What is the "Rapture" and why should I be concerned?
The Rapture is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." In the original Greek language, the words "caught up" in this passage are Harpazo which means "snatched up or taken away." Even though the word Rapture does not occur in the Bible, the concept of the Rapture is clearly taught in Scripture. The Rapture of the church is the event in which God removes all believers from the Earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the Tribulation period. The word Rapture is the English Theological word used to describe this event. 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 focuses on the instantaneous nature of the Rapture and on the glorified bodies we will receive.
In Matthew 24:38-42 Jesus says, "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."
Although Noah and his family tried to warn the people of their day, no one believed them until the waters came and destroyed everything. Jesus is saying it will be like this during the times preceding His Rapture of the Church. The Greek word for "taken" in this passage is Paralombano and means "to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); receive, take unto, with." The same Greek word is used for the word Receive in John 14:1-3. The Greek word for "left" in the above passage (and in Luke 17:31-36) is Aphiemi which means "forsake, lay aside, leave, let alone, omit, put (send) away."
Who will go in the Rapture?
Some people mistakenly believe they are a "good" person and that since God knows their hearts, and knows they try to live their lives being as good as they can, that they will not be judged; sentenced to Hell; and have to pay for their sins. They think God will accept them because they "tried" to live right. SORRY!!! 1 John 1:8-10 says, "If we say that we have no sin (don't ask God for forgiveness for sins and don't accept Jesus as our Savior - we aren't "saved"), we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His (God's) word is not in us."
ARE YOU A "GOOD" PERSON? TRY THIS TEST
The people who will be "caught up," or Raptured, will be those who are saved. There will be many people who said the "Sinner's Prayer," but may not be saved. Do I believe we can lose our salvation? No, but I do know that God knows each person's heart and whether a person was sincere when they said the "Sinner's Prayer."
What is the sequence of events leading up to the Rapture?
Matthew 24:14 says, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Paul gave a summary of End Times events in sequence. A careful reading reveals that Paul identified three specific things that will have to happen before the Day of the Lord can come. There will have to be a falling away, a rebellion against the truth. This is when the believers in name only will be drawn out of the true Church into one of the various apostate movements we see springing up in our midst (see 2 Timothy 4:3-4 and Romans 1:21-25). The restraining force that's holding the secret power of lawlessness back will also have to be taken out of the way. That's the Body of Christ, the Church, a reference to the Rapture. Then the man of lawlessness (the Anti-Christ) will be revealed and will stand in God's Temple proclaiming he is God. That's the abomination of Desolation that kicks off the last half of the Great Tribulation, and that's when the world will know for certain just who the anti-Christ is.
If the Rapture occurs, will I know it happened?
Many people think they will be able to hear, and know, when Jesus comes back because they think they will hear the trumpet being sounded. They falsely believe they will have time to repent once they hear the trumpet. I'm afraid those who believe that will be sadly mistaken. The verse above says "in the twinkling of an eye." Only those being called will hear the trumpet sounding.
IF YOU DO NOT GO IN THE RAPTURE, YOU HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND!!!
The Rapture of the Church will probably be hidden by some kind of global power outage (perhaps an EMP, or maybe something like this: foxnews.com/story/0,2933,478024,00.html) or another type of global event. It is believed that the missing people will not be accounted for. No one will realize (and those that do will cover it up) exactly how many people are missing. The governments of the world may provide some kind of "logical" accounting of their missing citizens. Two things to keep in mind:
1) There will be tens of thousands (if not millions - some believe ALL the children will be raptured too) of people missing world wide, but THERE WILL BE NO BODIES!
2) If you realize some, or all, of the Christians you knew are missing and unaccounted for - BIG CLUE - THE RAPTURE HAS OCCURRED!
Okay, I've been "Left Behind." Does that mean I have no hope?
If you've been left behind, all hope for you and your loved ones is not lost - yet. God loves each of us so perfectly, that even after He sends Jesus back for the Church, He still wants you to join Him. People will still be able to be saved during this time, but the Tribulation Saints (those saved during the Tribulation period - 7 years) will be persecuted and martyred for following God and accepting Jesus. If you remember the words of God (His Holy Word, the Bible) and what you've read here, and elsewhere, YOU STILL HAVE HOPE! However, the times are going to get bad!
You (and the rest of the world) are now going to go through some very terrible years. God's Judgment is now going to be unleashed on the inhabitants of Earth. This will be a time unlike the world has ever seen. I won't be able to detail everything that will happen during the Great Tribulation (see Revelation chapters 4-19) however, here are a few things to remember if you are still on Earth during this time.
There will be two men (prophets of God) testifying on the Streets of Jerusalem wearing sackcloth (a garment made of coarsely woven fabric; worn as a token of mourning by the Israelites). They will be mocked, scorned, ridiculed, and beaten. After 3 1/2 years (the 1st half of the Tribulation), they will be killed. Their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days. God will then give them life once more and all will see they are resurrected and alive. Then they will be called up to heaven. As soon as they disappear, there will be a great earthquake in Jerusalem and 7,000 men (not counting women and children) will die.
Once the Rapture occurs a Man will be revealed (he is probably already on the world stage by this point). He will be charismatic; a great orator; respected by all; appearing to be trustworthy; and wanting nothing more for the world than peace. This Man is the Anti-Christ. Through his efforts and uncompromising drive, he will forge world peace. However, it will be a false peace.
Once the 1st half is over (3 1/2 years), the person who will be the main leader of the world @ that time (the Anti-Christ) will take prominence and attempt to assume the leadership of the world. He will enter the Temple in Jerusalem (wait, you say there is no Jewish Temple in Jerusalem? There's another prophecy that WILL be fulfilled during the 1st half of the Tribulation) and proclaim that he is God. What Blasphemy!!!
During the Tribulation period there will be lawlessness, vileness, corruption, unchecked sexual sins. Literally, all Hell will break loose. This world will become corrupted unlike anything we've seen so far. "But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts." Revelation 9:20-21
When you see the events described in Revelation, and on this page, unfolding time is running out for you. You must not let your heart be hardened or become so cold as to turn away from God. You must ask God to forgive you for your sins and accept Jesus as your savior (see the home page). Ask God to give you strength and provision. Ask Him to guide you through these times. You may still suffer terribly. But, you will spend eternity in God's presence and not be sentenced to eternity in Hell.
The Mark of the Beast is revealed in Revelation 13:16-17 says, "He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
The passages above describe what will be implemented by this false Christ during the last days. If you do not take the mark (it may be a tattoo, a microchip like those injected into animals, or some other accounting device we don't know about yet), you will not be able to buy, sell, or trade any property or food.
My friends DO NOT TAKE THIS MARK!!! No matter how it is explained, or described, or how much you are coerced or ridiculed, you will know in your heart IT IS WRONG to take this mark. No one will be able to force you to take this mark. Every person who does will make a conscious decision to accept their fate -- if you take this mark you will be eternally damned to Hell. Revelation 14:9-11 explains, "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.'” If you do not take the Mark of the Beast you may be tormented, tortured, beaten, and even murdered. But you will still have a chance at redemption. This WILL BE your last chance to turn to God!
W.H. Hubbard wrote in his book Does the Church go through the Great Tribulation? "That to escape the Great Tribulation and be able to stand before the Son of Man are not unconditioned gifts of love or grace, but rewards and privileges for those who are accounted worthy of them."
PLEASE DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO BE "ACCOUNTED WORTHY!"
Also see these pages:
The Post-Rapture Survival Kit
Questions about the End Times
What is going to happen according to end times prophecy?
Will there be a second chance for Salvation AFTER the Rapture?
The "Final" Warning?
The "Left Behind" Letters
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