As we wait for Jesus’ appearing, our hearts often grow weary amid the rampant evil of our day and the hardships we encounter. Our cry often becomes one of “how much longer, O Lord?”

If you feel overwhelmed with life at times and long for our Savior to appear and intervene in our world, please know that I wrote what follows especially for you.

Our weariness of heart comes from a variety of sources:

• Ongoing health issues of varying intensity
• The limitations that come with aging
• The sickening wickedness in our world that’s growing exponentially
• Government corruption amid over-the-top deception and gaslighting by leaders
• The vile depopulation efforts of the globalists
• The everyday talk of a nuclear World War III
• Various forms of persecution
• The ridicule of our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing
• Family heartaches
• Abuse from spouses or other family members
• Financial woes

For those of us eagerly watching for Jesus’ return, encountering these things intensifies our longing for the day He takes us up to His Father’s house. He cannot come too soon.

I believe the Apostle Paul also felt this yearning. In Romans 8:23, he wrote:

“And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

The “redemption of our bodies” happens at the time of the Rapture when Jesus gives us our imperishable bodies. If you sigh with longing for this day to arrive as the result of any of the reasons from the above list, you’re in good company. You likely feel the same inward groaning that Paul felt as he also looked forward to the Lord’s appearing.

It’s our anticipation of the glory ahead for us that encourages weary hearts as we encounter the devil’s opposition through the items listed above. That’s why I’m writing to reassure you of the confidence we possess in Jesus’ imminent appearing.

It’s because …

1. Premillennialism Is a Biblical Necessity

Premillennialism, which is foundational to a belief in the pre-Tribulation Rapture, is a biblical necessity. There must be a time when God restores a kingdom to Israel, which happens after a literal seven-year Tribulation when Jesus returns to the earth. We call this belief “premillennialism.” It’s the direct opposite of replacement theology, which falsely claims that God has replaced Israel with the church.

In my previous post, Israel’s future Restoration Validates Our Hope as New Testament Saints, I provided several points demonstrating the biblical necessity of God’s restoration of a kingdom to Israel.

Why is this key to placing the Rapture before the Tribulation? First, those who adhere to replacement theology don’t believe in an actual tribulation. If that’s the case, the Rapture must happen at the time of the Second Coming.

Second, if one doesn’t interpret prophecy in the way that the writers of Scripture intended, one cannot recognize how its words confirm the biblical necessity of a pre-Tribulation Rapture.

2. The Rapture Is a Biblical Event

I find it reassuring to always keep in mind that the Rapture is a biblical event.

Consider the following quote from the late Dr. Ed Hindson, a beloved scholar whose insights into biblical prophecy we sorely miss:

“If you disagree on the timing of the rapture, please don’t tell people, ‘There’s never going to be a rapture.’ No, there must be a rapture, or the Bible is not true. There must be a time when the archangel shouts, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised, and the living are caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We may differ on the timing of the rapture but not the fact of the rapture.” ^[i]

In other words, there must be a time when the series of events Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 happen, or “the Bible is not true.” Jesus is coming for us, and at that time, He will give us imperishable bodies exactly as He promises us in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. Regardless of what one calls the event these passages describe with much detail, they form the basis of our future hope in Jesus’ appearing.

The event we call the “Rapture” is simply the Lord fulfilling the prophecies contained in the above texts as well those found in John 14:1-3, Titus 2:11-14, Revelation 3:10-11a, and others.

The Rapture is a biblical event.

3. The Rapture Cannot Happen at the Same Time as the Second Coming

The biblical descriptions of the Rapture and Second Coming differ in ways that make it impossible for one to reconcile the two into one event. They cannot happen at the same time.

For example, the place of the resurrection in the differing sequence of events during the Rapture and Second Coming confirms this distinction.

When Paul writes about the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, he says that the raising of the “dead in Christ” happens immediately after Jesus appears.

With the Second Coming, however, the resurrection of tribulation saints does not occur until after a lengthy sequence of events (see Rev. 19:11-20:4). This raising of the dead may not even occur until a day or two or more after Jesus’ return to Earth.

There’s another key distinction that comes from these passages. At the time of the Rapture, Jesus resurrects the “dead in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). In Revelation 20:4, John says that at His return to Earth, He raises “those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus.” In one instance, all believers rise from the dead, while in the other, the apostle only mentions a subset of them.

If the words of Scripture matter, and they do, then we cannot combine these two events into one.

4. New Testament Expectancy of the Rapture

The apostles repeatedly described their readers as eagerly anticipating Jesus’ return for them (1 Cor. 1:7; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Thess. 1:8-10; Titus 2:11-13; James 5:8; James 5:8-10; 1 Peter 1:13). New Testament saints watched for the Rapture as though it could occur at any moment. When we say that Jesus’ appearing is imminent, we echo this expectancy. Nothing needs to occur before the Rapture takes place.

As for the Second Coming, the Lord told us that at least two major events would happen before it. In Matthew 24:15-29, Jesus says that the defilement of the temple by the antichrist and the “great tribulation” that follows it will happen before He returns to Earth. According to His own words, events that have not yet happened must occur before the Second Coming; it’s not an imminent event that we can expect at any time.

Only a pre-Tribulation Rapture fits as the eager anticipation of Jesus’ appearing that we see throughout the New Testament.

5. The Expectation of the Thessalonians

The expectation of the Thessalonians also supports placing the Rapture before the Tribulation.

The new converts in Thessalonica grieved when some of their members died. A careful examination of Paul’s response (see 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17) reveals the cause of their unnecessary grief; they thought that the dead in Christ would miss out on the joy of the Rapture. In response, the apostle assures them of the primary place that the “dead in Christ” will have during Jesus’ return for us.

How could they have thought this way apart from expecting Jesus’ appearing to happen at any moment? They, like the apostle Paul, believed Jesus could return for them in their lifetime.

6. The Surprise Beginning of the Day of the Lord

In 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, Paul tells his readers that the start of the day of the Lord will surprise people “like a thief in the night” with its “sudden destruction” from which “they will not escape.” The day of Lord, a primarily Old Testament term, refers to an extended time of the Lord’s wrath on the earth leading up to and including Jesus’ return to the earth and subsequent kingdom.

If the day of the Lord were to begin at any time after the seal judgments of Revelation 6 commence, this day would not catch people by surprise. No one will be saying “peace and security” (v. 3) after the pestilences, famines, pandemics, and wars of the seal judgments kill one-fourth of the earth’s population, almost two billion people.

Since the Rapture must happen before the seal judgments of Revelation 6, it must occur before the start of the Tribulation.

7. The Lord’s Promise that We Will Miss the Wrath of the Day of the Lord

In 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, the Lord, through the apostle Paul, assures the Thessalonians, and us, that we will not experience this time of God’s judgment upon the earth known as the day of the Lord:

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”

The context of this promise tells us that the wrath Paul has in mind belongs to the Day of the Lord rather than hell. It begins with the “sudden destruction” that “will come upon” those taken by surprise at the start of this time of wrath.

We learn from 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 that the readers of Paul’s epistle came to faith in Jesus believing they would not experience this time of wrath upon the earth.

“For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

For me, this is a very strong argument favoring a pre-Tribulation Rapture, as the Lord promises us that we will miss the Day of the Lord’s wrath, which includes all of the Tribulation.

8. Jesus’ Promise to the Church at Philadelphia

We have additional verification of the pre-Tribulation Rapture in Jesus’ promise to the church at Philadelphia. In Revelation 3:10-11a, we read:

“Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly.”

This “hour of trial” here does not refer to a time of persecution that would come upon a particular church or even all believers but rather points to a time of suffering that will impact all the people of the world, which fits with the events that John describes in Revelation 6-18.

The fact that this testing is specifically for “those who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10) further confirms its reference to the judgments on Earth known as the Tribulation. John uses this phrase eight other times in the book of Revelation (6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8 12, 14; 14:6; and 17:8). In each instance, it either refers to either people impacted by the Tribulation or to those refusing to repent of their sins during this time.

In these chapters, however, the apostle never refers to the church as being on the earth.

9. The Church Is Not on the Earth During the Events of Revelation 6-18

We know that the Lord has currently entrusted the church with proclaiming the saving message of the Gospel to the nations.

Why, then, is there the need for the two witnesses that John describes for us in Revelation 11:4-13 if the church is present on Earth during this time?

Besides these two spokesmen, in Revelation 14:6–7, John tells us about an angel that will proclaim the Gospel during the Tribulation:

“Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

If the church is present on the Earth during the events of Revelation 6-18, why does the Lord need to send an angel to proclaim the Gospel? This only makes sense with a pre-Tribulation Rapture.

The presence of the 144,000 sealed Jewish believers during this time also points to the absence of the church during this time of judgment (Revelation 7:1-8). Many believe they will act as evangelists sharing the Gospel with the lost. Again, why is this necessary if the church remains on the earth during the events of Revelation 6-18?

Furthermore, if the church is still present, such a distinction between believing Jews and Gentiles couldn’t exist, according to Colossians 3:11.

The Cry of Our Soul

The Lord might catch us up to meet Him in the air today, or we may continue waiting a while longer. I’m certain we live in the season of His appearing, but I don’t know how long it will last.

When my heart grows weary, I return again to the passages of Scripture that promise a glorious future solely because of the blood that Jesus shed for me on the cross.

Jesus is preparing a place for us in glory, and He’s most certainly returning to take us to where He now dwells in glory (John 14:2-3, 17:24; Colossians 3:4). He will transform our aging bodies into ones that are immortal and glorious (see 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Philippians 3:20-21).

Know for certain that the Lord is going to judge the vile wickedness and vile agenda that’s openly promoted by most government leaders. Just this morning, I needed to again read Psalm 37:1-20 in order to calm the anger rising inside me because of all the deception, lawlessness, and murderous agenda of those in power in America.

The cry of our soul finds its answer in the certainty that Jesus is coming soon to rescue us from this troubled world before things get a whole lot worse.

Until Jesus appears, don’t let anyone deceive you: the Rapture is a biblical event that must happen before the start of the Tribulation period.

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In my book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, I go into much greater detail on all the above points, and others, that demonstrate the biblical necessity of the pre-Tribulation Rapture.

Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com. It will greatly help me reach more people. Thanks!

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[i] Ed Hindson, Future Glory (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2021), p. 14.

Throughout Scripture, believers are encouraged to overcome. In fact, overcoming the world could be considered the daily task of faithful believers. Perhaps this is why Jesus spends so much time issuing admonitions to overcome when addressing the seven churches in chapters two and three of the book of Revelation. In this amazing passage of Scripture, while praising and/or rebuking each church, Jesus encourages those who have ears to hear to overcome. Then He goes on to make wonderful promises to those who succeed. With this in mind, we will examine what it means to overcome and just how difficult the task can be, given the very difficult circumstances believers often find themselves in, circumstances that should cause the faithful to cry out: ‘Help us, Lord, to Overcome.’ ^[1]

How Does One Overcome?

After informing the Philippians that his imprisonment had actually worked to further instead of hinder the gospel, the Apostle Paul encourages the believers in Philippi to stand fast in one spirit and with one mind to strive together for the faith of the gospel. He goes on to tell them not to be terrified by adversaries because they, like all Christians, should be prepared to suffer on behalf of Christ (Phil 1:27-30). Therefore, Paul capitalized on his own circumstances in order to encourage others to overcome. However, Paul did not stop with mere encouragement.

In chapter two, Paul calls for unity through lowliness of mind (Phil 4:3) and reminds the faithful in Philippi that Christ overcame by taking on the form of a humble servant who was obedient even to death on the cross, for which the Father has highly exalted Him (Phil 2:5-11). Paul then provided the tools necessary for every believer to overcome:

Philippians 2:12-13

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” ^[2] (emphasis mine)

This passage directs the believer to work out their own salvation, which is another way of saying overcome. However, Paul does not tell the believer they are on their own in this endeavor, as verse thirteen yields the most important part of this entire narrative: God is the one who is working in the believer who is striving to overcome, ‘the will and to do’ of His good pleasure. Said another way, God is providing the ability in the overcomer to both desire and do His will. This is crucial because Jesus said only those who do the will of the Father enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 7:21), and God would have none lost (2 Pet 3:9). Therefore, He has done and continues to do all of the heaving lifting for the believer.

First, God sent His only begotten Son to die in order to save all who would believe on Him (John 3:16). Here, we see that God even provides the one who believes the very impetus needed to fulfill His will. King David understood this when he wrote the 37th Psalm. In verse four he says, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Great insight can be drawn from these words.

Consider this: one who delights in the Lord desires more than anything to fulfill His will.^[3] Perhaps this is why God can share His will with this type of person. Therefore, the desires of the heart of those that delight in the Lord and/or those that work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Ps 37:4; Phil 4:12) are literally the will of the Lord. Accordingly, when God hears these desires manifest in prayer, He is ready to hear them because His ear is inclined toward the righteous (Ps 34:15). This same sentiment is seen in the 17th verse of Psalm 10:

Psalm 10:17

“LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear.”

This passage makes it clear that God both prepares the heart of the humble and He causes His own ear to hear the desires that come from them in prayer. Perhaps this is why it is written that “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). Incredibly, in a seemingly miraculous manner, God provides, as Paul taught, the will (desires of their heart) and the unction to do those things that He has made Himself ready to hear, all because it pleases Him. Wow, God is so incredible!

With all of this in mind, it is clear that overcomers are the humble ones who work out their own salvation with fear and trembling by desiring and doing the will of the Father, each and every day until their very last breath.^[4]

Difficult – Not Impossible

King David was very accustomed to hardship and the overcomer’s life. Undoubtedly, his own hardship came to mind as he wrote Psalm 34:19, a verse that was once very popular because believers knew that striving to live the life of an overcomer was normal. However, this same Scripture is now shunned by many who desire to live without difficulties in the here and now. This is why we must expound upon this once great treasure here:

Psalm 34:19

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”

First, take note that these many afflictions affect the righteous. This means that bad things can and do happen to good people. In fact, if one reads this passage in context, it is clear that, while this particular verse can be seen as universally true of any righteous person (one who is in right standing with God because of belief in Christ Jesus the Son), it is also speaking about Jesus and the many afflictions He was to suffer during His days on earth. This should clear up the fact that any who would live a faithful life will, while doing so, have to endure many afflictions.

Second, notice that only the righteous are to be delivered from these many afflictions. Therefore, though it may rain on the just and the unjust (Matt 5:45), it is only the just that can count on eventually being delivered from the afflictions of this present time. It is necessary to clarify that deliverance from affliction is not always immediate. The life of Joseph is a great example of this. Joseph was betrayed and sold into slavery by his own brothers. He was then falsely accused by his master’s wife and sent to prison. Finally, he was forgotten by the chief cupbearer whose dream he had interpreted, and left in prison for an additional two years. Scripture indicates that these afflictions covered a span of thirteen years; however, God did, in His own timing, deliver Joseph out of these afflictions, after which he went on to save his people (Gen 37 & 39-47) from the famine which would have destroyed them otherwise.

Lastly, it is important to see in the text that the Lord will deliver the righteous out of “all” afflictions. This means that the absolute fulfillment of this promise can only take place at the rapture,^[5] for this is the time when both the dead in Christ and those who are alive and remain are changed into beings who no longer suffer the ravages of age, sickness, and death (1 Thess 4:13-18; 1 Cor 15:50-57).

1 Thess 4:13-18

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Notice that Paul ends both of these corresponding passages about the rapture with messages of hope and encouragement to overcome. He also provides the best way to pass the time until this much-awaited moment of change:^[6] We are to abound in the work of the Lord, which is best done by being in the center of God’s will, which can only happen by humbling ourselves and seeking His face daily, as in – all day.^[7] After all, “men ought always to pray and not faint” (Luke 18:1). Likewise, Paul encourages the faithful to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17).

Prayer is extremely important to the overcomer, as the title of this article suggests. Indeed, it is through prayer that the imploration, ‘Help Us, Lord, to Overcome,’ can be answered. In this state of utmost humility, effective prayers can be uttered because they are formulated within a heart that is yielded to God’s will, just like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:36-46).

Conclusion

As previously stated, it is very clear that Scripture encourages the faithful to overcome, and this is further accentuated by the fact that Jesus speaks to the overcomer in every church to which He sent letters in Revelation 2 and 3. This is evidence that the Lord wants His children to desire ‘in their heart’ to overcome. Therefore, we can rest assured that praying for the Lord to help us overcome is not only a good idea, it is also essential.

Overcomers often live in obscurity while being maligned by those who desire to persecute the faithful. King David and Joseph are both great examples of this, as they were each given great promises from God at a very young age. And as biblical history reveals, both waited years for the manifestation of these promises. What made each of these men very special is the fact that through all of the afflictions they suffered, they always kept God’s will in mind as they lived their daily lives.

This brings to mind the faithful who are recorded in the book of Hebrews, chapter eleven. The author, while listing a great number of the most faithful, writes this:

Hebrews 11:13-16; 39-40

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

God has promised to deliver us from every affliction, and He will do just that at the soon-coming rapture. While waiting for this most sought-after event, we are to occupy and endure the suffering that comes along with the blessing of being different, or as Peter and Paul said: we are to be a peculiar people who proclaim the virtues of God while being zealous of good works (1 Pet 2:9; Titus 2:14). Therefore, while enduring, let us cry out: ‘Help Us, Lord, to Overcome.’

Psalm 34:17-19

“The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” (emphasis mine)

Website: In His Commission

[1] See the lyric video, “Help Us Lord.” This song is based on Revelation 2 and 3.

[2] “Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the King James Version.”

[3] For greater understanding, see the article, “Thy Kingdom Come – Thy Will Be Done.”

[4] For greater understanding, see the article, “Thy Will Be Done: The Epicenter of Right and Wrong.”

[5] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Five W’s of the Rapture.”

[6] See the lyric video, “We Await.” This song is based on the bride awaiting her bridegroom.

[7] For greater understanding, see the article, “While We Wait.”