Summary of Bible references on the Rapture

James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

How do you show your faith by your works? This is answered prayer. Chapter 5 of James talks about answered prayer. That is how. He talks about the pastors praying over the sick and them being healed. If the church only talks about faith but has no answered prayers, then that church is dead. A work of faith is simply answered prayer, but James is letting you know that doesn't mean you sit in a convent praying. If you are praying for the sick you must be out there with the sick, working with them, concerned for them, and then taking all the needs to the Lord in prayer on a daily and hourly basis.

Herb Brookes did a master class in psychology in preparing his team to defeat the Russians in the 1980 Olympics. He knew they would be overawed the first time they played so he arranged a game three days before the olympics with the Russians in NY. The Olympic team got blown out, but that simply put a chip on their shoulder for the next time they played. Meanwhile the Russians blew them out a week earlier so it is hard for them to take the team all that seriously.

I say this because the Lord does the same thing, He is the master at coaching. Luke talks about those who are raptured and who are they, the offscouring of all things. The ones no one takes seriously, no one thinks is all that great. Imagine you are on a relay team, three guys don't want the fourth guy, they think he cannot compete with them and do everything in their power to get him off the team. But then in the first race they win solely because of the despised guy, and now everything flips. Now the question is whether or not those three arrogant, proud guys are gonna make it or not. This is what the tribulation saints are going through, they thought they were all that but then get humbled and now they have to give 100% to prove they belong on the same team as the guy they despised.