The Rapture and Jesus' Return to Earth

"So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man [Jesus] will come [again] at an hour when you do not
expect him."1

When one of my nephews was only five, he heard me talking about Christmas being the time when we celebrate Jesus Christ's coming to earth. He wanted to know if Jesus would come back to earth again. I assured him that Jesus promised that he would come back again.2

According to Bible scholars the return of, or second coming of, Jesus Christ is called the Rapture which comes from the Latin word "Rapare" which means to take away or to snatch out.

Following Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, he was "snatched away" and taken up to heaven. While Jesus'
disciples were standing there looking up in amazement, two angels appeared to them and said: "Men of Galilee,
why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."3

Jesus' first coming to earth 2000 years ago is an undeniable fact of history. His second coming is just as certain. The critical issue is to be ready for Christ's return. According to God's Word here's what will take place at the rapture: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we [true followers of Jesus] who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."4

Jesus is coming again just as He went. It could be today. He said that He would come at an hour when we do not expect him.5

To be absolutely sure you are ready for the rapture be sure to accept God's invitation for forgiveness and his gift of eternal life. To do so click on the God's Invitation" button below.


Suggested prayer:
"Dear God, again I thank you for the promise of Christ's return. Thank you for your great salvation and the promise of a home in Heaven for all who believe in and have accepted you as their Savior. Help me to be sure I am ready today for Christ's return by having repented of my sins, asked for and accepted your forgiveness and received Jesus as my Savior. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

NOTE: For an interesting depiction of the Rapture click on:
http://www.youtube.com/v/SmLhyPjHVes
We do not endorse any of the other links on this page.

1. Matthew 24:44 (NIV).
2. See John 14:3.
3. Acts 1: 11 (NIV).
4. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV).
5. See Matthew 24:44.



"ACTS Daily Encounter" - Feb 25/08

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Getting into God's stride

Enoch walked with God.

Genesis 5:24

The test of a man's religious life and character is not what he does in the exceptional moments of life, but what he does in the ordinary times, when there is nothing tremendous or exciting on. The worth of a man is revealed in his attitude to ordinary things when he is not before the footlights
(cf. John 1:36). It is a painful business to get through into the stride of God, it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride; but when we have got into it, the only characteristic that manifests itself is the life of God. The individual man is lost sight of in his personal union with God, and the stride and the power of God alone are manifested.

It is difficult to get into stride with God, because when we start walking with Him we find He has outstripped us before we have taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined into His ways. It was said of Jesus - "He shall not fail nor be discouraged," because He never worked from His own individual standpoint but always from the standpoint of His Father, and we have to learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned by atmosphere, not by intellectual reasoning. God's Spirit alters the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and things begin to be possible which never were possible before. Getting into the stride of God means nothing less than union with Himself. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don't give in because the pain is bad just now, get on with it, and before long you will find you have a new vision and a new purpose.

“Heartlight” - Oct 12/07