Are You Enraptured?

Can you imagine an army captain telling his wife he will soon return from the war in Afghanistan, only to hear her say, “Can you wait for a while before returning; I’m busy.” When Christ returns for His Bride, she will be “looking forward to, or earnestly desiring, the day and hurrying it along,” NLT, ASV, (2 Pet 3:12). The Bride Christ returns to, and for, will be ecstatic—not indifferent.

 

Whenever I write about the rapture, the number of my reader goes up. People are curious. But how many believers are enraptured with the thought? If you’re like me, your desire for His return increases with hard circumstances, and decreases with soft ones! And if we are really “strangers and aliens” in this world, why do our preachers focus their sermons on helping us to live smarter and better on earth, a “me-centered’ gospel that asks 'what can God do for me?' Take a look at $ million Christian book titles, “Every Day a Friday: How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week, or “Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life” or, “God Wants You Happy.” Will these ‘reads’ have you panting for the return of Jesus?

 

Does this mean Christ won't return until things on earth are hard enough, individually and corporately, to dispel ambivalence and incite passion? It might, if the condition for His return is a heart-rending love-hunger. Does the Lover of our souls deserve anything less? The crown of righteousness awaits all those who eagerly look forward to His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8).