To go in the Pre-trib Rapture, you must be READY!

I Thess. 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Introduction

Amos 6:1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! 6:2 Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? 6:3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

I am in constant amazement at the apathy of not only the world but the Christian church as well, concerning the coming of the LORD. I'm not sure what to attribute this apathy to, but I have a few ideas. I think first and foremost, we have reached a time when people are "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." People are so involved with the cares of this life that they have little or no interest in the things of eternity. Sadly, I believe a lack of teaching on prophecy and the resurrection has left the church with either blissful ignorance or fear concerning future events.

Finally, and I think the most dangerous of all reasons, is a false teaching concerning the rapture and end-time events. Sadly, I have found that most of the popular end-times authors, and teachers on television and the internet are all promoting this false doctrine. The idea is borne out of the error of "once-saved, always-saved" teaching. It is said that heresy begats heresy and here is proof in the pudding. Without going into all of the aspects of unconditional eternal security teaching (you can refer to the eternal security section on this website for further studies on the topic), I will briefly go over some of the pitfalls that this teaching breeds.

The scriptures are full of warnings and admonitions to be ready when Jesus comes to the earth like a "thief in the night." The unconditional eternal security error gives some believers a false sense of security where the coming of the LORD is concerned. According to the OSAS (once saved-always saved) message, once a person makes a profession of faith, there is no more need to perservere in their faith and endure unto the end (which is completely contrary to the word of God). Not surprisingly, this line of thinking affects the way they view the rapture and end-time events. Since this system of theology does not demand personal holiness and responsiblity (again this flies in the face of what the bible says), it produces a cavalier attitude toward readiness for the rapture/catching away of the church. In other words "as long as I prayed a sinners prayer or was baptized at some point in my past, there's nothing to worry about, I can live just as I always have and if He comes back, I'll just get raptured but I'm not going to worry about it until that time comes-after all, I can't lose my standing with God right?" Now of course, I just gave you an extreme example, and probably most people would never admit to having such an attitude towards the end times.

But sometimes it isn't the attitudes we publicly display that are so dangerous, but the attitudes we have in our hearts. Remember Jesus said that where are treasures are, there would our hearts be also. As a man thinketh in his heart...so is he!

This message may be considered controversial, but as every preacher and teacher will have to give an account for what they teach, so must I. And I do not want to face the LORD having not warned both the sinner and the righteous of the dangers of apathy and backsliding. If this message makes you angry, I would ask you to examine yourself and the scriptures, and see what it is that makes you uncomfortable with this message. This may be one of the most important articles you ever read!

Jesus commanded us to watch for His return

Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 24:49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 13:34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 13:36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 13:37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

I Cor 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Colossians 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving

I Thess 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

II Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry

I Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer

Rev 3:3 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.

Jesus said that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established." Here we have many witnesses that are clear commands to watch for His return. Why would we be admonished to watch and pray fervently about an event if our involvement was a foregone conclusion. That sounds like an exercise in futility if you ask me. Jesus means what He says, and says what He means. If He commanded us to watch and pray, then obviously it has some eternal bearing on our soul!

Jesus is coming after a holy bride

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Jesus is coming after a holy bride that has been cleansed with the word of God and the blood of Jesus. Notice that He is not coming after a bride that is spotted, wrinkled, or blemished. Let's look at some more scriptures that further make the case.

II Peter 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless,

Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

II Cor 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God

II Thess 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

Revelation 3:4Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy

Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame

I want to talk just a minute about this whole issue of the "spotted garment." We are told in Isaiah that we have a "robe of righteousness" and a "garment of salvation."

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels

Psalm 149:4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

The unregenerated man does not have a "garment of salvation", or a "robe of righteousness." His spiritual condition is characterized by nakedness.

Genesis 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself

II Corinthians 5:3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 3:1 8 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see

I've posted all that to say this.............

As you can see above, it is of the utmost importance that we pray continually to God to make sure that our garments are pure and holy and "unspotted." This is very important because there is a group of folks who find themselves in the tribulation because their robes were dirty/spotted. Let's take a look at these people.

Rev 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Notice they had to "wash their robes" during the tribulation period, because they were spotted at the time of the catching away/rapture of the church. Let us not be among that number, but let us be those who are taken in the pre-trib gathering!

Jesus preached a sobering message in Luke chapter 12 for every believer

Luke 12:41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 12:43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 12:44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 12:45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 12:46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

First, let me draw your attention to the fact that Jesus was instructing His followers (verse 41). Next, I want you to notice the subject and the object pronouns that are used. The terms "servant" and "lord" are used. It doesn't take a theologian to surmise that Jesus is talking about us (the servants of God) and our Lord (Jesus Christ). Remember this verse in I Cor?

I Cor 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost Next, notice the attitude of the wicked servant. Because he has determined in his heart that "his lord delayeth his coming" (how many unbelievers do you know who would make such a judgement or would even be thinking about the coming of the LORD?), he begins to live a carnal lifestyle. I submit to you, that if he were not a believer to begin with, he would already be living such a lifestyle and therefore the timing of the rapture would have no bearing on his behavior.

Now refer again to Luke 12:46. Because this "servant" was unwilling to obediently watch for his "lord" notice what happens to him. He is appointed his portion with the unbelievers. Now if he was an unbeliever himself, there would be no reason to make this distinction. Notice the text doesn't say "with the other unbelievers." Jesus then further goes on to prove the fact that He is warning believers because He speaks of those who "knew his lord's will" and didn't prepare himself. I highly doubt that many unbelievers are familiar with the will of God. I know that before I was saved, most of my "beliefs" about the LORD were really misconceptions, how about you?

Perhaps one of the strongest indicators to me that all who profess to be believers will not be taken in the rapture can be found in Luke 21

Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man

Again, He is talking to His followers. Why would we be instructed to pray "always" that we be accounted "worthy" to escape the tribulation if it were a foregone conclusion? Again, this would be an excercise in futility if it had no bearing on the outcome of our lives.

Lessons to be gleaned from the book of Revelation

I think it is very ominous that only one church in the book of Revelation has the promise of the rapture. That church is the one in Philadelphia.

Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

I realize there are different ways that people view the book of Revelation, but I tend to look at the 7 church ages in a historical literal sense, a present-day application for all believers, and a panoramic view of the church age. The number 7 in the bible always is symbolic of completion. So, in my estimation, I see this as symbolic of the church age. (Remember the book is written to "His servants" (chapter 1, verse 1).

With that in mind, look at the warning given to the church at Thyatira.

Revelation 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds

I think it's significant that Jesus used the imagery of "great tribulation" in his warning to this church. Surely the message would have been obvious to those early followers of Jesus, having the message of the tribulation (a.k.a.time of Jacob's trouble, Daniel's 70th week, etc.) fresh in their minds from the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. Notice their key to escaping that tribulation was repentance. An immoral lifestyle is sure to land anyone in the tribulation period. Thank the LORD that He does give space to repent, and we would do well to take full advantage of that grace.

Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life

Now the church at Smyrna to whom this was addressed, really didn't have any condemnation from the LORD. But the imagery of tribulation would also have been clear to this church who would certainly face martyrdom.

Some final thoughts

I realize that for some reading this material, it may seem a little overwhelming. I am NOT advocating a works-based salvation whereby our good works somehow make us more acceptable to God. We are most assuredly saved by grace-through faith in the precious blood of Christ. But the purpose of this article is to show that our obedience to the word of God does play a vital role in whether or not we are accepted in His sight. Praying a "sinners prayer" is merely the beginning of a walk with Christ. There are so many warnings and admonitions in the Word of God that we must be ready for the LORD's return. All of these warnings become nothing more than idle words if they don't ring true. But the bible I read declares let God be true and every man be a liar. Today I beg and plead with you, that if you are not saved, please repent of your sins NOW, for time is quickly running out. If you are a "lukewarm" Christian who is living with unconfessed and unrepentant willful sin, I beg of you to repent. Please don't take for granted that somehow it will all work out in the end. Eternity is not something to gamble with. I will end this article with some good advice from the Master Himself.

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man