The Rapture Is Next: Understanding God’s Prophetic Timeline

God is the ultimate event planner, and His calendar is already written. He is so awesome, He plans events on a global scale, orchestrating all the people, parts and places leading to the next “big thing.” While many are watching the world and wondering what comes next, the Bible makes it clear: the next major event is the sudden catching away of believers—the rapture—when the Lord calls His people to Himself.

From Genesis to Revelation, God actually delights in revealing His plan. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. (Isa. 46:10) History has followed His script perfectly—Israel was formed, it fell, Christ came, died, and rose again, and Israel reformed as a nation in 1948—to name a few. Now we stand at the edge of the next appointed event, one that will happen without warning to the world, but not without witness to those who know His Word.

As surely as those events happened according to plan, we know that no power is going to stop the soon coming rapture. It’s written in ink on God’s event calendar.

The rapture will actually kick off the rest of the widely known upcoming events on God’s checklist. You don’t have to have a special app to find His event calendar. You already have a written copy of it.

The following events should take no one by surprise. Here are the still-future events God has told us about in advance—in order:

·       The capturing up of believers in the sky in the rapture (John 14:3, Acts 1:11, 1 Cor. 15:51-52)

·       The 7-year tribulation that you don’t want to be here for (Revelation)

·       The revealing of the antichrist midway through the tribulation and the mandate to worship him or you can’t buy or sell anything (2 Thes. 2:3-4, Rev. 13:11-18)

·       The second coming of Jesus Christ to save Israel and to deal justice to His enemies (Matt. 24:29-30)

·       Several wars, including the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the tribulation (Rev. 16:16, Rev. 19:19-21)

·       The 1,000-year reign of Jesus on earth (Rev. 20:1-6)

Knowing that God has decreed that all these events are going to happen, what should be our response?

1. If you have never come to realize, believe and accept that Jesus came to die for your sins to save your soul, you want to take care of that right now. It requires direct attention and action on your part. Your soul is not automatically safe. Learn more about that here.

2. Do not panic as you watch national and world events unfold as they are now. God said it was going to be like this.

3. Don’t forget that God is in control, and before the wrathful events of Rev. 6 happen (world war, financial collapse, global famine, global atmospheric catastrophes, etc.), believers will be raptured out. What we are witnessing now is the runup to all this. Don’t cover your eyes. Look up. The rapture is soon.

4. Be busy doing whatever you can to tell unbelievers about Jesus Christ. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet. 3:9)

5. With a kingdom-forward outlook, ask God what you can do to encourage, exhort, teach and build others up so that they have the best possible standing with God when they face Him. Because, oh, by the way, there’s another event for each one of us individually. We are going to face God and give an account of our lives. (Heb. 9:27)

We don’t live in confusion and bewilderment. We live in certainty, because God has informed us of the events ahead.

R&J Shee

‍ ‍Related studies:

‍ ‍The Rapture of the Church: Does the Bible Reveal Its Timing?

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