the sign that night that would have allowed me to miss the traffic jam on Interstate 80. In the same way, Jesus is our only way of escape from the coming wrath that will befall the world.

Jesus made it clear that He alone is “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through” Him.[ii] If you have never placed your faith in Jesus and His death on the cross for your sins, please do so before it is too late. Scripture promises that all who call upon “the name of the Lord will be saved.”[iii] Turn to Jesus; look to Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life. He is the only place of refuge in a world heading for calamity.

John 3:16 assures us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” These familiar words hold the promise of life for all who believe. Jesus died so that we might have eternal life.

The “I80 Closed Ahead” sign is flashing brighter than ever before in history. Do not make the same mistake with your eternal destiny that I made that night in ignoring the flashing sign and driving past the exit. My failure to heed the warning led to a temporal delay in getting home. Rejecting Jesus and His gracious offer of salvation will have eternal consequences far beyond the coming Great Tribulation.

Please understand this does not mean we desire to see suffering on the earth or the deaths of so many people as will occur during the tribulation. That is most definitely not our hope. Our hope is in Jesus' appearing and our desire is that as many people as possible find Him as their Savior before this time of tribulation begins.

I see God's hand of restraint in so many areas around the world. How much longer will He hold back the evil and destruction that seem ready to explode to an even greater degree in our nation and throughout the world?

Without Jesus’ intervention, however, the world is on a path to total self-destruction in which all human life will be lost.[iv] Jesus made it clear that without His return after the tribulation all life on earth would perish. God’s judgments during the tribulation will be warnings for people to repent, which millions of people will do and find eternal life in Him.

We do not know when Jesus will come for His church. I believe everything is in place for the tribulation to begin; it’s just a matter of time before God’s patience comes to an end and Jesus appears to take us home!

While things may seem bad now, Paul tells that the restrainer now actively works to hold back the antichrist until the time is right for the day of the Lord, or the tribulation to begin (see 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). When that happens, things will get much worse in our world in a big hurry.

I see God's hand of restraint in so many areas around the world. How much longer will He hold back the evil and destruction that seem ready to explode to an even greater degree in our nation and throughout the world?

[i] Jeremiah 30:7 (KJV)       [ii] John 14:6       [iii] Romans 10:13     [iv] See Matthew 24:22

Jesus' Appearing

I could think of nothing else.

I even tried extra cleaning around my house, but to no avail.

We met on eHarmony months earlier and now our relationship had turned into a romance. Ruth lived three hours away so sometimes weeks would go by without seeing her. But now she was on her way to see me and I eagerly awaited her arrival.

What if we anticipated the arrival of our Savior in a similar way?

The apostles taught New Testament believers to live in eager anticipation of Jesus’ appearing. This hope brought a joy-filled two-world perspective that not only transformed their daily lives, but enabled them to literally change the world.

Titus 2:11-13 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Paul characterized believers as recipients of grace who looked for the “blessed hope” of Jesus’ appearing.

The apostle reported this same connection with the Gospel on the part of the Thessalonians, “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:9-10). The natural consequence of turning away from idols to serve God was that of expectantly watching for the Lord’s appearing. In both verses above, Paul equates belief in the Gospel with an eager anticipation of Jesus’ return for His church.

A recent GEICO commercial portrays a spy fleeing from both armed men and a helicopter. His phone rings as his adversaries appear ready to capture him. Thinking the call is from those coming to rescue him; he answers the phone shouting “Where are you?” We then see and hear his mom calmly talking about squirrels in the attic after which the narrator says, “If you’re a mom, you call at the worst time. It’s what you do.” Reflecting on what Paul said in Titus and 1 Thessalonians, we might expect him to say something similar: “If you believe the Gospel message of grace, you live in expectancy of Jesus’ appearing. It’s what you do.”

Philippians 3:20 states, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” The word Paul used for “await” in this verse denotes “intense anticipation” and an “excited expectation” of a future event.[i] This word implies eagerness and even a longing in our hearts for a future event. The same word is used in Acts 17:16 of Paul’s restless longing for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him. After the apostle’s recent troubles in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, he very much desired to see them again. In Philippians, Paul applies this same deep longing to our anticipation of Jesus’ appearing.

The Apostle Peter instructs us to focus our hope entirely on the “grace” to be brought to us at Jesus’ appearing. “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Pet. 1:13). Jesus’ future appearing is our hope in this life. As believers, we focus our hope on the grace to be brought to us when Jesus appears to take us home. It’s what we do.

Our hope does not reside in anything in this life. Everything we see is fleeting and temporal. Earthly treasure can evaporate overnight. Politics and leaders continually disappoint us. Our hope resides solely in Jesus and His return to take us home to be with Him.

1 John 3:2-3 says, “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. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” When Jesus appears and we see His great glory, He will transform us to be like Him. This anticipation of Jesus’ appearing works to transform us, it purifies us.

From this sampling of verses, we see the apostles repeatedly direct the focus of our hope toward Jesus’ appearing. As believers, we wait in joyous anticipation of seeing Jesus face to face. Why would the apostles keep directing hope of the early church to Jesus’ return for His church if was not a possibility in their lifetimes? Nearly 2,000 years ago the early church waited with the realization they could see Jesus at any moment (see 1 Thess. 4:15). We walk in that same anticipation today; the delay has not diminished the reality of this hope or our anticipation of the joy of seeing our Savior face to face.

[i] Brown, Colin, editor, Dictionary of New Testament Theology Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969) p. 244.

(Excerpt from The Thrill of Hope)