Dear NCTC Partners,

Through this September Partner Letter, I send you greetings in the love of Christ. This month, I would like to begin with Paul’s words in Romans 13.

(Romans 13:11-14, NKJV)
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Paul said, “it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” Here, salvation refers to the salvation of our body—the moment we put on the resurrected body and meet the Lord in the rapture. If Paul was saying to the believers of his time that it was the hour to wake up, then how much more is it true for us who are reading this today—that now is indeed the time to awake from sleep.

To awake from sleep here does not mean our physical body waking up, but rather that our inner man (spirit and soul) should be alert and watchful concerning the things to come. The day when we stand before the Lord is drawing closer, and the coming of Jesus in the air and the rapture of the church is nearer than ever. The Bible clearly shows us how we ought to live and what attitude we must take in these last of the last days.

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-9, NKJV)
1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Colossians 3:1-4, NKJV)
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Indeed, living spiritually awake—ready to meet the Lord and living as pilgrims on this earth—ought to be the normal Christian life. Yet today, much of Christianity seems to be adjusted to a spiritual atmosphere where being intoxicated with the world and asleep in darkness is treated as normal. Therefore, rather than conforming ourselves to cultural or religious Christianity, wisdom calls us to examine ourselves in the light of Scripture to see if we are walking rightly and faithfully.

So how can we discern how near the rapture of the church truly is? Looking at the feasts God gave to Israel, we see that the key events of Jesus’ first coming were fulfilled precisely in Israel’s spring feasts. On Passover, Jesus was crucified; on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, He was buried in the tomb; on the Feast of Firstfruits, He was raised from the dead; and fifty days later, on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the believers and the church age began. Therefore, many scholars conclude that the key events related to Christ’s second coming will be fulfilled in the fall feasts: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

In particular, the Feast of Trumpets is believed to foreshadow the rapture of the church, the Day of Atonement the second coming of Jesus to the earth and Israel’s national repentance, and the Feast of Tabernacles the millennial reign of Christ. Thus, many eschatological scholars believe that if the rapture were to take place, it would likely occur during the Feast of Trumpets. (Paul’s teaching on the mystery of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 1 Corinthians 15:52—where he links the event with the sound of the trumpet—can be understood in connection with the Feast of Trumpets.)

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 24:36 (NKJV):
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
Interestingly, among the Jewish people, the Feast of Trumpets is commonly referred to with the idiom, “the day and the hour which no one knows.”

We cannot categorically declare that the rapture must occur on the Feast of Trumpets, but for those who are waiting for the appearing of the Lord, this feast is an important time to examine ourselves, to prepare to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and to anticipate His appearing. While the exact day and hour cannot be known, as Jesus stated, we can sense through the advancement of technology and the unfolding of biblical prophecy that the rapture and the time of the seven-year tribulation are drawing near. Therefore, to live with the imminence of Christ’s return in our hearts is the posture we must maintain in these last days.

However, to live with the imminence of Christ’s return does not mean setting a date and abandoning everything, as the so-called doomsday predictors have done. Rather, when we hold this truth in our hearts, it helps us to believe that Jesus could come at any moment and soon will come. This perspective motivates us to live each day by faith, to shun sin, to focus on soul-winning and righteousness, and to pursue a godly life. As Scripture emphasizes, we are not of the darkness but of the light, and therefore we must walk soberly and live in a manner worthy of the Lord.

Beloved partners, there is a saying: “Plan as if you will live to be 100, but live as if Jesus will return tonight.” As long as we still have time on this earth, we can continue to grow spiritually and win more souls for Christ. (Just like in the Parable of the Talents, we are to trade with our talents and gain more fruit.) Yet if we have fallen asleep, intoxicated with the things of this world and the lusts of the flesh, then truly now is the time to awake. Now is the time to intercede earnestly and to preach the gospel boldly to our unbelieving family members, relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Not with the thought, “One day they will believe,” but with the conviction, “They must believe this time,” as we intercede fervently and proclaim the gospel boldly, we will surely see greater harvests of souls.

This September, let us reflect on the imminence of the rapture, realign our lives before God, and dedicate ourselves afresh to fervent intercession for our unsaved loved ones and bold proclamation of the gospel to win souls for Christ.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I lift up every partner who sows seeds of love into NCTC.
As You are the One who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food,
I declare that You will prosper the seed sown by our partners and cause the fruit of righteousness—the salvation of souls and the expansion of Your Kingdom—
to overflow abundantly.
May each one be used as a soldier for soul-winning in these last days.
I pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

With blessings,
John K. Cho & Paula Kim
NCTC Representatives
September 3, 2025