Reading the Bible allows God to reveal His heart and His plans to you. A good Father doesn’t keep His children in the dark, and God is no different—He has provided a prophetic roadmap in His Word so we are never caught off guard by world events.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-5  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  (3)  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  (4)  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  (5)  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Those who haven’t accepted Christ, often choosing to ignore His message, are described as walking in spiritual darkness. This isn’t just a lack of information; it’s a spiritual condition. According to 2 Corinthians 4:4, the “god of this age” (Satan) has actively blinded the minds of unbelievers. This veil keeps them from seeing the light of the Gospel and understanding the glorious truth of who Jesus is.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Now, let’s ask a critical question: Who exactly is the target of the Rapture? Jesus isn’t coming for the world at large in this moment; He is coming specifically for those who have put their faith in Him—the Church. As the Bride of Christ, we are the object of His affection and the reason for this “catching away.” He is coming to fulfill His promise to never leave us nor forsake us. Stay tuned, because in the next post, we’ll look at the very different “Who” associated with the Second Coming.

2 Corinthians 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

To understand the Rapture, we must look at the ancient Jewish wedding customs. First, a price was paid—Jesus paid the ultimate bride-price with His life on the cross to establish His marriage contract with the Church. Following the custom, the Groom then left His Bride to return to His Father’s house. His mission there is to build a bridal chamber specifically for us. While we wait here on earth, we are “espoused” to Him, set apart and preparing ourselves for the moment He suddenly appears to carry us away to the home He has built. Jesus said:

John 14:1-3  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  (2)  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Think about this: if the Church stays on Earth through the Tribulation only to meet Jesus as He lands at the Second Coming, when do we actually go to the “mansions” He’s been preparing? John 14 says He is coming to receive us so we can be where He is—which is in Heaven at the Father’s right hand. At the Second Coming, Christ is coming to be where we are (on Earth) to set up His 1,000-year reign. These are two different directions. For the believer, the Rapture is that first step toward the home He has personally prepared for us. 

2 Corinthians 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Think of the Church as a group of diplomats stationed in a foreign land. Just as a nation brings its ambassadors home before a conflict breaks out, God plans to “recall” us to our true home in Heaven before the Tribulation begins. This “calling home” is the Rapture, the moment we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. At some point following our departure, the global stage will be set for the Antichrist to sign a deceptive covenant with Israel. While the world may celebrate this “covenant,” it actually triggers the final years of judgment that only end when Christ returns with His Bride in glory to defeat the armies of darkness.

Daniel 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

My prayer is that these devotionals have deepened your understanding of the Lord’s return and sparked a new hope within you. Friend, you are living in a significant moment in history, and it is no coincidence that you’ve encountered these truths today. God’s desire is for you to be saved and secure in His promises before these events unfold. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!