The Rapture in the Bible

November 3, 2014 Gracie

Rapture? What’s the Rapture?

My first exposure to the idea of a rapture came was when I was a teenager. I was driving behind another car and saw a strange bumper sticker on the car in front of me. It said that once the rapture occurred, that car would be “unmanned.”

Huh? That didn’t make any sense to me at the time.

Well that, if it was true, could result in a huge traffic jam, right? What a mess!

I also felt a little left out.

the holy rapture in the Bible

What did that person know that I didn’t?

The rapture was never talked about during my childhood years nor in any grade school class, high school religion class, or in college.

It’s such a significant event and yet no religious instructor ever mentioned or taught about it. Sad, huh?

I could look back at that with some regret, but I realize now that only God has perfect timing. My learning about the Bible and the holy rapture happened at the exact time in my life that it was supposed to. Praise God!

I Get It Now and I Want You to Get It too!

Once I became saved, the rapture became a source of reverent fascination for me, as it has for many other Christians. I’m intrigued (being a former tv reporter, it’s in my blood) by how the News networks will try to explain away this glorious and very real future event. I’ve even researched how the media will try and explain it away. Some writers theorize that the mysterious disappearance of Christians in the future can be blamed on an alien invasion or something crazy like that. (I’m shaking my head right now.)

Regardless, scripture tells us that we’re not to stress about it or even get wrapped up in the timing of when this blessed event will happen. There are certainly telltale signs that our world is sinking fast so the speculation of when the rapture in the Bible will occur continues.

I could write about why I’m a pre-Tribulation believer, but instead I’d rather share a lesson I heard this morning during my Bible study. Every morning I try and listen to a sermon when I’m getting ready for work.

I think Pastor Jeff Schreve describes the end times very well and I wanted to share his sermon with you. He’s an excellent speaker, so please enjoy.

Part 1:

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/from-his-heart/listen/what-does-the-future-hold-pt-1-428169.html

Part 2:

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/from-his-heart/listen/what-does-the-future-hold-pt-2m-428171.html

If you have questions about the rapture in the Bible, I hope these videos are helpful to you.

In the meantime, as believers we can rest in the knowledge that Christ will come again and all will be made right with the world and, in His perfect timing. The rapture is something I’m looking forward to.

the rapture in the Bible

Praise the Lord!

The End Times

One Day Closer

October 24, 2023 Gracie

We Are One Day Closer

Israel-Hamas War

No doubt, you’ve seen the awful headlines, but does the Israel-Hamas war signal that our generation is living in the End Times?

The disturbing images and reports on the news are horrific, including the mass murder of women, children, and the elderly.

We are witnessing blatant evil and depravity.

Reading the words of our Savior, we learn that Jesus taught His disciples about birth pains and the end times events to come.

It’s hard to miss the fact that countries are lining up against Israel, as prophesied.

But, there’s a big problem when people engage in date-setting and, in some cases, write books about specific dates.

Jesus said to His followers in Mark 13:

³²But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

³³“Watch out, stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. – Mark 13:32-33, (NASB).¹

“No one knows” means exactly that – “no one knows!”

No book author, Christian preacher, false teacher, or church knows exactly when the glorious return of Jesus Christ (His Second Coming) will happen.

If God wanted us as His creation to know, He would have told us.

The Rapture hasn’t even happened yet.

The Church is still here.

Here’s what we do know for sure about God’s timing . . . we are 100% guaranteed, no question, absolutely sure that we are one day closer.

That’s it.

We are one day closer, and Jesus’ return is near – er.

Until His return, the horrific events we are witnessing in the headlines (and more to come) are the result of living in a fallen world.

The world needs Jesus!

Photo by Elianna Gill on Unsplash

One Day Closer, But Why Don’t We Know the Date?

Why didn’t God tell us the date?

God is sovereign.

Only He knows the big picture of events – the beginning and the end.

Since we don’t know the time or date, we should always be ready.

The verse quoted above from Mark 13 is clear – in essence, “stay alert.”

On the one hand, it serves as a vivid reminder that the things of this world are temporary (cf. 2 Peter 3:11–13; 1 John 2:15–17; 3:2–3), and that the redeemed are citizens of an eternal kingdom that is yet to be revealed on earth when the Lord comes in glory (Phil. 3:20–21; Heb. 11:16). On the other hand, it provides a compelling motivation for believers to proclaim the glorious gospel of Christ to those who are perishing, so that they might be saved from the impending judgment of God (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20–21; 2 Peter 3:14–15). – as quoted in preceptaustin.org.²

In the meantime, please pray for the release of the hostages in this brutal war.

We should also continue to pray for God’s will to be done, and that what we’re seeing on the world stage will bring the unsaved around the world to Christ.

It’s only through Jesus Christ, as His Elect, we will have eternal security and safety.

³⁵Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶Just as it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:35-39, (NASB).³

Come, Lord Jesus.

# # #

²Precept Austin quotation is from the Mark 13 Commentary, [2023] Courtesy of Precept Austin, Subheading, “Watch For Him” Web. Accessed 21 October, 2023.

Our Exceptional God

Distractions in the Skies

June 20, 2023 Gracie

Distractions In The Skies – Do You Believe in UFOs?

If you’ve watched the news lately, then you’ve probably heard that UFOs (commonly known as Unidentified Flying Objects) are back in the headlines again.

There’s another name for them too – UAP, which stands for Unexplained Anomalous Phenomenon.

No matter what you call them, this fascination with mysterious UFO/UAP sightings has reached a fever pitch lately.

Several television shows, YouTube videos, and more are dedicated to the hunt for extraterrestrials – all of which encourage viewers to believe the idea that “aliens are among us.”

So, do you believe?

While you’re pondering, let’s take a look at how popular that question is.

One sample on a popular search engine produced over 225,000 results for the query, “Do UFOs exist?”

Granted, there are some very compelling accounts from people claiming to have seen UFOs overhead, and now viral reports of a recent sighting in a family’s backyard.

Fascinating indeed, but as Christians, here’s where we need to pause.

Distractions to our Faith

Don’t we have enough distractions to our faith?

I’m not here to prove or disprove the existence of UFOs. I’m not an expert on those things.

However, my objective here is to issue a sincere warning instead.

Let’s start with Scripture.

Check out this verse from Ephesians where Paul instructs them to put on the full armor of God to protect them from spiritual warfare.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. – Ephesians 6:10-11, (NASB).¹

Whether we’re talking about the mid-50’s AD, or our current day in 2023, nothing has changed. The Evil One has not gone away.

As believers, we’re to be ready for spiritual warfare, and this includes the battle for our minds and hearts.

UFOs and UAP Distractions in the Skies

UFOs and UAPs – are they simply aberrations, or real sightings?

Whatever they are – the bottom line is that they are not of God.

It’s heartbreaking that so many people will easily reject the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (actual historical facts), and yet without question, believe in aliens coming here from outer space.

I remember some research I did awhile back which indicated that when Christians are raptured, a world in chaos will try to explain this “taking away” of millions of believers.

Considering what we know about space and life and the world as the Bible portrays it, we already have an explanation for so-called alien activity on Earth. Reports of “close encounters” describe the ethereal, transient, deceptive, and malevolent. Accounts also record that encounters with supposed aliens can be stopped by a real, authentic call to Jesus. Everything points to the activity of demons, not extraterrestrials. In fact, it is plausible that the “powerful delusion” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:11will involve an alien-abduction theory to explain away the rapture. – Got Questions.org.²

We must be discerning as we hear news reports about more signs and wonders that are sure to come in the years ahead.

As intriguing as these phenomena are, they are also demonic distractions to our spiritual walk.

We were forewarned about this in Scripture.

However, despite the dark times up ahead for us as Christians, there is Good News.

No – it’s great news!

Our redemption draws near.

# # #

²Quotation from gotquestions.org, from “How would it impact the Christian faith if it was discovered that aliens exist? n.d., para. 6. Web. Accessed June 19, 2023. Demonic in origin

Our Exceptional God

Above Reproach in a Perverse Generation

May 2, 2023 Gracie

Living Above Reproach in a Perverse Generation

Have you ever seen those large domino displays where the builder purposely topples the first domino and the rest, sometimes thousands of them, fall over in a precise pattern?

Interestingly enough, it can take hours, even days, to build one of those displays.

I can see a correlation with today’s world.

Undeniably, we’re in a spiritual war between Good and Evil.

Attacks on our faith (once unheard of in America) are now becoming more commonplace.

There are so many examples of this – too numerous to list them all.

We are seeing man’s rebellion against God played out on the world stage.

Did you ever think our country would sink this far?

Man continues to try to elevate himself above God, following a secular humanist worldview.

People drift from generation to generation, and the morally unthinkable becomes thinkable as the years move on. – Francis Schaefer, theologian and apologist.¹

Christians are to be lights in the world, but how can we live for Him and glorify His name in a perverse generation such as this?

Is there any hope that we can help win souls for Christ while living in what amounts to a house of cards?

Courageous Faith Above Reproach

As the Bible clearly tells us, our hope and assurance is in our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. – 1 Peter 1:3-5, (NASB).²

We are at a pivotal point in human history.

This entire world, under divine judgment, will continue to fall into chaos.

This sets the stage for the Antichrist to establish his deceptive peace plan.

In the meantime, never lose hope.

We are to be shining lights to a dark world.

The beginning signs of Christ’s return are all around us, as prophesied.

But, we can take heart.

God has not forgotten us.

At God’s appointed time, we will be removed during the Rapture of the Church to be with Him forever.

Christian – Your Name is in His Book

In the Book of Malachi, we see an example of God’s provision for His people who were living in perilous times.

The prophet assured the Israelites that the Lord had not forgotten them.

¹⁶Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened attentively and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and esteem His name. ¹⁷“And they will be Mine,” says the Lord of armies, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will have compassion for them just as a man has compassion for his own son who serves him.” ¹⁸So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. – Malachi 3:16-18, (NASB).³

By extension of His love and grace, our unchangeable God has also not forgotten you and me.

God has a Book and in that Book are the people who belong to Him and none of them are going to get washed up in the Judgment. This is important because we have to understand that we are living in a Romans 1 world of judgment. This is how it is, but we are His. We are His own possession. – Pastor John MacArthur, Pastor and Bible teacher from Grace To You.⁴

In these difficult times that we’re living in, we’re to encourage each other.

Everything is falling exactly into place.

As God’s Word tells us, we are to “live above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world . . . ” (Philippians 2:14-17)

No politician or religious figurehead can fix the world’s problems.

Jesus . . . only Jesus.

# # #

¹ Francis August Schaeffer, (1912-1984), evangelical Christian and theologian. Courtesy of azquotes.com. Accessed April 25, 2023.

⁴From MacArthur, Pastor John, “Living In A Perverse World (Philippians 2:12-16)” Courtesy of Grace to You. YouTube Podcast, [14:18- 14:45]. July 14, 2022. Web. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/eSXzUDh7o60

Our Exceptional God

Christian Voices Needed

March 22, 2022 Gracie

Immediate Openings: Christian Voices Needed

Is there any doubt that the world is on a downward spiral?

Crime rates are skyrocketing and traditional family values are mocked just about everywhere.

Family Values

And, as crazy as this sounds, even some of our churches across the country are bowing to the god of secular humanism.

These are just a few of the disturbing signs of the times.

There are so many examples of our nation’s descent into apostasy, trying to make a numbered list would be impossible.

Come Lord Jesus!

Until that blessed day when Christians are raptured, it might be tempting to hole up in our homes to avoid the chaos outside.

But we can’t.

Not only are we to respectfully engage this fallen culture (of which we are a part of), but also to point them to Christ.

Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16, (NASB).¹

To clarify, our enduring faith, no matter what, is a reflection of His Goodness and Glory.

In a sense, we are like beacons in a very dark place pointing a lost world to Him.

We can’t be warriors for Christ by silently hiding out in our homes all the time.

That is to say, we must get involved.

Be the salt and light.

Christian voices needed now!

Christian voices needed

Be sure to run for city government, become involved in your school system, witness to the community, have a vacation Bible school for the children of the area, bring them in and let us together witness to our faith in the midst of this culture. – Dr. Edwin Lutzer, Pastor Emeritus²

Heated Spiritual Battle

Have you noticed that there are no winners in political debates? There’s no respectful exchange of ideas anymore.

Each “side” has their pundits and, no matter what, will criticize the opponent.

Even so, we must continue to vote for Godly values and show a dying world their need for Christ.

We can get bogged down in who is right, we can get arguing in the political arena, we can do all sorts of things. But remember, this is a bigger war that we’re talking about and God hasn’t come to take sides. He’s come to take over. He says listen the battle is mine. I’m calling my people to it. I expect them to be fighting the cause of sin and to be, above all, winning souls for Christ. Because, when you win souls for Christ, they stop having abortions. When you win souls for Christ, they get into government and make good rules. When you win souls for Christ, they stop killing each other. When you win souls for Christ, they have the power to overcome their drug habit, so let’s be careful not at all to put down involvement. – Jill Briscoe, Author and Bible teacher. ³

Given these points, we can’t afford to be couch potatoes.

Instead, pray for opportunities.

God will answer.

# # #

²Edwin Lutzer, Pastor Emeritus Moody Church, quotation courtesy of Cross Radio Network. From “When The State Becomes God”, [Podcast]. Accessed 17 March, 2022. Web. Retrieved from https://www.thecrossradio.com/show/running-to-win-erwin-lutzer/38690/

³Jill Briscoe quotation courtesy of TellingTheTruth.org. From “Deborah – How To Fight Your Battles.” Podcast, [20:31-21:32]. n.d., Web. Accessed March 16, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.tellingthetruth.org/listen/message?mid=96bce48d-2b10-4bcb-8553-82c848aa23d6

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