I don’t know about you, but a lot of us are not ready to see the Lord. It’s not because we don’t want to see Him, it’s because we have so many plans. We are plain too busy living. We have plans to grow up, get a career, get married, have children, raise our family, build our dream home, go on vacations, save for retirement, on and on. You know what I mean? We have plans. We want to see the Lord but we don’t. We do, but we don’t. We have plans.
Regardless of how we feel about His return we need to be ready. It is coming. The signs are here and more are coming. I wrote about the signs of the Lord’s return in my last blog post: The Signs of His Return.
It is so important to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ because it is going to be such a sad, sad day if we’re not. Even though we don’t want to face it and hate the thought of it, things are not going to get better. They are actually going to get worse. The signs of His return are already here: wars, famines, earthquakes, antichrists, false Christians pretending to be Jesus Christ, people loving sin and wickedness more than ever before. There are people loving themselves and pleasures more than God, the increase of knowledge everywhere, signs in the heavens, waves roaring and tossing of the sea (flooding), and people calling out for peace and safety. According to the Book of Revelation there will be plagues and catastrophic events that will take place on this earth after the rapture of the church. It’s what Revelation calls the opening of the seals. With every seal that is opened something significant happens in the heaven and on the earth. There are seven seals. The third seal will bring in famine, the fourth seal will bring in death and the sixth seal will bring in the stars of heaven to fall on the earth. This is actually just the beginning. There are loads of other catastrophic events that will be taking place after the seven seals are opened. Some say the seals are already opened and that’s why we’re seeing all of these signs. But regardless, it’s not going to get any better. It’s sad to say, that it’s actually just going to get even worse.
I don’t want to be left behind. I don’t care what I will be missing on this earth. Whatever plans I have to give up, so be it. I don’t want to be left behind. Nothing I plan to do on this earth is worth missing out on the return of Jesus. Nothing.
Sure, there will still be hope for those that are left behind. You can still be saved if you’re left behind. But by then, the Spirit of God has left this world and has completely left the earth to Satan’s control. The saints of God that are filled with His Spirit are going to be out of here, and no one then is going to be left behind to pray and intercede for God to keep Satan back. Once the saints of God are gone (the ones that are looking forward to being with Jesus Christ because they spend time with Him praying), the rest of us who have plans are not going to be interested in praying. Think about it. If we love prayer it means we love spending time with Jesus. If that is the case we will end up wanting to be with Jesus – plans or no plans. So if we’re left behind, it would mean we don’t really care enough to spend that much time talking to Him. Why? We’re too busy with our plans. So, who is going to be praying? Praying at this time on this earth is more crucial than ever before. It is the only thing that’s going to save those that are left behind: prayer. Calling out to Jesus Christ for His salvation. In order to be saved you have to call on Jesus to save you.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. {Romans 10:13}
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. {Acts 2:21}
And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. {Joel 2:32}
Prayer is the only answer. That’s why the Lord reminded us to watch and pray so that we will not be caught unaware of His return, but be worthy to escape all the things that are going to take place and stand before Him.
“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” {Luke 21:34-36}
Talking to God actually makes us end up loving Him more. It’s like when we actually take the time to talk to someone we love. Instead of hating to be with them we end up loving them more. When someone is likeable and wonderful, the more you spend time with them the more you fall in love with them. Well, Jesus Christ is likeable and wonderful. So the more we spend time with Him, the more we would want to be with Him. So much so that when we’re given a choice to leave this earth behind to be with Him, we will do so in a heartbeat.
Here are more reasons why we want to be ready for the Lord’s return and not be left behind:
And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? {Revelation 6:13-17}
This is the sad part, while this is happening on the earth, the saints of God in heaven will be celebrating and having a wonderful time with Jesus. They will be clothed in white robes and will be praising the Lord with His angels and the elders in heaven that have gone on before them.
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. {Revelation 7:9-12, 15-17}
I won’t even get into the rest of Revelation when the big AntiChrist (Satan himself), possessing someone with his power, will sit in the temple of God in Jerusalem to deceive people all over the world pretending himself to be God – Jesus Christ. People everywhere are going to be taking his mark on their hands or on their foreheads so they can buy and sell and survive. Imagine the horror and the terror of those of us who are left behind knowing that this was prophesied in the scriptures and whosoever ends up with the mark of the beast will end up lost for eternity with God. How then can we survive this time? We cannot just try to make it to the rapture. We must make sure that we make it to the rapture.
Some Christians don’t even believe in the rapture. They remind me of the people in Noah’s time who didn’t believe Noah. He preached of the rain coming, but because they never experienced rain before they didn’t go into the ark so that they could be saved. People that don’t believe in the rapture taking place haven’t experienced it, so it’s hard for them to believe even though the Bible tells us it will happen. Even Jesus Christ talked about His return with His disciples. {Matthew 24:3-42} Apostle Paul clearly showed the Lord returning and the saints of God going up to be with Him in his epistle to the Thessalonians:
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. {1 Thessalonians 4:16-17}
If you believe in the Bible at all and the contents of the Book of Revelation, it is best to be ready at all times to meet the Lord. Whether you’re in your latter years or in your early years, being ready to meet the Lord at any time will only do you good and not harm you. Even if you don’t experience the rapture, you will likely end up meeting the Lord someday, one way or the other. Who knows when that someday will be? Who is to say when our time will be? Just because we are still young and strong does not mean God cannot call us. He can call us at any time. So being ready to see the Lord and be with the Lord any time and any day is always a good idea. If you’re not sure if you’re ready to see Jesus or not, or you are not sure if you will make it to the rapture, then it’s really simple – tell the Lord so. Tell the Lord your desire to be saved and to be ready. Ask Him to show you what you need to do on your part to be ready and I promise you, He will show you. The Bible states that He is not willing that any would perish but that all would come to repentance. {2 Peter 3:8-10} So if you have a desire to be saved, let Him know it and He will definitely help you and save you.
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. {Matthew 24:33-39}
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I thank You with all of my heart for Your great love for us. Father, I know with all of my heart that You know those who love You and are desirous to be with You already and be with You forever. I know also that Your desire is to save those who desire to be saved and to be with You. Lord Jesus, will You help us today to do whatever it is we need to do to be ready to meet You soon? Will You please Savior, give us a desire to spend more time with You? So many of us Lord are too busy making our plans and dreaming our worldly aspirations on this earth. Please Father, help us to surrender all of these things to You. Let us not get too busy Lord or desire the things of this world more than You. Please Jesus, help us. Save us. Do not let us get snared away from You, Lord. Save us Father and make us ready for Your return at any time. Savior, I pray in Your most wonderful and precious name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
