Prophecy
September 22, 2011 – Rapture Ready
Watch therefore [give strict attention and be cautious and active], for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come. – Matthew 25:13 AMP
This warning from Jesus comes at the end of His parable of the ten virgins. There are some very subtle clues in this parable which relate to the Rapture that I will try to explain today.
Starting out, let me say that I know the Rapture will be a newsworthy event worldwide. At the same time let me also say that I believe it will not be as big as some teachings, movies, and books have made it out to be for several reasons. First of all, some Christians have rejected teaching on the Rapture and do not believe in the event at all. Second, there are millions of professed Christians all over the world who are simply not living a godly life. And third, churches are slowly losing their ability to effectively win souls for Christ. I believe these three reasons will make the Rapture a much smaller event than many anticipate it to be. But they are subjects for different days in themselves.
Let’s look specifically at the parable of the ten virgins. First consider the fact that Jesus is mentioned as the bridegroom of the church many times in Scripture. The ten virgins can then represent the body of believers, but in this case I feel they represent those believers who are anticipating the Rapture. I say that because they were going out to meet the bridegroom, and only Rapture believers anticipate His return in that fashion. I have heard all sorts of opinions over the years concerning this parable, some of which were intriguing, and some completely off the wall, but remember this is only my take on things, and not the know all, end all. This view simply makes sense to me. I heard an evangelist a few years ago say that when the plain sense of the Scripture made sense seek no other sense, so that’s what I try do now.
The bridegroom, Jesus, is coming for His bride, the church. The virgins represent the purity of the Christian believer, all of whom have been made pure through their salvation and forgiveness of their sins by Jesus. Five of the virgins took extra oil for their lamps, and five did not. The groom did not come at the expected hour, and when He did arrive the five virgins without oil were not ready. Is it possible that only half of Rapture believing Christians will be ready when Jesus comes for us? I can’t say for sure, as my interpretation of some Bible prophecy can be just as different from someone else’s.
Jesus tells us we must always be ready because no one knows when He is coming. He knows some of us will not be ready. We must pay attention to the signs of the times. We must believe in His eminent return. And most of all, we must BE a Christian instead of act like one.
Being a Christian all boils down to our choices and our character. We can always make the right choices in front of other people, but our character shows who we are when no one is watching. My own character has been so lacking at times in my life that I would have not only missed the Rapture, but if I would have died unexpectedly I would have ended up in hell. And yes, I was both saved and believed in the Rapture. I was one of those professed Christians headed to the lake of fire. I was like one of the foolish virgins, only I was just plain foolish. Now things are quite the opposite. I seek God every day. I want to hear the trumpet call from heaven. When will it happen? I have no idea, but I try to live every day in hopes it will be soon.
I know some Christians are looking forward to the Rapture to get away from their life. They don’t like paying bills, grocery shopping, or even going to work. That does not include me. I love my wife with all my heart. I love watching my children grow. I love what I do. But regardless of how much I love my earthly life, I know life in heaven would be better.
So how do we stay ready for the Rapture like the five wise virgins? Like Jesus said, be cautious and active. Everything we do shows our readiness from singing during praise and worship at church to reading the trashy tabloid headlines at the grocery store checkout. God doesn’t want you reading stories about actors and actresses having extramarital affairs or babies being born who were conceived by space aliens. He wants you to spend time with Him and please Him in all you do. Only then will you be ready for the ride of your life.
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