Threshing Floor Tabernacle

And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us…He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words. I Thes 4:15-18 MSG

These words are timeless and precious! Until it happens, we anticipate its happening. The Rapture of the Church can take place at any moment and we ought to live on the edge of being “Rapture Ready”. It’s not an escapism mentality as some might say. It’s a living reality that Jesus said we ought to be ready for.

Caught Up – Harpazo: to seize, carry off by force; to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly; to snatch out or away.

But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery…We’re not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed…On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. I Cor 15:51-52 MSG.

Changed – Allasso: to change, to exchange one thing for another, to transform; to make different.

The reality of The Rapture is what moved the early Church to action in the face of opposition and is the incentive and motivation for Evangelism today. It’s the spark of urgency that keeps us ablaze in our hearts and active in our pursuit of souls. We should know and be mindful that the Lover of our soul will soon return to meet us in the air and our conduct ought to reflect this. We don’t know the times (chronos – space of time) or the seasons (kairos – fixed or definite time) but we know it’s going to happen. We want to get as many as possible saved before it happens. We live as if Jesus is coming today even as we plan for the future.

It’s not a scare tactic or fear mongering. It’s truth and we ought to live by it. The disciples preached the Resurrection of the Jesus and that He is coming back. Two Angels told the disciples that “this same Jesus…shall so come in like manner…. As time passed on, Peter had to remind the Saints, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise…But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night… II Pet 3:9, 10”. Why the analogy of a thief? Because it will happen when we don’t expect it. Thus we live everyday expecting it. Orthodox Jews live everyday expecting their Messiah to come. If He does not come today, He will come tomorrow…