The Rapture of the Church is a sign-less event that could happen at any moment. The Rapture is the deliverance of the Church Age believers.
– The Rapture is imminent (1 Thess 4:16-17). – It will be sudden, with no warning signs (1 Cor 15:51 52). It will occur “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”. – Church Age believers are to live in expectation of this “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13).
In the last days from the Pentecost to the Rapture, there will be signs of earthquakes, wars and social decadence (1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Tim 3:1-5). These are nothing compared to the signs mentioned in Matthew 24 and are more fully elaborated in Revelation 4-19. The signing of the strong covenant between Israel and the Antichrist marks the start of the seven-year Tribulation. This period of God’s wrath is also called Jacob’s Trouble, Daniel’s 70th week or the Tribulation of 7 years. During this period, there will be Tribulation saints who will experience the signs found in Matthew 24:3-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and Revelation 6-19.
During the 7 years, there will five cosmic blackouts. There will also be the 7 seals, 7 trumpets and 7 bowls of judgments. These are the outpourings of the wrath of God the Father and of the Lamb onto the earth-dwellers.
The Return or Second Coming of Christ will happen at the end of the 7 years of Tribulation.
This implies that we, the Church Age believers, must:
- Live in readiness (1 John 3:2-3; Hebrews 10:25).
- Share the gospel with unbelievers when-ever the door is open.
- Pray for the persecuted Christians when-ever you hear of them.
Elder Yoong Yuen Soo
