The church awaits the return of the Lord for the rapture of the saints, which will take place at the close of the great tribulation. However, the exact time and day of this great event is not known to anybody; not even our Lord Jesus Christ knows it. It is only God, the Father that knows the time and day.
According to the Bible and based on the divine timetable and calendar, the time is at hand. It, therefore, demands for urgent and diligent preparation at all times to avoid being left out.
The second coming of the Lord as a King will be characterised with mixed reactions of joy and regret, fulfilment and disappointment based on the reward one gets for his/her activities. This is why the Bible says in the lead scripture that it will show us a mystery; that we will not all die, but be changed in a moment for the corruptible to put on incorruption and the mortals to put on immortality at the resurrection of the saints.
The spiritual fathers believed in the resurrection of the dead as revealed through the prophets of old (Isaiah 26:19) and the miracles of the restoration of the dead to life. Resurrection is not a novel occurrence in the Bible. Our Lord Jesus Christ raised the dead (Matthew 9:25) and predicted His own resurrection (John 10:18). The Apostles equally raised the dead. The resurrection of the saints, therefore, is sure to come but the time is unknown.
There are two resurrections that are futuristic. They are inclusive of all that are in the graves. The resurrection of those in grave is distinguished as the first resurrection because it is the rapture of the saints. The second resurrection will come after 1000 years. It will be unto damnation or judgment that leads to the second death in hell.
The first resurrection will be for the believers of the Church Age, meeting the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17) and the martyrs of the great tribulation that will emerge at the close of tribulation when our Lord Jesus returns to the earth as a King for the inauguration of the millennium rule. It must be noted by all believers that it is the rapture that will bring about the first resurrection into life that is at hand. It is this resurrection that the church is interested in and is also preparing the saints for. No Christian should think of or even pray to be a tribulation saint for two reasons: you may not be alive during the great tribulation and you may not be able to withstand the heartless torture that will qualify one to become a saint at that period. At this time, your personal blood will save you; it will no longer be the blood of Jesus Christ.
This message that is coming at this time serves as a warning to Christians, so that they will be mindful of their lifestyles and not live against the will of God now the grace is still available for the salvation of all souls. One should utilise this short period available to prepare for everlasting life in heaven. This is why the Bible warns us in 1Corinthians 7:29-31 saying: “But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none. 30: And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not. 31: And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.” The mundane things of this world have carried many people away, making them to forget that greater things await them in heaven where Jesus Christ has gone to prepare for the saints.
In preparation for the rapture, one should understand that no sacrifice is too big considering the benefits of one being among the raptured souls to meet the Lord in the air. The moment one is raptured, he/she is free from all the evils and difficulties of this world. Whosoever fails in this project has lost all. There is nothing to gain by someone losing his or her soul. When an individual misses out in the rapture of the saints, the next thing that awaits him/her is hell fire, where suffering in fire, crying had I known will be the order of the day. Whatever is standing between you and the rapture must be removed now that you are alive.
In Revelation 22:10-13, the Bible laments: “And he saith unto me, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.11: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.12: And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13: I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
God made this statement in an unhappy mood. A lot of preaching has been done; signs and wonders were not in short supply. There have been warning of the dangers of sin and living against the will of God, yet people have continued to live in sin. God created man and gave him conscience to choose between good and bad. Our Lord Jesus Christ came to give mankind life in abundance, yet many are still wallowing in sin. Whatever choice one has made, a reward awaits you hereafter.
In all ramifications, God wants us, His children to be holy and live a righteous life in Christ Jesus. Holiness and sanctification are used interchangeably in both the Old and New Testaments. The meaning in both Hebrew and Greek are rendered by English interpretation to mean ‘set apart for God.’ In both the Old and the New Testaments, the words are used for things and for persons. When sanctification is used for things, there is no implication of moral quality. It simply means they are set apart for God. When sanctification is used for person, it has threefold meaning:
• In a position: it means believers are eternally set apart for God by redemption, through offering of the body of Christ once (Heb. 10:10); believers are ‘saints’ and holy from the moment of believing (Phil.1:1).\
• In experience: it means believers are being sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit through the scriptures (Jn.17:17).
• In consummation: it means believers’ complete sanctification awaits the appearing of the Lord (Eph.5:27).
As Christians, holiness should be our watchword, while preparing for the return of the Lord. It is only through holiness that we can see the Lord.
Whatsoever that is not right now should be quickly corrected so that we will take part in the rapture of the saints, which is already at hand.
