Rapture-Ready

The rapture is all about Jesus' wedding.

The rapture is based on the ancient Jewish wedding, where the groom will go away to prepare a place for the bride, and will only return once the place has been prepared and the father has given the order to return to retrieve the bride.

This is why Jesus said right before He left, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."  When He appears in the clouds in glory, Jesus  returns to gather His bride, the first-fruits of the end-time harvest, who returns with Him to Heaven for the seven year tribulation period.

The rapture is not the second coming of Christ.

The second coming of Christ occurs at the end of the 7 year tribulation period when Jesus returns to earth (with His bride) to make war with the Antichrist and his armies, who Jesus defeats by speaking the word of God.

The rapture occurs right before the 7 year tribulation period, when Jesus APPEARS in the clouds to collect His bride, who will spend the 7 year tribulation period with Him in Heaven.

Two groups being raptured:

The bible reveals that there are two groups of people who would be raptured simultaneously.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be  changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
- 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 New King James Version (NKJV)

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice  of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up  together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 New King James Version (NKJV)

Jesus tells us:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?”
- John 11:25-26 New King James Version (NKJV)

When Jesus speaks in John 11:25, it may at a glance seem that He is just  repeating Himself in John 11:26. In fact, Jesus is describing two  different groups of people. Those who die in Christ - and those who are in Christ who are alive and raptured (who will never experience death).

1st group of people: (those who died in Christ)

...the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. (John 11:25)

2nd group of people: (those still alive for the rapture)

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)

Those who are dead and are in Christ are already in heaven (spirit and soul),  but will be raptured to be gathered with Christ along with the second group who had never yet died.  The raptured will receive their glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:52-53, 2 Corinthians 5:1-4) and be taken as the bride of Christ.  The bride will not have to endure the seven-year tribulation period on earth, but will instead return with Jesus at the Tribulation’s end at God’s fixed appointed time (the feast day of the Day of Atonement).  This return at the tribulation's end is the second coming.

We are commanded to interpret the signs and the season of the rapture; and to be ready.

"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
- Matthew 24:42-44 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Though we do not know the exact hour, as Jesus stated in Matthew 24:36, Jesus tells us that if we knew which hour He would come we would be ready,  therefore be ready.  The bible tells us we are not completely in the dark when it comes to the timing of the rapture, but that we are in the light:

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 New King James Version (NKJV)

In fact, Jesus admonished the religious leaders of His time for not taking heed to the signs of the time.

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.”
- Matthew 16:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

Jesus did not desire for us to be completely in the dark concerning the timing of the rapture.  The bible offers us many signs and warnings of the rapture so that we would be in the light and not be overtaken like a thief in the night.  We must keep our minds and eyes open to the signs that the bible gives us, so that we are not caught sleeping.

How to be Rapture-Ready

As the faithful, these are the requirements to be raptured as the bride of Christ:

- You must believe in the rapture / be waiting on the rapture  (Hebrews 9:28)

- You must be full of the Holy Spirit / led by the Holy Spirit  (Matthew 25:1-13)

- You must be heaven-minded / living in the Spirit  (Colossians 3:1-4)

The seven letters to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 give us a  clear picture of how to be rapture-ready.  Then what happens in Revelation chapter 4?

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the  first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying,  “Come up here..."

John is caught up into heaven.  It is a pre-tribulation picture of the rapture.  Chapters 2 and 3 explain how to be an overcomer.  Chapter 4 begins with a picture of the rapture.  Then the book of revelation continues with what occurs during and after the Tribulation period.

The Last Trump

During the Feast of Trumpets, the shofar is blown one hundred times.  The final blowing of the trumpet is known as Tekia Ha Gedolah in Hebrew, meaning the Great Trump or the Last Trump. This Last Trump is referred  to in scripture regarding the rapture in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. The Last Trump in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 is not referring to the seventh trumpet in the Book of Revelation. That is a conclusion drawn by those who are not familiar with their Jewish roots and Tekia Ha Gedolah. The Feast of Trumpets is all about and completely related to the rapture. Two themes of the Feast of Trumpets are the Wedding of the Messiah and the Hidden Day (which the Jewish people refer to as the Feast that no one knows the day or the hour).

God’s Fixed Appointed Times

The seven feasts of Israel are God’s fixed appointed times with mankind.  The word feast in Hebrew is Moed, which means fixed appointed time. The feasts are God’s divine appointments with mankind.

Why would God establish an appointment if He did not intend to keep it? Is an appointment not a promise?

God established His Feast days with the Jewish people and required them to observe them every year for a purpose. Practicing the feast days are a dress rehearsal for the real event. What occurs during the observation and practicing of each feast day directly corresponds to what is being fulfilled on that exact appointed time. The first four Feast days (or appointments) are known as the Spring Feasts (Pentecost is early  Summer). They are grouped together in the same season. These first four feasts were all fulfilled on the exact feast day by Jesus at His first coming.

On Passover day Jesus was crucified as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world at the same moment a lamb was being  sacrificed by the High priest for the sins of all the people.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  
- John 1:29 New King James Version (NKJV)

On the feast day of Unleavened Bread, Jesus was buried as the sinless flesh (2 Corinthians 5:21) who came down from Heaven. Unleavened symbolizes “without sin”. Bread symbolizes “flesh”.

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."
- John 6:51 New King James Version (NKJV)

On the Feast day of Firstfruits, Jesus rose from the dead, becoming the firstfruits of all who are risen.

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
- 1 Corinthians 15:20 New King James Version (NKJV)

On the feast day of Pentecost, The Holy Spirit (and with Him access to  God’s Kingdom) was sent to mankind in Jesus’ name as Jesus promised.

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
- Acts 2:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

The next three Feast days (appointments) are together known as the Fall  Feasts. They are still to be fulfilled by Jesus. They are the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. As with the first four appointed times, the final three appointed times will likely be  fulfilled in order as well.

The next appointed time in line to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets.  No one knows for sure which Feast of Trumpets will the rapture be fulfilled on (which year) or even if God will keep this appointment for the rapture on the Feast of Trumpets at all (He may choose to do the rapture whenever He wants, for He is God and He is in control).  The main point is this, during the Feast of Trumpets, we are already in the midst of a 40 day period of repentance, so we should already be rapture-ready during this time period.

Even after all this is said, this fact remains:  until the rapture occurs, we should be spiritually prepared for the rapture everyday of every year, because no one knows for sure when it will occur... we just know that it will occur, without any doubt