When we look at what the New Testament reveals about the early saints, we see they shared many of the same struggles that persist today in the body of Christ. But perhaps the most glaring difference I see is this: for these early believers, longing for Jesus’ appearing was a lifestyle, not just a belief.
Although I have read the New Testament many times, I constantly find new evidence that they watched for, and even yearned for, Jesus’ appearing. It happened again as I recently finished reading through 2 Peter. After writing about the Lord’s return and the events of the Day of the Lord, the apostle began the conclusion of his book with these words: “Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these….” (2 Peter 3:14, emphasis added). In the verses that follow, he referenced what Paul wrote about the end times, which would include the Rapture.
Perhaps Peter had in mind what his fellow apostle wrote in Philippians 3:20-21: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (emphasis added).
The phrase “eagerly wait” accurately translates the Greek word Paul used in verse 20, apekdechomai. New Testament writers often strengthened a word’s meaning by adding a preposition. With apekdechomai, the apostle added two prepositions to the word meaning “to welcome,” resulting in our English phrase, “eagerly wait,” which implies an attitude of excited expectation for what lies ahead.
The saints of New Testament times yearned for the time Jesus would appear and take them home. It was truly their “blessed hope.”
What’s missing today is not just the daily anticipation of meeting Jesus in the air, but also the many benefits that come with doing so.
It Comforts Us
The prospect of Jesus’ return continually comforts me. Even if the Rapture doesn’t occur in my lifetime, I am very much thankful for my hope; it enables me to look beyond today’s lawlessness and corruption to my ultimate hope.
It’s much more than waiting for His intervention in world affairs; however, it’s the promise that when He appears, Jesus will radically change my “lowly” body to be like His “glorious body.” Paul wrote about our future transformation in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53: “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”
Regardless of what we experience in this lifetime, we know it’s temporary. Nothing, not even death, can alter the fact that when we meet our Savior in the air, He will give us immortal bodies. How can that not infuse hope into our daily struggles with weakness and aging? Does that not greatly exceed any earthly aspiration?
This short life is not all we have; there’s a better day on the horizon that’s far superior to even the rosiest of futures here below.
It Reminds Us of a Joyous Eternity
In Romans 8:23-25, Paul used the same Greek word, apekdechomai, two more times to emphasize the early church’s excited expectation for the Lord’s appearing again: “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:24-25, emphasis added).
The phrase “redemption of our body” refers to the transforming of “our lowly body” that Paul wrote about in Philippians 3:20-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-55. Why did he again refer to our Rapture? He did so in reference to his words a few verses earlier: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
Just as the Lord looked to “the joy that was set before Him” while He endured the agony of the cross (Hebrews 12:2), so amid the tribulations of this life we look ahead to the joy we will experience in glory.
We endure challenging times and resist fretting over current events because we know a joyous time is coming when our faith will be sight when the Rapture occurs.
It Assures Us of Deliverance from the Day of the Lord
The New Testament saints’ excited expectancy confirms the biblically sound teaching of the pre-Tribulation Rapture. If they believed that the series of deadly judgments recorded in Revelation chapters 6-18 would happen before their homegoing, their expectation would’ve radically differed from what we read in the epistles.
What would be the reason for such an eager anticipation of Jesus’ appearing if they thought they would even experience just a few of the seals recorded in Revelation 6?
After reminding the Thessalonians of the sudden destruction that will mark the start of this coming period of judgment, which he refers to as the “day of the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3), Paul assures all believers of deliverance from this time: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11)
Based on the panic that ensued among the Thessalonian saints after someone sent them an errant message claiming that this time of wrath had begun, it’s apparent they knew all about the Day of the Lord and took the encouraging promise in the above verses to mean that the Rapture would happen before this time began.
We live at a time like no other; everywhere we look, we see signs telling us that the disasters of Revelation 6:1-8 are ever so close. The catastrophic events so far in 2026 point to the start of this time of judgment on the near horizon and, therefore, to Jesus’ soon appearing.
If ever there was a time for excitement from the recognition that Jesus’ appearing is ever so close, this is it. Someday, perhaps very soon, our wait will end.
