The Rapture: Any Moment Could Be the Time

The rapture, or the time when Christ returns for the saints, can happen any time in the future and it can happen right now. The second coming of Christ, or the Second Advent, is the time Christ comes with the saints to earth. It will take place immediately after the Great Tribulation.

After the great tribulation, all saints will be gathered with Christ. Christ will have returned to the earth with His raptured saints by that time. Once the rapture takes place, the great tribulation will start and last for seven years. This is what Paul spoke of as revealing the wicked and consuming him with the spirit of his mouth. It is the judgment of the wicked to make way for the second coming of the Lord with His saints. Christ needed to tell the suffering saints in Sardis about His plan for them in order to encourage them to persevere. 

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They needed to know that their suffering and holding on to the end were not in vain. He told them to watch over their souls and contend for their faith to the end. Christians must not give the devil any unrighteousness in their lives. The reason given by Christ is that His coming will be like that of a thief at night. It is going to be imminent, unannounced, and sudden.

Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee’

Revelation 3:3

The day, the hour, and the time of His second coming and the rapture are not known, and no man, not even an angel, knows the time, day, and hour. As a result, this calls for serious watchfulness at every moment without compromising or losing life. God is warning you to avoid a repetition of what happened to the people in the days of Noah. God is expressing his love to you through this warning. He used Noah to preach in his days to warn sinners, but they rejected his preaching and despised his words.

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However, today, God is speaking not through Noah or the prophets anymore but through his only son and will be more destructive and woeful to joke with this letter of deliverance. A few days before the flood of Noah’s days, the devil released great wealth on earth. Testimonies of unbelievers increased, and every need was met.

There was abundant provision of good things for every need, and Noah was mocked when all his life’s savings were invested for the building of the ark of salvation. The devil released money into the ministry of unbelievers, and there was prosperity like never before in the land, causing unbelievers to prosper left and right without restriction. Business opportunities increased, and the focus was on the evil activities. Things that will distract people from hearing Noah’s message also increased. Everyone was engaged; people were too distracted to listen to Noah’s message, and Noah was alone in his ministry of righteous living.

It is possible that this is what is happening in your ministry, your village, or your city. The message of salvation, sanctification, and pursuit of godliness—true power—has been abandoned. People are running after prophets and ministers with healing power. They despise righteousness and righteous preaching, and they run after ministers with fake anointing. This was the condition of the church in Sardis, and this is the condition of our churches today.

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Fake preaching, prophecies, prosperity without righteousness, and incomplete deliverance have taken many people from God. You may not be alive in the second coming, but death can come at any time. Are you ready to meet God if you die now? In these last days, the devil has released a lot of things to distract you. Therefore, you must understand that anything you have before you must come from God if you are to partake in the second coming. The world is filled with counterfeit goods, and the only way to discern counterfeit goods is to check the character of the container.

Everything can happen when you least expect it to. Christ’s letter is to watch, remain righteous, steadfast, and contend to the end. Do not compromise your faith for anything on earth. And for sinners and backsliders who linger in sin and are negligent in watching, He will come on them as a thief. Their loss and sorrow will be enormous. 

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