Rise in Christ

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
(1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

Meditation

This is a prophetic picture of what’s called the rapture. I happen to believe the rapture is imminent. In other words, it could happen at any moment. Some believers say they don’t believe in an imminent rapture because it gives Christians the excuse to just sit on their back sides and wait for Jesus. I am reminded of a scripture in the Epistle of James that says, “faith without works is dead, so I’m not going to sit by and wait for his call to come up. I am going to continue to work every day for the Lord and bring as many people as I can into his Kingdom.
There are also many who argue about the timing of the rapture. There are Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, and Post-Tribulation adherents. Whether I’m called up before, during or at the end of the Tribulation is not important. What matters is, if I am “in Christ” by following him, I will be taken up to meet him in the air. I’m not as concerned with the when as with the why. I know I don’t deserve to be removed from this earth to be with Jesus. I do know why I will be. Because the blood of Jesus has washed me clean.
Whether I’m alive or already in the grave, I will hear the Lord’s command to rise, as will all believers. Jesus could come in a hundred years or in the next minute. No, we don’t know the day or the hour when he will return, but we should be aware of the season we’re in. Jesus said when a certain set of things began to happen, to look up, because our redemption is near. There is nothing left on the prophetic calendar that has to happen before that set of things begins to happen.
Of course, we have to make the decision to follow Christ before we die, it’s too late after. No one gets a second chance. Not one soul will be able to give an adequate excuse why they failed to repent before they died. I pray everyone reading this has made the decision to follow Jesus, but if you haven’t and want to learn more, message me and I’ll help you however I can. I want everyone to know the peace that goes beyond understanding that I have gained through Jesus.




Daily Prayer

Jehovah God, we praise and glorify your holy name. We want to always be doing the good works of your kingdom. We are trying to patiently wait for the day Jesus will call us up to be with him. It is so hard because this world has become so corrupt and evil. We know from the prophetic scriptures that the evil will only increase and get worse and worse. Lord give us the words to say to those who don’t know you but need to. Give us a heart like Jesus for the lost, that they will be brought into your kingdom. Remind us, Lord, that we will see our loved ones that passed again when you’ve called them from the grave. Hallelujah, that we have this hope, not just to see long dead loved ones, but that we will then be with you for an eternity. Help us to reassure each other when the evil of this world overwhelms us. We love you, Lord, because you have loved us from the beginning of time. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

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