“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

If there’s ever been a time when we need to know our prepositional God, that He is with us and for us, it’s now (Joshua 1:9, Psalm 118:6). We need to know that He is behind and before us, and that His hand is upon us in these final darkening days (Psalm 139:5). One of my teachers taught prepositions using a tree: in a tree, beside a tree, with a tree, above a tree, etc. Over the years, God has used His pre-position, where He has always been and will always be in relation to us as believers, as a way of assuring me we’re never alone in our suffering or pain or desperation. While we, as rapture watchers, are waiting for Him to come, we can find courage in knowing that He’s already here. He is Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). That never changes, even and especially when we see this world spinning out of control.

I think most of us would say that we thought He would have come for us long before now. The fact that the rapture hasn’t yet happened may have many of us reeling and feeling a little stunned to be seeing the rise of evil and the fall of our nation. Make no mistake; no candidate or party will or can save us. There is only one Savior, the One who is tarrying for perfect reasons that adhere to His perfect plan. We can trust that. We can trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3).

Recently, while reading in Mark 15, I came to Joseph of Arimathea’s role in the post-crucifixion story, how he went in before Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Verse 43 says, “Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.” One phrase in this NASB translation captured my attention, how Joseph “gathered up courage.” I’m here to suggest that we do the same, gather up courage in the waiting as we recognize the despicable intentions of a closing-in-on-us global government and the fast-approaching time of Jacob’s trouble.

This is no time to shrink back but rather to stand firm in what we believe and to have faith in the One who is with us. What comes naturally to our flesh is to cling to the idea that we won’t see anything worse than what we’ve already seen. My 2020 self never dreamed she would see this 2024 nation. Truthfully, I know my flesh can be found guilty of burying its head in an attempt to alleviate my fears of what might come. That’s not courage. Courage insists that I be prepared for whatever may come, even those things I thought I would never see. If we’re here another day, month, or year, I must have what it takes to stand firm and be effective for the kingdom every moment I’m here. Every moment matters.

Let’s consider 2 Timothy 4:3 and how we most often interpret it. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.” Many times, we see this passage only applying to “woke” churches or prosperity-gospel pastors. But have you ever considered how it might apply to some rapture watchers? (I’m not saying this is you or me. Surely, we wouldn’t do that.)

I distinctly recall reading comments on a video that Pastor Tom Hughes did with Lee Brainard. People were outraged that the two men suggested we may have a year or two, or maybe even more, before the rapture. Can I toss out a little red-faced honesty here? I skipped that video simply because I didn’t want to hear them say it. I was in a weakened state of waiting and couldn’t bear it. So now you know I’ve been that person, one who doesn’t want our trusted pastors or teachers telling me we may be looking at a year or two more. I wanted them to tickle my ears and tell me it’s soon, like, tomorrow soon, and that everything we’re seeing now is proof that it can’t be much longer.

Fact is, the rapture is soon, but soon happens to be a Biblical concept that doesn’t mean what I want it to mean. If it did, I would be talking to you now at a glorious wedding rather than writing here on Rapture Ready.

I have to wonder: Is this prickling rather than tickling your ears? We don’t like what-if questions, like “What if Jesus tarries a little longer?” Just the fact that I’m bringing this up, will you stop reading this article? Or will you gather up courage and decide to be prepared to live out God’s plan for your life and ministry on earth, whether that includes one more day or a few more years? God has a purpose for you. You don’t see what you see in this world just because you’re the smartest one in the room. You’ve been given discernment by the Spirit in you in order to do more with what you see and what you know than merely sky gazing. If you’re not looking around the room at the people who need Jesus and truth, whether it be the lost or the found, then you’re wasting this gift of time the Lord has given you.

In Embrace the Wait, I asked, “What if those we are praying for now come to salvation due to harder times—like massively hard times—ahead? Can’t we endure, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God with us, the harder times with them?” If Jesus tarries, harder times are coming for the lost and for the found. And as my questions above suggest, harder times will allow us greater opportunities for reaching the lost and helping to grow the undiscerning found. That’s what is expected of a disciple, one who is in Christ. We are to be courageous, battle-ready, grown-up believers who can stand and withstand, not merely ones who are sky-gazing as we wait.

Pastor JD Farag warns us not to be so heavenly-minded that we’re no earthly good. If we’re only watching the clouds, waiting for our blessed hope, then we’re in danger of being no earthly good. I won’t arrive in heaven as a sky gazer. I just can’t allow myself that luxury. I do watch. I do hope. I do wait, but all the while, I want to be about the Father’s business He’s assigned to me. I want to arrive and stand before my Blessed Hope as one who has answered my last-days call to the best of my ability, even down to the last pre-rapture second. I want to continue to grow up in Jesus and grow out in reaching and teaching others.

Speaking of our blessed hope, go read this favorite verse of many of us rapture watchers in context with the verses before and after it. (See what I did there, slipping in some prepositions?)

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:11-14).

We tend to extract the “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing…” verse without considering the overall meaning of the passage. Below is a not-so-subtle list of points from these verses we must consider:

– All men (and women) need Jesus!

– God, even now in the present age and here in the last hours, is instructing us and growing us up in our faith and calling us to live in obedience.

– We are called to let go of this world.

– The blessed hope deserves a rightful place in our walk, but it mustn’t be our sole focus.

– A purified people is often a refined people.

– A people zealous (ardently active, devoted, or diligent) for good deeds: There’s no better deed than to actively, devotedly, and diligently share the Jesus you know with others and make disciples.

And there’s no more receptive people to the Gospel than desperate people who are living in hopeless times.

A verse I shared in Embrace the Wait was Hebrews 12:2, how for the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross, and how we as believers often want the joy without the cross. Enduring harder times for the sake of the lost may be a cross we all bear if Jesus tarries. Only Scripture-strengthened arms can bear a God-given cross. I need to ensure that I am doing more heavy lifting (in God’s Word) than sky gazing. This will keep me from being caught off guard by and ill prepared for a refining that may come in the waiting.

What if 2024 is a year of refining? Will you cower in a corner, discouraged that the rapture hasn’t yet happened, or will you gather up courage to face whatever God allows our nation to experience? Daily headlines suggest the potential for war on multiple fronts, terror attacks by immigrants, economic collapse, Disease X, cyberattacks, or even civil war. What if 2024 makes the past three and a half years look like a beach vacation? I’m not asking this to scare you. I’m asking you so that you can ask yourself if you’re prepared to endure harder times. I don’t mean, have you stocked up on groceries? I’m asking if you’ve stocked up on Jesus, your Bread of Life? Not just are you right with Him, but are you full of Him, so full that you can overflow into the lives of desperate others? They will need what you have, but will you have what they need?

Our final hours, days, months, or even years will be exciting and scary and filled with opportunities. Since Bible times, believers have longed to see the rapture, to meet Christ in the air without ever tasting physical death. Yet, I don’t believe most have counted the cost of that blessing, comprehending that to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). The end requires that we be God’s prepositional us, a people who are dwelling with Jesus and being about people. That’s what we will look at in the continuation of this topic. Until then, I’m providing additional verses below that depict our pre-positional God in relation to us as believers. Take comfort that, in addition to Him being with and for us, He goes ahead of us and is around us. Not one headline surprises Him, nor will any national crisis take Him off guard. Just be in Jesus; that’s where courage is found.

Growing with you,

Lisa

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Would you like to go a little deeper or discuss this topic with a friend? Feel free to use the questions I used with my small group. Questions link

Our Prepositional God

“The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them” (Psalm 34:7).

“Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; this I know, that God is for me” (Psalms 56:9)

“The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6)

“You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me” (Psalm 139:5).

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

“And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

“In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20).

If you would like to read Lisa’s previous Rapture Ready articles, you can find them here: Lisa’s Rapture Ready Articles/Series.

Other Free Resources:

Daybreak, Last Days of Light – Free ebook download

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About Lisa:

As an author, Lisa Heaton is a storyteller with a heart for truth. Her greatest desire in her fiction and nonfiction work is to challenge the reader to discover the truth of who Jesus is and who they are to Him. Now, here as we wait for the any-minute arrival of Jesus for His church in the rapture, Lisa’s latest mission is to warn the lost and wake the found and to help others discover their unique voice to share the truth of our times. More at DaybreakWithLisa.com. Contact Lisa at Lisa@LisaHeatonBooks.com.

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

That having been said by the Holy Spirit, what the heck is Alistair Begg thinking?

Alistair Begg is a 71-year-old evangelical Scottish pastor at Cleveland’s Parkside Church.  He was thought to be a solid preacher of God’s word until some of his latest advice regarding ‘transgender’ marriage came to light.

In response to a question from a grandmother about whether she should attend her grandson’s ‘transgender wedding,’ Begg revealed that his theology has now gone off the rails.

He informed her that not only should she go to the ceremony, but she should also buy them a gift.

I wonder if she can attend a demonic baptism in which her loved one is baptized into the name of Satan.  It is possible that Begg’s theology can accommodate that as well.

After all, according to Begg, Jesus did tell us to love even those we disagree with or disapprove of.  Apparently, when Jesus told us to love our enemies, he meant we were supposed to submit to our enemy’s deviant view of sex roles.

Begg also has a radio program called “Truth for Life.”  It may be time to change the name of his show to “Worldly Wisdom for Ruin.”

We all make errors in theology and judgment from time to time, but there are a number of serious issues here.

First, Begg is old enough to know better than to give this kind of advice.

Second, he is a pastor who is supposed to be providing Biblical guidance.

Finally, he shows absolutely no understanding of the Gospel or how it is to be employed in real-world situations.

If someone claims to be a mathematician and we ask him what two plus two is, and he responds with five, or sixteen or sixty-seven, his credentials as a mathematician should be questioned.  Regardless of the justifications that he offers to defend his position, he should no longer be considered a mathematician.

He should be placed outside of the discipline of mathematics.  At least until he corrects his error.

The same goes for a pastor.

The first thing Begg should have told this poor grandmother was that there is no such thing as a ‘transgender.’  We do not have the ability to transcend our gender because God created us male and female.

There is no third sex.

This is a demonic man-made ‘social construct’ from the pits of hell.

If Begg understood the Gospel, he would have informed this grandmother of her obligation to call her grandson to repent and be forgiven in the name of Jesus.

This action should get her disinvited from the ‘transgender wedding’ pretty quick.

Homosexuality, regardless of the form it takes, is a terrible sin in the eyes of God, and no loving grandmother should withhold the call to repentance.  Especially when she has the responsibility of guiding the younger generation by teaching them acceptable behavior.

When our loved ones descend into depravity, it is an extremely painful experience.  However, we must never forget our primary obligation as Christians, which is, once again, to proclaim repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus.

Jesus was very clear that if we love our own son more than we love him, we are not worthy of him.  The refusal to call your child to repent of his wickedness is a serious violation of that tenet.

A ‘gay wedding’ should be viewed as a Satanic ceremony.  These people cannot be joined together in holy matrimony.  Neither of these people will be able to sanctify each other in marriage.

They are not capable of becoming ‘one flesh.’

Further, we cannot allow ourselves to serve as cooperative witnesses to an event that profanes marriage.  The ceremony of marriage is designed to inaugurate a lifelong commitment of a man to a woman, not only for the good of each other but for the procreation of children.

Marriage, which is the embodiment of love, keeps us from sin, which, in turn, helps to ensure that we remain in the faith.

At the conclusion of this ceremony, there should be a husband and a wife bound together until death.

But Mr. Begg may wish to claim that Christians should attend the ‘gay wedding’ of a loved one to show Christ’s ‘love’ to him/her.  Unfortunately for Begg, this kind of ‘love’ is worldly.

It is devoid of truth and righteousness.

Love that is empty of truth and righteousness is not love at all.  If your wife claims that she loves you and then proceeds to sleep with other men, there is no truth or righteousness in her love.

She is a fornicator who is only capable of loving herself.

When we go to a ‘transgender wedding,’ are we supposed to toast the couple and congratulate them on their new life together?

It seems to me that we are escorting them into the pits of hell with applause and a smile.  I do not see how any Christian can do that in good conscience.

Mr. Begg has demonstrated that he lacks the ability to evangelize the lost and instead has become a friend of the world.  What is frightening is that he was considered to be a solid preacher of God’s word.

Maybe it was the Scottish accent.

This tends to be what happens when a preacher abandons the simplicity of the Gospel for the over-intellectualization of Scripture.  When we over-intellectualize Scripture, we become wise by the standards of this corrupt and perverse age.

When a pastor proclaims God’s word, he is supposed to lay a foundation as an expert builder.  Unfortunately, Begg was not careful how he built.

He should have laid a foundation by using the gold, silver and costly stones of the Gospel.  Instead, like two of the three little pigs, he built with wood, hay and straw.

And the big, bad wolf came along and blew his house down.

What is most galling about this incident is that this kind of faithlessness opens the rest of us up to further persecution from the world.  When the ‘giants of the faith’ lose sight of the Gospel, they inevitably pervert God’s word to the point where they show no greater understanding of the Scriptures than Taylor Swift.

This further empowers the world to label true Christians as ‘extremists.’

And then persecute us accordingly.

Mr. Begg has deceived himself and needs to repent and become a fool so that he may become wise.  The wisdom of the world is foolishness in God’s sight.

I can only imagine what a ‘transgender wedding’ looks like in the eyes of a holy God.

It is not hard to determine where Mr. Begg fell into error.  He is a ‘Reformed Evangelical,’ which, in my experience, is an oxymoron.  The ‘reformed’ mentality is antithetical to evangelism.

A ‘Reformed Evangelical’ does not bother to call sinners to repent and be forgiven in the name of Jesus.  They worship a purely Sovereign God who is devoid of love and offers no chance for repentance.

According to this theology, God is not patient with humanity, wants the vast majority of people to perish, and could care less if anyone comes to repentance.  He does not treat us like we are his children, lovingly drawing us to faith in him.

The god of the reformed Christian is cold, uncaring and beyond our comprehension.

How are we supposed to love a God like that?

Theistic fatalism is itself fatal, not only to those not being evangelized but to the spiritual condition of the ‘pastor’ who holds to this position.  They are forced rationally to the conclusion that evangelism is a waste of time because man is not free concerning where he will spend eternity.

The call for repentance only makes sense when delivered to people who possess free will.

Begg’s error cannot happen to those who hold firmly to the simplicity of the Gospel.  It is when we attempt to overcomplicate the Gospel with poorly thought-out peripheral issues that our theology leaves the straight path and wanders off into the weeds.

I find it hard to believe that a pastor who knows only Christ and him crucified for our sins is capable of this kind of foolishness.

So, let us exegete the most prominent text regarding marriage and see how Begg’s understanding of marriage, based on his advice to this grandmother, measures up.

“Wives [adult females who inherited two X chromosomes], submit to your own husbands [adult males who inherited one X and one Y Chromosome], as to the Lord.

“For the husband is the head of the wife [any other combination is confusion, and God is not the author of confusion] even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands [no one knows who to submit to when gender roles are fluid].

“Husbands, love your wives [as only a man and a woman can form a bond of love in marriage], as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her [there is no sanctification in homosexual relationships] having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish [same-sex marriage is unholy and is by its nature a blemish].

“In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself [homosexuals love only themselves and are in rebellion against God]. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body [homosexuality is an abomination, and those who engage in it are excluded from becoming members of Christ’s body due to their faithlessness].

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh [what part of this is unclear?] This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church [‘gay marriage’ refers to the infiltration of Satan into the church].

“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Homosexuals have been turned over to a reprobate mind and are under the judgment of God.  God did not make them that way; he turned them over to the degrading of their bodies with one another because they refuse to glorify him or give thanks to him.

Apparently, Mr. Begg is not familiar with Romans chapter one.

When we hold to the basics of the faith, we cannot be deceived.  If you want to be a wise builder who builds his theology upon the rock, you can avoid this kind of blunder by holding firmly to the simplicity of the Gospel.

Those who build upon the rock of the Gospel can stand firm when the rains come, the streams overflow, and the winds beat against the house.  All we need is a clear, unvarnished understanding of the Gospel.

Christ died for our sins.  When we go to a ‘transgender’ wedding or justify it in any way, we are ridiculing his sacrifice on the cross for our sins.

We may as well be spitting in his face just like the unregenerate heathen who crucified him. 

We should pray for Alistair Begg to be restored as a pastor of God’s word in Christ’s church.  That when he opens his mouth, words may be given to him to fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel.

Unfortunately, those who submit to the demonic agenda of the LGBT and refuse to repent have become a friend of the world. 

And an enemy of the Gospel.

www.gospelist.net