The Last Boarding Call!
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
A few years ago, my wife and I were scheduled to catch a plane for a flight to Phoenix, Arizona. As the time drew near for our departure, we began to have mixed feelings about the trip. We were excited to get the chance to go, yet we were somewhat sad to leave behind those who we love so much. There was also a little bit of apprehension about the flight itself, since we had been on a few very rough flights already.
Even though we wanted to go, even though we trusted in the pilot, the airplane and in their ability to get us to our final destination safely, we were still uneasy about the journey. As we sat at the airport waiting for our seat numbers to be called, we watched as others entered the ramp and disappeared down the walkway, they too had started their journey. We watched as some families cried and some laughed, while some just calmly said their goodbyes and one by one the one who was leaving was called to board the flight.
Since we had reserved seats, we weren’t really in any big hurry to get on board until finally the call came for the last time. This is the last boarding call. Either board the plane now or you will be left behind because the plane is leaving the gate.
There is coming a day, very soon, when we will all take one last flight. There will be one last boarding call and, sadly, there won’t be many who make the flight!
Jesus is Coming back to take His Bride away!
If you are going to make that flight, there must be some preparation.
The first thing you must do is BELIEVE THAT THE RAPTURE IS COMING!
We have other witnesses in the Bible that tell us of similar events that have already happened on a smaller scale.
Genesis 5:24, "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."
Enoch was among the very first men, after the fall in the Garden, that loved God and walked with God. Enoch’s great faith was rewarded on a grand scale. His life was so dedicated and his heart was so close to God that one day God said, Son you are closer to Heaven in your heart than you are to the earth, so just come on home right now. Enoch never died physically, but he was taken to heaven to be with the Lord that he loved so much.
2 Kings 2:11, "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."
Another instance where we can catch a glimpse of the fact of the Rapture is in the story of the prophet Elijah. Here was a great man of God, a man who had called fire down out of heaven, who had defeated 400 prophets of Baal and had served God so faithfully with absolute trust and belief in God’s awesome power.
Once day, as Elijah and Elisha walked along together, there suddenly appeared a cloud like a chariot of fire out of the sky. The fire separated them and took Elijah away to glory. Elijah was transported in the glories of heaven.
Another similar instance can be found in the letter of Paul to the Corinthian church.
Paul was caught up into heaven in a vision. He doesn’t know whether he was there in body or in his spirit but he was there and he saw the glories of heaven and heard things that he could not repeat.
2 Corinthians 12:2-4, "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."
Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established.
The Rapture of the church, like everything else in God’s Word, must be accepted by faith. We must know that it is coming just as surely as Pat and I knew that the flight to Phoenix was coming.
If you are going to board this flight, there has to be some preparation.
No one that I know will take any trip without making some preparations for the journey. There are all sorts of arrangements to made for the business of your home and family. You must choose which clothes and personal items you are going to bring since you can’t take much with you and your baggage is limited.
There are conditions for the rapture too. You won’t make that flight with any excess baggage!
If we are to get on board, we must be washed in the Blood of the Lamb and have our sins washed away. Sin can’t be a part of your baggage and you will go through God’s x-ray so that everything about your life will be easily visible to him.
Accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and having your sins washed away will give you a ticket to ride.
But just getting the ticket, and believing in the rapture won’t get you there unless you are ready, waiting and watching for the time of the flight.
Illustration:
We had our tickets for the flight to Phoenix. We had our bags packed, our business taken care of and we were ready and anxious for the flight. But none of this would have done any good if we had not gone to the airport or lost our ticket in the terminal.
Not only must you have Jesus in your heart, and your sins forgiven, but you must be watching and waiting for his return with your heart right and living a holy life that is dedicated to Jesus. That’s the only way that you will take part in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
There are several examples in the Word of God of those who were watching and waiting for the coming of the Bridegroom and still didn’t make it in. One of the most well known examples is that of the 10 virgins who watched, but only five made it in to the wedding feast.
Matthew 25:1-13, "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
They were all virgins, faithful to the call of God upon their lives. They had not committed spiritual adultery or fornication by serving the god of this world or living immoral and sinful lives. They were clean before God. And yet five did not go because they didn’t keep their oil filled up.
There will be many, who have accepted Jesus as Savior but have not given Him the Lordship of their lives. They know that Jesus is coming again. They desire to be a part of the Rapture. They live for the Lord most of the time and they even teach and preach so that others can be saved and make the Rapture.
But they haven’t surrendered every part of their lives to Jesus Christ. There is a measure of the Spirit of God within them but they haven’t allowed the Holy Spirit to completely fill them and surrendered every thing to Him. We keep back a part of our old life because it is fun and something we enjoy doing.
They are watching and waiting with all of those who are ready to go, thinking that if they just hang around and act like they are ready, that the Bridegroom will take them too.
But, it doesn’t work that way. Just as God separated Elijah and Elisha; and just as God separated the 5 wise virgins from the 5 foolish virgins, He will separate those who ARE ready from those who THINK they are ready or PRETEND to be ready.
Matthew 24:40-41, "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
These scriptures describe two sets of people in different circumstances who are all working for the Lord. Two of them are in the field working. Perhaps they are even missionaries in a foreign land, or perhaps they are Sunday School teachers, or Evangelists, or Pastors who are preaching and teaching the Gospel to as many as they can reach. They are part of the workers in God’s Kingdom who are planting seeds, watering the plants and helping in the harvest of the souls of men.
The other two are grinding at the mill. Perhaps they are mowing the church lawn, fixing the church plumbing or electrical work. Perhaps they are repairing homes for the widows, caring for the orphans, building churches for the underprivileged or doing a number of things that are great and wonderful and necessary for the church to operate.
But, just because we are working in God’s Kingdom and preaching His Word, that doesn’t make us ready.
GOD FORBID, THAT ANY OF US WOULD THINK THAT OUR WORK FOR THE LORD WILL EARN US THE RIGHT TO ENTER HEAVEN!
It is a terrible thing to realize that someone, even in this church, may not make the rapture because they didn’t realize what it would take.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE THE RAPTURE, YOU MUST HAVE YOUR LAMPS ALL TRIMMED AND BURNING BRIGHTLY. YOU MUST BE FULL OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND HAVE THE ANOINTING OF GOD UPON YOU, AND YOU MUST KEEP YOURSELF THAT WAY WHILE WATCHING AND WAITING!
I’m not necessarily saying that you have to have the Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues to go to heaven. I don’t think that is an absolute for your salvation. What I do believe is that you must have accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord and have your sins washed away.
But you must also live a holy life, keeping your hearts and minds centered on Jesus, and be watching and waiting with all that is within you, if you are going to be a part of the Rapture.
YOUR WORKS CAN’T SAVE YOU, BUT YOUR WORKS PROVE YOUR STANDING WITH GOD!
There is no way that you can love the Lord, be waiting for the Rapture, and be full of God and live like the devil at the same time. It’s either all or nothing.
Are you ready for the last flight to Heaven?
Do you have your lamps all trimmed and burning?
Are you full of the Holy Ghost?
Are you really watching and waiting and living for Jesus?
Are you fully prepared for the flight?
YOU CAN BE BEFORE YOU LEAVE THIS MORNING!
Get your heart right with God. Surrender your will and life to Him completely.
Keep your eyes on the Eastern sky. Confess your faults to Jesus today. Give Him your life today, without any conditions.
Make your reservation for the last flight.
When that last flight boards – there will be no time for preparation then.
When the shout goes forth and the trumpet sounds, it will be too late then.
