Ready For The Rapture, Part Two: What Is It? :: By Lynda Janzen

Published on: October 10, 2021 by RR7

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:11-14). (bold emphasis mine)

Maranatha!

Many Christians today are signing off letters and email with this ancient word. But what does it mean? And what does it have to do with the Rapture? For you who are new to Rapture Ready and perhaps even new to Christian thought, it might be of value to explore this ancient word and extract its full meaning.

Wikipedia tells us that Maranatha is originally an Aramaic word. The Aramaic language is a dialect of Hebrew spoken at the time of Jesus by most people living in the Roman province of Judea, the area we know today as Israel. The interesting thing about this word, which was transliterated rather than translated into Greek and Latin, is that it can mean two different things, depending on how the word is segmented.

Again, according to Wikipedia, the Koinē Greek: Μαρανα θα, transliterated to English as marana-tha means, ‘Come, our lord!’ However, if segmented as maran-atha the translation is “Our LORD has come!”

In the King James Version of the Bible, this Aramaic phrase occurs once in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 16:22) as “Maran-atha.”

While all this can seem to be a hair-splitting exercise, it is noteworthy that both interpretations of this word work in our modern world. On earth today, the idea that God came in human form to show the world how to get back to Him is scoffed at, even by some “Christian” scholars. So, if we use the word as Maran-atha, we Christians are acknowledging Jesus’ Kingship and kinship with the Father. (Notice, in the Titus passage above that the writer designates Jesus as “our great God and Saviour.”) When we use the word as Marana-tha, we are asking Our LORD to come. Since both expressions are spot-on, using the full word “Maranatha” would seem to contain both ideas at once.

So, what does all this have to do with the Rapture and the nature of it?

Just as there are two ideas contained in the word “Maranatha,” there is also more than one idea to be found in the term “Blessed Hope,” as it appears in the verses from the Book of Titus at the top of this article.

Our Blessed Hope is, of course, Jesus Messiah. In Him, we are redeemed from our sins (John 1:29). In Him, we have the Bread of Life (John 6:35). In Him, we have our Rock of Salvation (2 Samuel 22:2-3). In Him, and through Him only, we come to the Father in Heaven (John 14:6).

And there are two future events when Jesus Messiah Himself will descend, first, into the atmosphere of planet Earth and gather all His elect to take us to be where He is; and, second, where Jesus comes to earth and sets His foot on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4-5). At that time, the Kingdom of the Millennium is set up by King Jesus, and those of us who were with Him in heaven and return with Him to the earth at the last day will reign with Him forever and ever (Revelation 5:9-10). This second event is known as the Second Coming of Christ.

Well, you say, wait a long minute, here … what about the first event? That, my friends, is the Rapture – The Blessed Hope of our Salvation from the tribulation. Those of us who believe in Jesus as the Son of God, who claim Him as Saviour or Lover of our souls, will not endure the seven years of great trouble that will come on the earth to test all the people – the time between the Rapture and the Second Coming.

So, how does that work? Well, quite honestly, I don’t know, exactly. I do know that Apostle Paul has made it clear in several passages that there will come a day that no one expects, when the dead in Christ will rise from their graves to meet the LORD in the air. Then we, who are full believers, will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, our earthly bodies made ready for eternal life, and we, too, shall rise to meet the LORD in the air. We will be caught up by Jesus. The Greek word used in the Scripture is Harpazo. That same word in Latin is Rapere, from which our English word “Rapture” comes.

Listen to the words of Apostle Paul from 1 Corinthians 15:51-53:

“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.”

And from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no [Blessed] hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the LORD’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the LORD, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep [died]. For the LORD Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with 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 [Harpazo] together with them in the clouds [not on the Mount of Olives!] to meet the LORD in the air. And so we will be with the LORD forever. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.”

For those who will argue that Paul is talking about the Second Coming here, let me ask you, what would be encouraging about facing seven years of God’s wrath? And to secure the idea that Jesus has promised to save us from the wrath of the tribulation, we turn to Jesus’ own words in Revelation 3:10:

“Since you have kept My command to endure patiently [to stand firmly in the faith], I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.” [All the comments in brackets are mine.]

The Rapture will happen instantly, as Paul says, ‘in the twinkling of an eye.” Folks, a ‘twinkling’ is less than a second of time! That’s fast. In an instant, hundreds, thousands, even millions of people all over the world are going to disappear, one day – one day soon! Those who are left behind must go into the seven-year tribulation to be tried and tested. The awful news is that things are going to get so bad that if the LORD doesn’t come to the Mount Olives at an ideal time, no one would be left alive on the planet (Matthew 24:22). Still, amid the horror, untold numbers of people will call on the Name of the LORD and so be saved during this tribulation period. More bad news – these will be beheaded for their faith. But more really great news – these will join us in heaven, and be with the LORD forever and ever, and return to the earth at the end of the seven years when Jesus sets up His thousand-year reign on earth.

As bad as things seem right now on the planet – many experiencing loss of freedom, shortage of food, a tremendous increase in political corruption, rising mendacity in people who are supposed to be trustworthy, an exponential increase in lawlessness for the first time in our lives – as bad as all that seems right now, it is going to get worse before Jesus comes to put an end to unrighteousness.

Trust me; you do not want to go through the tribulation to be saved. At least not when you can be saved today, right now! How? Below the prayer, you will find the A.B.C.’s of Salvation. If you are ready to honestly and truly commit your life to Christ, this is as good a starting point as any.

You cannot be saved by doing good works. You cannot be saved by being a good person. You cannot be saved for eternity in Christ by believing in a different ‘god,’ or by chanting a mantra, or even by going mindlessly to a church. Our only hope for salvation is in the Grace of God Almighty, given to us freely as a gift, through the sacrifice of His One and Only Son, Jesus Messiah, Who shed His precious blood for you and me for the forgiveness of human sin. The only act we can do to achieve eternal life is to believe this.

In John 6:27-29, Jesus said, “Do not work for food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man [Jesus] will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.’ Then they asked Him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.'”

Don’t be caught being one of those asking, “Where have all the people gone?” Instead, be among those rising to meet Jesus Messiah in the air; be among those who, instead of going through the unspeakable horror of the tribulation, will be feasting with Our Saviour in heaven for seven years. But that’s another story for another day.

Meanwhile, set your heart on heaven while your feet still walk on the earth, and we’ll meet with Jesus in the air any day now.

MARANATHA! Our LORD has come! Please come soon, LORD Jesus.

Let us pray –

Heavenly Father God,

As we see the day of wrath approaching, we give You thanks and praise for fulfilling Your eternal promise to save us by sending Your One and Only Son to us for our salvation. LORD God, while we are still here, please give us the strength and encouragement needed to reach out to those who are still caught in Satan’s snare. Father, you love us with an everlasting love and are patient in sending Jesus back to gather us because You would like everyone on earth to come to Your saving grace. Nevertheless, the day will come, whether we are ready for it or not. Please help us to spread the Good News of the Gospel to as many as we possibly can in the time we have left.

In the strong and precious Name of Jesus, Yeshua Ha’Maschiach, we pray. Amen.

If anyone reading this devotional has not yet received Jesus as their Saviour, but God has touched your heart by His Holy Word, please email me (amadea649@gmail.com) or find a Bible-believing local church and ask the Pastor what you must do to be saved in Grace. In the meantime, please consider the ABCs of Salvation:

A – Admit

Admit what you have done wrong and ask forgiveness.

Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.”

I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

B – Believe

Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again as payment for your sins.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

C – Confess and Choose

Confess and choose to allow God to be in charge of your life.

Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

MARANATHA, Come soon, LORD Jesus. Come!

Fully Focused :: By Holly Spate

Published on: October 8, 2021 by RR7

There are too many distractions, too many diversions, too much compromise.
There are so many broken souls and shattered lives, so many wandering.
There are, quite simply, too many walking in a daze… confused and entirely lost.

The world has a cruel way of breaking us down. The rush of the clock, the enticing, tempting elements that pull our attention away, getting us off task and off track. Too many things vying for our time and, so many, a waste of our time.

We each have the same 24 hours in a day, yet our lack of focus, our need for entertainment or attention, our bad habits, our own insecurities, our running after the world’s version of success and happiness, draws us away from what’s most important and toward things of much less significance.

Our attention toward worldly things gets us off track and puts us further away from the straight and narrow road we’re called to walk… every time.

If we’re not diligent, if we’re not careful, we quickly sink. It can happen fast, and before we know it, we find ourselves walking from the straight and narrow road to the road the world walks… the wide road Christians are called to avoid.

It can be so easy to get off track… so easy to put our focus on the wrong things… so easy to compromise. Yet, we’re called as children of Christ to be in the world but not of the world.

I can say with complete honesty that I have fallen into this trap many, many times in my life. I forget what my focus should be on, where my main priority should be. I think we all struggle to some extent with focusing on what truly matters. We may focus 70-80% (many times way less), but when it comes to our faith and our relationship with our heavenly Father, we are called to focus 100%. We are called to include our Father in everything… every aspect of our lives and to constantly practice putting Him first.

I have failed so many times in this pursuit, but I keep pressing on as Paul encourages us to do in Philippians 3:13-14: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

God is to be in the driver’s seat. We’re to be the passengers. Our focus needs to be on the driver… the One who knows the way… the One who holds the map, the One who will get us safely to our destination. He created us and knows us better than we could ever know ourselves. We’re to trust Him and let Him take the driver’s seat, not just today but every day of our lives… till we take our final breath.

When are we going to learn this lesson? When are we going to decide to be completely reliant on Him? When are we going to surrender our will for His will? When are we going to put our worldly toys away and build our life around things that really matter?

Matthew 6:19 reminds us: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.”

Most days we are soft… we don’t put on our spiritual armor… we don’t put Christ front and center. We allow our flesh to take over and lack discipline. So many days are wasted. We so often have it wrong; we should be running from the things of this world, yet we’re still running after the things of this world.

We’re called to be set apart and to shine. Matthew 5:16 confirms this: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Our Father is pretty clear when it comes to our allegiance:

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

The scriptures go on to say…

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18).

I may be wrong, but I think part of the problem — beyond us being lazy in our flesh, distracted easily, and allowing our pride to take control — is that we have never really been taught to be in complete awe and reverence of our Father, the Creator of all.

We need to truly grasp our minds around these truths:
We are NOTHING without Him.
We have NOTHING without Him.
He took our nothing and gave us everything… His everything.

Stop and think about that. He gave YOU His everything.

You are you because of Him.
You are here because of Him.
You are breathing because of Him.
Your heart is beating because of Him.
Your talents, gifts, abilities, opportunities are all because of Him.

You have nothing without Him, but everything with Him.

John 15:5 resonates this truth: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Did you catch that truth? With Jesus, you have everything; apart from Him, you can do nothing… nothing!

Remember He created You! Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

Psalm 139:14 goes on to say, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

I believe one of the secrets to living a centered life is to put Christ at the center. It’s also to have a healthy respect which causes us to be in awe and complete reverence of our Savior.

It’s realizing we are fragile in and of ourselves. We are helpless in and of ourselves. We are lost in and of ourselves. The prospect of hope is dark in and of ourselves. We are as dust… nothing, in and of ourselves.

BUT (I love this) we are redeemed, saved, forgiven, and have a beautiful eternity ahead because of Christ. The Creator of all creation came down and rescued us. We all need His rescuing. We all need His salvation, forgiveness, mercy. We all… all of us need Him. We need the Savior! He created us, calls us, redeems us and rescues us!

He desires and is worthy of our complete focus. We should be fully focused on Him. We should be fully surrendered to Him. We should choose each day to walk the straight and narrow with Him in the driver’s seat… leading the way and leaving the things of this world behind.

Let the following verses be beautiful reminders of God’s love for YOU. Spend time thinking about how wonderful He is and how He deserves your awe, reverence, and praise. And, as you live your day-to-day life, never forget to go about each day fully focused on the Savior. Blessings to You!

“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:3-4).

“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding” (Isaiah 40:28).

“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5).

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

“But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7).

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11).

spate.holly@gmail.com