The more I study the New Testament, the more it persuades me that what we call the “Rapture” was an inseparable element of the Gospel that the apostles proclaimed to the first century AD world. Today, however, it’s either ignored or ridiculed in most churches.

Since I began writing on a full-time basis five years ago, I have learned much from those who have criticized and mocked both my premillennial and pretribulation beliefs. I am thankful for them, for how they have driven me to the words of Scripture, where I have found added conviction for the future tense of the Gospel.

Two things stand out in my mind from listening to (or talking to) pastors who deny a literal thousand-year reign of Christ over a gloriously restored kingdom of Israel. First, they rely heavily on human wisdom that leads them to retrofit God’s promises to Israel with an understanding that is foreign to the biblical prophets at the time they wrote. And second, they rarely, if ever, teach about our hope of glorious, resurrected bodies.

In essence, they divorce our imminent hope in Jesus’ glorious appearing from the Gospel message, which was something the apostle Paul and the other apostles never did.

1. Paul Links the “Redemption of our Bodies” to Our Gospel Hope

Paul wrote this in Romans 8:23, “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.” As we compare other verses with this one, it becomes apparent that the apostle is speaking of the rapture.

In Philippians 3:20-21, a verse that most agree refers to the rapture, we see of the elements contained in Romans 8:23, that of the eager expectation and the “redemption of our bodies.” There Paul writes, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

In 1 Corinthians 15:53, Paul tells us this about the rapture, “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” This very much sounds like what the apostle referred to in Romans 8:23, does it not?

With that in mind, pay close attention to verses 24 and 25 in Romans 8, “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” The Gospel hope to which Paul’s readers looked forward to when they turned to Christ included the “redemption of” their bodies, which only occurs at the time of the rapture, or at Jesus’ appearing.

The apostle Paul did not shy away from including what we today call the “rapture” when he proclaimed the Gospel. The receipt of glorified and imperishable bodies was the Gospel hope that he proclaimed to the lost. Jesus promised eternal life to His followers (John 10:27-28), and He gave further revelation concerning it through the apostle Paul.

2. Paul Emphasized Future Things During His Brief Stay in Thessalonica

Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica, which we know was brief, illustrates the central focus of the rapture in his proclamation of the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Commentators agree on the brevity of the apostle’s ministry in this city. Acts 17:1-9 tells us that he spent “three sabbath days” in the local synagogue talking to the Jewish people, after which they forced him and his team out of town. Based on the fact that Paul received two monetary gifts from the church in Philippi while he was in Thessalonica (Phil. 4:16), it’s quite likely that he was there longer than three weeks before the Jews forced him and his team to leave the city.

Despite Paul’s short-lived stay in the city, his new converts immediately gained a reputation for waiting on Jesus’ appearing to take them home. “For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 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” (1 Thess. 1:8-10). This is not the Second Coming, but rather the rapture when Jesus would deliver them from the coming wrath of the day of the Lord (see 1 Thess. 4:18-5:11).

Paul’s statement in 2 Thessalonians 2:5 is more than a little remarkable. “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?” What is the apostle talking about here?

First, it includes the defilement of the temple by the “man of lawlessness” or antichrist (2 Thess. 2:4). Second, the apostle told his new converts about the start of the day of the Lord (2 Thess. 2:3; see also 1 Thess. 5:1-3). Third, his new converts knew enough about the day of the Lord to cause great panic in their midst when someone told them it had started already (2 Thess. 2:2). Fourth, the Thessalonians knew all about the work of the restrainer in preventing the appearance of the antichrist on the world scene (2 Thess. 2:6-7). And fifth, his converts knew all about their departure from the earth before the day of the Lord, an event we refer to as the rapture.

In other words, after the apostle’s brief ministry in their city, his new converts in Thessalonica knew much more about future things than the majority of believers today. And this was over forty years before John wrote the book of Revelation, which sheds more light on what Paul taught his converts in Thessalonica.

Eschatology, the study of future things, was not a topic reserved for the more intellectual and mature believers in the New Testament church. Paul’s initial proclamation of the Gospel in Thessalonica included the rapture as their imminent hope. Not only that, but his teaching also included the appearance of the antichrist, the defilement of the Jewish temple, the start of the day of the Lord, and a future time when God would pour out His wrath on humanity.

3. Paul’s Emphasis on Our Future Glorified Bodies

In contrast to the pattern of pastors and teachers who advocate various forms of amillennialism (the denial of a literal one-thousand-year reign of Jesus over the nations), the New Testament emphasizes our hope of receiving a new, glorified body at Jesus’ appearing.

We have already seen this in Romans 8:23-25 and in Philippians 3:20-21. Paul sums up this up the best in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, “Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”

In 2 Corinthians 5:1-2, the apostle compares our current bodies to a tent and refers to our future ones as a “heavenly dwelling.” We groan in our current bodies, but we will live forever in imperishable ones. Notice how John describes our eternity in these glorious new bodies. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). It can’t get any better than that! John’s words here presupposed what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 15:51-57.

Not only is there an avoidance of this hope in many churches today, in some there is an outright denial of it. One amillennial pastor told me directly that he does not believe in the rapture, even though he was on staff at a church that claimed to be premillennial in its statement of beliefs.

Many pastors talk about eternal life but never provide the definition that the Lord gave to Paul and the other apostles regarding this future hope.

Others preach an immediate transition from the current age to the eternal state with no mention of our glorious resurrection bodies. Full preterists claim that the mention of immortal bodies in the New Testament pertains to our redeemed soul and not our physical bodies.

It may seem that I am hard on those who allegorize prophecies regarding the still future glorious restoration of Israel and Jesus’ millennial reign before the eternal state. I do so because over time such denials always, always lead to false teachings and ultimately to a dismissal of biblical moral standards and salvation by grace through Jesus alone. This happened in the past, and it is abundantly evident today in many churches throughout the United States.

This is why I defend premillennialism against those who employ allegory to dispel the promised glorious restoration of Israel during the millennium and defend the rapture against those who scoff at such an idea. For me, it is the heart of defending the Gospel.

Now, of course, the heart of the Gospel is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-6). My point is that Jesus’ appearing to take us home to heaven is the future tense of the Gospel; it’s the beginning of the eternal life that Jesus promises to those who put their faith in Him (see 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 4:13-18).

I love the words of 1 John 3:1-3 regarding our hope of Jesus’ soon appearing and our new glorified bodies that will be like that of our Savior:

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

These verses start with the Father’s great love for us and end with the motivation to live like Jesus now because someday, someday soon, we will be like Him possessing glorified, imperishable bodies that will never die, get sick, wear out, or grow old.

Jonathan Brentner

Website: Our Journey Home

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E-mail: Jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com

“Jesus said, ‘But unless you repent, you too will all perish'” (Luke 13:5, NIV).

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV).

“Devote yourselves to prayer…” (Colossians 4:2). “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind that you may pray” (1 Peter 4:7).

A few years ago, I gave myself a nickname: Mrs. Jeremiah. It has nothing to do with Rev. Dr. David Jeremiah but everything to do with the Old Testament prophet. When the LORD led me to Bible Prophecy and opened my eyes to what was happening in the world, in light of both O.T. and N.T. prophecy, some of my messages, as Jeremiah’s, weren’t exactly comfortable for people, or for me either. Jeremiah wasn’t exactly popular in his day, and this message today probably won’t win me any popularity contests. But these messages open our eyes to see what is happening in the world so that we will not be caught in the darkness of ignorance of the signs of the times (1 Thess. 5:4).

In the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24), Jesus prophesied that when the nation of Israel – the fig tree – would blossom once more, it would be a sign that the end was coming near (24:32). Israel roared back into existence on May 14, 1948 – 73 years ago. Psalm 90 tells us a human lifespan is about 70 years – 80 if we are blessed with stamina. Jesus said the generation that saw the re-budding of the ‘fig tree,’ or Israel, would witness all the prophecy of Matthew 24 (24:34). According to God’s Word, then, that would be us!

Let me just pause here to say, if you haven’t read Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 lately, go immediately to a Bible near you and do so.

Earlier this week, I had a dream. “Oh boy!! An old woman dreaming dreams … here we go …” Please, just bear with me. Before dropping off to sleep, I had asked the LORD that, if it be His will, to send me a dream about the Rapture and to let me remember it. Well, He did send me a dream, and I remembered it in great detail. And although I’m not prepared to go into all the details of the dream at this time, let me say it sure shook me up and got me thinking about how very close we are to the end of the age. Not that I didn’t have an inkling about the imminence of the Rapture and tribulation before. But, in the vernacular – Hold onto your hats, folks!

The dream illustrated how our modern nations, especially the U.S., are barreling headlong toward destruction. Nations seem to follow, blindly, a minority of political influencers, while the majority sit back meekly doing nothing, saying nothing, or saying very little. We watch as all our time-honored institutions are crumbling before our eyes. Like deer caught in headlights, it is as though we are mesmerized by the audacity of those taking us increasingly to the left, politically. Young people, who aren’t being taught Judeo-Christian values, are screaming for change without understanding where those changes will lead.

And, of course, there are plenty of seasoned politicians who have been trying for years to pull us away from God and all things moral and life-giving, and who are ready to fuel the rebellion with money, encouragement and a platform.

While those of us who are Bible-literate understand what’s happening, there are many who do not.

They surely do not understand that it is all part of God’s Plan for the end of the age … and here’s the kicker … and you’re not going to like this … THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT ANYMORE! Oh, yes, you can pray … and, indeed, I urge you to pray with all your heart for the many who are not saved.

But Christians, please be ready. For the Church Age is coming rapidly to a close, and it is all happening in God’s Will, and God’s Timeline.

The hymn is: IF MY PEOPLE’S HEARTS ARE HUMBLED

1st Verse:

If My people’s hearts are humbled,
If they pray and seek My face;
If they turn away from evil,
I will not withhold My grace.
I will hear their prayers from heaven;
I will pardon every sin.
If My people’s hearts are humbled,
I will surely heal their land.

2nd Verse:

Then My eyes will see their sorrow;
Then My ears will hear their plea.
If My people’s hearts are humbled
I will set their nation free.
If My people’s hearts are humbled,
If they pray and seek My face;
If they turn away from evil,
I will not withhold My grace.

THE SCRIPTURE READING IS JEREMIAH 14:11-16

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.’

“But I said, ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine. And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them, their wives, their sons and their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.”

Let us bow to Almighty God in prayer:

Dearest Heavenly Father,

Your Word in the Book of Jeremiah tells us of a time when You had had enough of wickedness in the land of Judah. Though people sacrificed to You and prayed for You to relent in Your wrath, You knew that only total destruction would be the catalyst to bring them back to You. Father, we are at a time now where, according to Your Holy Word, it looks as though there is no turning back. Our nations are wicked, through and through. They practice the black arts of abortion and sexual depravity. Our scientists are meddling with Your original design, trying to improve on it! Their hubris, LORD God, is beyond imagining.

LORD, today we pray for those who are genuinely Yours, who have surrendered their lives to Jesus, that we will trust in You, in Your promises to protect us and keep us from the Evil One. We pray also for any who might be on the cusp of coming to You, that they will see Your Light of Life and Love very soon and surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. And we pray, Father, that those who are blind to Your holiness and even to Your existence will have a chance to call on Your Name, and so be saved. These things we pray in the sure, strong and Holy Name of Yeshua Ha’Maschiach. Amen.

By God’s own Word, we know there was a beginning to this age, and there is an end, planned by the LORD God Himself, and over which we have no control whatever. Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Even the Son of God, Himself, prayed that very prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He died on the cross. “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Yours be done.” If we haven’t yet learned this principle in our Christian walk, we need to do so, and do it NOW.

This world is not about us, beloved Christians. It is about God’s glory in His creation. We are His creation, made to reflect back to Him His glory. Jesus did that, and He did it every day of His earthly life. Though Jesus was fully God, He was also fully man. His humanity was not less than our own. Jesus laughed, cried, celebrated, mourned, ate, slept and did all the things human beings do. He knew pain. He knew sorrow. He knew joy and laughter. But all of His life He gave to the Father and did nothing outside of the Will of Almighty God.

So, saying all that, how does it fit with our Scripture verses from Jeremiah?

Well, for one thing, the people of Judah in Jeremiah’s day certainly were NOT living in the Will of the Creator. In the space of just a handful of generations away from King David, the Jews (as well as the Israelites) had turned away from Almighty God, had lusted after pagan gods and their detestable practices. And let me just say here that this present generation, with all science’s monkeying around with the human genome, has likely far surpassed the evil done in Jeremiah’s generation … the evil which brought down God’s wrath on the nations of Judah and Israel.

Many in the Church cite the 2 Chronicles prayer as being a means of saving our nations. I hear pastors invite their congregations to say it with the expectation that God stands ready to hear it and, PRESTO, make all things the way they were. Really? What about the “humble hearts” part? If every person in the world, every man, woman and child, called upon the Name of the LORD, and humbled him- or herself before Him, and turned from their wickedness, I strongly suspect our world would indeed be healed by God’s hand. But I also strongly suspect that the LORD God knew there would be a tipping point, beyond which there was (is) no going back.

The tipping point in Jeremiah’s day was the deceit of the prophets. Jeremiah tells the LORD, “The prophets keep telling them they will not see the sword or suffer famine, and that You, LORD, are going to give them peace in the land.” But the LORD God says, “The prophets are prophesying lies in My Name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divination, idolatries, and the delusions of their own minds.”

Let’s bring that to the present age. One thing we keep hearing constantly these days is, “Fake News!” There is little doubt that politicians lie with straight faces to the cameras and to our faces. They call evil for good and good for evil (Isaiah 5:20). They tell us a global pandemic is so dangerous that we must ruin our national economies to deal with it. There is so much deceit in our world today that it has become almost impossible to know what is real and what isn’t.

1. False visions are leading us away from the One Source of love and protection human beings have ever had – God! Western nations are worshiping at the altars of demons and false gods once again. For heaven’s sake, there is a sneaker for sale that celebrates Satan and even contains a drop of real human blood!! Really.
2. Divinations? Well, daily newspapers have been running horoscope columns for almost a century. But much more than that, today we have ‘prognosticators’ of everything under the sun, from weathermen to stockbrokers, even to medical people. So-called ‘experts’ in every field sway your brain daily to buy stuff you don’t need and adopt habits that are bad for your soul. This is done through non-stop advertising.
3. Idolatries? How about the worship of sports figures and Hollywood ‘stars’? Kids today know way more about movie and sports stars than they do about Jesus Christ. “God? Oh yeah … the sky fairy who grants all your wishes – NOT!” (That was a real post I read on a news website not long ago.)
4. Delusions of their own minds? How about this one? “There are 382 genders!” or “A man can give birth.” or “Love is love no matter who it is with.”

And what does the LORD God have to say about all this depravity? “I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.”

Now, this is Old Testament. Jesus went to the cross so that we wouldn’t end up with the calamity we deserve … BUT ONLY IF WE REPENT, TURN FROM OUR INIQUITY, AND LIVE THE REST OF OUR LIVES FOR AND IN HIM. What percentage of the world’s people have actually done this?

Can the LORD bring revival at this late date? Of course. The question is: How many would turn to Him? A few million? There are seven, almost eight billion people on the planet today. Believers, we are way past the tipping point. It is a great tribute to Our God that His patience hasn’t run out yet. As Apostle Peter says, “People will say, ‘Where is this coming He promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'”

“But do not forget this one thing, dearest friends: With the LORD a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. The LORD is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the LORD will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:4, 8-10)

There is an end, my friends. I don’t write this to scare you but to make you see that it is inevitable and that you have no control over it. It is the LORD God’s domain. Therefore, trust in Him. Do His Will. Love Him, and keep His commands, and there will never ever be a need to fear anything. Jesus has said, “Since you have kept My command to endure patiently, 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” (Revelation 3:10).

Repent! The end IS near! Hallelujah, Amen.

Heavenly Father: All glory and praise to You for loving us so much that You sent Your One and Only Son to earth to redeem us from original sin, open the gates of eternal life, and restore all things. Please open hearts and minds today, Father, to the urgency of claiming Christ as our Saviour. This we pray through Him, Yeshua Ha’Maschiach, our LORD Jesus Christ. Amen.

This devotional, based on God’s Holy Word, was written by Lynda Janzen, Kincardine, ON Canada, with the inspiration of God’s own Holy Spirit. All glory to God.

If anyone reading this email 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:

Salvation as simple as ABC:

A: Admit that you are a sinner. This is where Godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God, and there is a change of heart; we change our mind, and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out.

Romans 3:10 – “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one.'”

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

Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “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.”

B: Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was.

Romans 10:9-10 – “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.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

C: Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings.

Romans 14:11 – “It is written: ‘As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'”

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