Tag: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

Light in the Last Days – Day 12

On By KateIn Devotionals, Light in the Last DaysLeave a comment

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; (10)  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 

Good morning! Looking at this sunrise, it’s easy to imagine the Lord just beyond those clouds, waiting for the Father’s word to come and meet us. I find myself living in daily expectation of the Rapture, looking forward to the day our earthly struggles end and we can finally worship at His feet for eternity.

I invite you to share your own excitement for the Rapture in the comments below. While some teach that the Church must face the Tribulation, I find that view leaves little room for the comfort we are called to give one another. If there is no escape from that period of judgment, then the promise of Luke 21:36 loses its power. I choose to look forward to the surprise of His appearing, knowing that He has provided a way for us to stand before the Son of Man instead of facing the wrath to come.

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.

What does it mean for the Rapture to be ‘imminent’? It means it’s ‘at the door’—ready to happen at any time! Even way back in AD 51, Paul was emphasizing this truth to his readers. I encourage you to look at today’s verses and put yourself in Paul’s shoes. He knew the Thessalonians were being shaken by false reports that the Day of the Lord had already arrived. To settle their hearts and remind them of the truth, he sent them this message:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. (3) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Paul’s original teachings were being twisted by deceivers, a struggle that feels incredibly modern. Today, the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a frequent target of criticism and doubt. This wave of skepticism shouldn’t surprise us, though; it’s the very thing the Apostle Peter warned would happen in

2 Peter 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Before the Tribulation can begin, the ‘Man of Sin’ must be revealed (Daniel 9:27). But unlike the Tribulation, the Rapture has no countdown. This reminds me of Noah’s Ark. Noah spent years building a ship for a storm no one believed was coming because it had never even rained (Genesis 2:5-6). The Ark wasn’t built for navigation; it was built for preservation. Noah didn’t know the day the fountains of the deep would burst open, but he was ready. When the time was right, God took control, shut the door, and kept those eight souls safe and sound until the judgment passed.

Consider how Jesus serves as the ultimate Ark for His Church. The moment we are saved, we step into His divine protection. Because He paid the price for our sins on the cross, we are granted entrance into His ‘Ark’ of safety, shielded from the coming wrath. Through the Rapture (Revelation 3:10, 4:1), He will shelter us in heaven until the day we return with Him at His Second Coming. After He judges the earth, we will enter the Millennial Kingdom together, while the Tribulation saints who survive His return will begin to repopulate the earth!

Why does the timing matter? Because a Rapture that follows a set timeline isn’t ‘imminent’—it’s scheduled. Mid and Post-Tribulation views provide a definite calendar: either three and a half or seven years after the treaty is signed. However, as we see in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, the early church lived in a state of constant watchfulness. Their confusion about whether the Day of the Lord had already begun proves they weren’t looking for a mid-point or an end-point; they were looking for Jesus to appear at any moment.

Matthew 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Christ Himself commands us to watch because the exact hour of His return is unknown. This uncertainty is what keeps our spiritual focus sharp! If we believed the Rapture was tied to a mid or post-Tribulation schedule, that sense of urgency would vanish because we’d be watching the calendar instead of the clouds. Without the hope of His ‘any-moment’ return, one might be tempted to say, ‘I’ll live for myself now and get right with God just before the deadline.’ But a Pre-Tribulation view inspires us to live for the Lord today, ensuring we are never caught off guard.

It’s inspiring to see how the Thessalonians lived every day as if Christ could return at any moment. Paul reassured them that they didn’t need to obsess over prophetic timelines or ‘times and seasons.’ Instead, he reminded them of our unique position: we aren’t appointed to the coming darkness, but are promised deliverance from the global judgment described below:

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  (2)  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.  (6)  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (7)  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  ( 8 )  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  (9)  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The church is not waiting for the appearing of the Antichrist, but for the redemption of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Does this excite you, reader? It surely does me! But to the one who is not saved, it is a different story. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Light in the Last Days – Day 5

On By KateIn Devotionals, Light in the Last DaysLeave a comment

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  (2)  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.  (6)  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (7)  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  ( 8 )  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  (9)  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

What an exciting time to be alive! We are witnessing unprecedented events affecting the entire globe, ranging from political upheavals to environmental changes that challenge our understanding of nature. Jesus spoke of what we are to expect in the end times in Matthew 24:3-51, and He provided a prophetic outline of the trials and tribulations that humanity will face as the world approaches its end. To the average reader, these verses are frightening and may generate fear and anxiety about the future. But to the born-again Christian, they are exciting because we know that we will not be here to experience the horrific events that will occur upon the entire earth; instead, we look forward to the glorious appearing of Christ at the Rapture and the promise of eternal life, filled with hope and anticipation for what lies ahead. In this light, we find comfort and assurance, as our faith guides us through these tumultuous times.

The Rapture of the church has three very different groups of belief: Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation (or Pre-Wrath) and Post-Tribulation. They all pertain to the Rapture’s timing – when the event will actually occur. Which one is correct? One must turn to God’s Word to determine the answer. God would not want His children to be afraid of what is to come. Think of your earthly father: would he want you to be afraid as you live under his roof? No father would want this weighing on his children. An earthly father wants to protect his children. How much more a Heavenly Father: the Perfect Father?

What does each one mean? Pre-Tribulation refers to the Rapture occurring sometime before the start of the Tribulation. The Bible says that His return will be as a thief coming in the night. If you knew the hour a thief would enter your house, you would be prepared. That is why we are told to always be prepared. Noah didn’t know when the flood was going to come – he just knew it was coming and he continued doing what God had commanded Him to do. The Bible answers all of our questions so let’s get to it.

1 Thessalonians 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2 Peter 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The Bible tells us when the Tribulation will begin. It will begin when the Antichrist is made known, not a minute before.

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.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (4)  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

So we know that when the Antichrist is revealed, the Tribulation will begin. However, what about the Rapture? The Bible says:

Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Matthew 25:1-6 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Mark 13:33-37 Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is. 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. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

These verses indicate that Christ’s return for His church is imminent – this means that it can happen at any time. No man knows the day or the hour. We are given a timeline of the Tribulation in the Book of Revelation. We know that it is a literal seven years from the time that the Antichrist is revealed. This doesn’t fulfill the “imminent” return of Christ. There is a definite timeline here of Christ’s Second Coming. God is all about timing and order. However, the above verses encourage believers to be waiting and watchful. This is the proof of His imminent return for the Rapture of the church.

Just as Noah was kept from the wrath on the entire earth, so will believers be kept from the Tribulation.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Titus 2:13 Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.

These verses would not make any sense if the Church was to go through part or all of the Tribulation! There is no comfort or blessed hope if Christians have to experience the wrath which is to come to the world. The wrath that is to come is for the “children of disobedience” according to Paul:

Ephesians 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Ephesians 5:6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Colossians 3:6  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

There is no timeline for the Rapture. It can happen at any time before the impending judgments of the Tribulation. John foresaw the wrath and called it “the wrath of the Lamb” in Revelation 6:16-17! Why would Christ bring wrath on His Church when Romans 8:1 states there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ!

Rev 6:16-17  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:  (17)  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

It was such a very important doctrine in the early Church and the Apostle Paul taught the most about it.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  (3)  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Paul had to repeat his teachings to the Thessalonians because they had been deceived by the very same skeptics that we have today, whose voices create doubt and confusion among believers. The verses above tell us that the Thessalonians thought they had missed the Rapture and that the Tribulation had already begun, leading to widespread panic and uncertainty within their community. They were listening to heretics rather than remembering what Paul had taught them, which included the promise of hope and the assurance of God’s timing. It was crucial for Paul to reaffirm their faith and remind them of the truth, encouraging them to hold steadfast to the teachings they had received and to resist the misleading doctrines that threatened to undermine their beliefs. The struggle they faced reminds us of the challenges many face today, as false teachings continue to circulate and test the foundational beliefs of believers.

Paul reminds them of the signs that will usher in the Tribulation will be: except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition! So there are definite signs and timelines for the Tribulation. We have been seeing a falling away from the faith for several decades, and it is getting worse with each passing year. This decline has manifested in various forms, including the rise of secularism, anti Semitism, and an increasing hatred for traditional Christian values. So we know we are in those “end times.” The end times have specific signs that believers have been encouraged to recognize and respond to. Yes, those signs have been seen throughout the past two thousand years, often interspersed with periods of revitalization and revival in faith. However, the convergence of these signs, along with the rapid pace at which they are now occurring simultaneously, is something to look for with great anticipation.

But there are no signs or timeline which must occur before the Rapture. If a person believes in the Mid-Tribulation Rapture, then there is a definite timeline because that is half way through the seven years, which is three and a half years. If a person believes in the Post-Tribulation Rapture, then there is a definite timeline there as well: after the seven years of Tribulation. Those of us who hold to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture have something to look forward to. It keeps us focused in doing the work of the Lord because we want to be caught up at that time! So friend, be encouraged! Be watchful and pray that you are ready for Christ’s Rapture of His Church at any moment! We are not called to experience the wrath that is about to come to this earth! Praise Him!!! 

If you are like I me prior to salvation and are interested in the end times, I pray you find the Lord (as I did) before it’s too late! If you are a born-again Christian and have never studied this out, I hope you are blessed by it and encouraged in your heart. If you are not born again, I urge you to settle the matter right now! Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Any Day Now – Day 12

On By KateIn Any Day Now, DevotionalsLeave a comment

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; (10)  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 

Good morning! As I look at today’s picture, I can almost see the Lord at the sunrise, behind the cloud, eagerly awaiting the go ahead from the Father to meet us there! Can’t you? I look for the Rapture daily in eager anticipation that our earthly trials will one day be over! I think of spending eternity with Christ and being able to worship at His feet!

Are you as excited as I am? Please go ahead and leave a comment so we can anticipate His return together! Many, however, don’t believe that the Church will be spared from the Tribulation. How sad for them! I joke around and reply, “Well, won’t they be pleasantly surprised when we are”! But what is there for the believer to look forward to or encourage one another with if all there is is seven years of the horrible judgment of God’s wrath? Why would Jesus say what He did in Luke 21:36? If the Church is to go through the Tribulation period, there is no escaping!

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.

We believe that the Rapture is imminent. This word means literally means hanging over, impending, threatening. It can happen at any time. The Apostle Paul taught it in AD 51, reader! So go ahead and re-read todays two verses and imagine Paul’s motivation when he wrote about the Rapture. The Thessalonians were side tracked by deceivers by those who were saying that the Rapture had already happened and that they had entered the Tribulation period. When Paul heard this, he wrote to them:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. (3) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Paul had taught them properly and they were being deceived; much like today! The belief in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is being attacked today. People scoff exactly like the Apostle Peter warned of in:

2 Peter 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

The Tribulation cannot start until a great falling away first comes and the Antichrist is revealed. The Antichrist is revealed at the signing of a peace treaty with Israel, as we see in Daniel 9:27. All these things have a timing. The Rapture does not. God did not have Noah build the ark when it first started raining. No! It took Noah about 55-75 years to build it. The ark kept the judgment waters from Noah and his family. That same ark didn’t have a stern, helm or bow. Noah didn’t know when the rain was coming until it began to rain! Remember, it had never rained until then; this is why the people mocked Noah! (See Genesis 2:5-6) All these things were totally under God’s control. In fact, God Himself shut the door to the ark, locking the eight survivors inside safe and sound. After the waters abated, Noah and his family were left to populate the earth.

Now look at how our Ark, Jesus, provides for His Church. Once we are saved, we enter into His protection. His payment on the cross for our sins gives us the entrance into His ark and He will protect us from the wrath to come. He takes us in the Rapture, (Revelation 3:10, 4:1) and shelters us until it is time to return to earth at His Second Coming. Christ judges the earth and we enter the millennial period into His earthly Kingdom! Tribulation saints who are alive at His coming, will populate the earth!

The imminence of the Rapture can only be seen using the pre-Tribulation view. There is no timing, as we’ve seen with the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. But if you have a different view, there is a definite time. If you think the Rapture will occur in mid tribulation times, then you have a definite timing because the Tribulation will be seven years. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that half of seven years is three and a half years. As well, if you think the Rapture will occur post Tribulation, you see that seven years of judgment have occurred and it’s time for the Rapture. Why then would the Thessalonians be afraid that it had already occurred?

Matthew 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

We are told by Christ Himself that we should watch because we don’t know the hour that He will come. If we don’t know when He will return for us, it keeps us watching. However, if we know it’s mid or post Tribulation, we don’t have to be watching because we know the day. What stops a person from saying, “I will live how I want and the week before the Rapture, I will get right with God?” With a pre-Tribulation Rapture view, the believer is watching and living for the Lord so he is not caught of guard!

So we see that the Thessalonians were living in expectation of Christ’s return. The Apostle Paul instructed the believers at Thessalonica that they did not need to heed signs and times, because the New Testament believer has been promised redemption from the “day of darkness” that shall overcome the whole world (1 Thess. 5:1-9).

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  (2)  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.  (6)  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (7)  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  ( 8 )  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  (9)  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The church is not waiting for the appearing of the Antichrist, but for the redemption of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Does this excite you, reader? It surely does me! But to the one who is not saved, it is a different story. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Any Day Now – Day 5

On By KateIn Any Day Now, DevotionalsLeave a comment

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  (2)  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.  (6)  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (7)  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  ( 8 )  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  (9)  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Good morning, reader! What an exciting time to be alive! We are witnessing unprecedented events affecting the entire globe! Jesus spoke of what we are to expect in the end times in Matthew 24:3-51. To the average reader, these verses are frightening. But to the believer, they are exciting because we know that we will not be here to experience the horrific events that will occur on the entire earth!

As we discussed in the last post, the Rapture of the church has three very different groups of belief: Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation (or Pre-Wrath) and Post-Tribulation. They all pertain to the Rapture’s timing – when the event will occur. Which one is correct? One must turn to God’s Word to determine the answer. God would not want His children to be afraid of what is to come. Think of your earthly father: would he want you to be afraid as you live under his roof? No father would want this weighing on his children. An earthly father wants to protect his children. How much more a Heavenly Father: the Perfect Father?

What does each one mean? Pre-Tribulation refers to the Rapture occurring sometime before the start of the Tribulation. The Bible says that His return will be as a thief coming in the night. If you knew the hour a thief would enter your house, you would be prepared. That is why we are told to always be prepared. Noah didn’t know when the flood was going to come – he just knew it was coming and he continued doing what God had commanded Him to do. The Bible answers all of our questions so let’s get to it.

1 Thessalonians 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
2 Peter 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The Bible tells us when the Tribulation will begin. It will begin when the Antichrist is made known, not a minute before.

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.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (4)  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

So we know that when the Antichrist is revealed, the Tribulation will begin. However, what about the Rapture? The Bible says:

Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
Matthew 25:1-6 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him”
Mark 13:33-37 “Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is. 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. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch”.

These verses indicate that Christ’s return for His church is imminent – it can happen at any time. No man knows the day or the hour. We are given a timeline of the Tribulation in the Book of Revelation. We know that it is a literal seven years from the time that the Antichrist is revealed. This doesn’t fulfill the “imminent” return of Christ. There is a definite timeline here of Christ’s Second Coming. God is all about timing and order. However, the above verses encourage believers to be waiting and watchful. This is the proof of His imminent return for the Rapture of the church.

Just as Noah was kept from the wrath on the entire earth, so will believers be kept from the Tribulation.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Titus 2:13 Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.

These verses would not make any sense if believers were to go through part or all of the Tribulation! There is no comfort or blessed hope if Christians have to experience the wrath which is to come to the world. The wrath that is to come is for the “children of disobedience” according to Paul:

Ephesians 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 5:6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Colossians 3:6  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

There is no timeline for the Rapture. This is called “imminent.” It can happen at any time before the impending judgments of the Tribulation. It was such an important doctrine of the early Church that the Apostle Paul taught the most about it.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  (3)  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Paul had to repeat his teachings to the Thessalonians because they had been deceived by the same skeptics that we have today. The verses above tell us that the Thessalonians thought they had missed the Rapture and that the Tribulation had already begun. They were listening to heretics rather than remembering what Paul had taught them.

Paul reminds them of the signs that will usher in the Tribulation will be: except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition! So there are definite signs and timelines for the Tribulation. We have been seeing a falling away from the faith for several decades and it is getting worse. So we know we are in those “end times.”

But there are no signs or timeline which must occur before the Rapture. If a person believes in the Mid-Tribulation Rapture, then there is a definite timeline because that is half way through the seven years, which is three and a half years. If a person believes in the Post-Tribulation Rapture, then there is a definite timeline there as well: after the seven years of Tribulation. Those of us who hold to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture have something to look forward to. It keeps us focused in doing the work of the Lord because we want to be caught up at that time! So friend, be encouraged! Be watchful and pray that you are ready for Christ’s Rapture of His Church at any moment! We are not called to experience the wrath that is about to come to this earth! Praise Him!!! 🙌🙌🙌

If you are like I me prior to salvation and are interested in the end times, I pray you find the Lord (as I did) before it’s too late! If you are a born-again Christian and have never studied this out, I hope you are blessed by it and encouraged in your heart. If you are not born again, I urge you to settle the matter right now! Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!