Rapture, February 9, 2025

Reverend Michael Mwangi

Senior Pastor, Fedha Church, Kenya Assemblies of God 

1 Thessalonians 4
14. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
18. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5
1. Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,
2. for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
3. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
5. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
6. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.
7. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
8. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
9. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
10. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
Rapture is not a word found in the bible but is Latin word, rapturo in greek is harpazo  meaning snatching away or caught up.

It will be the most glorious event that will ever take place in the history of mankind but at the same time, it will be the most horrifying event for those who have rejected Christ.

Rapture is not the second coming of Christ but a snatching away of the church before the great tribulation which will end up the second coming of Christ and consequently ushering the millennial kingdom. A thousand years of peace and prosperity when Christ returns with the saints and establishes His kingdom here on earth for 1000 years.
In the second coming the whole world will witness Jesus coming in glory.

Revelation 1
7. “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”;  and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.
Rapture will be a sudden unexpected event that Christ will snatch the true church(His bride) from the earth before the great tribulation. During rapture Jesus will meet us in the air and we will be caught up in the air. The world will not see Him. The trumpet will sound and only true believers and those who died in Christ will hear it.

1 Corinthians 15
51. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
52. in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be.

What is the purpose of rapture?

1. It will usher the church, the bride of Christ to the marriage supper of the lamb

The church is the bride of Christ.  Christ will be coming for His bride for the marriage supper of the lamb for 7 years (honeymoon). In Jewish culture,e the marriage celebrations would last for 7 days.

John 14:1-3 King James Version (KJV)

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. 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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

As per Jewish traditions, the bridegroom would build a room behind the fathers house for honeymoon where he would take the bride and stay there for 7 days and appear on the 7th day. It will be to rescue the church from the coming wrath of God upon the unbelieving Christ rejecting sinful world. This is very comforting and why we must keep watching, waiting and ready for His coming with the bride.

2. Rapture will spare the true church( bride of Christ from the great tribulation (the wrath of God)

Revelation 3
10. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
Rapture will take remove the church from the earth and keep it away from the wrath of God. for believers Christ received our wrath the punishment of our sin on the cross. He was judged on our behalf.
Verse 9. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The church will escape the God’s judgment just as Lot was snatched away before Sodom and Gomorrah just before God poured  His judgment upon the sinful Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Genesis 19
While the church is tucked away safely in heaven enjoying, The Great tribulations will be going on  earth for those 7 years. It will be such of such a terrible and difficulty period God punishing the rebellious world. There has never been such a terrible time and there will never be.

Tribulation will therefore serve to cleanse the earth, shake the nations and awaken the nation of Israel as God intervenes directly in the affairs of the earth. Half of the population of the world will die in just 7 years period, only a third of Jewish people will make it and the landscape of the world as we know it today  will change drastically due to God orchestrated  natural disasters as God judges the world with 3 series of judgements.

You can escape this by believing in Jesus Christ today.

How close are we to rapture?

No one knows the day or the hour but we  can know the season as in  Matthew 24:36. Jesus said He will come like a thief.

God's time economy Runs in 7 days or weeks

God throughout the Bible uses the economy of days or weeks to mark His calendar and history.
God created the world in 6 days and on the 7th day took rest. The same pattern takes place in His universal calendar.

A day may also represent 1year or a thousand years biblically.

2 Peter 3:8–9 

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.

In the same manner he created the world in six days and rested on the 7th day, so He runs it and after six days God will put the world to rest with a millennial kingdom

Where are we?

We have 3 time periods:

Adam to Abraham 2000 years = 2 days
Abraham to Christ 2000 years = 2days
From Christ to date 2000 years = last two days

This makes it 6000 years and brings us to the 6th day and literally the ending of the last days
The coming of Christ, dying, resurrection, the pouring Spirit  Marked the beginning of the last days. It also gave birth to church age.

Acts 2
17. “ ‘In the last days, God says,   I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18. Even on my servants, both men and women,  I will pour out my Spirit in those days,  and they will prophesy.

The church has been in existence for the last 2000 years bringing us to 6000 year or the sixth day in God's calendar precisely on the verge of entering the 7th day of rest or millennial.
But Rapture must take place and tribulation start for 7 years Ushering His second coming for 1000 years of His glorious rule and reign on earth.

With 6000 years passed, we are at the tail of the sixth day.
We can see the end-time signs and prophesy being fulfilled.

2 Timothy 3
1. But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3. without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
4. treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
5. having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

Rebirth of Israel as a sign

Jesus gave one of the great signs that will mark that season of end times

Matthew 24
32. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
33. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.
34. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
35. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36. “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

From 70 AD the Nation of Israel ceased to be until May 14, 1948  when miraculously Israel  was reborn. ...the fig tree literally budded.

Interestingly on 17 March 1948 10 European nations signed a cooperation agreement on social economic agreement marking the conception and resurrection of the old Roman Empire economically. We now have a bigger European union, currency and president but finally, in tribulation time it will be politically under one leader.

The coming back of the nation of Israel in 1948  marked the beginning of the final  Phase of events in his coming. The nation of Israel has not been in existence for almost the entire church age and it comes back at such a time to usher the event of tribulation and Christ second coming as prophesied but  Remember Rapture will precede these two events.
We are this generation that witnessed the blossoming of the fig tree. (Refer to Matthew 24:34)

A preview of the Book of Revelation

The 7 letter ..7 church ages

The last church of Laodecia closes the church age and rapture takes place.
The church could be ruptured time soon.
We therefore need to be ever more ready than at any other time before.

1 Thessalonians 5:5

You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
1 Thessalonians 5:8. 

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

Tushikilie imani yetu na tusimame katika wokovu sawasawa (Let us hold on to our faith and stand properly in salvation).

Ephesians 5
27. and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Just a glimpse into the tribulation.
We must purpose to walk in Holiness amid this dark world lest we be found unworthy when Christ comes for His church.

Revelation 22.
10. Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near.(Daniel 12:8-9)
11. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
12. “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
13. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

Jesus is coming back
1 Corinthians 16:22 includes the word "Maranatha," which is an Aramaic phrase that means "Come, Lord" or "Our Lord comes". The verse expresses the hope of Christ's return. 
Maranatha.
Jesus said it occupy till I come.
So plan as if Jesus is not coming soon but always live as if He is coming right now.
Maranatha (Jesus come now).