THE RAPTURE
LaVerne E. Tucker
http://www.biblerevelations.org/rapture/rapture1.htm
As I browsed through the religious bookstore, two sweet female voices interrupted my concentration on book titles. Although I could not see them, two women were chatting. I assumed they were clerks, for the sound came from around the corner.
"Have you heard the news?" inquired voice No. 1. "I heard a rumor yesterday that a building permit has been issued for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem."
"Praise God!" responded voice No.2. "The rapture won’t be far off now!"
I slowly selected my books, secretly hoping for more information on this interesting bit of theology. But the ladies said nothing more.
I stepped to the counter, and I met voice No.1. I asked for my ministerial discount. It had been discontinued. I reached for my VISA card.
The sales slip was ready. I think I signed it, but my mind was preoccupied. "Thank you, sir," said the sweet, now familiar, No. 1 voice.
I turned to leave, but as though the victim of a plot, I was accosted by another rack. It contained literature with interesting and eye-catching titles.
Voice No. 2 found me this time. "Have you seen our ‘Rapture Guide’?"
I confessed I had not. I examined the pamphlet with a four-color painting on the cover showing cars being smashed by driverless automobiles, planes crashing for lack of pilots, buildings burning with no firemen to extinguish the flames.
The folder revealed that a seven-year tribulation would soon come on the earth. An "antichrist" would take over the world and rule for three and a half years (a time of "great" tribulation), during which life on earth would be almost intolerable.
The guide told me that because of God’s great love for His people, He would quickly take them to heaven (the rapture) just before this troublous time. And it would all start with the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.
I arrived at my van with two new books, my used VISA card, my "Rapture Guide," and something thrown in free—a determination to find out more about this rapture. So returning to my office on the college campus, I began my research.
The "pretribulation rapture." I found that rapture is not as common a word today, outside of religious circles, as it once was. It means "caught up," but it has meant, and still means in theology, "a carrying away," or "being carried away in body and spirit."
What the two feminine voices at the shop were discussing, the bumper sticker implying, the "Rapture Guide" asserting, was that Jesus Christ would soon return to carry away His church so she will not suffer the wrath of God to be poured out in a soon-coming tribulation period. No one would see Christ do this; thus some have called this the "secret rapture."
Of course Christians have always looked forward to the return of their Lord. But the pretribulation-rapture concept splits that event into two parts: (1) a rapture (the translation of the saints) before the time of trouble, and (2) a revelation (the public, visible return of Christ with His saints) after the tribulation. At the rapture Jesus sort of silently sneaks into history and snatches His saints. One modern rapturist writer calls this" the great snatch."
But although the snatch is secret, the alleged effects are very public. Should you be so unfortunate as to miss being raptured, it is claimed, and you find yourself driving next to a saint on the freeway when this event occurs, you may discover his car forcing you off the four-tiered interchange, for, as the sticker said,. . ."This Car Will Be Driverless."
A popular doctrine. Incredible as the implications of such a doctrine sounded to me, I discovered that literally hundreds of thousands of conservative Christians believe it. Evangelical book houses have put forth great efforts to popularize the doctrine and to warn the nonexpectant public. Paperback books in the millions expound this teaching in a simple and readable manner.
A basic theological guide which has found increasing popularity over the years is the Scofield Reference Bible, containing a set of notes that claims to make the Bible more intelligible to all who will rely upon its comments. These notes teach a pretribulation rapture by following a system of interpretation which puts the bulk of last-day prophecies (especially the ones found in the Book of Revelation) in the future.
As I studied the Scofield Reference Bible comments, I experienced a strange phenomenon. I found myself relying more and more on the notes and less and less on the Bible. Then it dawned on me that I had better be careful not to put my confidence in man rather than in God. I asked myself before moving on with the research, "Is it possible that a person’s method of interpreting the Bible can become so detailed and exacting that the Bible is subjected to charts and notes rather than having a chance to speak for itself?"
As I studied, and as I interviewed people who believed in a pretribulation rapture, I found that chart study was rampant. I found a great number of charts for sale, most of them similar in nature. Some I found were free. One bookstore manager told me, "You can’t understand the Bible without this chart."
The popularity of a doctrine should never be confused with its Biblical soundness. My search for truth revealed that, historically speaking, the pretribulation-rapture idea is relatively new. Christians have believed Christ was returning ever since He left, but the idea that He would return secretly to translate His people has prevailed only a little over a hundred years.
The Biblical Second Coming. My study led me to compare the Bible words referring to the Second Coming. There are three. The first is parousia. It means "coming," "arrival," "presence." The New Testament uses it twenty-four times, and twenty-two of those times translate it "coming"; two times as "presence." Not one time is there even a hint that the "parousia" is secret.
The favorite text of those who hold to a pretribulation rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which is describing the parousia of Christ. The text reads," then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together [raptured] with them [the resurrected saints] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
The context gives the surrounding events of this "rapture": (1) God resurrects those who sleep in Jesus (v. 14); (2) all the resurrected saints and those who were already alive are caught up together (verse 15); (3) the Lord comes with a "shout," with the "voice" of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God (verse 16). If there is one thing that this passage does not teach it is that the "rapture" will be in any way secret or even quiet! The noise is enough to "wake the dead." Any interpretation, therefore, which tones down the decibels of this event just does not take into account a natural understanding of the passage.
The second word which the Bible uses to describe the coming of Jesus is epiphaneia, used five times and translated "appearing" or "brightness." In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 Paul writes that the "brightness of his [Christ] coming" will destroy the wicked. The Greek literally reads, "the epiphaneia of his parousia." If there is any inclination to make parousia secret and epiphaneia public, this text will not allow it.
The third word for His return is apokalupsis, which occurs eighteen times in the New Testament Scriptures to refer to Christ’s second advent. No position has been successfully defended that tried to distinguish between them.
If all the words used for the Second Coming indicate a public event, and none of them hint at a double-event coming, how can there be a secret pretribulation rapture and a public posttribulation Second Coming?
Five Biblical facts. I discovered at least five basic Biblical facts about the manner of Christ’s second coming.
This event will occur suddenly, when least expected by the world in general. It is not sudden to God’s saints, for they are looking. Matthew 24 contains many references to this effect. For example, the world in Noah’s day, said Jesus, was going on as usual when the Flood occurred. The people had been warned; they had rejected the warning, and life had returned to normal. Then the Flood came and "swept them all away." (Matthew 24:39, RSV). This is how the coming of Christ will be.
It will involve the personal, physical return of Christ Himself. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He informed His disciples, through His attending angels, that He would return again "as . . .[they] saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11, RSV). They saw Him physically, literally ascend.
The Second Coming will also be visible. "Every eye shall see him" (Revelation 1:7). The pretribulation-rapture view says that this text refers to Christ’s coming at the end of the tribulation, but if the Bible points to only one return of Jesus, how can this be? We cannot make distinctions unless first of all we establish that Scripture will support them. Christ declared that the Second Coming would be so visible that it could best be described by comparing it to the flashing of lightning (see Matthew 24:27).
It will also be personal. Christ will personally return for His people. The dead in Christ will be first to rise and together with the living saints will be caught up to meet Him in the air (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).
It will be a glorious and triumphant event. Christ comes for His saints. And he comes with His retinue of angels: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne" (Matthew 25:31, RSV).
Some pointed questions. So my trail of research came to an end with some pointed questions that had far-reaching implications.
How about the bumper stickers—the signs telling me to cheer up because I would soon be dead, or the ones suggesting I honk if I want to be raptured? Do these exalt Jesus? Or do they provide just so much more grist for the ridicule of Christian faith? Do those who long for the life-giving power and the loving solace of an understanding heavenly Father receive comfort from the picture of a school bus full of little children crashing into the onrushing expressway traffic for want of a bus driver because theirs has been "raptured"? How must that affect one’s view of God’s justice? Does not talk of Christ’s advent as "the ultimate trip" or "the great snatch" bring this sacred truth down to the level of the common—something to joke about, something to discuss "over a beer"? When truth is cheapened, it loses its power.
How about God’s getting His saints out of the world before the tribulation? Has this ever been the case? Noah, Lot, and Rahab were saved from the wrath of God, but God did not take them out of the world. It was Christ Himself who prayed, "I do not pray that thou [God] shouldst take them [Your people] out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15, RSV). God’s people will never suffer God’s wrath; of that we can be sure. But the Bible also makes it certain that God’s people have not and will not always escape the wrath of God’s enemies. For this reason the Word is full of God’s promises to help His saints prepare for times of trouble. These were given that through them they "may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4 RSV).
I still have my "Rapture Guide," but I now notice something is missing when I read it. It tells me all the events which will occur, it warms me about the great tribulation to come, and it promises me that Christ will "rapture" His saints. But it does not say anything about a story Jesus told in Matthew 25. In essence that story says there will be some waiting for the second coming of Jesus, but it will not occur precisely as they had expected, and as a result they will not be prepared for the event.
As I look through my "Rapture Guide," I can’t help wondering where I will be if I put all my faith in being raptured and suddenly discover that the tribulation has started and nobody is missing. œ
The manner of His return
Here are a few of the Bible descriptions of Christ’s return. He will come:
As His first coming was literal, visible, and personal, so also will be His second. As He come with a literal body the first time, so also will He come the second time. As His first coming fulfilled the Bible prediction to the letter, so will the second. As His shame on the cross at His first coming was literal and visible to all, so also will His glory at His second coming be visible to all.
His second coming will be visible to both the righteous and the wicked (1 Corinthians 1:7; Hebrews 9:28; Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27). It will be audible (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Matthew 24:31; Psalms 50:3). It will be personal (Acts 1:11); bodily (John 14:1-3). It will be glorious (Matthew 24:30; 25:31; Luke 21:27; Mark 13:26). It will occur before the thousand-year millennium, and it is imminent (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Revelation 29:6; Matthew 24:36-39, 44).
The Bible plainly says that Christ’s return will be anything but quiet or secret: "Our God shall come and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him" (Psalms 50:3, emphasis supplied).
—From Rapture! Is it for Real?
by Ralph Blodgett, pp. 54, 55.
The Rapture. The tribulation. The revelation of the antichrist. The glorious return of Christ. Is this the order of events predicted in Holy Scriptures?
The statement by Jesus, "One shall be taken, and the other left" (Luke 17:36), has been questioned by millions of Bible readers. Did Jesus mean that He would come secretly for the righteous, take them to heaven, and the rest of the populous would be completely unaware of the rapture?
And doesn’t the Bible clearly state: "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" 1 Thessalonians 5:2? Do these verses teach a "secret rapture"?
Numerous letters come to our offices asking questions about this subject. Here is one person’s question:
Origin of the Secret Rapture Theory
Just where did this modern rapture idea come from? The answer may surprise you. At the beginning of the great British Advent Awakening back in the late 1820’s, a certain gentleman named Edward Irving started a church of his own and called it the Catholic Apostolic Church. This new church fervently believed in the exercise of speaking in "unknown tongues."
In one of these sessions of tongues-speaking, an utterance considered as proceeding from the Holy Spirit was received, in which "the rapture" was revealed.
At the Powerscourt Castle prophetic conferences, which began in Ireland in 1830, Irving introduced his secret rapture teaching. This provided foundation for a whole new system of beliefs, tying together dispensationalism, the rapture, the tribulation, the antichrist, and the millennial reign of Christ on earth.
Samuel P. Tregelles, a great New Testament scholar who attended some of the Powerscourt meetings, later wrote: "I am not aware that there was any definite teaching that there would be a secret rapture of the church at a secret coming until this was given forth as an ‘utterance’ in Mr. Irving’s church, from what was then received as being the voice of the Spirit. But whether anyone ever asserted such a thing or not, it was from that supposed revelation that the modern doctrine and the modern phraseology respecting it arose."
So there you have it. Was the secret rapture teaching discovered after hours of prayerful, careful searching of the Word of God? No, it arrived instead as an utterance during a session of speaking in tongues!
But there is a most interesting background to this so-called "utterance" in Edward Irving’s church. Dave MacPherson in his book The Late Great Pre-Trib Rapture, quotes from a recently found book The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets in the Catholic Apostolic Church. "The author, who wrote it in 1861, was a English medical doctor by the name of Robert Norton who had been an eye-ear witness of the events described in the book.
"On an evening in 1830 between February 1 and April 14, the young girl—Margaret Macdonald—had a personal revelation about the end of the world that she claimed was really based upon Scripture. While events were still fresh in her mind, she preserved a handwritten account of everything. At the time of this experience, Margaret was living in Port Glasgow, a shipbuilding town on the south bank of the Clyde River in western Scotland." Page 12.
News of Margaret Macdonald’s revelation traveled fast and far. Edward Irving obtained a copy of Margaret’s revelation and referred to it in June 1830.
A few weeks later John Darby, founder of the Plymouth Brethren Church, journeyed to Scotland to visit Miss Macdonald. "He borrowed some of her prophetic ideas without giving her credit, modified them and passed them off as his own. Darby’s visit to the Macdonald home in mid-1830 is related in his little-known book The Irrationalism of Infidelity (1853), pages 183-285." Darby was clearly a believer in the return of Christ after the tribulation until the time of Margaret’s revelation!
C. I. Scofield, the author of the Scofield Reference Bible, popularized what we may call a new view of the events preceding and following the coming of Christ. But no one has done more in the past few years to promote the pre-tribulation rapture theory than Hal Lindsey in his books: The Late Great Planet Earth, and There’s a New World Coming.
What Is the Secret Rapture Theory?
Since the secret rapture is only a theory, there are many slight variations taught. But simplified, the pre-tribulation rapture theory is this:
Instead of one second coming of Christ, there are two distinct stages, so that in reality we should speak of the second and third comings of Christ. The second coming of Christ is "the rapture of His church" and will occur at the beginning of the seventieth week of Daniel 9:24-27. The third coming of Christ with His saints, called "the appearing," will concern Israel and the world and occurs at the close of the seventieth week, when Christ comes with His church. Between the second and third comings of Christ there will be at least seven years.
Of course, there is much more. If you desire more information on this point, I suggest you contact a believer in the rapture theory.
Seventieth Week of Daniel’s Prophecy
Though there are many variations, the pre-tribulation rapture theory seems to hang on the interpretation of the seventieth week of Daniel 9:24-27. "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sin, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks [a total of 69 weeks] . . .
"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself . . .And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Daniel 9:24-27.
For some strange, unprecedented reason, teachers of the pre-tribulation rapture theory separate the seventieth week from the sixty-ninth week and place it at the end of time. But the very heart of the prophecy and center of Christianity is destroyed by such interpretation.
All of Christ’s earthly ministry—His life, death, and resurrection—were to take place during the seventieth week of this prophecy. Using the Bible rule, a day equals a year in prophecy interpretation (Ezekiel 4:6), in the middle of the seven-year period of the seventieth week, the Messiah’s death on Calvary caused "the sacrifice and oblation to cease." All the sacrifices and morning and evening oblations from the very beginning had pointed forward to the Lamb of God who would "be cut off, but not for himself."
At the exact moment of Christ’s death, the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy in the Temple was torn "from the top to the bottom," signifying that the sanctuary system of sacrifices and oblations had come to an end (Matthew 27:50, 51).
Pre-tribulation Rapture Theory Follows Futuristic System of Interpretation
It will probably come as a great shock to many that the system of futuristic interpretation used by the teachers of the pre-tribulation rapture theory can be traced back to a Spanish Jesuit priest by the name of Francisco Ribera. In 1590 Ribera published a commentary on the Revelation as a counter interpretation to the prevailing view among Protestants which identified the papacy with the antichrist. Like most of the pretribulation rapture exponents, Ribera applied all of Revelation, but the first three chapters, to the end time.
Revelation 4:1 has been used to point out a rapture of the church. But a careful study of the context does not support this false teaching. John, the beloved apostle, has seen Christ in vision in one room in heaven. Now another door IN HEAVEN was opened and John hears the same voice telling HIM—not the church—to come up and he will see what will soon transpire in the centuries following his day.
This pre-tribulation rapture theory, that everything written in the book of Revelation after chapter four, verse one, tales pace after the rapture of the church, is a FALSE teaching, for Jesus clearly said:
"I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." Luke 10:18. Here is an event that Jesus said took place in the past—long before He walked the dusty roads of Palestine. And the description of this fall is listed in Revelation 12:7-9. Friend, I believe Jesus. Therefore I cannot put any faith in Bible footnotes or teachers that would have me believe hat everything past Revelation 4:1 will take place AFTER the rapture of the church.
As we have noted above, the pretribulation rapture theory is based on the false interpretation of the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy. A careful restudy of this entire prophecy will cause anyone to see that it is utterly impossible to remove this seventieth week to the last days. Just as the 68th week is followed by the 69th, so the 70th.week must immediately follow the 69th. This gap theory—the futuristic system of interpretation—is unscriptural!
Isaiah 8:20 gives us mighty good counsel: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." When I find Bible footnotes or preachers teaching one word contrary to the law of God or the Holy Bible, I must remember "there is no light in them."
"As It Was in the Days of Lot"
Jesus said: "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot: they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but THE SAME DAY that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even THUS SHALL IT BE in the day when the Son of man is revealed." Luke 17:28-30.
Jesus taught that the very SAME day that the righteous would be taken out of the world, the wicked would be destroyed—slain by the brightness of His coming. (See 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8; 2:8.)
Note that it is in this context that Jesus said: "One shall be taken, and the other left." Luke 17:36. The disciples immediately asked the question, "Where Lord?" Verse 37. Were the disciples asking where those taken were going or where those left would remain? The point and purpose of their question is clearly revealed by the answer Jesus gave. He is talking about those who are left. "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together."
"As a Thief in the Night"
The reference to Christ coming "as a thief in the night" will be better understood when we read the entire passage of 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5.
"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness."
Christ’s coming will be "as a thief" only to the unprepared—not to the righteous! For the Word clearly says: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light."
Someone has said it very well, "The secret pre-tribulation rapture is so secret that the church never heard of it for 1,800 years!"
No Secret Coming
True, Christ comes suddenly, but not secretly. How tragic it is to hear flowing from pulpit and seminary this false teaching that Christ will come secretly. Jesus warned of this deception in the last days.
"For there shall arise false Christ’s, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. . . .Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:24-27.
What a day that will be when Christ is seen coming in the clouds of heaven! In the eastern sky He will first be seen; only as a small cloud (Acts 1:9-11), but then closer and larger until the heavens are alive with radiant beings. "And EVERY eye shall see him." Revelation 1:7.
"And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30. Men’s faces gather paleness as they look upon the scene. Everything in nature seems turned out of its course.
Disobedient Destroyed
In Revelation 6:14-17 we read: "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." Men who are unprepared for this climactic event can no longer look upon the scene. Finally, they "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?"
Who Will Be Able To Stand?
The very next chapter reveals the answer. The people who are "sealed"—the people who are fully settled in the truth, the people who have lived through the "great tribulation [seven last plagues], and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:3, 14.
These people are alive today. In these days of strain and stress—days of conflict between capital and labor, days of delusion and counterfeits— and during the fast approaching crisis time when the mark of the beast and the image of the beast shall be established, our mighty God is perfecting a people. "He is effecting transformations so amazing that Satan, with all his triumphant boasting, with all his confederacy of evil united against God and the laws of His government, stands viewing them as a fortress impregnable to his sophistries and delusions. They are to him an incomprehensible mystery." —Ellen White, Testimonies to Ministers, page 18.
These people will be "wondered at" (Zechariah 3:8), sealed, and will live ON PLANET EARTH during the seven last plagues, protected by the Holy Spirit and the angels of God. They are a people whose sins have been forgiven, whose lives fully reflect the image of Jesus; they have lived for Him; in their hearts, Christ has written His commandments. And when the heavens depart as a scroll, they will stand, looking up with faces aglow and exclaim together: "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." Isaiah 25:9.
Resurrection of True Christians
What a day that will be when Christ is seen coming in the clouds of heaven! What a day it will be for those who have lost precious loved ones by the hand of death. Underline in your Bible these comforting words of assurance: "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.
Notice carefully this passage that is often used to describe the pre-tribulation secret rapture, explicitly states: "With a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." God’s Word gives every evidence necessary to show that Christ’s coming at the time when His saints are to be "caught up," will be just the opposite of secret. He comes with a great noise, with trumpets blowing, with a great shout.
The living righteous are glorified and the risen saints come forth with new, immortal bodies, made "like unto Christ’s glorious body." Philippians 3:21. (See 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.) Wonderful day! Never shall the redeemed die anymore!
Space Trip for Christians
What a glorious space trip God has planned for you and me. With Jesus as our pilot, he will lead us past the moon, past the sun, the satellites, past the stars, the galaxies of stars, and on into heaven itself. There before the admiring eyes of all the redeemed of all ages stands the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. And Jesus lifts up His lovely voice and proclaims: "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." Isaiah 26:2. And those huge gates of pearl swing open and God’s redeemed of all ages march through into the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. And Jesus Christ, the friend of sinners, the Saviour of mankind, the Prince of peace, the King of kings, shall reign forever and ever. There will be no more war then, but peace; no more death, but everlasting life; no more sorrow, but endless joy.
How to Prepare for Heaven
Preparation for citizenship in that glorious kingdom should be our first work. Jesus said: "Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." Matthew 24:44.
Soon, no one knows how soon, Christ will come. All the great lines of Bible prophecy focus on our day. Though we cannot tell the day nor the hour, we can know when it is near, "even at the door." (See Matthew 24:36, 33.) That is why we must be ready moment by moment.
Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." Matthew 6:33. This is the most important thing in life, for only those who seek first the kingdom of God will ever enter that glorious heavenly city. Time is short! The standard is high, yet none need despair, for Jesus is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. (See Hebrews 7:25.) We have an uttermost Saviour—there are no impossible cases with him. You may be a great sinner, but there is a greater Saviour waiting and longing to save you.
Come to Him now just as you are and find Him able—able to take away all your guilt—able to give you an abiding peace—able to get you ready for His soon return—able to keep you ready, living a joyful, abundant life. Tell Him now that you come to Him for all this. Tell Him now that this is what you choose.