Rapture

In the year 1994, one night I had a dream. In the dream, I am walking along with a very close friend of mine on the road near my clinic. Nothing spectacular happening. The usual buzz of people going about their businesses and traffic plying by. We seemed to be discussing some recent events in our lives, enjoying the good sunny weather as we walked along. We both had umbrellas to shield us from the slight drizzle that ensued. Suddenly it started getting dark. Still walking along we did not seem to be disturbed by the rain as it was very mild;but the darkness seemed to be getting worse. A very strange fear gripped me as the darkness increased. My steps faltered. I told my friend,”I feel something terrible is going to happen.””I can’t go any further.”My friend ressured me,”Why do you worry?The Lord is with us.”The darkness not only increased but there were lightnings and thunders. Never in my lifetime had I heard such thunders. It was terrible. It almost seemed to break my back. My friends’ poise renewed my inner being. He said,”Come, let’s praise the Lord. No evil will befall us. The lightnings were now striking very near us.”Despite the terrifying atmosphere, we started praising the Lord whole-heartedly and took giant strides forward.”Praise The Lord, Praise The Lord”we shouted in unison.
And then it happened. In a flash, in the twinkling of a eye, a huge lightning came right upto us and sucked us up into the skies. As we ascended into the skies, unspeakable joy filled our hearts. We were still praising the Lord. And there the dream ended.

If you saw a dream like that , what would you make of it?What would be your interpretation? That dream made me think a lot and I delved deeply into the scriptures to find it’s meaning. I found that the Lord Jesus Christ has a unique plan for my life and hopefully as you leaf through the pages of this book you will discover that He has a unique plan for your life too. So read on and may the Lord richly bless you.

Now, very carefully read the following passages from the Holy bible.
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”(1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”(1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)

These are the two most significant passages from the Holy Bible that speak of an event called “Rapture”. This word brings indescribable hope and joy to some and confusion to others. Rapture should be nothing less than the ultimate blessed hope and eager expectation of every true Christian. It is what the early church longed for and through the centuries has continued to be the hope of many who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s Word it was the Apostle Paul who explains the Rapture to us. He describes it as a “Mystery.”(1 Corinthians 15:51-53) The word in the original Greek is ‘Mysterion’ which meant he was revealing a new truth, not known before.

The word ‘Rapture’ does not appear in the English Bible. The word “rapture”is derived from the Latin word “raptu”, which means “caught away or caught up.”This Latin word is equivalent to the Greek “harpazo”translated as “caught up”in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. This event, described here and in 1 Corinthians 15, refers to the catching up of the church from the earth to meet the Lord in the air. It involves only the faithful of Christ’s churches. It literally means that when it is the Lord’s time, He will take born again believers away from this earth to be with him forever while the earth enters a phase of terrible persecution and judgement called the “Tribulation”.

The timing of the Rapture has long been the subject of much debate among Christians. When the Rapture will occur is NOT the most important issue. Knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and being ready WHENEVER it may occur is what is most important.

The different timings of the Rapture as argued by different Bible scholars are
PreTribulation- Where Christ will Rapture the church BEFORE the Tribulation begins. This event is imminent and is the next major event on God’s calender for earth.
MidTribulation- Where Christ will Rapture the church at the MID-POINT of the Tribulation. This is not possible because the tribulation is caused by the absence of the church. Midtribulation theory also violates the scripture in regard to the surprise element-the imminency of His return.
PostTribulation- Where Christ will Rapture the church at the END of the Tribulation. Not only is this contrary to scripture but is an impossible event; no one would be left to be raptured. From Revelation 13:15, we know that the existence of believers on earth by that stage becomes an impossibility.
“He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.“
Just prior to the rapture, as Christ is descending from heaven for his church, the resurrection of the “dead in Christ”will occur (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This is not the same resurrection described in Revelation 20:4, for the latter is an event occurring after Christ returns to earth, destroys the wicked and binds Satan (Revelation19:11-20:3). The resurrection in Revelation 20:4 relates to the martyred dead of the tribulation and possibly to old testament saints.
At the same time as the dead in Christ rise, living believers will be transfigured; their bodies will be clothed with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51, 53). This will happen in a very short time, “in the twinkling of an eye”(1 Corinthians 15:52).
Both the resurrected believers and the transfigured believers will be caught up together to meet Christ in the air, i. e. , in the atmosphere between earth and heaven.
They will be visibly united with Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), taken to his Father’s house in heaven and united with loved ones who have died (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
They will be removed from all distress (2 Corinthians 5:2, 4; Phillipians 3:21), from all persecution and oppression , from the entire realm of sin and from death (1 Corinthians 15:51-56); the rapture delivers them from “the coming wrath”i. e. from the great tribulation.
The hope that our Savior will soon return to take us out of the world to “be with the Lord forever”is the blessed hope of all the redeemed (Titus 2:13). It is a major source of comfort for suffering believers.
Paul uses “we” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 because he knows the Lord’s return could have happened in his own lifetime, and he communicates this same anticipation to the Thessalonians. The Bible insists on a continual waiting with eagerness for the return of our Lord. Believers today must be ever watchful and hopeful for Christ’s return to take them to himself. The portion of the professing church that fails to abstain from evil and is unfaithful to Christ will be left behind. They will remain as part of the apostate church. Following the rapture is the day of the Lord, a time that brings distress and wrath to the ungodly (1 Thessalonians 5:2-10).
That will be followed by the second stage of Christ’s coming, when he comes to destroy the ungodly and to reign on earth.

As a proof of this, here is a dream that a man named Ken Peter saw sometime ago.
He was not a born-again, spirit-filled Christian at the time of the dream, nor was he a biblical scholar, but he knew the dream was from God!At the time of this dream he was a sinner, rebellious of God’s ways with no desire to serve or follow any Christian doctrine.
He was a semi-practicing Roman Catholic, but did so out of obligation to family traditions. Being Irish and Portuguese, he was obligated to follow family beliefs or be disowned by all loved ones. He at no time did ask for, or seek any dream. He was just living his usual worldly life. One night as he slept he saw this dream:

The Dead in Christ Rise First. TV & Radio shut down for several Weeks.
The dream began with an extremely loud noise. He saw the dead in Christ rise from their graves. [1Thessalonians 4:16] He saw people instantly come out of their graves. They were dressed in glimmering, glowing white clothing. Then they instantly vanished.
This created mass hysteria, pandemonium, despair and chaos permeating all of the worldly society. In the dream he could supernaturally see many regions of the earth and this chaos filled the whole planet.
Everyone wanted to know what happened and where did the people go that came out of the graves and in the air?
Absolute hopelessness was in every heart, people were totally perplexed. The whole world was in absolute disarray. Television and radio communications were completely shut down for several weeks.
TV & Radio return: Antichrist promoting world citizenship 12-14 hours/day.
He walked the streets in shock. Everywhere there was absolute fear and lawlessness. Looting and murdering everywhere. After several weeks, television and radio communications began to slowly come back on line; however, all radio and television broadcasts were of the same man promoting a “New Government and Leadership”.
This new man, whom he believes was the Antichrist, was emerging to lead everyone.
This man, with olive skin and dark hair, spoke with great eloquence and charisma. He was soothing and promised answers to all the problems. This man was smooth and extremely convincing ;he was a master communicator.
He explained how this removal of people was God’s judgment upon them.
He began to communicate through large, flat screen televisions strategically placed nearly everywhere. Everywhere Ken looked, radios and televisions on all channels and frequencies broadcast his speeches. That is all there was on all radio and television channels; twelve to fourteen hours a day. This man (antichrist) was immediately accepted by almost all people.
He gave new directions for the whole world. He spoke of the “new times” upon them as human beings, new directives for global peace and the need to give up current citizenship for “world citizenship”. This man constantly spoke of “World Order” and the benefits of all men dwelling together in peace. This alarmed Ken when he thought of relinquishing his US citizenship, He was not convinced of this man’s “New Order”. People around the globe in staggering rates accepted his new plan.
Ken was amazed to see how quickly and without resistance people surrendered their rights. He became depressed. How could this be? Was this the so-called “End of the World”? he wondered.
Searching for Answers leads to accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior.
Nearly hopeless, He began to search for answers. While walking the streets one day, he met an elderly gentleman. Everyone else was in despair but this man was friendly looking. Ken asked him if he knew what was going on in the world?
He told Ken the end was coming and that he had not prepared for the time of the Lord. At this statement sadness filled his countenance. He told him that he had not been right with the Lord and began to tell Ken of God’s plan for man’s salvation. He carefully pulled a small Bible from his back pocket and began to show Ken scriptures revealing his need for a Savior. His heart began to fill with joy as he asked Jesus Christ to forgive him for his sinful ways.
This man had a small following of others who had accepted the message of Jesus Christ. Even though they were a small group, they began to make significant progress in spreading the gospel and meeting the physical needs of others.
Their spreading the gospel seemed to work out in the most unusual ways. They could tell God was with them. This small band of Jesus followers had faith.
Worldwide Earthquake kills millions of people.
One day a great earthquake shook the whole earth with extreme magnitude. Millions of people were killed and the whole world was stunned by the devastation and loss of property and life. Ken saw a tall triangular building with a glass exterior fall and kill two hundred people. Ken says that this building was not in existence when he had this dream, but it is now in the very place he saw it fall. The earthquake was worldwide and he had never heard of such an event reaching global proportions.
Weather chaotic: Crops perish, Droughts, Famines, Pestilence.
The weather completely changed. He saw winter weather in the summertime, summer weather in the winter. Winter became summer and summer became winter. No one could predict weather patterns. All weather forecasts proved useless, it was as though the weather now had its own mind. Crops perished. Droughts brought famines and deaths. Deaths brought global pestilence.
Local Police replaced by World Military Police.
Local police departments were replaced with world military police. They drove very unusual looking vehicles. The men that were in them were dressed in all black uniforms with powder blue helmets.
Military Police & TV Sets track and monitor Everyone & Everything.
The new leader and his laws were not resisted. There were no longer any elected officials. The Constitution was not the law of the land. It was shocking how easily every Constitution was replaced with a peaceful “martial law”. There was no privacy. Military police were everywhere, tracking and monitoring everyone and everything. All were totally monitored and tracked. As time passed Ken and other Christians with him came to realize that their television sets not only broadcast to them but also transmitted signals back to the military about their whereabouts. Television continually explained to them that they were now being saved from all their troubles by aligning themselves with this “New Order”. The “New Order” was said to have all the answers to everyone’s problems. This new leadership was necessary to bring change, to finally bring in the “New Order” of envisioned global peace.
For a while, many “Christians” return to Jesus Christ in total surrender.
Ken’s work with the “Evangelist man” continued to increase. Many so-called “Christians” were being changed by the power of the Gospel this man taught. These backslidden Christians explained how they had once had a relationship with Jesus but became cold in their faith and fell away from a life of holy, passionate, pursuit of God.]

Avoid getting the Mark, Regardless of the Consequences!
One day a man approached Ken and told him that he should get his identification mark. He told Ken they could no longer conduct business transactions without this identification mark on their right hand or forehead. It looked like the sun with a hand in the middle. Flames could be seen coming out from it. It was about the size of a nickel and was located in the web of the right hand between the thumb and first finger. He encouraged Ken to get his identification mark to avoid the hassle. At that very instant a very strong impression came to Ken, emphatically telling him not to get this mark under any circumstances. His mind began to hear a word directly from Revelation 13:16-18.
“He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.”

This was to his utter amazement, seeing that he had never read the scriptures nor had heard of such an identification mark. The New Order began to recommend people to get their identification mark. They sold the idea to the people much the same way the idea of using checks and credit cards convinced the public of their value. Soon pressure was increased to the point that you could not buy or sell without this mark of identification.

The voice of the Lord tells Ken not to return to his home.
More words rang in his mind, this time from Matthew 24:15-22
“So when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel let the reader understand then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
Ken knew the end was coming fast and he needed to get to his wife. A strong internal voice was trying to lead him along. A voice kept telling him not to return to his home but he ran to his home to check on his wife. When he arrived shock and fear overwhelmed him. He began to understand what was happening on the earth. He reached for the door knob, and saw the door lock had been replaced with new locks. His privacy was totally violated. He was locked out of his own home.
Again a voice spoke to him saying, “Don’t open the door.” He did not recognize the voice of God. In fear, He opened the door and was greeted by a devilish, sinister looking being. It was a demon. He screamed in great fear and shut the door.
The dream ended here and he woke up terrified at what he had just seen. Petrified and paralyzed from fear, he found himself lying in a pool of sweat, drenched from the agony of what he had seen. It was three o’clock in the morning and he was in anguish. He woke his wife looking for solace, but she said it was just a nightmare and told him to go back to sleep. He knew God was trying to tell him something, but he didn’t know why? He got up and began to pace the floor of his living room but peace was not to be found. He was impressed to read the Bible. Finally after a lot of searching he found one and began to read the book of Revelation.

Dread, Suicides, Nations loose sovereignty, Evil pervades, Spiritual Darkness.
As soon as he fell asleep, the dream began again exactly where it stopped. Once again he was facing the sinister being. He was gripped with tremendous fear and ran off. He began walking the streets. Everyone was spiritually dead. Men’s faces everywhere were filled with the dread. They looked as though they were in a catatonic state. Suicide rapidly became the answer to the dread surrounding mankind, men’s hearts were literally failing from fear. People by the thousands were committing suicide. The huge screen televisions kept broadcasting world events as though they were local news. By now nearly all nations were in the New Order. This was very strange. There were almost no sovereign individual nations. The world was now divided into global regions;no longer as continents and countries.
The awareness of God being on the global scene was nearly impossible to detect. Evil had pervaded all aspects of society; gross spiritual darkness was covering the earth. The actual gravity of despair and hopelessness was seen on every face. People acted as robots, the love of many had waxed cold, showing little or no emotions.
The Lord’s people do Awesome Miracles worldwide for a short period
The old Evangelist launched into what he called the final allout thrust, speaking the Word of God with reckless abandon. In pockets all over the earth, others began doing the same. Ken was able to see this awesome display of Almighty God’s power at work in his dream. He could see the Global scene in full demonstration of who Jesus was and just what He could do. He saw miracles everywhere. God’s people were doing awesome miracles; the dead were raised to life, and healing after healing of incurable diseases occured. This was happening all over the world. It was as though Jesus himself was everywhere doing His work through ordinary people.

This great outpouring of God’s Spirit was tremendous and very widespread. Whole nations were being brought into the Kingdom of God. It only lasted a very short time. Then gross darkness once again began engulfing the minds of all who would not hear the message of hope.
The “New Order” plan is revealed: Totally eliminate all Christians.
Not long after the evangelistic thrust began, Ken and other Christians were captured by “military” agents. They were taken into custody and questioned regarding their dealings. Those agents had firsthand knowledge of all their actions. The questioning was kind at first. They were given an explanation of the “New Order” and it was stressed to them the need for their allegiance. The men speaking to them were very polished in their delivery and quite convincing about the need for their cooperation. They were eventually told that they must not propagate the Gospel. When they refused to stop their evangelism , they were taken to another level of interrogation.

The true heart of the “New Order” was finally revealed. The threats and taunts were now at full power. It was frightening. They told us their plan was to totally eliminate all Christians. They said their outdated religious practices were futile and that many Christians had cracked under the pressure of the “New Order”, thus proving the emptiness of their faith. Mockery and insolence was the scheme of the interrogation, which lasted for hours. They began to ask them to deny “Him”. They would never say the name “Jesus”, they called Jesus, “Him.” They could not say the name!

Ken knew now that the only way to be saved was to die for Jesus.
Ken and his Christian friends were given divine strength and courage and would not back down at their threats. Finally, after many hours of interrogation, they were led down a very long corridor. Hundreds of people were in a single line. Several doors separated this long corridor and at random times, more interrogators would burst forth and more in the line would fall away. He saw many step out of the line. As they stepped out of the line they would begin to cry. They began to realize this was a line of Christians on their way to some type of torture.
After many hours Ken reached the last visible doorway. The door opened revealing an executioner and several agents. Now the full realization of what this was came to him. Fear gripped him! Never before had he experienced such fear! He began to shake. It was not shaking as if he were cold. He was shaking violently. He could barely stand. His jaws became locked! The executioner had a black hood with holes for the eyes and mouth. He had a large sword in his hand. The presence of evil was thick, it was literally tangible. The whole experience was horrifying and he knew now that the only way to be saved was to die for his faith.
Only a few times had he heard the term “martyr” and now he was about to become one.
Tormenting voices: You will deny ‘Him!’ You are a coward! Give up and live!
He began to hear loud voices around him shouting, “It is not too late. Deny your faith in ‘Him’ and you may live! Deny Him and you will live! Deny Him and you will live!”
He did not know what would be better , to live in the earth the way it was, or to die. Confusion assaulted his mind. His old evangelist friend was executed , right before his eyes. He knew the end was coming, one way or another. The old man was not fearful at all. Next was Ken’s wife; he could not bear it anymore. He was tormented by the voices saying, “You will deny ‘Him!’ You are a coward! Give up and live!”
“Lord save me, I don’t want to deny you!” was his call to the Lord for help.
His mind was in complete hysteria and worst of all, he could not even speak out loud! He was emotionally paralyzed. His wife was now about to die. Suddenly the door shut and Ken knew that she too was gone. It felt as though he would freeze; it was so cold and dreadful. He began to fear that he would deny Jesus and renounce his faith in His Lordship. He felt completely hopeless. The reality of denying the Lord was overwhelming! He could not speak to call on the Lord for help, so deep inside he cried,
“Lord save me, I don’t want to deny you!”
Instantly he felt a hand touch his right shoulder and great warmth and peace flooded his whole being. He looked back to see who was with him, and there stood Jesus. Ken wondered how He got there, but there He was and He was glorious! His eyes were like fire, blazing lamps looking deep into his soul. Strong yet comforting, He spoke to Ken and told him,
“Fear not, for death shall never hold you, my son.”
All at once courage and boldness took hold of Ken and he declared, “I shall never deny Jesus Christ, for He is Lord of all and desires you to be saved from your sin!”
His execution was painless:... absent from the body... present with the Lord.
The door opened again. This time it was his turn. He was laid face up on a table in the shape of a cross. His body was strapped to the table on what would be the vertical part of the cross and his arms were strapped to what would be the horizontal part.
The executioner stood to take his life. He saw the sword raised. He saw it fall, but as soon as the blade of the sword touched the front of his neck he was gone, literally gone from my body. He felt no pain!He was instantly standing beside Jesus looking upon the whole scene. He saw his body bleeding profusely. The executioner and the agents made several comments about how much more he bled than the others. He bled so much that the executioner took off his mask shouting, “I will not kill another one of these people.”
Ken awoke from the dream, very, very shaken and needing many answers from this dream.
This dream gives us some very important facts. At the time, Ken saw this dream he was not born again, though he was a Christian for name sake. He witnesses the “Rapture” and then the beginning of the Great Tribulation. During the tribulation, the Antichrist rules the world and it is during this period that he and other name sake Christians and backsliders trust in Jesus, but finally they are martyred for their faith. This is the true sequence of events that is described in the Bible regarding the end time events. At the end of the Tribulation period, Jesus comes to earth (the second coming ) to destroy the Antichrist and his armies at Armageddon;satan is then bound for a 1000 years and Jesus establishes His millennial kingdom.
There are distinct differences in God’s Word between the description of the Rapture and that of the Second Coming of Christ. These are two totally different events.
Here are the differences:
T h e R a p t u r e
-Seen Only by Believers... (1 Corinthians 15:52)
-It’s a Mystery - revealed by Paul in the New Testament (1Corinthians 15:51-53)
-In a Twinkling of an Eye ( 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 )
-Believers are Going “UP” - Meeting Jesus in the Air ( 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
-Christ Comes for His Own (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
-Believers taken to Father’s House ( John 14:3)
-No reference to Satan
-Earth not judged
“Rapture” and the “Second coming”are 2 distinct events sepearted by a gap of 7 yrs.
During “Rapture” Christ comes amidst clouds in mid-air and not to the earth while at the second coming he comes to the earth.

The Second Coming
How is he coming?
”with brightness” (2Thessalonians 2:8)
”seated on a white horse” (Revelation 19:11)
”with his holy angels” (Mathew 25:31)
”in the clouds of heaven” (Mathew 24:30)
”with power and great glory” (Mathew 24:30)
”as the lightning” (Luke 17:24)
”with ten thousands of His saints” (Jude 14)
Why is He coming?
”In righteousness to judge and make war” (Revelation 19:11)
”To smite the nations who have rebelled against Him” (Revelation 19:15)
”To smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem”(Zechariah 14:12)
”To destroy the Antichrist, the False Prophet and his armies”(2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 19:20)
”To gather His elect” (Mathew 24:31)
”To be king over all the earth”(Zechariah 14:9)
”To reign on earth for a thousand years with His Saints” (Revelation 20:4, 6)
The facts now are plain and simple;
a. He will surely come,
b. After the tribulation
c. In the clouds of heaven with his saints and angels seated on a white horse with great power and glory,
d. To destroy the Antichrist and his armies at Armageddon,
e. To reign on earth for a thousand years with His saints.

At the Second Coming, He is not coming alone. Rather those who had been raptured earlier are coming back with Him.
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”.. ( Revelation 19:11-16 )

When Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation, He will be coming for war.
“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
“But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 19:20)
On what day or at what time after the tribulation the second coming will occur-no one knows except God. Scripture is very clear in stating this fact that no one except God knows the exact day & time of the 2nd coming of Christ. All Speculation is useless.
So what is Jesus command to us in our present day?

In Luke 21:36 he says, “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
So are you ready to escape? Are you worthy “to escape” and stand before Him?

How can you be worthy “to escape”? The solution is very simple. In John 5:24 Jesus says
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
In John 4:10 Jesus says that if any one asks of Him “living water”, He would surely give it and in v. 14 he says, “But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.

Dear friend, are you dead in your sins? Are you perishing in your iniquities? Come drink the living water today! Jesus gives this opportunity to all of us. This is your chance. Grab it. You will never regret it.
Here are some of the passages which indicate that believers of this Church Age will not be left to suffer the outpouring of God’s wrath:
“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36)
“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Thessalonians 5:9)
“If he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment”. (2 Peter 2:6-9)

The belief that the church will be delivered from the Tribulation is based in part on the Biblical pattern that when God pours out His wrath He always gives opportunity for the righteous to escape it. This was true of Noah and his family, of Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of Lot, and even of the pagan Ninevites to whom Jonah was sent.
The church is the Bride of Christ. God intends that she join her Bridegroom for a great wedding feast and after that share with Him in ruling the nations. Allowing His bride to suffer through the tribulation is inconsistent with the specific purposes for which He has called out the church from the world, why He has rescued her “from the coming wrath.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
Antichrist will not be revealed until hindering force removed
In 2 Thessalonians we are told that the “man of sin (or lawlessness)” will not be revealed until “He who now restrains” is taken out of the way.
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8)
In John 16:7-8 we are told that it is The Holy Spirit who will “convict the world concerning sin...” God The Holy Spirit can never be removed from the earth, but, in the sense that He is effectively restraining sin through Christians in whom He dwells, the time will come, once those Christians are gone, that wickedness will abound. Today Christians are everywhere: in their occupations, in the market place, in the schools, even in government halls. But during the Tribulation, true believers will be persecuted and either killed or driven underground, so that their godly influence will not be felt in the world. When the church is taken in the Rapture, the world will be ripe for Antichrist to step forth with his ungodly plans. True, multitudes of people will turn to Christ and will become true believers in the tribulation period. They will also be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but they will not be permitted to take the place of the missing Christians in society. They will be outcasts, and therefore the Holy Spirit will not have the same restraining influence on the world that He now has. Most, or even all of them, will be quickly put to death by the man of sin.
So the question to you now is:Are you ready for Rapture?
“Are you sure you are ready to go with Him if He comes today?”
”Are you born again?”
”Are you saved?”
Have you taken Christ in your heart? Is he your personal Saviour? Friend, there are only 2 categories of people in the sight of Christ. Not Black/White, Not Jew/Gentile, Not Indian/Pakistani, Not Russian/American, Only LOST and SAVED. That is All. Nothing less. Nothing more.
We are all born in sin. Nothing can change that status of ours other than Jesus Christ. He died for our sins on the cross. Not for some sins, but all our sins, ALL! that’s the key word. In 1 John 2:2 we read “ He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
It never matters to Him in terms of how great your sins are, if your are ready to accept Him. Murderer / Adulterer / Liar / Fornicator / Thief / Sorcerer. It does not matter to Him if you are ready to accept Him.
AS SOON AS YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS & YOU ASK FORGIVENESS FROM GOD WITH A CONTRITE HEART, HE CLEANSES YOU FROM ALL YOUR SINS; ALL THE FILTH THAT YOU ACCUMULATED IN & AFTER YOUR BIRTH.

In 1 John 1:9 we read, “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
ALL sins, ALL unrighteousness are cleansed. You are a new being then. A new soul. You are washed. Washed in the blood of the lamb. i. e. Jesus Christ. You are a believer then. In Ephesians 2: 8, 9 we read, ” For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.”
These are very important verses. No man is saved by his work on earth. However good/generous you are, unless you are saved by grace through faith it does not count. But once you are saved by grace through faith, your deeds sustaining your faith count a lot for they receive rewards ultimately. There is no judgement for your old sinful life once you are born again; once you are a believer, once you have been washed by the blood of Christ. You have to build on your foundation now. The foundation that you’ve laid in your heart - JESUS CHRIST.
Just think of it dear friend! Would you prefer to ascend with Christ during Rapture and be in heaven forever or subject yourself to the trying times during the tribulation. Wars; famines, persecution, earthquakes, hailstorms, pestilences and many more catastrophies are soon coming upon our world.

A few dreams of “Rapture” seen by people around the world:
(In their own words)

1. John MacHaffie (May 29, 2002)
I went down on my knees on Wednesday Evening May 29, 2002, asking God for some revelation, a sign or whatever to help me about this Rapture belief - Is is true or what? After my tearful prayers and asking Him for a sign, I fell into a blissful sleep. My dream was spectacular. I vividly saw and felt myself raised vertically right out of my body flying upright at about a 80 degree angle to the earth. As I went up I looked around and saw the most beautiful ‘bright’ blue sky and flown above the most beautiful sandy beaches, aqua blue waters with christine clear surf. I was amazed at how warm and welcoming I felt. I then was headed up to some grey ceiling clouds which as I got closer- I felt a strong feeling. Not a voice, but just definitely a message - “the Rapture Is True and time is almost now”. I got to within several feet of the clouds and then I woke up!

2. Mrs. Linda (October 25, 1997)
Let me begin by introducing myself. I was raised in the Baptist church and have been a Christian for 25 years. During this time I have been involved in various Christian service: teaching Sunday School, leading youth discipleship groups, participating in mission trips, participating in prayer groups, involved in women’s ministry, etc.
“Having been raised in church, I have heard Revelation taught many times and have been taught about the Rapture. My entire teaching, AND belief has always been that the entire church, the Bride of Christ, all genuine believers in Jesus, will be raptured either prior to the tribulation or certainly before the worst of the tribulation. ”Early in the morning of October 25, 1997, I had the following dream.... ”I was driving home, alone in a Volkswagen van, down a country road bordered by farmland. Ahead of me on either side lining the road were large eucalyptus trees. I looked ahead of me and saw a beautiful house that sat on the right hand side of the road just before the line of eucalyptus trees started. As I was looking at the house I saw, with my peripheral vision, to the left, on the horizon, what appeared to be a eucalyptus tree that was so large it reached all the way from the horizon as far into the sky as I could see. (I could see this far because the land was very flat. ) When I looked closer I saw that it wasn’t a tree at all but thousands of people in white moving up into the sky. I knew it was the rapture and I was terrified. I slammed on the brakes; the van turned end over end. I remember thinking, ‘I should be hurt or killed’ but instead I was standing on the side of the road with my arms in the air crying out to Jesus. Then I woke up, very shaken.
”I went downstairs to ask God what the dream meant. I couldn’t understand why I was not in the rapture because I know I am a Christian. God showed me that on the side of the van was written the word ‘carnality’. Then He reminded me of the Parable of the Ten Virgins. He told me several things and said, ‘Do not listen to Satan’s whispers. There are not many days left. ’

3. Binoy Samuel (March 13, 1995)
I found myself standing outside somewhere during a very cloudy day, and I had the sense that something exciting was going to happen.
“I don’t know how to explain it, except that I did not have to hear with my physical ears to know what was happening; rather, I could sense it. And then it struck me - a wonderful thought, revelation, call it what you will - that Jesus was coming back, and in the time frame that I was in, it was NOW!
“You can imagine how excited I was; I started to wonder what would happen and kept looking up. I knew within my heart that I would be taken up: I did not know how, however. The moments, which must have passed by furiously, seemed to tick slowly in my anticipation.
“Then, I heard a shout (I could not see what was happening exactly, and if I did, such a memory has been taken from me). Actually, it seemed to get louder in intensity, and more widespread, until it seemed to me like a giant stadium full of people shouting - only far more wonderful, uplifting and intense.
“Yes, it was uplifting. In fact, I became so caught up in it, that I began to shout - and with so much happiness! I didn’t care one bit if anyone heard me!
“And then a burst (or was it a beam?) of energy seemed to explode straight out of my forehead, and I was beginning to be overwhelmed by its power. It seemed to spread out beyond my head to my neck, shoulders and beyond; in the meanwhile, I had a sense that I was being translated at a tremendous speed.
“All this was so overwhelming that I found myself being jolted back into my physical body which left me getting up and - in spite of my weariness - smile a huge smile of happiness, and although a little surprised that the vision was not happening in the NOW still, hoping in my heart “I hope that’s the way it’s going to be when He comes back!”
What does the ultimate future hold for the believer? And what does it hold for the unbeliever? For the believer in the Triune God, God promises Eternity in the New heaven, New Earth with the holy city Jerusalem in it. (Revelation 21:1, 2). God will then live with all who have believed in His name and have been faithful.
The Bible says “ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, 5)
But what about the unbelieving? The Bible says in Revelation 21:8,
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, themurderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” For eternity they burn in the lake of fire. What a pity that would be! But it is a just judgement of a just God

Three Things to end this book with:
1. An open invitation from Christ to all “lost” to be saved”The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17)

2. “A word of caution from Christ to all “ saved””I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Revelation 3:11)
3. A “repeat call” from Christ to the “backslider””Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Revelation 2:5)

PRAYER
If You Are An Unbeliever ( One who has not yet accepted JESUS CHRIST as your Lord and Saviour ) Make Jesus your Saviour now.
The Bible says, That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9,10)

PRAY THIS PRAYER OF ACCEPTING JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOUR
Dear Father in Heaven,
I confess that I am a sinner and that I will perish in my sins if I do not accept Jesus as my Saviour and Lord. Forgive me all my sins and unrighteousness and wash me with the blood of Jesus and make me a new person this day. I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your son and He died on the cross at Calvary for my sins and that He was resurrected and ascended to heaven and sits at your right hand with all authority given to Him by you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and let Him guide me through your Word to live a life, holy and pleasing to you.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

Jesus said, If you love me, you will obey what I command. (John 14:15)
This does not mean only the 10 commandments, but all apostolic doctrines given to the New Testament Church. Believers should:

1. Take water baptism by immersion.
2. Be baptised in the Holy Spirit
3. Separate from idol worshippers and worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
4. Partake of the Holy Communion regularly.
5. Live a life holy and pleasing to God, keeping oneself free from the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life.
6. Read and Meditate God’s Word regularly.
7. Pray and Fast regularly.