The Rapture Is Real

I’m away again this week on vacation but found the following article and thought I would share it with you in the hope you will find it as good as I did.  It’s certainly one that I would print and hand out to anyone I encounter who holds the rapture of the Church in scorn.  As I have said before, many, myself included, believe we are on the very brink of going home and for all too many, the rapture will become all too real when they find themselves left behind.

Roll Your Eyes All You Want… The Rapture Is Real

By Greg Laurie.  March 11, 2026

Is the Rapture real? There’s always debate around this topic.

Let’s start with the obvious: the Rapture sounds crazy. Jesus descends from Heaven, dead people rise from their graves, and living believers are suddenly caught up into the sky—like the world’s strangest episode of “Stranger Things.” Sounds like the stuff your uncle mutters about after three cups of church coffee. Except—the Rapture is right there in Scripture. Paul says it. John says it. Jesus says it.

Opposing Views 

Now, critics like to pounce: “But the word Rapture isn’t even in the Bible!” Neither are the words Trinity or even Bible. And yet, here we are, still believing in all three. The word comes from the Latin rapturus, which translates the Greek word harpazo—meaning “to snatch up, grab by force.” Imagine a parent reaching out and pulling their child away from danger just in time. That’s the picture Scripture gives us of the Rapture.

Some say, “Oh, the Rapture is just a modern invention, some 19th-century gimmick.” Nonsense. Yes, J.N. Darby helped popularize it in more recent times, but long before him, the early Church Fathers like Irenaeus and Cyprian wrote about believers being “snatched up” before judgment.

It’s not new—it’s biblical.

The Rapture in Scripture

We also hear about the Rapture straight from Paul, Peter, James, and most importantly, Jesus Himself: “‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also’” (John 14:3 NKJV).

The most familiar passage on the Rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18:

 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

And if that sounds far-fetched, remember Enoch—who literally walked off the face of the earth into God’s presence—and Elijah, who rode to Heaven in a fiery chariot. The prototypes are already in the Old Testament.

Why the Rapture Matters

Here’s why this isn’t just a fun theological parlor game: the Rapture gives hope. Paul calls it the “blessed hope.” When you’ve buried a loved one, you don’t need vague talk about them being “in a better place.” You need the solid promise that in one split second you’ll be with them again. Parents reunited with children. Husbands with wives. Brothers and sisters together again. And at the center of it all—Jesus Christ Himself.

And it does more than comfort grief. It motivates godliness. If you really believe Jesus could return at any moment, maybe don’t binge sin like it’s Netflix. You wouldn’t invite your best friend into a house piled with dirty laundry and Taco Bell wrappers. Don’t greet your Savior that way either. You want to be ready—walking with Him, keeping your spiritual house in order.

When Will the Rapture Happen?

People get themselves into trouble trying to date-set the Rapture.

Jesus made it pretty clear: “No one knows the day or the hour” (see Matthew 24:36). Which, funnily enough, includes you, me, and that guy on YouTube with the chart and the whiteboard. Yet, periodically, there’s always that someone with their calendar: “88 Reasons Jesus Will Return in 1988!” Let’s just stop with the speculation. 

The Rapture isn’t about prediction—it’s about preparation.

The Takeaway

What do we do with all this? We wake up. We stay alert. And we stop living like the world is a Vegas buffet that never closes. Paul said: “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here…” (Romans 13:12). Translation: Time is short. Knock it off. If you’re a believer, live clean, live holy, live hopeful. If you’re not—well, get right or get left.

Because one day, maybe in our lifetime, maybe tonight—in a blink, in the twinkling of an eye—everything changes. Loved ones raised. The Church caught up. Judgment delayed until after the Bride has been rescued.

It’s not escapism. It’s not fantasy. As C.S. Lewis reminded us, looking forward to the eternal world is one of the things a Christian is meant to do.

So, laugh if you want. Roll your eyes. Write your snarky post. But the Rapture is real. And when it happens—when the shout comes, when the trumpet blows—mockery won’t matter. Only hope will. 

Greg Laurie is an evangelist, author, and the senior pastor of Harvest Riverside.

https://harbingersdaily.com/roll-your-eyes-all-you-want-the-rapture-is-real/

It is my prayer that you have made the decision to accept the gift of eternal life offered by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sin, and that you are part of the body, the bride of Christ which will soon be raptured to live with Him forever in the place He is preparing for us.

If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner,  be willing to turn away from your sins, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in and control  your life through the Holy Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;

Father, I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Keep watching.

Eternal Expectations

“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”  Genesis 2:1-3. NKJV

A question I have heard in the past about Heaven went something like this; if this earth, which only took God six days to create, is so amazing and beautiful to so many people, what do you think the mansions that Jesus is preparing for us will look like since He has been working on them for two thousand years?  I believe it’s safe to say that with that much time and effort, what Jesus has prepared for us will make it easy to forget anything that this world ever offered us.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.“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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  John 14:1-3. NKJV  

Our hope and anticipation as believers is that moment in time when we enter into the presence of our Father in Heaven, be it by death or the rapture of the Church which so many are expecting at any moment.  Yet while much has been written or taught about what Heaven will be like, the truth is most of that is pure speculation as we are not told much of anything about it in the Word.  Some of what we do know, however, is from the apostle Paul who gives us some insight into what our eternal home is like.  In his first letter to the church at Corinth, he has this to say;

 “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. ‘  1 Corinthians 2:9. NKJV

My impression of these words is that Paul is telling his readers that it’s impossible for us as humans to even begin to understand what awaits us in eternity.  Most believe that Paul has a unique perspective on this subject as it appears he is the only person who has actually seen what awaits us. Having been allowed to visit Heaven, he goes on to say this about what he saw in his second letter to the Corinthians.

“It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord:  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”   2 Corinthians 12:1-4. NKJV

My personal conclusion is that what Paul saw was not only indescribable, but outside of human comprehension.  The Bible contains 683 references to Heaven and in all of them it’s simply identified as the place where God dwells. The Greek and Hebrew words translated as Heaven mean the sky, clouds or air, but none actually explain what we will find there.  Fortunately for us, though, is we are given a description of the place Jesus has gone to prepare for us in His book of Revelation.

“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”   Revelation 21:9-27 NKJV

“The bride, the Lamb’s wife,” and “only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” refers specifically to Church Age believers, those who have chosen to accept and believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection as payment for our sin.  “descending out of heaven from God” seems to make it clear that the city is separate from Heaven but exists there.  This then is the place Jesus has been working on for the last two thousand years and where we will find our “mansions” that He promised us so long ago.

Even from this description it seems difficult to imagine what our home is going to look like. City of gold, streets of gold, gates made from a single pearl large enough to allow passage through, and the foundation of the entire city covered in gems reveals the love and effort Jesus has put in to making our eternal home.  This city, where our mansions will be found, is available to all yet as we know, living there comes from making the most important choice pf our lives.

There is no question in my mind, and many others as well, that we have arrived at that point in time which the Bible speaks so much about and that the removal of the Church to spend eternity with God will shortly occur. Becoming part of the body of Christ, the Church, is the result of our choice to accept the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ for our sins.  If you haven’t made that choice, what better time than right now to do it, before it’s too late.  

Simply pray a prayer like this; Jesus I know that I am a sinner, and have sinned against you.  I believe you loved me enough to send your Son Jesus to die for my sins, and that He rose from the dead so that I can live.  Forgive me of my sins and come into my life and help me to live for you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Keep watching.

We Are At War

A subject I have covered lately seems to be getting more and more attention as incidents of violence and persecution against Christians and the Church steadily increase.  This is, in my opinion, one of the more overlooked signs of the end of this age as Satan's attacks on the body grow in intensity as he realizes he is running out of time.  As such, it goes without saying that persecution in one form or another is going to increase steadily rather than decrease the closer we get to the rapture of the Church.  It is with that in mind that I wanted to share an article I came across this week which is a perfect illustration of just one way we are coming under attack.

We Really Are In A Raging War: University Professor Says He Is Waiting For Me To Die

By Ken Ham.  April 30, 2026

Well, the associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota–Morris, P.Z. Myers, who has been obsessed with me and my ministry, Answers In Genesis, for years, recently wrote a blog about me titled, “Waiting for Another Creepy Old Man to Die.”

He ended the blog stating: “That’s a problem with authoritarian cults. They are ruled for life by unpleasant, weird people who alienate everyone around them, and maybe instill in them the ambition to be in charge on their own. I hope I outlive Ken Ham, because I’d really like to see the chaos that will follow on his death.”

As we know, God’s Word states that, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2).

So when any one of us dies is not up to what some atheist professor wants. God is in control of both Myers’ life and ours.

But this pagan university professor, who has continually blasphemed and mocked God and Christians, needs to wake up and take note of God’s warning: “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

And if Myers continues in his willing ignorance and rebellion against God, he will suffer a second death after the first death: “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

I would ask us to all pray for P.Z. Myers as he is well on his way to a Christless eternity. He is 68 years old (younger than me), but God could end his earthly life at any second.

I thought I would start off with this today, as I want to remind us all that we are in a spiritual war. And this war is raging about us even more aggressively now than we’ve experienced in the past here in the West.

Years ago, someone said to me, “If you stand on the devil’s toes, he reacts. You guys must be kicking him in the shins.”

Recently, I’ve seen a level of hate against us that seems to be growing. And really, we should expect this. As we see the enormous number of people saved through Answers in Genesis, including over 100,000 a year at the attractions alone, we know the devil will be active. Actually, I believe that because we are in a war, if we’re not getting opposition, we should ask ourselves what we are doing! As we move the battlefront forward, proclaiming God’s Word and the gospel, we expect the enemy to fight back.

Just to give you a sampling of the enemies of God lashing out (reminding us of this spiritual war we are in), I will include just a sampling of the 20,000+ comments on one of my Facebook posts. The post was short: “Man did not evolve from ape-like creatures; the first man was made from dust, and the first woman was made from the man’s rib.”

Now, there were over 20,000 comments on this post, the majority from enemies of God! Let me share some with you:

“Daily reminder that Christianity is the mentally ill belief that a mud-man and a rib woman got tricked by a talking snek into eating a magical apple that gave them a hereditary illness which can only be cured by joining a human-sacrificial blood-cult so you can forge a psychic connection with a 2000-year-dead Jewish zombie ON A STICK..” [sec]

“It’s a shame a dingo didn’t eat Ken as a baby”

“If you take a flashlight and put it against this dudes ear the full light bundle wil shine on the other side”

“COMPLETE NONSENSE All…ALL..ALL LIARS SHALL TAKE THEIR PLACE IN THE LAKE OF FIRE Instead of preaching the gospel of Jesus AS HE COMMANDED YOU You have chosen a subject YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT”

“Just another Fake Christian Inbred KKKlan nut. He’s upset because his Sister divorced him when she turned 13 years old”

“And lizard people run the government and little mice make the wheels in your head go round and round. Silly science denier. I bet you also think the world is flat”

“Your level of religious fanaticism is equal to Muslims who put suicide vests on children. Your delusions are yours. Do the sane demographic a solid ad keep it to yoyr whack self”

“With an intellect as sharp as your’s, perhaps stick to debating dustmites?”

Okay, you get the idea! There were thousands like this, many of which I would not put in this article because they are so perverse. But should we be shocked at such a response from the world? Actually, we shouldn’t. But this last one I’m including is extremely sad because it highlights the state of the majority of our Christian institutions:

Hey! Theologian here. Ken Ham – I used to respect you vision. Your belief that there are answers in Genesis. Then I went off to Bible college, studied the book for myself, then compared that to what science tells us. Why are we still fighting this? There was no contradiction. Nothing at all in the text that should make us fight science. Genesis 1 WAS A RETURN to science… and you have made Christianity worse off by pretending science presented some type of jedpordy to the Faith. All it really shows is that you believe God didn’t have the foresight to write a Bible built on truth. Or worse, you don’t think God wrote Scripture at all.

So many young people from the church have gone to a compromising Bible college/university and come out believing no different than those who posted the comments I included above. A sad state of affairs but a situation that has greatly contributed to a lukewarm church that is, by and large, not impacting the church and culture as it should.

We really are in a raging war. That’s why Apostle Paul uses so much war terminology, reminding us to put on the whole armor of God so we can fight in this battle.

Now we also need to be reminded that this is a religious war.

Consider the atheists and other secularists (and even some people who identify as Christians) who went “ape” over my post. Over 90% of the comments were negative and most of them were highly emotional in attacking me and what Scripture teaches about origins—blaspheming God, attacking the Bible, many mocking me with the worst kind of profanity, and questioning my intelligence (the word idiot was used hundreds of times!). The emotions on display exposed thousands of evolutionists passionately defending their belief system. So many were so profane or blasphemous that we hid their comments. Obviously for them, origins is more than a science issue. Their worldview is challenged by the Bible.

The evolutionary worldview is a religion, one that’s practiced by those who attack Christianity. They have a nontheistic religion; in fact, evolution fits one of the Merriam-Webster dictionary definitions of religion: “a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.” The dictionary definition of religion certainly describes the worldview of evolutionary naturalism. The beliefs of evolutionism purport to explain the entire world’s existence by means of evolutionary naturalism, and thus, it is an all-encompassing faith—a religious worldview.

Furthermore, the secularists who publicly argue against biblical Christianity (like the thousands on my Facebook post) have their own religious cause to promote as they zealously defend their belief in a naturalistic system of origins. What else would you call what they practice but a religion?

And following the definition above, because zealous evolutionists hold their beliefs with “ardor” and “faith,” they can be described as evangelists for their worldview—defending a belief system that informs how they wish to lead a life apart from God. So by this definition and what we saw from the zealous, angry evolutionists on my Facebook page, evolution is a religious faith. And thus, its avid proponents are religious.

As I say in my talks, in an ultimate sense, there are only two religions in the world—one based on God’s Word and the other based on man’s word.

Ken Ham is an author, speaker, and Founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis and its two popular interests: the acclaimed Creation Museum and the internationally known Ark Encounter.

https://harbingersdaily.com/we-really-are-in-a-raging-war-university-professor-says-he-is-waiting-for-me-to-die/

While some may have not noticed or been subject to a personal attack, this situation is, in one form or another, coming to us all in the days ahead.  Yet as bad as it may get, we are promised by the Father that we will not go through the trial that is to come upon the whole earth called the tribulation. The Church, made up of all who believe, will be snatched away, raptured into Heaven to spend eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the blink of an eye.

Have you made the choice to believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again to deliver you from the bondage of sin?  If not, praying a simple prayer like this is all that is necessary for you to be saved and become part of the family of God.

Dear Father in heaven, I believe in your son Jesus. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose up from the grave, and that my sins are forgiven.  Forgive me of my sin, help me to walk with you, and thank you for saving me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Keep watching.

https://rev310.substack.com/p/got-any-adversaries-567

https://expose-news.com/2026/05/01/lib-dems-human-rights-breach-after-removing-christian-candidate/