I've always looked at the Rapture as a moment in time when the Lord takes home the first. I never thought I'd make it in Round One.
Sort of like a giant Christian draft choice. I figure I'm going to be down here to scrap it out fighting for Christ till round three.
tinydancer, the rapture is for those who belong to Christ. The reason is that we are not appointed to our Father's wrath.
Those covered by the blood go in round one.
Those who accept Christ after the rapture go in round two. They will be headless, calling for revenge from under God's alter.
Round three are those who believe in Christ and survived the tribulation. They don't go anywhere. They just stay here with Christ.
I bet your heart drags you along with it as a first round draft pick.
We are not appointed to the father's wrath but Jesus made it very clear the Church will indeed be subjected to Satan's wrath, Irish Ram. And the worlds...
It is written:
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the signs of your coming, and of the end of the world?
- Matthew 24:3
Unlike the modern day wide gospel road christians, the disciples of Jesus understood that Jesus was coming back ONCE not TWICE, not THREE times but ONCE. When was that? At the end.
Thanks to a young woman from the 1800s who claimed to have had a vision of the rapture - the church eventually bought into the idea that they would be raptured out of the world - disappearing as Elijah and Enoch were caught up and that they would not suffer persecution like the early church did, like the Chinese did, like the North Koreans have, like the Christians in Iran, Afgahnistan, Pakistan, Darfur, Nigeria, Uganda have ....because the West is special.
We have a special deal with God and therein we won't suffer as Christians in the bible suffered. In fact? Throw out the scripture all who desire to live godly will suffer persecution because that isn't what this wide road church has signed up for.
They signed up for the God is a slot machine gospel put in 100 dollars and God will give you a hundred fold return, Jesus came to give us Bentleys, Helicopters, million dollar homes and the lifestyles of the rich and famous.... the new gospel will have no part of the old rugged cross - they have made this world their home and by gosh their treasure is going to be buried here too!
None of this storing up your treasure in heaven as Jesus told us to do - where it would not rust, where moth would not eat it.....no way - we are the church that dresses better than the world does and are piling up clothing like clay - just take one look at them and we know this is true...................nevertheless. The Word of God says no such thing. In fact, we were told to take no thought for our lives.
Getting back to the Truth of the Gospel:
The Disciples asked Jesus when would be the sign of his returning to the earth and here is what Jesus said!
It is written:
And Jesus answered and said unto them, "Take heed that no man deceive you."
- Matthew 24:4
Wow. What does Jesus start off with? Watch out - make sure no man deceives you. Number one warning, folks! Must have been important. What does Jesus say next?
It is written:
For many shall come in my name, saying I am the Christ and deceiving many.
-Matthew 24:5
Wow. What does Jesus say next? Many will come in my name - many will come speaking for Jesus, as Jesus and guess what? They are going to deceive how many? A few? Nope. More than a few? Nope. Many? YES. They are going to deceive many!
How many follow men who say they have come in Christs name - false teachers who seek for men to lift them up and worship them as gods! Ye are little gods has become a gospel in itself for them! They live like kings, love the world, the pleasures of this world and things of this world - just as the world does - there is no mention of Christ in their sermons -most do not even open a bible while they are on stage - it is their face, their name in huge letters on the face of every book they write - the front of every evanglical meeting they hold - the title of their Ministries - their names in Huge Letters - they live like Rock stars and we esteem these men as if they were gods........ they meet in arenas. 35,000 people in attendance to hear a man talk about himself, his family, his kids, his philosphy, his own ideas, how he got rich and how he can make you rich too..... everything but Jesus Christ. incredible.
Why is the Gospel of Hedonism so popular?
They tell the people what they want to hear..... what do they want tell them? You were destined to be rich, it is alright to indulge yourself, to be happy, to enjoy the good life, go ahead and indulge yourself. You will never suffer, you will never lack, you will never be persecuted, you are blessed to be a blessing, you don't have to keep the commandments because Jesus is keeping them for you, you don't have to obey God either because Jesus did that for you too, everything has been done for you and you do not have to do a thing but sit back and enjoy the show, you are the kings kid.
You can name it, claim it, have it all here with no suffering added to it.. just give us your money first and then God will give you yours. The just shall live by faith.....just not the preachers - they have 1 800 numbers.....call in right now and plant that $1000.00 seed for your next harvest..... these men are hirelings and have absolutely no effect on impacting the world for Jesus Christ. None. In fact, the world realizes they are hypocrites but so long as they don't convict them of their sin - they will tolerate it. Let's get back to what Jesus said..........
It is written:
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars , see that ye are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these things are the beginning of sorrows. - Matthew 24: 8
So these are the beginning of sorrows Jesus said, yet he makes no mention of showing up and returning at all.......... what does he tell his followers in this message? See to it that you are not troubled. Realise that all these things must come to pass ,church, yet the end is not yet. There is more so sit tight because here comes the truth..............
It is written:
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and you shall be hated of all nations, for my sake. - Matthew 24: 7
Jesus is telling his believers that they are going to be delivered up to be afflicted - and killed and that they are going to be hated of "all nations" for his sake. Hmm... sounds like trouble to me.
Let's look at the definition of "affliction": in trouble or distress -
Sounds like persecution to me. Sounds like very severe persecution to me, in fact if I am going to be handed over for torture, handed over to be killed, hated by all nations because of the fact of my being a believer in Jesus Christ then it sounds like this could even be the tribulation!
Ya think?
Well, let's listen to what else Jesus says so we can get a better picture of it here............ we are going line upon line here........this is all Matthew 24, folks.......
It is written:
And then many shall become offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many. - Matthew 24:8
I guess it was back about 15 years ago I noticed a real separation in the body of Christ for those who wanted to live like the world and go after the money gospel and those who decided to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that those who lived like that were at enmity with God because you simply could not love the world and the pleasures of this world and claim to Love God too.
Those who studied the word of God & sought the Lord saw the hypocrisy of it all and so the false preachers in the churches soon identified those who were seeking to live holy and began persecuting them. It wasn't long until the wide road church goers were doing the same thing and eventually those who sought to live holy began to suffer. Just as Jesus said they would... All who desire to live godly will suffer persecution. Yes, even at the hands of their carnal brethren.......
It is the modern day story of Cain and Abel only now it is coming up to the time when Cain is going to desire to kill his brother Abel because he isn't willing to sacrifice to God what he has asked for ( Holiness, Obedience, Repentance, Separation from the World ) and he isn't going to put up with his brother Abel making him look bad - nor is he going to be willing to take on the heat his brother Abel is bringing on him - therein he will be the first to turn his brother over to the authorities - even before Abels own carnal blood relatives do in fact........just wait..... the story is the same in every nation taken over by communism. The true Christians are turned in by the false ones. And yes even their own family members will turn them in rather than suffer the consequences of not turning them in. Jesus said so!
Let's see what Jesus said next........
It is written:
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that endure unto the end shall be saved. - Matthew 24:12, 13
Here comes the falling away, people. The false teachers who have thoroughly saturated the body of Christ in false teachings produce the fruit of iniquity in the listeners and these people are now falling away. Why? They love their sin. They have one foot in the world and one in a false church. Their love for Jesus Christ is no longer on fire. They see the clear and present danger of persecution - they never signed up for that - they were never the ones feeling the heat of persecution inside the church for living holy anyhow because they lived just as the world lived. They are not ready for it when it hits ---> the end result is they fall away - but those who endure to the end? They "SHALL BE" saved..........now that the separation of the wheat and the tares has finally taken place inside the church ( persecution will do that because there are no backsliders in the persecuted church - see Acts for the evidence ) watch what happens next!
It is written:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come! - Matthew 24: 14
Jesus tells his followers the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world and then? Then comes the end! Watch how the end comes now! Listen to Jesus!
It is written:
When you therefore shall see THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION, spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, then let him which be in Judea flee into the mountains, Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house, Neither let him which is in the field return to take his clothes. And woe unto them that give suck in those days! But pray your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day, For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not seen since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be! - Matthew 24: 15 - 21
Let's stop here for a moment and realize that no one has been raptured out from behind the wheels of their cadillacs, Jesus is telling his followers when you see these things? It is time to flee! Time to run! Pray your flight not be in winter? Who is Jesus speaking to? THE CHURCH. His Followers. Jesus is very clear about this......when YOU SEE the abomination of desolation set up.. not when the "Jews who were left behind" see the abomination of desolation but when YOU SEE IT. You see? For then shall be great tribulation, Jesus says. NOTICE THIS, PEOPLE! ---> The believers in Jesus Christ are still here.........no one has been raptured............now what does Jesus say next?
It is written:
And except those days be should be shortened, there should be no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. THEN if any man should say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, BELIEVE IT NOT. For there shall arise many false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall decieve the very elect. - Matthew 24: 22,23,24.
Who is Jesus speaking to? His followers. Who is he warning that unless those days were shortened no flesh would survive......? His followers. Who is he warning about deception? His church - the elect - Who is the elect he is referring to? His followers. We are still here folks........ let us here what Jesus said next!
It is written:
Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth, behold, he is in the secret chambers, believe it not. - Matt. 24: 25,26
Why is Jesus telling his believers this? Because by this point the body of Christ is going to be so desperate for his return, not understanding how they could be suffering all these great persecutions, enduring the great tribulation when they were told by their Pastors, their churches, their most trusted world reknowned bible scholars that they would be raptured -that they would not suffer - that the "Wrath of God" was not for them but the world - that they would disappear at the first hint of trouble..........when this does not happen as they were promised it would? THEY ARE GOING TO BE UTTERLY DESPERATE! Guess what happens to desperate people? They become vulnerable. They panic. They look for the escape route and in that panic? They can make mistakes. Why? They are liable to start running to and fro believing a lie. Jesus said, I am warning you ahead of time. This is what is going to happen but the truth is........I HAVE NOT RETURNED YET. I won't be returning until the end. And here it comes.................
It is written:
For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken, AND THEN SHALL APPEAR THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN IN HEAVEN, AND THEN SHALL ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH MOURN, AND THEY SHALL SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING IN THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY. AND HE SHALL SEND HIS ANGELS WITH A GREAT SOUND OF A TRUMPET, AND THEY SHALL GATHER TOGETHER HIS ELECT FROM THE FOUR WINDS AND FROM ONE END OF HEAVEN TO THE OTHER. - Matt. 24: 27,28,29,30,31
There it is. When shall Jesus return? Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days - at the END. That is when Jesus shall return. AFTER the Tribulation. The church has been lied to. Had the church studied the scriptures for themselves and sought the LORD they would know the truth. Jesus said ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. I pray this sets some people free today and it produces the fruit of repentance. For believing man instead of believing Jesus Christ and His words. Believe the Bible. Read your bible and stop listening to every lie that comes across your television screen. Stop trying to buy your way into heaven. You cannot bargain with God. You cannot bribe God. Believe the bible and believe Jesus when he said, But those who endure until the end, the same shall be saved.
There is no rapture. It is a lie. There is no wide path that leads to heaven. There is only the strait gate that Jesus told us to Strive to enter in at. A narrow path. Not a wide one.
Jesus said, If you love me, keep my commandments. Jesus said, Be ye holy for I am holy. Holy means separated. Be ye separated from the world and the things of this world.. stop seeking after the riches of this world, church. Stop seeking after the pleasures of this world, Church. Jesus said, To him who overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. To him who overcometh. You must overcome. Those that endure until the end, the same shall be saved. You have to finish this race. Prepare yourselves to finish this race and stop believing those who tell you that you have an early departure coming and won't have to cross the finish line. They are liars. Believe God and Obey His Word. Pray for boldness. Pray for courage. Pray for strength to do the will of God once you know it. God's desire is to answer all who ask Him for these things. Amen.
