Known as the Rapture, it is the plan of God to draw the Believers directly into His arms at a time known only to Him, removing them from the wrath of the Tribulation.

The English word "rapture" is derived from the Latin word "rapere", which was a translation of the original Greek "harpadso," also written "harpazo."

There are four definitions for this Greek word, "harpadso," (in English-language translations, "caught up") and all can be applied to the way it was used by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:17:

• to carry off by force
  
• to claim for oneself eagerly
  
• to snatch away speedily
  
• to rescue from the danger of destruction

What is this destruction from which the Believers are rescued? The Tribulation, the last seven years of earth as we know it. Tribulation events cast their shadows before them, and those who watch for these signs are seeing those shadows today.

Genesis 6:11
"Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence."
Luke 17:26
"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man."
It's difficult to find a spot in the world where there ISN'T violence and/or corruption.

Leviticus 20:13
"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
Luke 17:28-30
"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed."
Homosexuality, once kept "in the closet," is now not only accepted, but "celebrated" as a valid "lifestyle."

Psalm 83:4
"Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more."
Israel is currently surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Ezekiel 36:24
"For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land."
After centuries of being scattered around the world, many Jews have returned to their promised land, Israel.

Daniel 2:32-33
"The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay."
Daniel 2:40-43
"Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay."
These prophecies speak of the revival of the Roman Empire. It is in place now, in the form of the European Union.

Daniel 7:23
"He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.' "
Many parts of the earth are in favor of a "one-world" government.

Daniel 9:26
"After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed."
Daniel 9:27
"He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
Revelation 11:2
"But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months."
These scriptures refer to the rebuilding of the Temple. For several end time prophecies to be fulfilled, including worship, animal sacrifices, and desecration by the antichrist, the temple must be rebuilt. It lies beneath the Muslims' Dome of the Rock.

Daniel 12:4
"But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."
Travel, once limited to horse-and-carriage for the average man, is now accomplished by personal automobiles, high-speed trains, and supersonic jets. Scientific advances have completely changed medicine, space exploration, farming, building, even crime-solving.

Zephaniah 3:9
"Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder."
Israel is once again using the Hebrew language.

Zechariah 12:3
"On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."
The possession and occupation of Jerusalem already causes international conflict.

Matthew 13:24-30
The Parable of the Weeds. Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, "Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?" "An enemy did this," he replied. The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them up?" "No," he answered, "because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."
Not all church-goers are true Christians. Some appear to be Christians on the surface, but have no relationship with the Lord.

Matthew 24:5
"For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."
David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, Jim Jones and his People's Temple, Marshall Applewhite and Heaven's Gate, and Sun Myung Moon may come to mind, but don't disregard other cults.

Matthew 24:7
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places."
Mark 13:8
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains."
Can you think of anywhere on the planet without conflict, armed or otherwise? Earthquakes large and small are happening all over the world. These and other natural disasters destroy and disrupt food supplies.

Matthew 24:14
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Instantaneous communication, such as the World Wide Web and satellite television, makes it possible to reach all peoples.

Matthew 24:24
"For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect -- if that were possible."
While portraying a semblance of respectability, many known preachers teach a false "do-it-yourself" gospel that ignores the saving grace of Christ's death for us.

Luke 21:17
"All men will hate you because of me."
Christians and Jews are now hated for their faith in and connection with Christ.

Luke 21:25
"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea."
Natural disasters -- "acts of God" -- are nearly commonplace. Even if we just start with the Indonesian tsunami -- December 26, 2004 -- and look at 2005, the peoples of the world witnessed widespread earthquakes, record-setting hurricane activity, volcanic rumblings, far-ranging fires, massive mudslides, fatal heat waves, blizzards, and ice storms, claiming thousands upon thousands of human lives.

Luke 21:28
"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
There can be NO doubt -- "these things" have begun to take place!

Luke 21:32
"I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."
Many scholars interpret this scripture to meaning that those alive in 1948, when Israel was restored as a nation -- even just one individual born that year - will witness the events of the last days.

Luke 21:35
"For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth."
Rebellion against, and hatred for, God is so prevalent that the coming of Christ will catch people by surprise.

Acts 2:17-18
" '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. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.' "
Bible prophecy is more readily understood, not just by scholars, but by common men.

Romans 8:21-23
"That the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."
Our physical environment is changing, not only through those "natural disasters," solar activity, and global warming, but by man's pollution, poisoning and destruction.

1 Thessalonians 5:3
"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."
While the world desperately seeks Middle East peace, we see an increase in the frequency and intensity of end-times signs, much as a woman about to give birth experiences labor.

2 Thessalonians 2:12
"And so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."
Homosexual groups in particular are rejoicing in their unrighteousness! "Celebrating" their sin!!

1 Timothy 4:1
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."
As Satan's lies chip at the strength of the church, Christians and church doctrines are slowly departing from true faith in the Lord, and setting themselves up to be decieved.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
All around us we see selfishness! More and more people put themselves before anything and anybody else, resulting in moral decay of every description.

2 Peter 2:1
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them -- bringing swift destruction on themselves."
Cults such as Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, Christian Science, and Catholicism, are attractive to those who fail to discern the truth of God's Word.

2 Peter 3:3-4
"First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."
Not only are those who ridicule God and His Word on the increase, some newer Bibles are distorting the Word of God. Members of the clergy are speaking against the virgin birth and the Trinity.

2 Peter 3:5-6
"But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.' "
The pseudo-science of evolution seeks to silence the Word of God and Biblical natural history.

Jude 1:18
"They said to you, 'In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."
Sexual immorality is rampant not only among homosexuals, but between authority figures and the people (many CHILDREN!!) they should be protecting. Adultery is a common theme in movies and televison. Rapists and pedophiles are treated more lightly in the courts than ever before.

Revelation 3:15
"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!"
The faith of many Christians has become compromising and weak.

Revelation 6:8
"I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
We are currently seeing evidence of the "beasts of the earth." Hogs and birds carry flu strains that affect man. Consuming parts of Mad Cows yields an ugly death. Ticks carry Lyme disease and mosquitoes carry the West Nile virus and malaria. Primates were the beginning of AIDS. A remarkable number of mammals harbor rabies: dogs, cats, foxes, racoons, horses, bats, and rats, to name a few. Rats have spread other diseases and plagues.

Revelation 9:16
"The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number."
China, right now, could easily assemble an army of 200,000,000 troops.

Revelation 9:20
"The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood -- idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
Much of the population already worships everything and anything other than the Lord -- fame, wealth, social status, even themselves.

Revelation 9:21
"Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."
"Sorceries" (also called "magic arts") in the original Greek is "pharmakeia" (far-muh-KEY-ah.) Pharmacy, pharmaceutical, DRUGS.

Revelation 13:16-17
"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
The technology to individually track each person, and each person's personal and medical histories, financial transactions, posessions and holdings, etc., is already in existence.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

"They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."

Though we as Believers pray for the lost, some will not listen and some cannot see what is so obvious to us. Perhaps the instant disappearance of millions of people (the Rapture) will cause them to re-think their opinions. If so, if you find yourself in those horrible days and wonder what's coming next, locate a study Bible, consult every commentary on Revelation and prophecy you can find, and prepare for the absolute worst. A good first step might be to take Revelation literally -- and know that your imagination can't possibly compete with the realities you will soon face.

Watch for two men preaching in Jerusalem. Many scholars believe they are Moses and Elijah of the Old Testament, due to the powers they will exhibit as they preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are the "two witnesses" spoken of in Revelation. Their message is intended for the Jews, and though many people will try to kill them, they are protected by God for 42 months.

"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes." Malachi 4:5

Very soon God will begin to pour out His wrath upon the people of the earth, in the form of judgments known as the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, and the Seven Bowls. As each new calamity befalls the earth, God is proving that He alone is all-powerful. He wants the attention of the people; He wants them to recognize Him and turn away (repent!) from wicked behavior and worship of the antichrist. If you take the mark of the beast, signifying loyalty to the antichrist, you are doomed to Hell.

A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." Revelation 14:9-11, NIV

1. the white horse - the debut of the antichrist
   
2. the red horse - war
   
3. the black horse - famine
   
4. the pale horse - death
   
5. the souls under the alter - "Tribulation Saints" - the new believers martyred during tribulation
   
6. a great earthquake - sun turns black, moon turns red, stars fall from the sky to earth, the sky rolls up and every mountain and island is removed from its place

   God seals His servants (the post-Rapture Christians), plus 144,000 Jews -- 12,000 each from the 12 tribes of Judah.

7. silence in heaven for a half hour; thunder, rumblings, lightning, earthquake; introduction to the seven trumpets

The Seven Trumpets

1. hail and fire mixed with blood - 1/3 of earth, trees, and grass burned up
   
2. a blazing mountain thrown into the sea - 1/3 of sea creatures die, 1/3 of ships destroyed
   
3. a star (Wormwood) blazing like a torch is thrown into the sea - 1/3 of waters become poisonous
   
4. 1/3 of sun, stars and moon darkened, 1/3 of day and 1/3 of night without light
   

   "Woe! Woe! Woe to inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"

5. the Abyss opens; smoke rises, sun and sky darkens; locusts come from the smoke to torture (with a sting like a scorpion) those who do not have the seal of God; men will seek death but will be unable to die
   
6. 200 million mounted troops kill 1/3 of mankind by fire, smoke, and sulfur
   

   "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
   (No one knows the meaning of the seven thunders.)

   After prophesying for 1260 days, the two witnesses in Jerusalem are killed by the antichrist. Their bodies lie in the street for three and a half days until God resurrects them, and they go up to heaven in a cloud. At that hour, there is a severe earthquake, 1/10 of the city collapses, and 7,000 people are killed. This marks the mid-point of the the 7 years of Tribulation. The remaining judgments will be much more severe.

7. lightning, rumblings, thunder, an earthquake, and hailstorm

1. ugly and painful sores break out on those who have taken the mark of the beast
   
2. the sea turns to blood and every living thing therein dies
   
3. rivers and springs turn to blood
   
4. the sun scorches people with fire
   
5. kingdom of antichrist darkens, agonized men gnaw their tongues
   
6. Euphrates river is dried up
   
7. lightning, rumblings, thunder, most severe earthquake of all time; cities and nations collapse, islands and mountains flee, 100-pound hailstones

At each turn, God wants you to reach out to Him.

It is the prayer of this WebServant that just one unbeliever will read and recall this page, will notice the "signs of the times," and place his faith in Jesus Christ.

The Rapture is imminent.
It could happen before you can finish reading these words.

• After These Things
  
• Apocolypse Soon
  
• Blessed Hope
  
• End Times Sequence
  
• IRIS Seismic Monitor
  
• Midnight Call Ministries
  
• Prophecy Update
  
• Rapture Alert
  
• Rapture Ready
  
• Scriptural Proof! The Rapture Happens First!
  
• Signs of the Rapture?
  
• Western Wall Webcam
  

Daniel 12:1-4 "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people - everyone whose name is found written in the book - will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."

Luke 21:36 "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

John 5:28-29 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned."

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - 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 changed."

Ephesians 5:6b "...God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient."

1 Thessalonians 1:10b "- Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 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. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 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."

1 Thessalonians 5:9 "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

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 upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth."

Revelation 4:1 "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here...' "