The Rapture Is Imminent


Virgins going to meet the bridegroom

Jesus was explaining to his disciples how the conditions would be at the time of his coming. He stated that "His day" would come swift as lightning. He mentioned this so we would not be caught asleep, unaware that he is coming to rapture us. See the Parable of the Ten Virgins. 

In order to take us with him, He needs to do it very quickly, to avoid the opposition from Satan and the misguided people on this planet. Please see our files Thief in the Night and Swift as Lightning. Jesus also explained that not everybody would be taken, even from the same family. Notice that only half of the virgins are taken. Then He was asked where would the people be taken; look at His words:

Luke 17:24 For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
Luke 17:34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two upon one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 37 And they answered and said to him, Where, Lord? And he said to them, Where the body is, there also the eagles will be gathered together.

And interestingly, that is the end of that chapter of Luke. It is not discussed what happens to the elect after they are gathered together. To find the rest of the story we need to see two more books: the Book of Matthew and the Book of Revelation.

This is what we learn from the book of Matthew:
Matthew 24:27-29 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the body is, there the eagles will gather. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

In the book of Matthew, similarly as in the book of Luke, Jesus mentions that the eagles gather where the body is (Rapture). Then Jesus continues with the signs in the sun, moon, and stars. We interpret then that the rapture will occur before those signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Some Christians believe that the rapture is imminent, meaning it could occur at any time, and in this they are correct. The reason being is that, if Jesus were to give any signs, then it would not be true that He comes like a thief in the night -- when people are sleeping and unaware that the thief is coming.

We used to think that those signs in the sun, moon and stars were given before the rapture. We have now realized, that those signs will occur AFTER the rapture. Look again at Matthew 24:22-29. Verse 28 tells us the eagles congregate where the body is (that means the rapture). AFTER that, in verse 29 Jesus tells us about the signs in the sun, moon and stars. Which makes sense; in order for Jesus to come as a thief, the signs have to come after the rapture.

Now let us look at the book of Revelation.

The sequence given is:
1 the tribulation
2 the signs in the sun, moon and stars

Revelation 6:10-11 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, not do you judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Revelation 6:12-13 And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind.

The rapture is NOT mentioned in this part of the book of Revelation. If it were told, then the Devil would have an idea of when the rapture would occur, and this info must be concealed. See our file Thief in the Night. The Christians are taken to heavenly abodes (rapture) BEFORE the signs in the sun, moon, and stars.

It is only a while later that we find about the group that has been taken from the earth (rapture.)

Revelation 7:9-10 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying with a great voice, saying, 'The salvation is to Him who is sitting upon the throne -- to our God, and to the Lamb!' 

Two verses later, one of the elders says to the apostle John:

Revelation 7:13-14 "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?" I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

Therefore, chapter seven of the book of Revelation tells us that this group who is in heaven has been saved from the tribulation. We should remember, that the signs in the moon, sun and stars occur after the tribulation (Matthew 24:29).

Chapter 12 of the book of Revelation is a synopsis of the history of Israel. Here the apostle John talks about the rapture with a language similar to the book of Matthew and the book of Luke -- eagles being gathered together. The book of Revelation says that the woman is given the two wings of a great eagle so she can fly to her place, away from the face of the serpent. This is the rapture. Please see our file - Woman with 12 Stars.

Revelation 12:14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, away from the face of the serpent.

In conclusion, there will be a persecution of Christians which is already going on in many countries. This is the final stage of the Great Tribulation in the Cosmos. God will cut short that persecution by taking the Christians out of this earth in the rapture because the tribulation that Jesus mentions is so severe that no flesh would remain alive anywhere in the cosmos if He did not intervene and cut it short. Pray that God takes us soon in the rapture.

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