Prince Ready for the Rapture?

Truths About the Rapture and End Times Revealed
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-981-94-4121-1
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 132 Seiten

Reihe: Ready for the Rapture?

Ready for the Rapture? Truths About the Rapture and End Times Revealed What if the end times weren't something to fear, but something to look forward to?

JOSEPH PRINCE is a leading voice in proclaiming the gospel of grace to a whole new generation of believers and leaders. He is the senior pastor of New Creation Church in Singapore, a vibrant and dynamic church with a congregation of more than 33,000 attendees. He separately heads Joseph Prince Ministries, a television and media broadcast ministry that is reaching the world with the good news about the Lord Jesus' finished work. Joseph is also the bestselling author of The Power of Right Believing and Destined to Reign and a highly sought-after conference speaker. For more information about his other inspiring resources and his latest audio and video messages, visit JosephPrince.com.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Prince, Joseph

Leseproben

Chapter 1:
The Rapture—A Glorious Promise
for Every Believer

The rapture. Few topics in Christianity evoke as much fascination, debate, and emotion. Maybe you’ve heard it described as the ultimate rescue plan for believers—a moment when Jesus calls His church home before the world enters a time of unparalleled tribulation. Or maybe you’ve encountered skepticism, with some dismissing the rapture as a modern idea or escapism for the weak-hearted.

So what exactly is the rapture? Is it biblical? Why does it matter? And why has it become such a controversial subject within the body of Christ?

What Is the Rapture?

Many modern-day criticisms of the rapture focus on the fact that the word itself doesn’t appear in Scripture. However, while the word rapture doesn’t feature in our English Bibles (just like the word trinity doesn’t), the idea of it is found throughout Scripture.1 The term comes from the Latin word rapiemur (in the Latin Vulgate).2 It was translated from the Greek word harpazo (1 Thess. 4:17), which means “caught up” or “snatched away.”3

Paul describes it this way:

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:17)

Let’s examine the word harpazo (caught up) for a moment. Harpazo appears fourteen times in the New Testament, and each time, it depicts a powerful, sudden taking away of something or someone. For example, when Philip was suddenly transported after ministering to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:39) or when Paul was caught up to heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). Both instances show God’s supernatural power to transport His people instantly!

The idea of being “caught up” isn’t an idea concocted by modern believers. It’s a promise that we’ve seen demonstrated throughout Scripture. Just as Enoch was walking with God one moment and in heaven the next (Gen. 5:24), so will it be for believers in the rapture. Just as Elijah was taken up suddenly in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11), we, too, will be caught up in an instant, “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52).

A Rescue, Not a Judgment

For many believers, the thought of the rapture doesn’t fill them with joy or excitement but a sense of uncertainty or even fear. Maybe that’s how you feel too. Perhaps you’ve heard teachings or ideas that left you wondering if you’ll make the cut. Maybe you’ve wrestled with questions like, Am I good enough? Have I done enough? What if I’m not ready when the moment comes?

If that’s you, let me encourage you with this: These fears don’t reflect the heart of our heavenly Father and the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father never intended the rapture to be something we dread or feel anxious about. The rapture is not about judgment. It’s about redemption. It’s a demonstration of God’s unwavering faithfulness to His people, a promise we can confidently embrace with joy.

The rapture is not about judgment. It’s about redemption.

When Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) on the cross, He wasn’t just declaring the forgiveness of our sins. He completed everything needed for our salvation, and this includes the promise to one day redeem our physical bodies!

Think of it this way: The Word of God tells us that we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works (Eph. 2:8–9). If we are saved by grace, why would the redemption of our bodies depend on our performance? That would contradict the very gospel we believe in!

Paul reminds us in Romans 8:23 that we are “eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” This glorious transformation is part of our inheritance, purchased by the blood of Jesus. Even more, the Holy Spirit Himself is given to us as a down payment, guaranteeing this future promise.

As Ephesians 1:13–14 NLT says,

When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.

What a beautiful assurance of God’s faithfulness!

My friend, let me encourage you with this promise today: The rapture is simply Jesus coming to claim what He has already purchased—you! You don’t need to live in fear, wondering if you’re good enough or ready enough. If you’ve placed your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are going up! It is His blood that justifies and qualifies you.

This is why Titus 2:13 describes it as “the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Notice how the Holy Spirit specifically chose to call it the “blessed hope.” It’s not just any hope, but the blessed one, and it’s not a fearful expectation but a joyful anticipation of seeing our Savior face to face. In the twinkling of an eye, we will be transformed. Our mortal bodies will become like His glorious body, forever free from sickness, aging, and death. We’ll be forever strong, forever young, forever whole!

The rapture is not a fearful expectation but a joyful
anticipation of seeing our Savior face to face.

I pray that knowing this will fill your heart with peace today. You are not waiting for judgment. You are waiting for the fullness of life! This blessed hope isn’t just a doctrine. It’s the very lifeblood of the gospel. It’s a promise that Jesus is coming as your Bridegroom—not as a judge—to receive His bride (that’s you, my friend!), whom He has already made perfect through His blood.

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: Jesus and His Church

Some of you might be wondering, What do we mean when we say Jesus is the Bridegroom and we are His bride? Where does the Bible describe the church or His people as His bride?

Let me share with you the amazing truth behind the greatest love story ever told.

Throughout Scripture, our heavenly Father uses the imagery of marriage to help us understand the depth of His love for us. In the Old Testament, He often referred to Israel as His bride, such as in Isaiah 54:5 (“For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name”) and Hosea 2:19 (“I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy”). In the New Testament, this beautiful picture extends to the church—all believers in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 5:25–27 describes Christ’s sacrificial love for the church, presenting her as a bride without spot or blemish, and Revelation 19:7–9 depicts the glorious wedding of the Lamb and His bride.

The apostle Paul also explains in Ephesians 5:31–32, “‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Isn’t it amazing? God designed marriage itself to help us understand His heart toward us!

Now let me share something precious about ancient Jewish marriage customs that will help to explain how the Lord wants us to understand the rapture. In Jesus’ time, after a couple was betrothed, the bridegroom would go away to prepare a bridal chamber for his bride in his father’s house. You can imagine him telling his bride, “I’ll go and prepare the bridal chamber for us.” Does this sound familiar? In John 14:2–3, Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.”

And just as the Jewish bride didn’t know the exact day or hour her bridegroom would return for her (though she often knew the season),4 we, too, don’t know exactly when Jesus will return. But we know that He will! The bridegroom would come suddenly, often at midnight, with a shout and the sound of a trumpet—just like how the Bible describes the rapture (1 Thess. 4:16–17)!

This isn’t just a storybook romance. It reveals the heart of God. When we understand we’re not just waiting for an event but for a Person who loves us with such deep affection to return for us and bring us into His presence forever, it changes everything! The rapture isn’t just about escaping tribulation. It’s about a divine romance reaching its culmination. It’s about Jesus coming to claim His beloved bride for whom He died.

Some of you might wonder, How can I be part of this bride? The answer is simple, my friend—by accepting Jesus’ proposal of love through faith in Him. When you receive Him as your Savior, you become part of His beloved bride, the church!

Some of you might feel uncomfortable with this bride imagery, especially in our modern context, where the sanctity of marriage has often...