How can I be ready for the rapture?
The rapture will occur when Jesus bodily returns to earth and those who believe in Him as God's Son and have put their faith in Him as Savior will rise to meet Him. The only way to be ready for the rapture is to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior before it happens.Paul wrote these words to the church in Thessalonica; to believers: "For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:15–18). This is a description of the rapture. If you are "in Christ," you are ready for the rapture.
Those who are not in Christ, who have not accepted Jesus as their eternal Savior, will not be raptured. In fact, the day of the Lord, which follows the rapture, "… will come like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Yet to believers, Paul said, "But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief" (1 Thessalonians 5:4).
In Jesus' parable of the ten virgins, five were wise and had their lamps full of oil and ready for the coming of the bridegroom. Five were not and missed the event (Matthew 25:1–13). Believers have faith and the indwelling Holy Spirit (the oil in their lamps); they are ready for the rapture.
If you have not believed in Jesus as the Son of God, the Savior, today is the day you can do so (2 Corinthians 6:2). Simply speak to Him, confess that you have lived without His guidance and covering, tell Him you are done rebelling against Him, and that you believe He is God's Son, died for your sins, and rose again from the dead. If you are uncertain what salvation is, please see our article: "What is salvation?".
What is the rapture and when will it occur?
How can I avoid being left behind in the rapture?
Is the end times rapture partial? What is the partial rapture belief?
What do I need to know about surviving the end times?
How can I be saved?
Truth about the End Times
