The Rapture

Is there going to be a rapture?
Is there scripture to back it up?
Are there signs to watch for?
Can we know the season of Christ's return?

I have been pondering these and many other questions in
regards to the Second Coming. I was thinking today that
the first coming of Christ was a secret, but then I did a
little digging and this is what I found:

A virgin would bear a son, Isaiah 7:14
The Messiah would come as a baby, Isaiah 9:6
This baby would be born in Bethlehem, Micah 5:2-5
Exact time that Messiah would be killed, Dan 9:24,25.

The Jewish leaders had the truth for hundreds of years;
the scribes penned the truth, but no one was watching for
the arrival of their Messiah. When the wisemen came to
Jerusalem to inquire about the birth of the Jewish King,
the chief priests and scribes had to search out the answer.
No, they were not ready. Since the Jewish leaders of the
day were totally ignorant of this awesome event, the angels
were sent to a bunch of illiterate shepherds to give  them a
sign: 'You will find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths
and lying in a manger.'

The 'Rapture' is a politically incorrect word in the church
today. Men schooled in Seminaries and Bible Schools
actually fight over when or if there will be a rapture of the
church. It is a subject rarely preached on. Prophecy has
a huge place in scripture and much of it not yet fulfilled.

I was five years old when I was found by Jesus and in
walked my new best friend. We attended a Presbyterian
Church and it was there that I first heard about the Rapture.
By then I was six years old and it captivated my
imagination. I dreamed about the rapture, but deep down
I thought I was too little to be noticed and would probably
be left behind. One night a full moon came out from behind
a cloud and woke this little girl who promptly sat up and
said, 'Wait for me, Jesus!' (Laughter in heaven.)

In the late sixties I was living in New York City and the
huge buzz was about the coming of Jesus in the Rapture.
Stories floated around about people picking up hitchhikers
who would suddenly say, 'Jesus is coming soon,' and
promptly disappear. Yes, at least one part of the church
was watching and getting ready for the big event.

That was then and this is now. I am not sure when the
subject of the Rapture faded away or why. Perhaps it
was because people were date setting and it was easier
to ignore it than be disappointed. Whatever the reason,
the percentage of Christians looking for the return of
their Lord is pretty low. Here is what Peter says:

'I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of 
reminder, that you should remember the predictions 
of the holy prophets and the commandment of the 
Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this 
first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days 
with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They 
will say, 'Where is the promise of his coming...?"'
(2Peter 3:3-7)

Well, reader, prophecy has suddenly come up to the
front burner in my thinking. I am doing a lot of
research and will write up my findings. I will look
at Biblical promises, the signs that are taking place,
and what the Enemy of the church is saying and doing.
He is actually quite busy because he reads the Bible
and knows his time is short.