David Jeremiah: The Rapture Could Happen Today: Are You Ready?

Unlock the Bible’s case for an imminent, pre-tribulation Rapture—and how to live ready today. We walk through Revelation’s structure (Rev 1; 2–3; 4–18), why the Church is absent during the Tribulation, and Jesus’ own teaching on watchfulness. You’ll see how 1 Thessalonians 4, John 14, and Matthew 24–25 point to a “could-happen-any-moment” return—and why that brings comfort, courage, and consecration.

What you’ll learn:

• The doctrine of imminency: certain to occur, uncertain as to when
• Why Revelation 4–18 doesn’t mention the Church—and what that implies
• The difference between daily trials and God’s wrath in the Tribulation
• Jesus’ parables (the thief, two servants, ten virgins) and biblical readiness
• How the Rapture motivates comfort, expectancy, and holy living

Key Scriptures:
John 14:1–3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11; 1 Corinthians 1:7; Luke 21:28; Matthew 24–25; Revelation 1–3; 4–19; 22:20

Takeaway:
“I’m not looking for a sign; I’m looking for the Savior.” Live each day as if this could be the day.

The Rapture Could Happen Today: Are You Ready?

Read Revelation 1 if you want to see the glory of Christ coming down at the end of time. In chapters 2 and 3, John writes letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor—a letter to each one—but those letters were written not just to each church. All of the churches were to read the letters, and the letters were for all churches of all time, even for churches today. If you read all the letters that he wrote to the churches, you’ll find yourself in one of them—I promise you. If you’re a little… well, I won’t go there—but you’ll find yourself in one of those letters.

Now here’s the interesting thing: “the things which he saw,” chapter 1; “the things which are,” chapters 2 and 3; and then chapter 4 through chapter 18 describe everything that happens in the Tribulation. Here’s the amazing truth that I don’t want you to forget: in the book of Revelation, the word “church” is found in the first three chapters 19 times. When you get to chapter 4 and go from 4 to 18, it’s not found one single time. You know why? Because the church isn’t there. How do you know they’re in heaven? Because when Jesus comes back in chapter 19 to settle things on the earth, He brings the church with Him. How’d they get there? They got there back at the beginning—right?

Robert Murray McCheyne was a brilliant, highly influential pastor and poet in the 19th century. He died of typhus before his 30th birthday, and many people thought that his life was wasted because he lived for such a short time. Yet in those brief years, God used him to accomplish more than most of us would accomplish in a lifetime. He conducted evangelistic campaigns; he set up a missionary program to reach the Jews in Israel; he was really on fire for the Lord. I’m told that he wore a special wristwatch on which he had engraved these words: “The night cometh.” Every time he checked his watch, he was reminded that a time was coming when he would no longer be able to spread the news of God’s love, and this reminder made him work harder than he ever would have otherwise because he knew there was coming a time when no man could work.

McCheyne believed in this phenomenon called imminency. This is connected to the Rapture, and it’s really important that we wrap our minds around this concept, because one of the key teachings about the Rapture—recorded in several places in Scripture—is related to this truth. When something is imminent, it could happen at any moment. There are no barriers that need to be removed; there are no qualifications that need to be met before it occurs. Importantly, an event that is imminent is not necessarily immediate; it only means that it could occur at any moment.

In his definitive book on the Rapture, a friend of mine who’s now in heaven, René Showers, gives this really interesting paragraph on what it means to be imminent. Listen carefully:

“The English word imminent means hanging over one’s head, ready to befall, ready to overtake one, close at hand in its incidence. Thus an imminent event is one that is always hanging over one; it is constantly ready to overtake a person; it is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen at any moment. Other things could happen before that event, but nothing must happen before it takes place. If something must take place before it happens, it’s not imminent.”

So, the doctrine of imminency teaches that Jesus Christ could come back at any moment, and there are no signs for the Rapture. There are signs for the Second Advent at the end of the Tribulation, but the Rapture itself is something that could happen at any moment. A. T. Pierson wrote, “Imminence is the combination of two conditions: certainty and uncertainty. An imminent event is one that is certain to occur and uncertain as to when.”

I’m highlighting this term because the Bible presents the Rapture as an imminent event—one that could take place at any moment—and this will show you why that doctrine is so important.

First of all, let’s talk about some of the passages that introduce this truth:

“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)

Look specifically at the two action verbs in that passage: “I go” (to prepare a place for you), and “I will come again” (and receive you to Myself). After the resurrection, Jesus didn’t remain on the earth; instead He went to heaven. The second of those promises is still to come. He didn’t say, “After this happens, I will come again,” or, “After that happens, I will come again.” He just said, “I’m going to heaven. I’m going to prepare a place for you. And sometime in the future, I’m going to come back.” That event is imminent because it could happen at any moment.

Paul emphasized this when he wrote his first epistle to the believers in Thessalonica:

“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love… For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4–9)

Paul emphasized the salvation of his audience. He’s talking to believers. All of the language in the Rapture passages is addressed to believers; there’s no language for the unbelievers. He described the Thessalonians as “brethren,” and he called them “sons of light.” They were saved. Why was it important for them to watch and be sober? The eternal future had already been sealed, as it is for Christians today. The answer is tied to the certainty of God’s wrath. The day of God’s judgment is coming. The believers in Thessalonica would not experience that wrath because of the Rapture, but Paul charged them to invest themselves in the mission of reaching people for Christ because the coming of the day of wrath was inevitable—and it could happen at any moment. The same is true for the Rapture.

Finally—and appropriately—Jesus’ last words in Scripture are Revelation 22:20: “Surely I am coming quickly.” That is the mindset we should live by as believers. He told us He’s coming quickly—that means sooner rather than later.

When I was working on this message, one of my church members gave me a card. It read, “I’m not looking for a sign; I’m looking for the Savior.” And I think that’s how we should be, because He could come at any time.

Now, here are some words and patterns that help us see this isn’t just the product of one or two passages; it’s the texture of the New Testament:

• “Lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” (Luke 21:28)
• “We groan, eagerly waiting.” (Romans 8:23)
• “Eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:7)

On and on—there are many verses. What do they all say? Jesus is coming back; our task is to be looking for Him to come at any moment—not looking for something else to happen before He comes.

Now, the Bible doesn’t give us specific information on the date of the Lord’s return. If people tell you they know when Jesus is coming back, you should run away from them as fast as you can, because they’re not telling you the truth. The Bible tells us no man knows; the angels don’t know; and when Jesus was on the earth, even He said that in His earthly ministry He did not know. So, if you know something Jesus didn’t state while He was on this earth, you’re quite a person—and you shouldn’t be let loose for anybody to be hurt by you.

Saint Augustine said, “The last day is hidden so that every day should be regarded.” If we knew exactly the day He would come, I know what we’d do: we’d mess around until the last week, and then we’d try to get stuff in order.

I remember one time my parents left when I was a young teenager. This was the first time they ever trusted me to stay at home without somebody being with me. I had a buddy who stayed with me. All I remember is we cooked for ourselves and every single dish in our kitchen was dirty. They were all in the sink; we didn’t wash one dish—that was before dishwashers were popular. Then we got closer to the time when we knew my parents were going to come back, and we started washing dishes. We thought, “They could come now at any moment—let’s get ready.” That’s what we would do if there were a date on the calendar—we’d live in light of the date instead of in light of the days. The beauty of imminency is the challenge to live every day as if this could be the day. When you do that, it changes everything about your outlook.

Let me show you some interesting things about the pronouns that insist on this. Every word in Scripture matters. In 1 Thessalonians 4:15, 17, listen:

“We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord…”
“We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

The emphasized word is we. Why is that important? Because Paul is talking as though it could happen to him. He is saying, in essence, “Because we know the Rapture could happen at any moment, we believe it could happen to us.” All the way back in the New Testament, Paul practiced the doctrine of imminency. He believed he could be among those who would be caught up. The fact that Jesus did not initiate the Rapture in the first century is not the point. What’s important is that Christ could return at any moment, and that truth spurs us to live in a certain way.

If you knew for absolutely certain that Jesus was going to come back tomorrow, what would you do today? Imminency teaches you to live that way.

Dr. Ed Hindson tells the story of a great preacher of another era who was defending his belief that Christ could come at any moment. He suggested that those who no longer embrace the Blessed Hope couldn’t sing a favorite hymn:

“Glad day, glad day—Jesus may come today.”

If you don’t believe that, you have to change the words:

“Sad day, sad day—Jesus can’t come today.
I’ll live each day in anxious glee;
the Beast and False Prophet I soon shall see.”

No—Jesus could come back at any moment. This could be the day. His coming is a glad day. I pray you are ready.

Parables That Teach Us to Stay Alert

In Matthew 24, Jesus tells stories (parables) to illustrate imminency:

1. The Unexpected Thief — A house is broken into because the master wasn’t watching. Jesus’ point:
   

   “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44)

2. Two Servants — One faithful, one unfaithful. The unfaithful servant convinces himself the master is delaying his coming and lives carelessly. Jesus’ point: always be ready and never be doing what you’d be ashamed of if He returned at that moment.
3. Wise and Foolish Virgins — Ten virgins await the bridegroom. Five were prepared with oil; five were not. The bridegroom came unexpectedly at midnight. The unprepared were locked out. Jesus’ point:
   

   “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” (Matthew 25:13)

In Luke, He adds:

“Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching…” (Luke 12:37)

Why the Church Will Escape the Tribulation

The imminency of Christ’s return is more than an incidental truth about the Rapture. If the Bible teaches that Jesus can come at any time, and that nothing needs to take place before He comes, then the idea that the church must go through the Tribulation before the Rapture is false. You cannot call an event imminent if other events must occur first.

One of the most organized books in the Bible is Revelation. Jesus gives the outline:

• “Write the things which you have seen” (chapter 1),
• “the things which are” (chapters 2–3),
• “the things which will take place after this” (chapters 4–22).

Read Revelation 1 to see the glory of Christ. Chapters 2–3 contain letters to the seven churches (meant for all churches of all time). Then chapters 4–18 describe the Tribulation. Here’s the amazing truth: the word church appears 19 times in chapters 1–3; from chapter 4 to 18, it doesn’t appear once. Why? Because the church isn’t there. In Revelation 19, when Jesus returns to earth, He brings the church with Him. How did they get to heaven? They were caught up before the Tribulation.

This doesn’t mean we won’t face trouble now. “All who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” We suffer; we have issues. But that’s altogether different from the Tribulation, which is the wrath of God poured out on the earth. There’s no way to make sense of the wrath of God being leveled against His own people. God has not appointed us to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

There’s nothing that has to happen before He comes back. He could come at any moment. We don’t go through the Tribulation; we go to be with the Lord. Amen.

Living in Expectancy: Consolation, Expectation, Consecration, Examination

Consolation. Paul concluded his teaching on the Rapture with this admonition:

“Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

We grieve, but not as others who have no hope. Use the truth of the resurrection and the Rapture to encourage the hurting.

Expectation. Charles Spurgeon urged his people to cultivate continual expectancy:

“Oh beloved, let us try every morning to get up as if it were the morning in which Christ would come… and when we go to bed at night, may we lay down with this thought: ‘Perhaps I shall be awakened by the ringing out of the silver trumpets heralding His coming…’ Act as if Jesus would come in the act in which you are engaged; and if you would not wish to be caught in that act by the coming of the Lord, let it not be your act.”

Consecration. The return of the Lord motivates holy living:

“Beloved, now are we the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2–3)

Examination. Suppose the Lord Jesus chose this very moment to return. Would you be ready? He warns He is coming quickly. There’s no time to “get ready” then, so stay ready now.

There’s an old story about a factory worker known for being the first out the door when the whistle blew. Asked how he did it, he said, “I stays ready to keep from getting ready.” That’s the right approach to the Lord’s return.

We know Jesus is coming back. We know He’s coming to get us. We will be caught up to be with the Lord, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Don’t just live with that future thought—let it change how you live today.

You may be listening as an unbeliever. If you’ve never recognized Jesus Christ as your Lord, do it today. “Now is the day of salvation.” If you’re a Christian who’s been casual about your faith, stop. Get serious. The Savior who died for you could be standing in your presence at any moment. Don’t be ashamed at His coming.

Read Revelation 1 if you want to see the glory of Christ coming down at the end of time. In chapters 2 and 3, John writes letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor—a letter to each one—but those letters were written not just to each church. All of the churches were to read the letters, and the letters were for all churches of all time, even for churches today. If you read the letters that he wrote to the churches—read them all—and you’ll find yourself in one of them. Now here’s the interesting thing: “the things which he saw,” chapter 1; “the things which are,” chapters 2 and 3; and then chapters 4 through 18 describe everything that happens in the Tribulation. In the book of Revelation, the word “church” is found in the first three chapters 19 times. From chapter 4 to 18, it’s not found once. You know why? Because the church isn’t there. How do you know they’re in heaven? Because when Jesus comes back in chapter 19 to settle things on the earth, He brings the church with Him. How’d they get there? They got there back at the beginning—right?

A Call to Readiness: Are You Prepared for the Rapture?

Who among the followers of Jesus wouldn’t be thrilled to hear the blast of the trumpet, catch the shout of the angel, and feel the upward pull of the rapturous grace of God—calling us out of this world and letting us see our Lord Jesus face to face?

The most important question is: Will you be among Christ’s followers who are raptured? Pray you can answer with a resounding “yes.” If you’re unsure or don’t know Jesus Christ in a personal way, put your faith in Him today.

Next time: The Bible says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be” before the Lord comes back. We know how it was in Noah’s day—and we’re seeing many similarities creeping into our culture. Join us for “The Noah Factor.”