Are You Ready?

Joseph made this confession to his family: "I am dying". I am dying. The fact is every person in this room listening to this telecast is racing toward a rendezvous with death one day at a time. The Bible says there's an appointment that all of us have. "It is appointed unto men once to die". It is an appointment every person in this room and all over the world is going to keep. What is your final Exodus? Joseph's final Exodus and request to his family was, "Carry my bones up from here. Don't leave me in Egypt. Take me up to the Promised Land". The question is: are you prepared to meet the Lord? Are you prepared for the rapture of the church where your body, our bones are going to be snatched from the grave and escorted by angels into heaven, which is the Promised Land?

There are people who say, "Pastor, I don't believe in the rapture". But saint Paul said very clearly, "Behold, I show you a mystery". In the Bible, when the word "Mystery" is used, it does not mean something that is unknown. It means that's something that has not been revealed until now. Why? Because Jesus had been crucified. He rose from the dead. And he told his people, "I'm coming soon". And they were looking for him to come back any day. Now church members were dying. The New Testament church wanted to know what of these people who are dying. So Paul says clearly to that church and to this one, "Behold, I share with you something that has never been known before. We shall not all sleep in death, but we shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye... The dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" with a glorified body.

See people say, "Well Pastor, what's the difference whether I believe in the rapture or not"? Exactly this: the Bible says in Hebrews 9, "To those that eagerly look for him, he will appear the second time". Look at the word, "Eagerly look for him". The point is, if you're not looking for him, you're not going with him. That's what's important. The Bible says, "Watch and pray that you be counted worthy". "Watch and pray". Will there be a rapture? The Bible says, in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "For the Lord himself," get that. "For the Lord himself shall descend with a shout and with a voice of the Archangel and the trump of God". The shout is the victory over death, hell, and the grave. The trumpet is because he is royalty. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the King of kings. It says, "The dead in Christ are going to rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds of glory to meet the Lord in the air".

Some say, "Well, that's never happened before". Oh, yes, it has. Elijah was taken into heaven with a chariot of fire. He's been there for 3,000 years. He's coming back at the Great Tribulation to be a minister to people on the earth to say, "Jesus, the Messiah, is coming". Enoch was taken into heaven. He went out for a walk one day and it ended in heaven. God just took him. Enoch and Elijah are going to come back in the tribulation together. Jesus, on the resurrection morning, was talking to his disciples and was taken into heaven. And the angel said, "You men of Galilee, why are you here gazing into heaven? This same Jesus", say that with me, "This same Jesus shall come in like manner, as you have seen him go". You will see him come again. You literally saw him. He physically left. He visibly was there. When the king comes back, you will see him in all of his glory. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!

Put all of these verses together and you have this picture: Jesus, the Prince of Peace: Jesus, born in the womb of the virgin Mary: Jesus, the healer: Jesus, the teacher that terrified Satan every time he opened his mouth. He appears suddenly in the heavens, a brilliant starburst of a dazzling light, as lightning is flashing from the east to the west, the Bible says. The trump of God shall sound, announcing the appearance of royalty. For he is the Prince of Peace and the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The voice of the Archangel shall summon the righteous from their graves. Our bones and a perfect body shall meet the Lord in the air. This is our final Exodus. The question is: are you ready, because it could happen before this day ends? The king of glory, Jesus Christ, is coming to earth again to snatch us from this place into his glorious presence! Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!