Today, the Rapture?

Another scare about the date the world will end has been issued by those who may think they have heard from God, but do not know their Bibles. It says expressly that we do not know the day, May 21, 2011, or the hour, (Matt. 24:36). We, those of us who have ears to hear, will know the time and the season.

“Times” in the Bible often speak of years and “seasons”, would denote the time in the year. We all have our opinions about where we are at on the timeline of Judgment and none of them are sacred or necessarily right.

The most important thing to know about the Rapture is that the Bible gives strong evidence that there will be one, (See I Cor. 15:51-52) and (I Thess. 4:13-18). Both speak of the “shout” and “the trump of God”, (sound of the trumpet) that will signal the resurrection of the righteous dead and the righteous who are still living to join the Lord in the air, being “caught up together with them, (the dead) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

It is the grand snatching away that Paul connects with the reveling of the Antichrist in II Thess. 2:7-12.

It says: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out-of-the-way. And THEN the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the  working of Satan,with all power and signs , and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ”

According to this, the Restrainer would be none other than the Holy Spirit Who indwells the followers of Jesus Christ. When He is called back to Heaven, all Hell will break out on earth. (You think it is bad now!) Upon the removal of the Holy Spirit from the affairs of men, there will be no stopping the forces of evil.

Those who followed and believed in Jesus Christ, as vessels that carry the Light, will be taken with Him. Jesus said,”You are the light of the world.” (Matt. 5:14). I doubt that He would leave us behind if He is allowing the world to be plunged into darkness.  There must therefore, be a sudden shift in the minds of men and the status quo of the daily affairs of earth. The Rapture will be the catalyst for the end days events described graphically in the Gospels.

Our absence will send the world into economic chaos greater than the collapse of the Twin Towers. Tax payers, good upstanding citizens, taxi cab drivers, teachers, corporate executives, and children, people from every walk of life, will be gone “in the twinkling of an eye”, leaving emergencies everywhere.

World resources to stop the bleed will create perfect conditions for the Enemy to send forth his designated savior, the Anti-christ. (Do not be fooled by rhetoric, not everyone who says they are a christian is a follower of Christ.) The Bible distinctly says that “the Lord Knows those who are His” (II Tim. 2:19), so there will be no confusion or mistaken identity about who is left behind or unfair treatment for any one of us.

God’s decision will be based upon our decision to love and trust Him and follow His Word. I would suggest, if not strongly beg you to consider your allegiance with the Word of God and choose to submit to His provision for your forgiveness and eternal salvation before it is too late and you are left behind.

Those left behind will be forced to take the Mark of the Beast before they will be permitted to buy or sell anything, (no more trips to the grocery store). If they refuse the Mark they will be beheaded for their resistance. There is a happy ending for those left behind, however, as indicated in Revelation 20:4, “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

All events, end days signs and Biblical information, including the technology to broadcast that information simultaneously around the world is in place. Though the Rapture is happening and its occurrence is eminent, (eminent means that there is nothing more scripturally that needs to happen before the Rapture can), except one thing. Are you ready to go?

The Rapture is not for everyone. Many will be left behind. Some despise God and would not want to be forcibly snatched away from their lives in this world to join Him at the Marriage Supper of His Son. Others have been riding the fence to see who is going to win this thing. Both will be left behind. Those who see what has happened and decide to join Christ will have to cast their vote with their head. (See Rev. 20.4).

We are definitely in perilous times. That is without dispute, unless you are kin to the ostrich. The shot has been fired that was heard round the world, only those who heed the warning seem to be a select few. But then, did not our Lord not say,”he who has ears to hear, let him hear” because ” many are called, but few are chosen.”? (Matt. 20:16). Why? Because few chose to heed the call and R.S.V.P. to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Ro.10:9-10)