The Rapture

Now the prophecies of the Lord’s return have basically come true, but why haven’t the rapture of the church taken place? The co-workers’ discussion will bring you the answer.

For every Christian who is waiting devoutly for the return of the Lord, the topic of the believers’ rapture when the Lord returns in the last days is always attractive. None of believers are not expecting to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes back. However, what on earth is the true meaning of rapture? Does it really mean that the believers are lifted into the air by the Lord in the last days? To understand this aspect of the truth, let’s first read several verses. Acts 8:39-40 says, “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.” According to man’s thought, since here it is said that Philip was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, he was taken to heaven. Yet, in fact, “Philip was found at Azotus” and he preached the gospel in all cities, doing the Lord’s will on earth. From this we can see that Philip was not taken into heaven but was still on the earth. In addition, the Lord Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). Speaking of “Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,” it means that man’s future destination is not in heaven but on earth. That is to say, man still lives on earth when the kingdom of God descends. Revelation 21: 2-3 says, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Revelation 11:15 says, “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” These prophecies address that, “The tabernacle of God is with men,” “new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,” “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ.” All these words indicate that man’s final destination is that mankind will still live on earth rather than be taken into heaven as we imagined. If rapture means to be taken to heaven as man understands, then were not these prophecies spoken in vain? In fact, since God began to manage and save mankind after man was created by God and corrupted by Satan, God’s work of saving man has always been carried out on earth and man has always been living on earth. Finally, God’s will is going to be carried out on earth and His kingdom will be realized among men. So man’s destination is not in heaven but upon the earth, which is the ordination of God. Almighty God says: “God has God’s destination, and man has man’s destination. While resting, God will continue to guide all of humanity in their lives upon earth. While in God’s light, man will worship the one true God in heaven. … When humanity enters into rest, it means that man has become a true creation; humanity will worship God from upon the earth and have normal human lives. People will no longer be disobedient to God or resist God; they will return to the original life of Adam and Eve. These are the respective lives and destinations of God and humanity after they enter into rest. … Man’s place of rest is on earth, and God’s place of rest is in heaven. While man rests, he will worship God and also live upon earth, and while God rests, He will lead the remaining portion of humanity…. After God and man enter into rest, Satan will no longer exist, and like Satan, those wicked people will also no longer exist. Before God and man enter into rest, those wicked individuals who once persecuted God upon earth and the enemies who were disobedient to Him upon earth will have already been destroyed; they will have been destroyed by the great disasters of the last days” (from God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together ). From God’s words, we know God’s place of rest is in heaven, while man’s place of rest is still on earth. They will enjoy the life that is akin to that in heaven. It is exactly the harmonious and beautiful life that God has prepared for man and is precisely God’s ultimate accomplishment. Since man still lives on earth after being completely saved, what exactly does rapture refer to? Actually, as for the mystery of rapture, Almighty God has already revealed it to us. God’s words say: “‘Being caught up’ is not being taken from a low place to a high place as people imagine. This is a huge mistake. Being caught up is referring to My predetermining and selecting. It is targeted at all those I have preordained and chosen. … Anyone who has a share in My house in the future are all people who have been caught up before Me. This is absolutely true, never-changing, and cannot be refuted by anybody. This is My counterattack against Satan. Anyone I preordained shall be caught up before Me” (from The One Hundred and Fourth Utterance). It turns out that the true meaning of being raptured is keeping pace with the steps of God’s work and accepting the new work of God during the last days. In the Age of Law, man believed in Jehovah God and abode by the laws and commandments. When…

By Li Huan Just like many other Christian brothers and sisters, I eagerly long for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. We abide by the following passage from the Bible: “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). For this reason, we foolishly look up to the skies longing for the day that Jesus will return and take us up into the clouds so that we can be with the Lord. However, after so many years have passed, the four blood moons have already appeared; earthquakes, famines, plagues and war and all sorts of other disasters are becoming more and more intense. The prophecies of the Lord’s second coming have basically been fulfilled. However, we still have not seen one Christian raptured into heaven. I cannot help but think, “Why does the Lord not come to receive us? The Lord is trustworthy. The Lord promised that He would take us into the heavenly kingdom in the last days. The Lord’s promise certainly will be accomplished and fulfilled. I do not doubt this at all. Yet, how come up until now, we still have not been raptured by the Lord into heaven? Could it be that there are some problems with our longing?” Just when I was feeling very perplexed, a preacher who had done work in foreign areas for many years came back and I received some new light from her. The sister replied directly to my question: “The Bible passage that you referred to was something that Paul said. It was not something that Jesus said. Paul was just an apostle. Even though his words were recorded in the Bible, only some of his words could be described as enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. Even though his words were in accordance with the truth, they were not God’s words and they cannot be mentioned as if they were on equal terms with God’s words. Furthermore, some of what Paul said could not be described as enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. Instead, it was derived from his notions and imaginations and it brings man’s meaning with it. These words are not based on God’s words. Therefore, when it comes to the matter of welcoming the second coming of the Lord, we must not use Paul’s words as a foundation. Instead, we should use the Lord’s words as a foundation and seek His intentions because only the Lord’s words are the truth and 100% accurate.” After I heard this, I thought, “Yes. Jesus indeed never said ‘raptured into heaven.’ These were Paul’s words. Paul was just a man. His words really cannot be equated to God’s words. We must not use Paul’s words as a basis for welcoming the second coming of the Lord. As someone who believes in God, I should use God’s words and God’s work as a basis. This is what is in accordance with God’s intentions!” The sister continued speaking, “Jesus said: ‘And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven’ (John 3:13). From Jesus’ words, we could see that aside from the Son of man who came down from heaven, who is the incarnate God, nobody else ascended into heaven. Heaven is God’s throne. Only God Himself can ascend to this high place. As human beings, we cannot ascend into this high place to see God. Instead, when God first created man, He predestined that mankind would live on earth. God used the earth to create mankind’s ancestors Adam and Eve and helped them settle in the Garden of Eden. They listened to God’s words, received God’s blessings and managed everything within the garden. Afterward, mankind would also manage everything on the earth but not in heaven. When mankind was corrupted deeply and the earth was full of corruption and violence, God decided to use a flood to destroy the world. God saved Noah a righteous person who worships God but God did not rapture him into heaven so that he would avoid the flood waters. Instead, God made Noah build the ark. When the floods came, Noah’s family of eight took shelter in the ark. After they emerged from the ark, Noah and his family continued to live on earth and multiply. During the Age of Law, the Israelites suffered under enslavement by the hands of Egypt’s Pharaoh. When God led the Israelites out of Egypt and helped them escape the Pharaoh’s hunting, God did not rapture the Israelites into heaven. Instead, God showed His authority on earth by performing all sorts of miracles so that people could witness God’s almightiness and know God’s wisdom and how wonderful He is. Afterward, God issued His laws and commandments through Moses and guided the Israelites on how to live on earth. During the Age of Grace, when mankind was unable to adhere to the laws and faced the dangers of execution, man did not go to heaven to atone for his sins. Instead, God incarnated into the image of Jesus and came down to earth. To save mankind, He was nailed to the cross. This was the only way for man to obtain the Lord’s salvation. Clearly, we, as human beings, belong on the earth. God predestined us to live on the earth. Additionally, Jesus taught us: ‘After this manner therefore pray you: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:9–10). The words that the Lord speaks contain His intentions. The Lord wants us to worship Him on earth. Christ’s kingdom will also descend onto the earth. There is a prophecy in the Book of Revelation that reads: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is…

After Wang Liwen’s marriage failed, the Lord’s salvation came upon her, and God became her reliance. Once, she saw these words in the Bible, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:9–10). “For our conversation is in heaven; from where also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like to his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself” (Philippians 3:20–21). After reading this, she felt that believing in the Lord was truly good and following the Lord was right. She thought as long as she believed in the Lord in her heart and confessed Him with her mouth, she could not only get the Lord’s supreme grace but would be changed instantly and be brought into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord returns. This was a great blessing. From then on, she pursued passionately, worked hard, and sacrificed and expended for the Lord. A few years later, she became an excellent preacher. She usually used Paul’s words to spur herself on and to encourage brothers and sisters. In her heart, she was convinced that she would enter the kingdom of heaven in the end as long as she continued to believe like this. However, after a co-workers meeting, she became for the first time doubtful of her own view … Once after a co-workers meeting, Xiao Jie said with a serious expression, “Now the disasters in different countries are increasingly intense. The prophecies of the Lord’s return have basically been fulfilled. The world has become ever more wicked and dark. Everyone advocates wickedness and violence, coveting money and enjoying the pleasure of sin. People intrigue against and outwit each other, and take advantage of each other. The religious world becomes more and more desolate, and iniquities of all kinds gradually increase. Brothers and sisters become negative and weak. Some follow the wicked social trends, coveting money, pursuing wealth and reputation, and chasing fame and fortune. Though they believe in the Lord on their lips, they don’t practice the Lord’s words. Rather, they ponder how to make money for a better life all day. They are entangled with the worldly affairs. In our preaching, we repeated the same sermons without any new light. We cannot even feel the Holy Spirit’s work at all. And we can neither help brothers and sisters to solve their difficulties and problems nor supply anything to them. At this crucial juncture of the Lord’s return, we are generally in such a condition. If it goes on like this, can we get the Lord’s approval?” After hearing Xiao Jie’s words, some co-workers felt the same. They discussed, with sad looks. Wang Liwen said with a little worry, “These years, in order to seek the work of the Holy Spirit and revive the church, I contacted many pastors and elders. However, what made me sad was that many pastors and elders also follow social trends, coveting money, giving in to vanity, and struggling for fame and gain. They explain biblical knowledge and theological theories to exalt and testify themselves, to draw people to venerate and look up to them, usurp the Lord’s sheep for themselves. Because they indulge in the blessings of status, and don’t care about the believers who are thirsty and hungry in the spirit, many believers are cold in faith and have withdrawn. Alas, in seeking to revive the church, we have used many ways that we can think of but still cannot feel the Lord’s guidance. I don’t know what to do now. But no matter how passive and weak we are, we should keep our faith in the Lord, read the Bible and pray more, and try our best to spread the gospel and bear witness for the Lord. Only in this way can we be brought into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord returns.” Gao Lei was distressed and said, “These times, I often reflect upon myself: I have believed in the Lord for so many years; I often read the Bible and pray, spread the gospel and bear witness for the Lord, but why is my faith and love for the Lord diminishing? Why do I have no place for the Lord and no fear of Him in my heart? I live in sin all day long, sinning and confessing endlessly. When the Lord comes, will He bring such people like me into the kingdom of heaven? I still hope that I could be caught up to the heavenly kingdom when the Lord comes. Isn’t this a dream?” Fan Jianwen said confidently, “Is there any doubt about that? Although we still constantly sin, the Lord has forgiven us. The Lord will not abandon us. We should have faith in Him.” Wang Liwen nodded, saying, “We believers in the Lord usually sin and are controlled and bound by sins. We neither have practiced many of the Lord’s words nor have obeyed His commandments or met His requirements, but we should not be discouraged and disappointed. Let’s see what Paul said in the Bible. Romans 10:9–10 recorded, ‘That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.’ Chapter 11 Verse 6 recorded, ‘And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.’ We are the people who are justified by faith. When the Lord comes, we will surely be brought into the kingdom of heaven. There’s no need to worry. Let’s turn to Philippians 3:20–21, and read together, ‘For our conversation is in heaven; from where also we look…

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” Where are these words from? Did the Lord Jesus speak them? He didn’t. The Lord Jesusnever said that, nor has the Holy Spirit ever said it.

Several clusters of white clouds drifting in the blue sky, Bai Hua was on the way to the church, descrying the red roof of it. She felt blue now, with her heart overflowing with puzzle and confusion. A little while later, she arrived at the door of the church. After calming down, with slow steps, she walked into the church. In the spacious church sat a dozen people who whispered in twos and threes. Standing at the door and having a look around, she said in a somewhat heavy tone, “Brothers and sisters, this morning Brother Yu was taken back to the heavenly home by our heavenly Father.” Hearing this news, everyone appeared surprised, whispering to each other and discussing about it. Sister Han said, “How is that even possible? I came across him in the market and gave him a greeting the day before yesterday. How come he suddenly passed away?” Bai Hua replied, “Yesterday Brother Yu had a traffic accident on the way to his son’s house. Then he was hurried to the hospital for rescue, but it was too late. This morning he passed away. In addition, there will be a farewell ceremony in the funeral parlour at seven o’clock tomorrow morning. I wish that everyone can attend it.” Just as brothers and sisters discussed, Bai Hua mounted the pulpit, and said, “Everyone, quiet down.” Then everyone all turned their eyes to her. “Brothers and sisters,” she said seriously, “I often think that though we have believed in the Lord, we still often lie and deceive others, be jealous and disputatious, and cannot treat others fairly. Then, can we, who still commit sins too often, really be raptured into the kingdom of heaven? Can sinners be permitted to enter the kingdom of heaven? I often feel confused about this question.” Seeing Bai Hua change her previous manner of a preacher, brothers and sisters all felt a bit surprised, and then perked up. The atmosphere of the gathering seemed to be more relaxing than before. Everyone was to say what they liked. Luo Tao said with assurance, “Sister Bai, what’s the matter with you today? Before, you usually interpreted this verse of the Bible to us: ‘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). According to Paul’s words, we can know that whether man is dead or alive, he will be caught up into the kingdom of heaven later. What’s there to doubt!” Hearing this, some people nodded in agreement, while Bai Hua frowned, as if in thought. Then, with doubt, Sister Xia Han said, “It’s Paul’s word. Does it accord with the Lord’s will? Recently, I keep on pondering over the Lord Jesus’ words, ‘Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:9-10). From these verses, we can see that God’s kingdom will descend on earth and His will also will be done on earth. Don’t they give revelation to us that God’s kingdom will be built on earth? Otherwise, why did the Lord teach us to pray in this way? Yet Paul said that the Lord would take us into the air, so doesn’t his word run counter to the Lord’s will?” Hearing her words, brothers and sisters laid their heads together, and some scratched their heads. Bai Hua thought Xia Han’s fellowship was fresh and in lighting, which she never thought about. She silently pondered in her heart: Right, the Lord’s will is to build His kingdom on earth. I recite the Lord’s Prayer every day, but how come I did not think of this? Sister Zhang Fang, a co-worker, said, “Sister Xia Han, we have maintained all along that the Lord will take us into the kingdom of heaven when He comes. Why do you have doubts about it today? I don’t understand the Lord Jesus’ words. However, in my view, since it is the kingdom of heaven, it should be in heaven. How can it be on earth? I can’t figure it out.” Hearing brothers’ and sisters’ discussion, Bai Hua continued to say, “Brothers and sisters, quiet down. Now that we’ve mentioned this today, let’s discuss about it peaceably. What Sister Xia Han fellowshiped is indeed very thought-provoking. In the past, we all pursued to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes, but we didn’t know where the kingdom of heaven is.Hearing Sister Xia Han’s fellowship, I think of the words in Revelation, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God’ (Revelation 21:3) and ‘And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever’ (Revelation 11:15). These prophecies mention ‘the tabernacle of God is with men’ and ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ.’ From this we can see that God’s kingdom will be built on earth. Let Sister Xia Han fellowship more with us.” Then she turned to face Sister Xia Han, continuing saying, “Sister Xia Han, I heard that you had come out of the church to seek and investigate the true way some time ago. Do you find it? Is the light in your fellowship gained from your hearing sermons outside? Please fellowship more with us.” Hearing Bai Hua’s words, everyone turned their eyes on Xia Han. Xia Han said calmly and collectedly, “Not to conceal anything, these days I did get out to seek the Holy Spirit’s work. Now various signs show that the prophecies of the Lord’s return have been fulfilled. This shows the Lords has returned….