How to prepare for your admission

There is no one in heaven or on earth who knows the day or the hour when Jesus will come for the rapture, to take His bride away from the earth. No one but God the Father. Even Jesus does not know the hour or the day (Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32). Anyone who tells you otherwise is a deceiver and does not serve the Kingdom of our God. We believe this because the Word of God tells us so. However, because of this, many no longer dare to look forward to the coming of Jesus Christ, and that, too, is not right.

Jesus clearly said that no one knows the day or the hour, but at the same time, He also made it clear that we can know the season. That means we are not completely in the dark regarding this matter. More than that, He has even commanded us to watch for His coming.

Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!
Mark 13:35-37

Our Dutch translation says “waakt” (watch), but it literally means “be on the lookout.” But what does this mean? That we should drop all our work and stare at the sky continuously? Many feel paralyzed by all the stories about the second coming of Jesus. Some because they are not sure if they will be part of the rapture, others because they feel their work is pointless now that He could return at any moment. I consciously choose not to list all the signs here. That is for you to test. But if your eyes have been opened, you can clearly see that His return is so close that it could happen at any moment. Even now, in the coming hour, tomorrow, etc. But it could also happen in a few months or a year. We do not know exactly when. No one knows that. But I am certain that it will not be many more years, seeing all the signs together.

How, then, do we continue with our lives now that we know all this? By taking our lives very seriously. By taking our God-given tasks very seriously. We do not know the exact moment, so we must continue with the work of God as long as there is time. We should follow the example of Jesus Himself.

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
John 9:4

That means we continue with our lives and everything we are allowed to do for the Lord, without hesitation and without reserve, but with the full awareness of His imminent return. Now, there is something else Jesus said regarding the timing of the rapture.

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

It will happen at a moment that is so unexpected that it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:35). So the point is clearly not to know on which day or hour it will happen, but to be ready when it does. If we knew the day and the hour, everyone would have their life in order at that moment. Even today’s scribes and Pharisees. But the rapture is not meant for all people who ‘call’ themselves Christians. It is only meant for those who truly live for Him and whose hearts pursue Him completely.

But how can you be ready now? If you have not done so already, start by taking your relationship with Jesus Christ 100% seriously and by making Him the highest priority of your life. If you need to repent of sin, do not waste your time and confess your sin to God. He is more than willing to forgive you. But do not stop there. Your problem is not only your sins, it is also the cause of your sins. That is the point Jesus made very clear. The problem is your heart.

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
Matthew 15:19

That is a part of your life that you cannot change on your own strength. You desperately need His help to get your heart changed. We all do. Because if the heart does not change, the fruits of sin will always return. Even after many prayers for deliverance. The heart will only change through the power and the Word of God. Like David, you too can ask God to create a clean heart and a steadfast spirit within you (Psalm 51). When you struggle with sin, make this your daily prayer. God is not insensitive to your cry for help. When your desire for a changed heart is sincere, He will reach out to you and do it. And that is only the normal Christian life.

Regarding the rapture, and how we can be ready for it, Jesus gave us a very important instruction that only a few people know today. That instruction can be found in Luke 21.

Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.
Luke 21:36

This passage shows us that Jesus makes it clear that we are not inherently worthy enough. If we were worthy enough, there would be no need for such a prayer. I also want to emphasize the phrase “pray always.” Just as we cannot change our own hearts, we cannot make ourselves worthy enough. God must do that for us. But to reach that point, we must truly seek Him. We must realize how dependent we are on Him. The more we realize how dependent we are on Him, the more we take Him and His Word seriously. And if you think you cannot see it clearly enough yet, you can always ask the Holy Spirit to give you a full revelation.

To make it easy for you, I have listed a number of points here that are extremely important for your relationship with Christ and for being ready for the rapture:

• Always approach God with a humble attitude.
• Remain in His Word. Read it. Meditate on it.
• Ask Him daily for a clean heart and a steadfast spirit.
• Ask Him daily to make you worthy enough to escape and to appear before the Son of Man.

The safest place is in His Word. That does not mean you have to read the whole Bible in a week, but it does mean that when you read, you read with attention, with the desire to understand what you are reading. Sometimes that means reading only a few verses, through which the Holy Spirit speaks to you. At other times, this may be one or two chapters. The point is that we take the time for it and that we listen in a listening way. That we read with the desire to understand. And if we do not understand it immediately, we ask the Holy Spirit for help and we keep reading and meditating on that passage until we do understand it.

When are you ready and worthy enough? I am not the one who decides when that is or to judge your sincerity. But I can tell you that this has everything to do with the condition of your heart. Jesus Christ Himself will search and judge your heart to determine if you are worthy enough. What matters to Him is your sincerity. That means that what you say is in line with what lives in your heart. And when you fail, which we all do sometimes, do not cover it up or hide it, but bring it into the Light immediately. He knows it already anyway. Just stand up, admit that you have sinned, and continue your way. Do not allow failure and sin to stand between you and Jesus. Deal with it by simply confessing it to Jesus.

Do not give up along the way. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, regardless of what happens. He is the One Who created your faith and Who will make your faith mature. Remain humble and dependent at all times. Jesus has never looked down on the humble and weak. But the proud and self-satisfied He will resist. They are the ones who will be left behind.