Let us firstly consider the need of the rapture of the overcomers. Matthew 24:21 reveals that the great tribulation is coming. Matthew 24:22 says, “And except those days were cut short, no flesh at all would be saved; but because of the elect, those days shall be cut short.” The great tribulation will be so severe that its days must be shortened if any are to be saved.
Another need for the rapture is that a snare on all the earth’s dwellers is coming (Luke 21:34-35). Just as a fisherman spreads a net to snare fish, so Satan is spreading his net to snare us. In Luke 21:34 the Lord mentions three things related to the snare spoken of in verse 35: “And take heed to yourselves lest at some time your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and anxieties of life, and that day come upon you suddenly as a snare.” In this verse the Lord mentions dissipation (eating), drunkenness (drinking), and the anxieties of life. Since World War II, nearly everyone on earth has been occupied with these three things. Industry, for example, is altogether for the cares of this life. The same is true of finance. All the universities are for industry, industry is for money, and money is for the cares of this life. Consider the billions of people on the earth today: their only concern is the cares of this life. Everything they are involved in—education, industry, politics, warfare—revolves around the cares of this life. Eating, drinking, and the cares of this life are the three main elements of the devilish snare, the net used by Satan to trap everyone on earth. In these verses in Luke, the Lord Jesus is saying that the time will come when all the dwellers on earth will be snared. I have been alive for more than seventy years and I have been observing the world situation for nearly sixty years. I know what human life is. I have studied human history, I have read the newspapers, and I have observed the world situation. I have discovered that, especially since World War II, people care for nothing except their physical life. God did not create the earth in a haphazard way. No, His creation is beautiful and contains many fine things. However, if we are snared by any of these things, we shall be caught by them. For instance, it is necessary and proper to maintain a suitable dwelling place for ourselves, but we must be on the alert not to be snared by it.
Although there is the grave danger of being snared by eating, drinking, and the cares of this life, we still need to live a normal human life. The young people need to obtain a good education, for this is necessary in order to earn a living. Do not excuse yourself by saying, “I don’t care for this life. Since I only love the Lord, I will give up studying and just praise the Lord all day long.” If you do this, you will be a burden to others. You may be all right, but others will not be. You may claim to have faith, but your so-called faith will force others to labor for you. No, you must study diligently and do well in school. However, do not do this for the purpose of making a name for yourself or of becoming a person of renown. Although you must study, do not allow education to be your snare. Still some may say, “Because I don’t want to be snared, I won’t go to school. It’s better to spend all my time reading the Bible and fellowshipping with all my young colleagues. Wouldn’t this be wonderful?” Many young people have this mistaken concept, saying, “The Lord Jesus might come tomorrow. Why then should we study so much? This is a waste of time.” Although the Lord might come tomorrow, because of your laziness, He may tarry until you have learned to study and have graduated from school.
As fallen people, we are unbalanced. Matthew 24:40 speaks of two being in the field. It does not say that two are sleeping, fellowshipping, or living wholly for the Lord without engaging in any work. Some might say, “Since the Lord might come back tomorrow, why must we work in the field? If necessary, we could even fast for three meals until He comes.” I once heard a message in which the speaker said, “How wonderful it would be if, when the Lord comes, my wife and I would be praising and praying.” But the Bible does not indicate that we shall be doing these things when He appears. Rather, Matthew 24:41 speaks of two women grinding at the mill. In ancient times, the most difficult work for women was grinding wheat. If I were one of the women in those days, I might have said, “The young brothers have helped us to know that the Lord Jesus might come back tonight. What then is the need to labor at grinding wheat? This is a waste of time. Why must we still grind flour if the Lord is coming tonight? Let’s just sit here and wait for His coming.” This is an illustration of one extreme.
On the other extreme are those Christians who care for nothing except making money and spending it. They say, “Oh, we shouldn’t be so spiritual. We must be practical and take care of our wives and children. I must support my family and care for many other things. I don’t have the time to attend the church meetings. Can’t we worship God at home?” To those at this extreme, the Lord may say, “I will come as a thief. I will come at the time when you least expect Me. Perhaps I’ll come when you are engrossed with making money.” But to those on the other extreme, He may say, “Because of you, I will delay My coming. You are too earnest for My coming back. You are so earnest that you don’t do anything. You don’t even take care of your cooking. I will delay My coming until you learn to cook, make money, and take care of yourself and others.” I mean what I am saying and I am serious about it. This is the poor situation among Christians today.
We all must do our duty to earn a living, yet we must do it without being snared by it. We may have many things, but we must never allow them to rule us. Learn to be balanced, falling neither into the extreme of idleness nor into the extreme of being occupied with the affairs of this life. With this matter, as in so many other things, there are two sides. Consider the example of the apostle Paul. Was he not waiting for the Lord’s coming back? If you examine his writings, you will see that all of them were for the long run. He never said, “Dear saints, because the Lord Jesus might come tomorrow, you don’t need to do so many things. You should just sit around and pray.” No, in his epistles Paul seemed to be saying, “While we are waiting for the Lord’s coming back, we must still live in a normal way.” Although we do not know when the Lord will come, we do know that as long as we are on earth, we must have a normal living to be the proper testimony of the Lord Jesus. We must obtain the best education and have a balanced daily living. We also must maintain our houses and, in every respect, be normal people.
As those who are waiting for the Lord’s coming back, we must have a proper living without being snared by anything. Our heart is on nothing but the Lord Jesus. However, this does not mean that we do not study, conduct business, and take care of daily chores, such as cleaning. Do not say, “Why must I keep my clothes neat and clean? It is a waste of time and money to do the laundry. The Lord doesn’t care for the flesh; He only cares for my spirit. As long as my spirit is clean, everything is fine.” I have the assurance that many young people still have this attitude. They do not even make their beds in the morning, considering it to be a waste of their time. As long as they have a place to lie down, they are satisfied, thinking that they can spend their time reading the Bible or spiritual books. They do not know why they must work to keep their room neat, clean, and orderly. Their sloppiness may delay the Lord’s coming back. The Lord may tell them, “You must learn to make your bed early in the morning, comb your hair, and shine your shoes. Then you must arrange all your books in a good order. Don’t put the New Testament before the Old Testament.” No elder who is careless can be useful in building up the church. We must learn to be diligent, keeping everything in good order. However, we should not dream about those things at night. Rather, when the Lord says, “Behold, I come quickly,” we must be able to forget everything. Some keep their things in good order, but this becomes a snare to them. This is a test to determine where we are. We are here as the testimony of Jesus. We are normal people living a normal life, but nothing of this life can touch us. We are not sloppy, idle, lazy, or careless. Yet, nothing in this world has any control over us. These two sides of the matter will force us to be one with the Lord.
What is the meaning of rapture? It is to be taken into the Lord’s presence. If you would be taken into His presence, you must be in His presence today. Much of your praising and fellowshipping may not be in His presence, but may simply be according to your own choice. You are not in the presence of the Lord, but in your preference and taste. When you desire to fellowship, the Lord may say, “Go to work or study.”