Article

 Rick Ferrell - April, 2025

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” ( Luke 21:36).

Through study of the Scriptures we can find that the time is quickly drawing near when the Lord is going to wrap this thing up.  We can see all around us the signs pointing to Christ’s soon return. 

I don’t see how it could be much longer.

I know many have scoffed and ridiculed and denied the soon coming of Christ in the clouds, but church I know that time is real.  Just as I know that Christ died for the sins of mankind, sanctifies by his blood and sends his Holy Ghost to comfort and teach, I know that He will soon come again.  

The words have been written for thousands of years and nothing can change it, that:

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:50).

Praise God, we sing about what a day and oh church what a day, glorious day that will be.

But if we are ever to enjoy the benefits of that promise, we must make ourselves ready here.

I want to talk about BEING RAPTURE READY

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.”

How do we become RAPTURE READY?

1. Holiness

The Greek word for holiness means “consecration, purification, the effect of consecration, sanctification of the heart and life.”

Basically what it all boils down to is WE GOTTA GET CLEANED UP.

Have you ever been to the point that nothing else mattered at the time than getting cleaned up?

Leviticus 20:7 - “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I [am] the LORD your God.”

1 Peter 1:15, 16 - “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Our Christian culture today has misconstrued what holiness really means.  I can remember sitting in a large meeting and a guest speaker explain holiness to the group.  What he said was just a lot of puffy, feel good words that had everybody nodding in agreement.

But:

You’re a believer is not holiness. Even the demons in hell believe.

Doing good deeds is not holiness.  Even the devil will appear good to deceive you.

Going to church is not holiness. The devil and his minions are in the church house as much or more than God’s people.

You look holy is not holiness.  Looks deceive. 

Romans 6:19, 22 “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

Paul, speaking to the church in Rome tells them to stop yielding their lives, their flesh, to uncleanness and sin.  He says now that you’ve been made free from sin, become servants of God.  

Holiness is not just about your look or your speech, but holiness is a total surrender of obedience to God.  Many can look and talk right but be corrupt to the core. You ever met anybody like that?

For too long, Christians have rode the fence of total surrender.  But Paul says to serve God and you will bear fruit of holiness, and what will you have in the end?  EVERLASTING LIFE!

YOU GOTTA BE CLEANED UP

But Brother Rick, isn’t salvation enough?

Brother, salvation is enough to get you to heaven. Praise God. But unless you take your last breath on the altar when you’re saved, you’re going to need the sanctifying blood of Jesus Christ to purge you and get you what you need to make it to the end.

You want to know why so many believers become unbelievers and why so many Christians seem to be backsliding?  Because they don’t know what it means to be holy.  They've forgotten what it means to fight the good fight and endure to the end. 

2. Obedience 

A HOLY people will be an OBEDIENT PEOPLE!

1Peter 1:2 “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”

Sanctification of the Spirit leads to obedience.

Obedience is compliance or submission.  That’s complete compliance or submission

Many in Christianity today believe obedience doesn’t mean complete obedience.

Well, try to explain that to:

• Ananias and Sapphira

• Achan

• The rich young ruler

When our obedience begins to fall off our priority list, we become a disobedient people, and disobedient people cannot claim holiness.

We’re talking about being rapture ready!

Well, Brother Rick what about God’s grace and mercy?

Church, God’s grace and mercy is to allow you an opportunity to realize you’re a sinner in need of a savior and that God has a way out for you.  His grace and mercy is not a license to sin and definitely not a pat on the back to live a life of sin.

God’s people need to realize this.  God’s church needs to remember this.  Everyone’s excited about being the CHOSEN GENERATION and ROYAL PREIESTHOOD but easily forget that we’re also called to be a HOLY NATION.

God is coming back after a church that has made herself ready.  God is coming back after a people that have made themselves HOLY. God is coming back for those who are obedient to His word and to his will.

Whenever we talk about 1st Thessalonians 4 we seem to always jump to the end.  But Paul explicitly tells us that to get to the end, it must begin with holiness.

If the people who were raptured up in Scripture were holy, sold out to obedience, what makes us think it will be any different for the church?

• Enoch

• Elijah

• Paul

• John

Each one is a story of not only redemption but of holiness displayed through their obedience.

The vast majority of Christians today that say they believe in holiness or sanctification will tell you that it’s a process that never ends until this life is over, either by death or the rapture.

But church, when you study to show yourself approved, you find that that’s just not the case.

Many times when the word sanctify or sanctified is used, it has been translated from the word “hagiazo” which means to “make holy.”

And from that you can see the process. Because we are to continually be washed by the water of the Word. And we are to continually be made in his image.

And because all the focus is on the process, because it is continual, there is a sense of never achieving. And if there is a sense of never achieving, then as long as I’ve been saved, then God must accept my shortcomings and the sin that comes back into my life.

Church, that’s dangerous doctrine.  That’s the eternal security doctrine. 

Paul doesn’t use “hagiazo” when commanding us to be holy, or sanctified by the Spirit unto obedience, or possess our vessel in sanctification, he uses the word “hagiosmos” which is a state of holiness, a state of sanctification, a state of purity, a state of consecration.

Hagiazo is a verb but Hogiosmos is a noun. It’s not in motion or continually changing, the state is fixed or concrete.  You see the difference.

In order for us to be rapture ready we need to be getting cleaned up, but there comes a point in time when we need to be CLEANED UP.  Then when the dirt and filth of this fallen world gets on us, we’ve got to be cleaned up again, we can’t just live in the filth and be justified in saying we’re clean.  It doesn’t work like that. 

It works the same way with being baptized with the Holy Ghost.  Yes, when you experience that, you’re filled up, but as you walk through life you’re gonna need a refilling, and a refilling, and a refilling.  It’s the same with holiness and sanctification.

Sanctification is not perfection, as this world knows perfection.  But those sanctified are striving for Godly perfection.  No, holiness and sanctification, even in our imperfection, will drive us to passionately live a life of obedience to the Lord, and that’s when we know we’re RAPTURE READY.

HOLINESS RESULTS IN OBEDIENCE.  

ARE YOU RAPTURE READY?