If you knew the Rapture was going to happen today, what would you do? Would you do anything different than you normally would? Maybe read the Bible more? Get on your knees and pray? Would you call up a family member to warn them? Go tell a neighbor? How would you prepare for the rapture?
The truth is, there is no way to prepare for the Rapture, because we don’t know when it will occur. Jesus said it will happen suddenly, like a thief in the night who comes to break into your home. We don’t know when Jesus will come to snatch away His Church, but we do know that the time is advancing at an amazing rate. We also know that there will be no warning to let us know when it will happen. Someone once said that we need to plan for a hundred years – but live like it can happen today.
In 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, the Bible says, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (NKJV)
The Rapture will happen in the twinkling of an eye. How long is the twinkling of an eye? That answer has been debated as to the exact amount of time, but a conservative answer is 5.19 milliseconds. Well, how long is that? A thousand milliseconds are equal to one second, so 5.19 milliseconds are about 1/2 half of 1/10 of a second. That’s crazy fast! At the time of rapture, believers will disappear in the twinkling of an eye. They will be here one second and gone the next.
We know the Rapture must be soon as prophecy is being fulfilled almost daily. The countdown began on May 14, 1948, with the rebirth of Israel. Never in the history of mankind has a nation been destroyed and the people scattered around the world, only to return to their original land. That has happened with Israel twice. In 586 BC Judah, the southern capital of Israel, fell to Babylon and the people were deported. Israel as a nation was destroyed, gone from the face of the map. Yet, 70 years later, they were restored by the sovereign hand of God. He moved upon Cyrus, the king of Persia to allow the Jews return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. It took about 110 years under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah to complete the return of the people of Zion. That was the first miracle of rebirth.
And then, in 70AD, Israel was again decimated, this time by the Roman General Titus. Over a million Jews were killed and the rest scattered around the world. They remained dispersed for almost 1900 years…. that is, until May 14, 1948. On that day, the mandate the British government held over that part of the Middle East expired. David Ben-Gurion, the political leader of Israel boldly declared Israel a nation that day. Immediately, President Harry Truman recognized Israel as a nation, and other countries followed suit. Hence, the nation was reborn in a day! Both of those events were prophesied years before by the prophet Isaiah. (Read Isaiah11:11-12; 66:7-8.) God knew Israel would fall to Babylon and the Roman Empire – and yet, He foretold they would be restored as a nation. In Matthew 24, Jesus said the generation that witnessed the rebirth of Israel would not pass away before His return. That would be this generation. We are living in what many call, “the terminal generation.”
In 1989 the “Iron Curtain,” that Russia built at the end of WW2 to prevent people from leaving the country, came down, and in 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed. Those two events enabled 1.7 million Russian Jews to make their “Aliya” (immigration) to Israel. In recent years, Ethiopian Jews have also returned – as well as Jews from all over the world, 9.49 million in all – to repopulate the Biblical homeland of Israel. All of that was prophesied years ago through the prophet Jeremiah. (See Jeremiah 16:14-17; 31:7-9)
Since the rebirth of Israel, there have been seventy to eighty signs that point to the Rapture. Here are just a few… The Hebrew language has been restored as the official language of Israel. (Zephaniah 3:9) Many cite the European Union Alliance, (November 1, 1993), as the restoration of the Roman Empire. Recently, fish have appeared in the Dead Sea. (Ezekiel 47:10) A tributary of the Dead Sea turned red on Yom Kippur 2021 in the area formerly known as Sodom and Gomorrah. Is this a modern-day sign from God? It was the first sign God gave through Moses to warn the Egyptians to let His people go. (Exodus 7:14-25) Foxes have now appeared on the Temple Mount. The initial sighting occurred in August 2019, and Jewish rabbis declared that had to happening before the Temple could be rebuilt. (See Micah 3:12; Lamentations 5:18; Zechariah 8:4)
Five spotless red heifers were transported from Texas to Israel on September 15, 2015. According to Numbers 19:1-10, the ashes of the red heifer were to be used in rites of purification. Nine red heifers have been used for this purpose. The Jews believe number ten will be sacrificed by the Messiah. The Temple Mount Institute in Jerusalem is preparing to perform animal sacrifices once again. All the instruments and utensils have been made, and priests are now being trained to serve in the Temple.
As of 2019, there are 39 species of predatory birds now in Jerusalem. Could this again be another prophetic sign of the end of the age. (See Ezekiel 39:4, 39:17; Revelation 19:17-21.) In Matthew 16:3, Jesus chastised the people because they discerned the face of the sky – but not the signs of the times. That also seems to be the case today as many are ignorant of these signs.
Other prophetic passages are being fulfilled almost daily. Major pieces of the puzzle are being put in place as prophesied in Scripture. Nations are forming political alliances as spoken of in the book of Ezekiel. Russia, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Turkey is forming a political pact. (See Ezekiel 38 – names have changed in modern times.) Some believe Germany could also become part of the alliance although it doesn’t seem likely today.
Digital currency is on the rise and ready to take global control of buying and selling. That will prepare the way for the mark of the beast. (Revelation 13:16.) Technological developments are exploding at an incredible rate with new discoveries in communication, information, transportation, and weapons. Social reconstruction is spreading world-wide, as socialism is expanding to overtake and eventually erase capitalism. That also includes “democratic socialism,” the underlying agenda of liberalism in America.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be the biggest threat to take over the world. Stephen Hawking, the brilliant physicist and cosmologist warned about the development of AI. He said that it could spell the end of the human race – saying it would supersede human intelligence. Many working in that field would agree. The Bible warns us that these things will happen as we approach the end of the age.
In Daniel 12: 4, Daniel was told by Michael the Arc-angel to shut up the words of prophecy until the end of the age. “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel understood that at the end of the age, travel and knowledge would increase.
Until the 1900’s, the average person could travel 20-30 miles a day by horse. Today, however, it is possible for a person to travel 10,000 miles in a day on modern jets. Knowledge has likewise increased – exponentially. At the beginning of the 20th Century, knowledge had doubled approximately every 100 years. As of this year, 2023, knowledge in some areas is doubling every month or two. The prophets are warning us that we are living in the last days.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, we are told, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (NKJV)
The Rapture will happen in the twinkling of an eye, and those who long for His appearance will make themselves ready to meet the Lord in the air. (Revelation 19:7) In Matthew 25, Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins, where five were wise and five were foolish. They all had oil in their lamps, but the foolish ones did not have any extra oil and were not prepared for the delay in His return. When trying to share about the Rapture, we often hear people say, “Oh, people have been saying that for years… after all, didn’t people believe that Hitler was the anti-Christ?” With this kind of thinking, many will not be ready!
There will be no final warning before the rapture; no further cosmic or prophetic events need to take place. So, when it happens, there will be no opportunity for people to get right with the Lord. It will happen suddenly, when people least expect it. Jesus said it will be like in the days of Noah before the flood. People will be eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage – until the day that God shut the door of the ark. (Matthew 24:37-39)
Those who don’t know Jesus will be living like those in the days of Noah. They will be totally unaware of what is about to happen, indulging in a life of sin with no concern about their eternal destiny. Daniel also prophesied that the wicked will become more wicked, and the righteous will become more righteous. (Daniel 12:10) This is another sign of the end times: Those who know the Lord will be pursuing righteousness and holiness, without which no one will know the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)
In Philippians 2:12-13, Paul writes, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (NKJV) We are never told to work for our salvation, but we are told to “work out” our salvation. What does that mean? It means that we need to take seriously our relationship with God. It is not something to take lightly or to ignore. (Hebrews 2:1-4) So, we shouldn’t let the world distract us from whole-hearted devotion to Him, because He promised that if we, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things [the necessities of this life] shall be added to [us].” (Matthew 6:33) Our walk with the Lord should be our highest priority in life.
In Philippians 3:20-21 we are told our citizenship is in heaven. “But we are a colony of heaven on earth as we cling tightly to our life-giver, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our humble bodies and transfigure us into the identical likeness of his glorified body. And using his matchless power, he continually subdues everything to himself.” (TPT) This present earth is not our home; we are just camping out in tents. Our new home awaits us, along with our new bodies. As for now, we are being prepared to co-rule with Christ in the new world. Scripture tells us we will one day judge the angels. (1 Corinthians 6:3)
The only way to prepare for the Rapture is to live ready. Knowing that at any time we could meet the Lord in the air. So, let’s take the advice of the apostle Paul and “work out our salvation with fear and trembling,” knowing that God is at work and us “both to will and to do for his good pleasure!”
Are you ready to meet the Son of God in all His glory?
