Many Christians who love Jesus are becoming very discouraged. When will God call us Home? The answer to that is “We don’t know.” For many generations before Jesus’ birth, those who loved the Lord knew the Messiah would come. Job is a prime example of a man who loved the Lord, and even in a time of great personal turmoil, he relied upon God. He had friends who were less than kind during his troubles and said some very discouraging things, but Job came through the Satanic attack stronger in his faith.
“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:25-27).
Job had faith in God, and although he suffered great loss, his faith stayed strong. He could have been discouraged and defeated had he listened to his friends, who said cruel things to him. Study Job and learn about strength through faith in God. Don’t be discouraged, but be encouraged.
Many Christians today yearn for Jesus to take us Home in the Rapture, but they listen to human “prophecy” rather than God’s prophecy. Unfortunately, when a person becomes discouraged that the Lord hasn’t acted according to human understanding, that person may become a poor witness for our Lord. They feel that the Lord has let them down, and that can lead to a lack of faith. I urge you to stand firm on Scripture and trust God to work all things for His glory in His time.
We can see that the whole world is steeped in sin, and evil seems to become stronger each day, even entering into congregations. It’s more important than ever to turn to Scripture and study prophecy in context. Interpretation of prophecy needs to be aligned with God’s word and not human ideas.
When Paul and Silas went to Berea, they encountered some very smart people who listened to the Gospel but searched Scripture to be sure it was true. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).
Remember, the Bereans only had the Old Testament Scriptures but were able to find the Gospel there. The Rapture is one of the most dividing truths we find today. Those who think Christians will go through the Great Tribulation haven’t been Bereans and studied Scripture. The pre-tribulation rapture is first seen in Genesis when Enoch was raptured prior to the Flood of Noah. “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).
Another example of the Pre-Trib Rapture is in Revelation. Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation are letters dictated to John by Jesus. These letters describe various ages of the ekklesia (the church), from the first letter describing the first enthusiastic believers, to the last letter describing the apostate church of today. The first verse of the next chapter describes the Rapture.
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven and one sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:1-2).
The Greek words “meta tauta” describe a sequence. For instance, I went to first grade meta tauta second grade. That’s the sequence of schooling. In the above passage, after the letters (church ages), a door in heaven was opened, and John went through it. He was told he would be shown what must be hereafter.” Again, the words meta tauta are used and translate “hereafter.” So, first the church age, then the Rapture, then the Tribulation.
Don’t be discouraged as you see things getting worse and worse these days. Take encouragement that Christians won’t be on Earth for the worst seven years in all of history, the Great Tribulation. Praise God for His promise!!
An interesting point for naysayers to ponder is that the word “ekklesia” translated “church” or “churches” is used 118 times throughout the New Testament. In Revelation, it’s used 15 times in the first 3 chapters, but is never used in the verses describing the Tribulation. When studying the end times, you’ll discover that the Tribulation is about God dealing with Israel, not with Christians. The last place the word ekklesia is seen is in Revelation chapter 22. “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16).
This tells us three things. First, we are to study the book of Revelation. The second is, the Tribulation is not about Christians, and third, Jesus wins. Don’t be discouraged. Scripture is to be encouraging to us. We can’t be so obsessed with the terrible things happening in 2025 and into 2026 that we miss the big picture of God working all things together just as prophecy says.
Looking at news headlines through the lens of prophecy is very exciting, but it can lead to people seeing prophecy through our own hopes and desires rather than reality. There has always been horrific persecution of Christians. Saul, who would later be known as Paul and became the greatest evangelist of all time, made it his duty to arrest or kill anyone who had left the Jewish faith to embrace the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
The Roman persecution was very brutal and included the spectator sport of throwing Christians into an arena with hungry lions and burning Christians on crosses to light up dark streets. No wonder the believers in Thessalonica were discouraged and thought they had missed the Rapture and were in the Tribulation. When the Apostle Paul went to Thessalonica to spread the Gospel, he was there for a short time, but in that time, he introduced them to the Gospel and also taught them about the Rapture.
There were false teachers at that time, just as there are today, who placed doubt in the minds of the Thessalonians, who had seen much persecution because of their faith. They should have been more like the Bereans. Paul helped them, and us, understand the truth.
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
Paul fully believed in the pre-tribulation Rapture, so misinformed people today who say it is a new teaching need to study Scripture instead of parroting false teachers. We also learn from this passage that the Jewish Temple must be rebuilt in order for the man of perdition to stand there and proclaim that he is God. He isn’t, but he exalts himself above anything that is worshipped. So far, this hasn’t happened, but there is a big push to rebuild the Temple, and it will happen.
Today, there are many false teachers who seem to teach a specific date that the Rapture will happen. God doesn’t give a specific day in Scripture, so how can they know more than God? They can’t, so look at Biblical signs that Jesus gave and be ready. In speaking of the end times, Jesus told His disciples, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).
Don’t be deceived or discouraged. I also hear of many people who claim to have had a near-death experience, and they claim God told them when the Rapture will happen. It’s amusing that each one has been given a different date. That’s not how God works. God hasn’t given anybody a specific day or hour, but He has given us clues. Remember, the signs to look for are those leading to the Tribulation. The Rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation, so as we see the signs happening (earthquakes, famine, pestilence, wars, etc.), we know the Tribulation is nearing, so the Rapture could happen at any moment.
After Christians are taken Home, God will turn His attention back to His chosen people, Israel, and their blindness to their Messiah will be lifted. We do live in exciting times, but don’t confuse man’s opinions with Scripture. Instead of relying on one prophecy teacher or your pastor, go to Scripture and believe what God says. When you study Scripture, don’t pull one verse out of context and build your theology upon that. Study all of Scripture, including the Old Testament.
Life has become very troubled, and sin is out of control. It seems worse than when I was growing up, or was I not aware of how bad things were? Barry McGuire sang about the “Eve of Destruction,” and Larry Norman wrote the song “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.” Maybe it was worse than I thought.
I do wish everybody were ready to be taken in the Rapture, and the only way to be ready is to be a born-again, God-fearing Christian. There are “pictures” of the Rapture throughout Scripture, and we can trust Scripture to give us truth. The problem is that humans like to put words in God’s mouth. Then, when He doesn’t do things according to our wishes, we say He was wrong.
For instance, some people said the Rapture would happen in 2012 because of the Mayan calendar. It didn’t, so people got discouraged. Some people give up hoping for the Rapture when various Jewish feasts come around and it doesn’t happen. Why? The feasts are about Israel and their relationship with God. It’s also a popular hobby for some people to guess who the Anti-Christ is. Is he the pope, or is the pope the false prophet? Maybe the Anti-Christ is a Muslim leader or even President Trump. Maybe he is John Doe from Alabama, or some other obscure person. Why even try to guess?
Instead of looking for a date for the Rapture or looking for the Anti-Christ, occupy until God calls us Home. That means go to work, get married, raise a family, and share the Gospel.
If you want the Rapture to happen soon, remember that God is waiting for a specific number of people to come to salvation before He calls us Home. “For I would not, brethren. that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25).
Don’t be discouraged when dates come and go. Take a look at your own words and attitude. Would a non-believer listen to you if you shared the Gospel? Maybe your attitude of discouragement or your worldly ways would make them question what you say. You cannot change others, but you can prayerfully change yourself. Honor God in all you do.
Don’t be discouraged, but be encouraged because God has given us another day on this earth to share His love.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).