

Dr. David Jeremiah Presents
Living inthe Ageof Signs
Online Destination

Living in the Age of Signs
Online Destination

Jesus Prays: For the Church
Today’s Audio Devotion:
Jesus Prays: For the Church
Bible scholars view John 17 with awe. This is the prayer Jesus prayed near the Kidron Valley after He left the Upper Room but before He entered Gethsemane on the final night of His natural life. It’s the longest prayer we have from Jesus. In verse 11, He prayed for His disciples, for His Church, and for us. He told the Father He was leaving His children in the world as He returned to heaven, and He asked the Father to watch over them, protect them, and make them one.
Alexander Maclaren had an interesting application. Jesus was leaving people behind, but He knew how to commit the ongoing work to the Father. “Happy [are] we if we can leave our unfinished tasks to be taken up by God, and trust those whom we leave undefended to be shielded by Him!” wrote Maclaren.
Let’s learn from the Lord to do all we can and to entrust the future prayerfully to the Father.
Christ’s prayer for us should be our aim and deepest desire for ourselves.
Alexander Maclaren
This is one of prophecy's greatest misconceptions. The Rapture and the Second Coming are often confused, but they are distinct events, with distinct purposes, on God's prophetic timeline.
At the Rapture, Jesus will return for His saints.
At the Second Coming, He will return with His saints.
At the Rapture, Jesus will not descend to earth.
At the Second Coming, He will descend to the Mount of Olives as a prelude to His earthly reign.
At the Rapture, Jesus will bring a blessing for His saints.
At the Second Coming, He will bring judgment for those who have rejected Him.
The Rapture could occur at any moment.
The Second Coming will occur seven years later.
When the Rapture occurs, Christ will take every deceased and every living Christian to heaven with Him. Paul describes this glorious event in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
The Rapture will protect God's saints from the Tribulation—the seven years of judgment that will be poured out on earth between the Rapture and the Second Coming. There are some who argue the Tribulation period will begin before the Rapture. However, the Bible says that "there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1), which suggests the Church will not experience God's judgment during the Tribulation.
Seven years after the Rapture, Jesus will return to earth in the event known as the Second Coming. His return will be entirely different from His arrival in Bethlehem as a humble Child. When Christ returns, He will appear as the exalted King of the universe, surrounded by His saints. The powers of evil will be quickly defeated at the Battle of Armageddon, and then Christ will establish His everlasting kingdom on earth.
For a more thorough study of the Rapture and the Second Coming, read chapters 12 and 27 in The Book of Signs.