By Chen Li, China

Editor’s Note:

Today, most brothers and sisters are expecting to be raptured into the clouds to meet the Lord when He returns. Christian Chen Li is no exception. One day when she read the Bible, she found that this expectation might not be in line with what the Lord Jesus said, and then got confused. Later, through Sister Han’s fellowship, Chen Li understood what rapture really is, what kind of people the Lord will rapture when He returns, and how to be raptured.

By Becky, U.S.

Editor’s Note: Wuhan coronavirus, East Africa’s plague of locusts, Australian bushfires, and some other disasters strike almost at the same time—disasters are getting worse and worse, and the prophecies regarding the Lord’s return have already been fulfilled. But why haven’t we been raptured? What can we do to be raptured?

Many brothers and sisters who sincerely believe in the Lord are longing for the Lord’s return and being raptured to the kingdom of heaven. Now the prophecies of the Lord’s return have been fulfilled; the Lord should come back. But why do we not see anyone being raptured to the air? Does rapture really refer to being raptured to heaven?

Jesus is love, and we believe that He will not abandon us when He comes back. We will just keep on believing like this, and we will leave it until later.

Bible Reference:

“Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.” (Mat 7:21-23)

By Xiao Ya

In the morning, my son drove off and I went for a walk in the park. Before I walked for a while, I heard someone yelling behind me: “Old Wang.” “Yes.” I replied whilst looking back. They are Brother Sun and his wife, Sister Li. I said: “Hi, it’s a nice day for a walk.” They replied in unison: “Yes.” Sister Li said: “Old Wang, a moment ago I saw your son drive off. Where did he go?” I replied: “Ah, he and his wife will go traveling with their friends. I exhorted them not to travel because tomorrow is the Sunday worship. Now, the Lord’s coming is near, how can we not go to the church and observe the Lord’s Day? Our pastors have stressed repeatedly that when the Lord returns, He must come to the church and receive us. Only if we don’t leave the church will we not be abandoned by the Lord. If we don’t go to church on the Lord’s Day but the Lord comes to rapture us, what should we do? Then we’ll be abandoned by the Lord, won’t we? May the Lord preserve them to come back tomorrow and attend the Lord’s Day meeting on time.”

Hello brothers and sisters of Walk in the Light,

We are now in the last stage of the last days, I’ve seen in the news that all kinds of disasters are growing and growing in scale, and whether or not I can be caught up before the disasters and made into an overcomer before the disasters are key issues for me. My opinion about these two issues is that, so long as we hold to the name of the Lord no matter what happens, work hard for the Lord and do not turn back as we go through all manner of adversities, then we can become overcomers. And when the disasters come, we can then be caught up into the sky to meet with the Lord and enjoy His promise. But some have questioned my opinion, saying that some people have now achieved this and that, moreover, the disasters are growing in scale and many kinds of disasters have befallen us already, and yet still no one has been seen being raised up into the sky. Does being caught up really mean being raised up into the sky? And is it so simple to become an overcomer, that one becomes an overcomer just by achieving these things? I don’t quite understand all this, so I’d like to ask your opinion. Looking forward to your reply!

Sincerely yours,

Xiao Xiao

By Li Huan

Like many brothers and sisters who truly believe in the Lord, I have been longing for the second coming of Jesus, holding to the words in the Bible, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be raptured together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Thus, we have been obsessively looking at the sky, yearning that a day will come when the Lord Jesus will take us into the clouds to meet with Him in the air, and then we can enter the kingdom of heaven and gain eternal life. Many years, however, have passed, and the signs of the second coming of Jesus have basically fulfilled, but we never see a believer be raptured to the heavens. It makes me wonder: Is this hope realistic? Does this word of Paul represent God’s will? If not, then aren’t we imaging it out of thin air? I have looked through the Bible, yet nothing of the kind that the Lord Jesus ever said was found. God is faithful, and He has said, “He is as good as His word, and His word shall be accomplished, and that which is accomplished lasts forever.” What God has promised will definitely be accomplished and fulfilled, as His word is the truth, the way. Now that the Lord Jesus never made such a statement, and man’s words cannot represent words of God, the Lord has His own will and plan on how to collect Christians into His kingdom when He comes back. Yet Paul was merely a man, a gospel-preaching apostle who had ever pursued the Lord Jesus and His disciples, and later was conquered after being blinded by the Lord’s great light. Even though Paul’s words were recorded in the Bible, and part of them were inspired by the Holy Spirit conformed to the truth, they were still not the words of God. What’s more, some of them were not the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and had no basis in God’s words, but mostly originated from man’s notions and imaginations and were colored by the absurdity of man’s mind. That’s why we cannot take man’s words as the basis for receiving the second coming of Jesus. So, when seeking the issue “whether or not we can be raptured into the air,” we should use God’s words and His work in the Bible as the basis, which is in accord with God’s will.

With all kinds of disasters happening frequently now, it is imperative to know how to welcome the return of the Lord Jesus and accept God’s work in the last days. The Lord Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Rev 3:20). And the Bible prophesied, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches” (Rev 2:7).

Question: The Bible says, “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 4:17). how do we explain this verse?