The place to which the overcomers will be raptured is before the Son of Man in the heavens (Luke 21:36). At the time of the rapture of the overcomers, Christ will not yet have left heaven and have come down to the air. Much less, will He have come down to earth. The overcomers who have overcome the snare of the Devil will stand before the Son of Man in the heavens.
As 12:5 indicates, the man-child will be caught up to the throne of God in the heavens. Probably most Christians know that 1 Thessalonians 4 says that those who are alive and remain will be caught up to the air. But here we see that the man-child will be caught up to the throne of God in the heavens.
The fact that the firstfruit will stand on Mount Zion in the heavens also proves that the place to which the overcomers will be raptured is the heavens. All these verses indicate that the overcomers will not be raptured to the air but to the third heaven. Therefore, with respect to both time and place, the rapture of the overcomers is absolutely different from the rapture of the majority of the believers.
Now we come to the conditions of the rapture of the overcomers. By conditions we mean the terms and price we must pay for this early rapture. Firstly, we must watch and pray always (Luke 21:36). To watch and pray always does not mean that we only pray and do not work, sleep, or eat. It means that while we are working, we have a praying spirit and are constantly praying. To have this constant prayer does not require that we cease working. If you cannot pray while you are working, then your prayer must not be very genuine; rather, it must be a formal, religious performance. The best prayer is that while you are busy working, you constantly and simultaneously look unto the Lord with a living spirit. This is real and genuine prayer. We all can pray constantly. Even when I speak, I am praying. While you are fellowshipping with others, you should be praying. We need to be a praying people with a praying spirit. We need to pray all the time. This is what it means to pray always.
A second condition is that we must watch and be ready (Matt. 24:40-44; Luke 12:35-40). We should be able to say, “Lord, I’m busy working, but I’m ready to go. Lord, here I am cleaning my things and keeping them in order, but I don’t want to live here forever. Lord, I’m ready to be taken.” Can you tell the Lord this? To be ready does not mean that we stop working and do nothing. In the last century, some people did this. A certain teacher told them that at a particular time Christ would come. After hearing this, they bathed thoroughly, put on white garments, and did nothing except pray. This is not the proper way to wait for the Lord’s coming back. The proper way is to live a normal life. The Bible nowhere tells us to take a shower, put on white clothing, and wait for the Lord to come back. Rather, the Lord Jesus says that no one will know the time. As two brothers will be working in the field, much to their surprise, one will suddenly be taken away and the other will be left.
We must not understand the Bible according to our human concept. Many Christians who care for the Lord’s coming back hold the concept that since the Lord is coming soon, it is better for them to do nothing. No, everything depends upon a normal living and upon contacting the Lord all the time with a living spirit. Tell the Lord, “Lord, I have no ties on earth. I’m ready to go anytime You want to take me.” This is the way to watch and to be ready.