“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also WILL KEEP THEE (capitals mine) from the hour of temptation, which SHALL (capitals mine) come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
Revelation 3:10
When I first began posting Biblical prophecy articles on this site in January of 2017, the very first article I wrote about was The Rapture – God’s Promise. My primary purpose, in conjunction with the very reason I started this blog, was not to try to scare or proselytize anyone. Rather, my intent was in keeping Jesus’s own words to “…therefore comfort one another with these words” – 1 Thessalonians 4:18. There are a lot of REALLY bad things coming upon this earth in the Last Days. Things like, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” – Matthew 24:7. Furthermore, in the Book of Revelation, we are also told during the 7 year Tribulation Period (which directly precedes Christ’s Second Coming), HALF of the world’s population will die in these and other horrific events. If the Tribulation started today, that means almost 4 BILLION people will be killed! World War II, the most damaging war in human history, where more than 60 million were killed, will pale in comparison to the BILLIONS who will die during the Tribulation. The WWII victims represented 3% of the world population at the time. The coming Tribulation and subsequent deaths will account for 50% of today’s population. How much worse could it be? Jesus told us!
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
Matthew 24:21
My intent this week is not to rehash God’s Promise to remove His Believers out of harm’s way BEFORE His Judgement and Wrath is brought upon an unbelieving world. Instead, over the almost 2 years of this blog, I have seen many comments from others who are still trying to convince us the Rapture (God’s instantaneous “snatching” away of His Believers BEFORE the trials and tribulations begin) will occur at a different time than what His Holy Word, the Holy Bible, says. This concerns me greatly because not only does the Bible say clearly He will take us out of harm’s way PRIOR to the Tribulation, but He has given us prior examples of how He took righteous men and their families out before His Judgement and Wrath on man’s sin. Two quick examples are Noah and his family before the great Flood and Lot and his family before His Judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah. Not only did He take them out of harms way. He WARNED them beforehand!
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the 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 (the already transformed dead Believers who have been previously Raptured) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
We are often told throughout the Bible in the Last Days Satan will attempt to deceive us, the Believers, IF that were possible. Again, as Jesus Himself told His disciples when they inquired when those things He prophesied about would be happening, He said in Matthew 24:4-5:
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
If Satan can deceive man to ignore or change the prophecies in the Bible, there is more of a chance man will NOT respond to the current signs of the imminent Rapture. Once it occurs and you are not Raptured because you have failed to accept Jesus’s Promise of Salvation, you will have to endure the horrible events foretold to happen. I have prayed long and hard to ensure what I am saying is nothing more than a 100% accurate repeat of what the Bible says and I strongly believe, based on what His Word spells out, the Rapture will occur PRIOR to the 7 year Tribulation so His Believers will be protected from the horrible things coming soon afterwards. This belief is referred to as the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. There are still a few who will try to convince us the Rapture will occur DURING the Tribulation (Mid-Tribulation Rapture theory) and others who feel we must all undergo personal pain and suffering to “pay” for our sins and will not be Raptured until the VERY END of the Tribulation (Post-Tribulation Rapture) when Jesus Returns. But, that goes directly AGAINST what the Bible says!
“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep (die), we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
As Paul, who first mentioned the Rapture in the Bible said above, God DID NOT appoint us to wrath! God did not wait to take Noah and his family out of the Flood when the water was 3 feet deep. Rather, He had them enter the Ark SEVEN days before the rain even began!
“There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass AFTER SEVEN DAYS (capitals mine), that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.”
Genesis 7:9-10
Basically, this “difference” of opinion or Biblical interpretation is caused by the strongly held belief by some that as sinners, we must be punished for being sinful. Of course this directly contradicts what the Bible teaches and that is while all men are sinful and the wages of sin are death, only through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior will our sins be forgiven.
I find it very interesting that in Revelation 3:10 above John tell us we will be kept from the trials and Tribulation based upon our faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When John is then “raptured” in Revelation 4:1-2 and told “…Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter (during the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus). And IMMEDIATELY (capitals mine) I was in the spirit:” Not only did John experience a form of the Rapture but from then until Jesus’s Second Coming, the Church (Believers in Jesus) is NOT MENTIONED ONCE! Why? Because they are no longer on the earth during the Tribulation but are with Him in Heaven. And, while we meet up with Jesus in the clouds at the Rapture, we will also return with Him during His Second Coming at Armageddon.
Based upon previous comments I have received, I know there may still be many that will disagree with these Biblical Scriptures. They will not disagree on what the Bible actually says as outlined above but will disagree based on a premise that weakens the Will of God and detracts from He actually said. I sincerely hope and pray you do not fall into this trap but instead believe what the Bible says clearly. The Believers in Christ will be Raptured PRIOR to the beginning of the Tribulation period, an event which could now occur at any moment. In the Old Testament Book of Habakkuk, chapter 1, verse 5 He says succinctly:
“Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will NOT BELIEVE (capitals mine), though it be told you.”
This Promise from God encourages me to be prepared, for as the Bible says, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” – Matthew 24:36. If you are alive on this earth you will know when Jesus arrives at His Second Coming. It will be at the very end of the exactly 3 1/2 year, second half of the Great Tribulation when the anti-christ is ruling the world. The Bible has told us he will have power over the earth for exactly 1290 days (Daniel 7:25) following the abomination of desolation (What is the Abomination of Desolation in Biblical Prophecy?) While we will not know until the anti-christ finally desecrates the rebuilt 3rd Holy Jewish Temple, we DO KNOW it will be 1,290 days later that Christ Returns! What we will NOT know is when the Rapture will happen other than it will takes us out of this world BEFORE the Wrath of the Tribulation comes on an unbelieving world.
The knowledge God has given us regarding His Plan for His Believers is so comforting. To know really, really bad times are coming but that we will be protected in Heaven with our personal Savior and not have to endure His Wrath simply because we truly Believed and have Faith in Jesus Christ is comforting. If you feel likewise, as usual, I humbly ask you to Share and/or Like this on Facebook and/or LinkedIn, or forward your email received post to your family and friends because simply, it is up to all of us to spread His Word to as many as possible and to do as He instructed us to do and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.” Once His Word is preached to the entire world, we will be Raptured!
May God Bless you!