The Blessed Hope Titus 2:13

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Introduction

Initially intended to simply expound on The Blessed Hope, I felt the need to modify this site’s content to take into account the combination of biblical prophecy and the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, which suggests the possibility that the biblical end-times might now be near future. This was brought about by the realisation that the key verse for ‘the blessed hope’, John 14:1-3 (quoted below), is also the first verse in the New Testament that teaches the rapture of the church. The ‘rapture’ is an event at some time in the future when Jesus will return (not His second coming) to remove all true believers from the earth before He unleashes God’s wrath on an unbelieving and rebellious world.

A cautionary word

It should be noted that the rapture event is not a doctrine agreed by everybody. It does reflect my personal view, along with many others, that the rapture was taught by the early church and cannot be refuted. The possibility that the biblical end-times might now be near future is the reason for highlighting this view. It is suggested that a rapture of the church is the first end-times event and will be quickly followed by the seven-year tribulation. This timing of the rapture is known as pre-tribulation, or pre-trib for short. There are other views that suggest the rapture will not be a pre-tribulation event, but will occur during or after the tribulation period. There are also those that believe the rapture is a false doctrine. Such would likely argue that a pre-tribulation rapture should not be taught. This site effectively teaches a pre-tribulation rapture. It also suggests that we should be ‘rapture ready’. That is, our faith, our understanding of Jesus’ teaching and our relationship with Him should be such that, when our time comes to depart this world, we are truly ready for our passing. To that end, there is a page that questions whether simply believing is enough, and another a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. The purpose of these two pages is to help us toward that position of being ready. The point is, that position is where we should be now, regardless of your view on the rapture of the church. The ‘Overview’ page provides a visual flow of this site’s pages, making it easy to jump direct to the two pages referenced above should you choose to. There is a phrase sometimes used that says “Jesus could return at any moment”. Whether those quoting it are aware that this would be a pre-tribulation event or not perhaps doesn’t really matter, providing they are truly prepared for the awaited event. Meanwhile, our lives should be conducted as if Jesus is going to return at any moment, but planned as if this may still be sometime in the future.

The Blessed Hope and the Rapture Of the Church

The starting point for both the ‘blessed hope’ and the rapture is John 14:1-3. These are Jesus’ words: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions (rooms / dwelling places) ; 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. Commonly read at funerals, this is a promise by Jesus that there is a place reserved in heaven for all true believers in Christ, which is both a ‘blessed hope’ and a comfort to mourners. Also, these words are the first teaching of the rapture of the church. The rapture of the church is further explained in the page ‘The Blessed Hope’ where you will be guided through scripture that provides evidence for a pre-tribulation rapture, a rapture that could happen any time now! “Any time now” is hopefully sufficient incentive for us all to ensure we are, ‘rapture ready’. Simply put: is our faith such that we can be confident we will be included in this rapture event. As an example, if you got to church on Sunday and exhibit the behaviour of a non-Christian the other six days of the week, then the obvious suggestion is that your faith is somewhat lacking, or shallow. If, however, your faith is strong, is a witness to others and includes some preaching or evangelising, then you will probably feel confident in your salvation. I suspect many of us fall between these two positions. An encouraging Bible verse is Romans 10:9 … if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved .  In contrast, a worrying three verses are Matthew 7:21-23 from the Sermon On the Mount: Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' There is a page commenting on the above verses titled ‘Is simply believing enough’, offered as a suggestion to help, where required, the transition from ‘lacking in confidence’ to being ‘rapture ready’. It can be read via the navigation bar at the top of each page: ‘The Blessed Hope’/’Is simply believing enough’. Because the rapture is a disputed subject, it is important to separately address the main criticisms to enable readers to understand this site’s stance. To this end, a page has been added which can be read via the navigation bar: ‘The Blessed Hope’/’The Rapture - criticisms refuted’.

The Tribulation

It is the rapture that takes us into the subject of the end-times, not generally spoken of in church and, consequently, of which there appears to be little knowledge or interest. Yet it is accepted that Jesus will come again, this time in judgement, referred to as His second coming, which is also one of the end-time events. The rapture will be followed by the tribulation, which is a seven-year period, the last seven years of earth as we know it, when God’s wrath will be unleashed on an unbelieving and rebellious world. What initiates this tribulation period is described in the ‘Tribulation’ page.

Daniel’s Seventy Weeks

The Tribulation page links to ‘Daniel’s Seventy Weeks’ with a focus on the 70th ‘week’ which describes the seven-year tribulation. It also identifies the event at the mid-point of those seven years, the point from which Jesus refers to this period as the ‘great tribulation’. Daniel’s prophecy is for the Jews, not for Christians. However, it does have consequences for Christian thinking concerning the end-times. Many prophecy watchers will tell us that this end-times scenario, the rapture followed by the tribulation, could well occur at any time. Suggestions that ‘the end of the world is nigh’ have surfaced many times through the ages (click here if you want some detail), but the on-going conflict between the U.S. and Iran has the real potential of serious escalation. An escalation which could draw Israel back into the conflict, along with some Arab countries, and possibly result in the key event which will initiate the prophesied end-times period. (The situation in the Middle East is fast changing and more complex than this simple account implies). It could, of course, also be the case that this key event is triggered by a later situation and will not happen for some time. Click here to go direct to the Overiew page, given in chart form to provide a visual layout of this site.