|
Post Rapture Survival Guide by Kurt Seland The purpose of this manual is twofold: First of all, it is to warn those who receive this manual prior to the rapture of the events that will take place in the last days as foretold in the Bible. Based on what the Bible has to say about future events, nobody in their right mind would want live on earth after the rapture. Hopefully, many will read, believe, seek God, repent and be saved. Salvation is very simple, so simple to attain, in fact, that most people cannot accept its simplicity; thereby reject it completely. However, it is complex because it is life-changing and based on that which we cannot see; it is based on faith. Simple, because Jesus does all the work. If you want to be saved and have eternal life, simply pray the following prayer in belief and humility to the Lord:
PRAY THIS PRAYER OUT LOUD TO GOD: “Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again. I give you my life. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart.” AMEN! Secondly, to those left behind after the rapture, this is indeed a survival manual. You still have an opportunity to repent and have eternal life. The same prayer of salvation is applicable to you; the only difference is that you will spend a little time experiencing a taste of hell while you remain on earth. Let me be really frank with you. If you are reading this manual and the rapture has already occurred, then you probably are not going to physically survive; you most likely will die sometime in the next few years. This manual is about the survival of your soul. You are going to go through terrible suffering. The only question that remains is whether you will go to Heaven or go to hell when you die. Definition: Rapture--This is the event that will occur when Jesus calls His followers (both gentile and Jewish believers) with a trumpet blast, and in the "twinkling of an eye" they will be removed from the earth and transported to be with Jesus in the heavens. Biblical Foundation for the Rapture "Take notice, I am telling you a secret. We shall not all die but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet call. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51-52). "For with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven, and those who died in Christ will rise first. Afterward we, the living who remain, will be caught up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall forever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). "...For I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when I have gone and have prepared a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself so that where I am, you also will be" (John 14:2-3). Events and Circumstances Prior to the Rapture At the time that this manual was being written, and for the remainder of the time left in this age, the one word that describes the condition of the world is change. All of this change is being accomplished through the work of Satan, as he cannot tolerate anything that originated from God's creation. Originally, the Bible tells us that when God created the world He declared that it was "good." That means that it was perfect and no changes were necessary. Included in His creation were standards to live by that He gave to Adam and Eve. These standards covered everything from how to live in our private lives, to proper domestic relationships, to principles for governing a community. Satan seeks to change everything that God has created and established, thus he has used his power and influence in the world to make subtle deviations to God's original plan. Satan's goal is to establish a world order headed by his protege (the world dictator known in the Bible as the Beast and anti-christ) who will spend his time and effort changing everything to be in opposition to God's will as expressed in the Bible. This is predicted in the Bible in the book of Daniel: "and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law." POLITICAL In today's political environment there is no effective leadership in the world. Every nation lacks strong and competent leaders able to deal with the problems at home and abroad. The United States, which has been the world leader for the last 50 years, has steadily lost its influence among other nations because of political leaders in the United States who have no moral center to direct their decision making process. However, this distrust and dislike of government and government leaders is not just an American phenomenon but is a common theme in Europe, South America, Asia and the entire world. Because of this leadership vacuum in the world, there is now an opportunity for a man to arise who is very charismatic, strong, and attractive to peoples of all nations. Based on the prophecies in the Bible such a man will arise, and he will be successful in uniting the various nations to rule as a dictator. The move to unite the world under one government has been active since the early 1950's, and in recent years this has become more of a reality as many nations have given up their sovereignty to the United Nations during armed intervention of conflicts (eg. Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia). In these conflicts, the nations of the world contributed manpower and machinery to be used under the flag of the United Nations. The United States of America surrendered its sovereignty in these situations to much weaker nations by allowing its military to be controlled by these nations. In addition to these military actions the nations of the world also agreed to control trade and labor practices with international treaties such as NAFTA and GATT. There is no dominant nation to provide leadership to the world, thus the stage is set for a man to arise out of the masses to unite the world as dictator. SOCIAL The foundational building block of society, that element which has always been responsible for social order and peace, is the family, and it has been virtually destroyed. The family is to be a man, his wife and their children. The man provides for the wife and children, the wife nurtures and educates the children, and the children obey their parents. In a community of families, adults hold the other adults and children accountable for their actions. The family is based on marriage. Marriage is an institution of God and therefore hated by Satan. The devil has worked very hard, primarily through communications media such as TV, movies, news journalists, and entertainment in general to convince women that marriage is detrimental to their freedom and fulfillment in life. Satan has deceived women into believing that they have the same sexual desire as men and that all differences are the result of culture. Satan has worked hard to divide men and women and have them at war with one another, and because of this, the violence between men and women has dramatically increased. Civil war has been a constant theme of this age and unrest will continue into the end times: man vs. women, black vs. white, Moslem vs. Jew, Catholic vs. Protestant, Moslem vs. Christian, one Moslem faction vs. another Moslem faction, one black African tribe vs. another black African tribe, nation vs. nation, people vs. people. Whatever divides people into different groups, Satan uses to inspire hate, strife and violence. Homosexuality and all sorts of perverse behavior are accepted as normal. The world dictator (anti-christ) himself will not have the normal sexual attraction to women and may be asexual. Many theologians believe that he will probably be openly homosexual as indicated in the Bible in the book of Daniel 11:37: "and he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women". And therefore, after the rapture, more than likely marriage will be discouraged or illegal, and homosexual and lesbian relationships highly encouraged. ECONOMIC On the economic scene, the trend is toward poverty for the masses with wealth concentrated into the hands of very few people. These controllers of the wealth will be the kings of commerce and banking and also be the power behind politics of the world. Small businesses are merged into larger companies and the larger companies merge with themselves to increase profits. The result is huge multi-national companies that have no allegiance to any community, state, nation or people, whose only allegiance is to increased profits for management and shareholders. The result is workers who are little more than peasants and presidents of companies who are more and more like kings. It will be these "kings" who usher in the world dictator to protect their wealth and power. Expect all commerce, buying and selling, to be controlled by a mark on the right hand or forehead of every person who wants to participate in the economy. Only those people with the mark will be able to buy and sell, but the consequences of taking the mark is eternal damnation (Rev 14:9-11). Therefore don't take that mark. You will have a very difficult time surviving, and probably won't, but you will save your soul. Again, don't take the mark on your right hand or forehead. GEOPHYSICAL In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 24, Jesus spoke to his disciples and indicated to them that one of the signs of the time of the end of the world would be, "...as it were in the days of Noah so will the coming of the son of man be." We read in Genesis that in the days of Noah "the earth was filled with violence.". This speaks not only of the violence that men inflict on one another—war, civil wars, rape, brutality, murder, abortion, and other indiscriminate, random acts of violence—but the earth itself is also filled with violence. We see increasing earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, drought, lightning storms and unusual atmospheric phenomena. While all of these have existed in the past, over the last 50 years, the number and intensity of these conditions and the property damage associated with these natural catastrophes has increased. As the level of violence that the human species has inflicted on one another has increased, so has the violent reaction of the earth increased. Signs of the Times When Jesus' disciples asked Him about the signs that would be a precursor to His coming and the end of the age His response, recorded in Matthew 24, was:
The Rapture This is an event that will not be hidden. The concept of the rapture has already been made known to the masses. It will be treated with ridicule, contempt and mockery by the world's media, but God will see to it that it will be highly publicized before it occurs just so that those left behind might still come to their senses. It will occur in the open, and everybody left behind will know someone who was raptured. It will happen suddenly, unexpectedly, and lightning fast--"in the twinkling of an eye," as the Bible puts it. And there will be evidence all over the world that this event occurred. Some national leaders will disappear, celebrities in entertainment and professional sports will disappear, entire families will disappear, disbelieving spouses will see their mates vanish, children will disappear. Bank accounts, homes, cars, businesses and relationships will be left behind. The problem for the world's leaders will be trying to convince people that it didn't happen. Because if the world's leaders admit that it did happen then, logically, everything Christians preached about Jesus Christ being the Son of God, the Savior, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings and everything that Jesus preached and taught must be true. And if all of this is true, then the only logical response would be to fall on one's knees before God in confession and repentance and absolute submission to every word of God (as revealed in the Bible). But all of this is diametrically opposed to the way of the world, which preaches freedom from the constraints of God's word, perverse sex, materialism and the devaluation of human life. So, although the rapture will shock everybody and will be covered in the media and everybody left will be aware of someone who is gone, the leaders of the world will begin their great deception, trying to convince the population left behind that there was no rapture. How is this going to be accomplished? Well, pretty easily because most of the people left behind are already in a state of deception. They have been deceived into believing that Jesus is not the Messiah; they have been deceived into believing that the word of God is not true; they have been deceived into living a lifestyle that only brings constant pain and suffering instead of the freedom and paradise that God offers. The world's leaders will declare that there was no rapture, that a mass hysteria took place, and the news media will follow the party line. Then to make things easier, shortly after the rapture, one-fourth of the world's population will be decimated due to wars, famine and plague. Those who were raptured will be counted among the dead. After the Rapture Shortly after the rapture, a seven-year period known in the Bible as the Great Tribulation will take place. It will begin with the signing of a peace agreement between Israel and her enemies and it will end with the physical return of Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom on earth. In between, will be seven years of terror for those on earth. The following events and trends will take place in that seven-year period:
The Two Witnesses These two men are God's gift to the people of the earth who refused to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ prior to the rapture, but who will recognize the error in their life and seek God knowing the terrible mistake they have made. These two men will proclaim the gospel and provide hope for those left behind. Their message is for the salvation of the soul. They will have no message as to how you can avoid the hell that life on earth has become, because there is no hope to avoid that tribulation. If you are left on earth, then your destiny is to suffer and more than likely die. But you still have the hope of salvation. Listen to what these two men are preaching and turn to God. The Bible does not say who these two men are. Many speculate that they are Elijah and Enoch, two ancient prophets of God who never died. Regardless, they will be responsible for many of the natural catastrophes that will wreak havoc on the property and economy of the earth. They will have the power to prevent rain, and there will be a 3 1/2 year drought on earth until they die. They will turn water into blood and cause all kinds of plagues on earth and, in general, make life miserable for those who are living on earth. Also, they will be invincible, as many will try to kill them only to be killed by their own hands. Those who attempt to blow them up will themselves be blown up; those who attempt to shoot them will have their guns explode in their hands; those who attempt to poison them will be poisoned by their own efforts. Only the world dictator will be able to kill them and only when God allows it. The purpose of all the misery that these two witnesses inflict on the earth dwellers is to turn people back to God in repentance. The misery will be so great that when the world dictator does finally kill these two, the world will rejoice in a Christmas-like celebration, giving gifts to one another. Three and one-half days after their death they will be resurrected and, in full view of the entire population of the world, ascend to heaven at the command of God when He calls them to "Come up here." Shortly after he kills the two witnesses, the world dictator will declare himself to be God. He is the anti-christ. The 144,000 Jewish Witnesses Shortly after the rapture, God will call His army of 144,000 Jewish believers into service to provide a voice of hope for Jews throughout the world. The best friends and most staunch supporters of Jews have always been true, believing Christians. It was this element of the world's population that provided help and support for Israel and Jewish people. The rapture removed the Christian people from the earth and awakened the 144,000 to their purpose. These 144,000 preach to Jews worldwide that Jesus is the Messiah. These 144,000 will be spread out worldwide and more than likely go about in pairs, two by two, as Jesus instructed His disciples to do. It will be these 144,000 who will oppose Israel signing a peace treaty for protection; it will be the 144,000 who will identify the anti-christ for who he is; it will be the 144,000 who will warn Israel of the treachery of the anti-christ, and it will be the 144,000 who will lead the Jews worldwide to the hiding place prepared for them by God in the Judean desert. These 144,000 Jews are going to be strange people by normal standards: they will be celibate, very bold, fearless, spiritually strong and probably very much like John the Baptist. You can read more about the 144,000 witnesses in Revelation 14. Money Hard currency will become obsolete. This is no surprise, as banks and governments have been working to eliminate currency, coin money and paper transactions for decades. Currency and coin is expensive to produce, lends itself readily for drug trafficking and, with high tech equipment, is too easily counterfeited. Banks desire to eliminate the teller position as an expense item, and with the elimination of paper checks and currency, all financial transactions can be handled with a computer. The debit card will become the tool for all personal financial transactions. However, at some point after the rapture, probably right after the two witnesses are killed, everyone will be required to get a mark on their right hand or forehead in order to buy and sell. Do not, do not, do not under any circumstances participate by receiving this mark. All those who receive this mark known as "the mark of the beast" are doomed for eternity. By taking this mark you are swearing allegiance to the anti-christ. You may as well attempt to enjoy life as best you can because eternity for you will be hell. It is at this point that God will have separated His followers from Satan's followers. Those who have taken the mark will persecute those without the mark. God will render judgment on those with the mark by inflicting them with a disgusting looking and very painful ulcer covering their bodies. So how can a person without the mark survive and still buy and sell? Again, this will almost be impossible, but there will be people who are part of the anti-christ's regime who don't believe in the anti-christ; they are just "survivors" who pick the "winner" and seek to profit from that relationship. Therefore, save up for yourself gold; gold has always had value as money and always will, even in a cashless society. Identify one of these profiteers and seek to purchase food and living supplies from him. However, don't ever disclose to him how much gold you have and where it is. You want to be more valuable to him as a dealer than as a bounty. By the way, you will have a price on your head for not taking the mark. Obviously you won't be living an open life, as you will be in hiding somewhere at a remote location or in the forest on the outskirts of a large city. Your only goal will be to eat to live and hope to escape the militia hunting for you and those like you. Should you get caught, your fate will be either death or slavery. If you receive this manual before the rapture and plan to be around after the rapture, then start storing up food and living supplies and put them into hiding in some remote and difficult to access area. You should include weaponry to defend yourself and medical supplies as part of your living supplies. Safety Concerns This era will be the most violent of times in the history of the world. Death, brutality and destruction will be part of everyday life. One of the defining characteristics of the last days following the rapture will be a lack of peace. There will be civil wars throughout the world: people will kill one another indiscriminately. Random acts of violence will fill people with fear. Car-jackings, home invasions, drive by shootings, and bombings will all increase with an intensity that will leave people with absolutely no sense of security. In order to survive this time, you will need to remove yourself from society and live in a remote area that is difficult to access. Getting together with a group of like-minded people would provide additional support and safety. As mentioned earlier, stock up on food, medicines, living supplies, weaponry and gold. You will need enough for 7 years. Don't plan on being able to supplement your food with hunting and fishing because the stocks of wild animals and fish will have been depleted and destroyed by the 3 1/2 year worldwide drought and three successive meteor-like or comet-like objects that strike the earth sometime after the rapture. The 3 1/2 year drought is brought on by the two witnesses. The first object from outer space to strike the earth will destroy 1/3 of all trees and all the green grass on earth. The second object, more like a meteor, strikes the sea and destroys 1/3 of all sea creatures and 1/3 of all shipping. The third object turns 1/3 of all fresh water poisonous and kills many people. Needless to say, all of this will also seriously deplete the food supplies for the world's population, causing food prices to skyrocket. Those people in the world who never before missed a meal or worried about food will become very familiar with hunger pangs and the feeling of going without food for long periods of time. This will be one of the causes of the increased violence as people become more self centered, short-tempered, and competitive for the food sources in short supply. As Jesus spoke to His disciples about these days, He said, "people will betray one another and hate one another...the love of many will grow cold." Health Concerns Prior to the rapture, the world experienced an increase in health-related catastrophes, an increase in new infectious diseases and an increase in the return of diseases thought to have been eradicated or brought under control. The past two decades have brought on AIDS, EBOLA virus, flesh-eating bacteria, the return of tuberculosis, incurable gonorrhea, herpes and many other virtually incurable sexually transmitted diseases. After the rapture, things do not get better, as one quarter of the world's population will die as the result of wars, famine and plague. Sometime after the two witnesses are murdered and after people are required to take the mark on the right hand or forehead, there will be a terrible plague causing a loathsome and malignant ulcer on the bodies of those who have taken the mark. This will be a very ugly and very painful sore that will make life miserable for those who have it. In addition to all this, because of the poor economic situation worldwide and the 3 1/2 year drought that depletes the world's supply of water, sanitation practices will deteriorate even in what were advanced nations in Europe and North America. With the short supply of water, there won't be sufficient water for flushing toilets, taking baths, washing clothes and transporting wastewater to treatment facilities. This will result in the increase of typhus, cholera, salmonella and E.coli infections. Therefore, since you have decided to reject Christ's offer to join in the rapture, your concern is how to maintain good health in the post rapture era. You must build a supply of multiple vitamins with particular emphasis on anti-oxidants such as C and E and minerals. It will also be necessary to have a supply of disinfectants, particularly one that can be added to water to make it potable. Above all, do not accept the mark of the beast on your right hand or forehead. If you do take the mark then nothing can be done for you—you will suffer the malignant ulcer making the rest of your life almost unbearable. Did you ever have a canker sore in your mouth? If so, then you know how painful that one little canker sore was. Now think of having canker sores all over your body, on your genitalia, in your mouth. Think how painful and unbearable your life will be. Then follow that misery with eternity in hell. Don't take that mark!
The Soon Coming ClimaxBible prophecy-proof the bible is true and we are now in the latter days - and how to be saved (A brief summary) This message may be called a road sign of warning. Some may look at a sign that reads-THE BRIDGE IS OUT, and say, "Oh, someone is just trying to scare us into taking another road; let's go on the same way." They go on and plunge to their death. The sign was not meant to scare people, but to warn them of impending danger. The sign was put there, because someone cared and didn't want others to perish. God wants you to know, WHEN YOU SEE THESE THINGS COME TO PASS (the prophecies from the Bible in this message), KNOW YE THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NIGH AT HAND-Lk 21:31.
WHAT
IS GOING
ON?
|
|
DEAR JESUS, I AM A SINNER. I BELIEVE YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD AND DIED FOR MY SINS ON THE CROSS. FORGIVE ALL OF MY SINS. JESUS, I REPENT. I ASK YOU TO HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER, AND COME INTO MY LIFE. GIVE ME YOUR SPIRIT AND YOUR POWER. HELP ME TO FOLLOW AND OBEY YOUR COMMANDMENTS, AND TO LIVE FOR YOU. JESUS, I GIVE YOU MY LIFE. THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY PRAYER. THANK YOU FOR COMING INTO MY LIFE. I ASK IT IN THE NAME OF MY LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. AMEN. |
If
You Just
Said That Prayer and Meant It 
We recommend you now read your Bible every day faithfully-5 or more chapters a day. Begin with the Gospel of John and read it through three times. Next go to Matthew and read the New Testament through three times. Then begin reading the entire Bible in order, beginning with Genesis. As God opens up His Word to you, obey it. Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only, deceiving yourself-ref Ja 1:22. As you are faithful, God will open your understanding of His Word more and more.
Find a good Bible-teaching church that teaches God's Word, sound doctrine, Bible prophecy, the Revelation, not just stories about worldly things. They should also love and support Israel and the Jewish people. Attend often and get baptized. Tell others that Jesus is your only hope of salvation. If you've just said that prayer and committed your life to Jesus, please e-mail us and let us know. We would like to pray for you and send you some free literature. Please send your postal mailing address.
FINAL
NOTE ON
SALVATION
"After" we believe on Jesus Christ, "after" we have repented of our sins, we are commanded to be baptized by full immersion in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It is written, HE THAT BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED; BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT SHALL BE DAMNED-Mk 16:16. Note, believing on Jesus comes "before" water baptism. Infant baptism or any baptism prior to repenting and believing on Jesus has no meaning. You cannot be baptized into One on Whom you do not believe. It is written, FOR AS MANY OF YOU AS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE PUT ON CHRIST-Gal 3:27. Water baptism is by full immersion. As it is written, BURIED WITH HIM (with Jesus) IN BAPTISM (or buried in the water)-Col 2:12, ref Ro 6:4. Jesus commanded, GO YE THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST: TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU: AND, LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD. AMEN-Mt 28:19,20.
Surrender means "you give up." You stop putting your will before God's will. You allow Jesus (God's Word) to reign over you. You submit to Jesus and let Him become the Lord of your life.
If you have not yet humbled yourself, and totally surrendered to Jesus, and become as a little child (ref Mt 18:3), and continued steadfast in the faith, I would suggest that NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME; BEHOLD, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION-2 Cor 6:2. Please submit to God, say the prayer, and mean it with all of your heart. God loves YOU and cares.
I CALL HEAVEN AND EARTH TO RECORD THIS DAY AGAINST YOU, THAT I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSING AND CURSING: THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE, THAT...THOU...MAY LIVE-Deut 30:19.
THE PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE:
The rapture is an event that will take place sometime in the near future. Jesus will come in the air, catch up the Church from the earth, and then return to heaven with the Church. In 1 Thes. 4:13-18 we are given a clear description of the rapture, "the dead in Christ will rise, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord." The time of the rapture was not given. From the word of God and from sound reasoning, something Jesus used quite frequently, I hope to prove the reality of the pretribulation rapture.
Scriptural Evidence for the Pretribulation Rapture
"Ye Know Neither the Day nor
the Hour" (Mat 25:13) Vs 1260
days, (Rev 12:6)
When we search the scriptures and read the passages describing of the
Lord
Jesus' return, we find verses that tell us we won't know the day and
others
that tell us we will know the day. Mat 25:13 say that Jesus will return
at an
unknown time, while Rev 12:6 states that the Jews will have to wait on
the Lord
1260 days. The 1260 days start when the Antichrist stands in the Temple
of God
and declares himself to be God.(2 Thes 2:4) This event will take place
at the
mid-point of the seven year tribulation. (Dan 9:27) It should be noted
that
some people only see a 3 1/2 year tribulation. They are in a way
correct,
because the first half of tribulation will be relatively peaceful
compared to
the second half. Nonetheless, peaceful or not, there still remains a 7
year
time period called the tribulation. When the Jews flee into the
wilderness,
they know that all they have to do is wait out those 1260 days.(Mat
24:16)
There is no way you can apply "neither the day nor the hour" to this
situation. The only way for these two viewpoints to be true, there
needs to be
two separate distinct events transpiring here, the rapture of the
Church before
the tribulation, and Jesus' returning to earth seven years later.
The Marriage
Supper of the Lamb
In Luke 12:36 the word states that when Christ returns, He will be
returning
from a wedding. In Rev 19:7-8 we read about the marriage itself. Before
the
marriage takes place, there is the marriage supper. According to Jewish
custom,
first the marriage contract is drawn up, often including a dowry. This
parallels the act of faith we use when we trust Jesus to be our savior.
The
dowry is His life, which was used to purchase us. When the time comes
for the
wedding to take place, the groom goes to the bride's house unannounced,
she
comes out to meet him, and they both return to his father's house. This
is an
exact correlation of the events according to the pre-trib scenario.
Jesus the
groom comes down from heaven, calls up the Church, the Church next
rises into
the air to meet Jesus, and then both He and the bride return to the His
Father's house (heaven). The marriage supper itself will take place up
in
heaven, while down here on earth the final events of the tribulation
are
playing themselves out. After the marriage supper takes place, the
bride and
groom are presented to the world as man and wife. This matches the time
when
Jesus returns to earth, accompanied by an army "clothed in fine linen,
white and clean." (Rev 19:14)
What They Didn't
Teach You in History Class
There are many groups that are trying to discredit the pre-trib
rapture,
primarily because they believe most of the end time events in the Bible
have
already taken place. By 70 AD, or the Middle Ages, they see just about
all of
the apocalyptic scriptures as being already fulfilled. If the book of
Revelation were truly just a part of history, it would seem very
difficult for
me to explain away some of the current situations I see occurring
around us:
the rebirth of Israel, the reunification of Europe, the number of
global wars
that have occurred, and the development of nuclear weapons. During
history
class, I must have slept through the part where the teacher talked
about the
time when a third of the trees were burned up, 100 LB hailstones fell
from the
sky, and the time when the sea turned into blood.(Rev 8:7-8, 16:21) I
think
several people would have to question their opposition to the pre- trib
rapture
doctrine if they knew that the evidence provided to them was based on
the
understanding that most tribulation prophecies have already occurred.
The People of the
Millennium
If Christ were to come back after the tribulation, rapture all the
saints, and
slay all the ungodly; who would them be left to populate the
millennium? Only
the pre-trib view point can account for this post-trib problem; the
Church is
raptured before the tribulation, a vast number of souls are saved
during this 7
year time frame, and those that make it through the tribulation will go
into
the millennium, while the unsaved are cast into hell.
The Big Flip
In the pre-trib scenario, after we will rise to meet the Lord in the
air, we
will go to heaven and abide there seven years. At the end of the seven
years,
Christ comes down to earth, defeats the Antichrist, and cleanses the
temple. In
a post-trib rapture, we would rise in the air meet the Lord, then do a
180
degree turn and come back down to earth. It states in Rev 1:7 that
Christ will
appear out of the clouds and come down to earth. It says in Zech. 14:4
His feet
will stand on the Mount of Olives. If He's already headed our way, why
would we
need to be caught up to meet Him?
"Come up Hither"
In Rev 4:1 where it says "come up hither," many pre-trib writers cite
this as a prophetic reference to the rapture of the Church. Rev Chapter
1
through 3 is the Church Age. After the shout to "come up hither," the
Church is not mentioned in scripture at all. The attention of scripture
switches from the Church to the Jews living in Israel.
Armies in Fine
Linen
When Jesus returns, Rev 19:14, there is an army that follows Him riding
on
white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. In Rev 19:8 we
are told
the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. If the saints of God
are
returning with Christ, to wage war on the Antichrist, then it is not to
have a
post-trib rapture.
The Time of
Jacob's Trouble
In a number of places, the Bible refers to the tribulation as a time of
trouble
for the Jews. The phrase "Jacob's trouble" pertains to the
descendants of Jacob. In Jeremiah 30:7 it says that this time of
trouble will
come just before the Lord returns to save His people. The final week of
Daniel's 70th week is yet to take place. An angel told Daniel that, "70
weeks are determined unto thy people."(Dan 9:24) Scripture never
mentions
that the tribulation is meant to be a time of testing for Christians,
however
some post-tribbers try to claim they are the ones being tested during
the
tribulation. To make this so, they need to spiritualize the 144,000
Jewish
believers in (Rev 7:2-8) that receive God's protective seal. Placing
the Church
dispensation into the same time frame as the seven year Jewish
dispensation, as
the Post-tribbers do, raises one good question. Can two dispensations
transpire
at the same time? In the past, God has only dealt with only one at a
time.
Having both present during the tribulation, would have to be an
exception.
He That is Taken
Out of the Way (2 Thes. 2:7)
Before the Antichrist can be revealed, Paul said a certain, "He" must
be taken out of the way. The "He" that must be removed, according to
2 Thes. 2:7, is widely thought to be the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
has been
promised to never leave the Church, and without the working of the Holy
Spirit
remaining on earth, no one could be saved during the tribulation. The
removal
of the Church, which is indwelt by the Holy Ghost, would seem the best
explanation for this dilemma. The working of the Holy Spirit could go
on during
the tribulation, but His influence would be diminished because of the
missing
Church.
War or Rapture
(Rev 19:19-21) When Jesus returns at the end of the tribulation, He
will be
coming for battle. For those who believe in a post-trib rapture, it
would be a
strange thing to meet your Lord and Savior just as He's rushing into
battle.
The idea that war and rapture could occur together is a difficult thing
to
imagine, especially since they transpire at the same moment.
The Five Foolish
Virgins
The wedding story that Jesus gave in Mat 25:2-13, I believe, relates a
parable
of the rapture of the Church and how some will not be ready. Jesus
clearly
states that a group of people will miss out on some event, and will cry
out to
God to let them into the place where He resides (heaven). Although some
try to
put this parable in a post-trib context, it doesn't fit very well. The
ones
left behind in a post-trib rapture will not need to seek the lord
because
they'll immediately be confronted by him and his army of angels.
God Hath Not
Appointed Us to Wrath
In 1 Thessalonians 5:9 Paul assures us that God has not appointed His
people to
wrath. The wrath is plainly God's anger that will be poured out during
the
tribulation. Pre-trib believers cite this as meaning that Christians
will be
removed from the earth. Post-trib believers tell a different story.
They
describe this as meaning God will protect Christians during the
tribulation,
and pour this wrath out on the unbelievers only. This idea runs against
the
statement made in Rev 13:7 where the Antichrist is given power to make
war with
the saints and to overcome them. A post-trib view would make God's
promise of
protection from wrath into a lie. In years past, it was possible to
think of
protection from guns and swords. Today when any major war would involve
nuclear
and chemical weapons, it's not possible to expect protection from these
types
of weaponry. When Nagasaki, Japan was bombed during W.W.II, the bomb
exploded
over a Catholic church. Everyone that was in the center of the
explosion died,
both Christians and non-Christians. The only way to validly interpret
God's promise
of protection from wrath, is the bodily removal of the Church from this
world.
The Salt of the
Earth
(Mat 5:13) Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earth." When the
believers are suddenly be removed, the earth will be plunged into
spiritual
darkness. When this happens, the Antichrist will then be free to
control the
world.
God Takes an
Inventory
In Rev 7:3 an angel descends to earth and seals the servants of God.
Two bits
of information are given about this sealing that highly disclaim a
post-trib
viewpoint. The first item is the number of people sealed: 144,000. The
second
one is that all those who are sealed are from the twelve tribes of
Israel. For
the events in Rev 7:3-8 to be true, in a post-trib way, either the
Church has
turned against God or God has turned against the Church. A post-tribber
could
write a thousand word commentary on why the Church doesn't need to be
sealed.
Instead of trying to argue why the Church is not mentioned or sealed, a
pre-trib proponent could just say, "We're already in heaven."
Noah and Lot as
Examples
The tribulation period is compared to the times of Noah and Lot by
Jesus in
Luke 17:28. Most people argue over what time frame Jesus was talking
about hear
pre-trib or post-trib, and miss an important point. The two things that
the
Noah and Lot situations have in common are the removal of the righteous
and the
judgment of the unbelievers. From these two accounts, we see that God
prefers
to remove His own when danger is involved.
Common Sense Reasons for Believing in the Pretribulation Rapture
The World Test
One way to check the soundness of a doctrine is to see how the world
reacts to
it. One time a company put out a questionnaire that was used to screen
prospective employees. One of the questions was "do you believe in the
rapture?" If you answered yes, your chances of getting hired would not
be
good. Some Internet sites do not allow for the topics of Rapture or
Second
Coming. They do allow topics like sex, gay, and drugs. The only time
the news
media reports something on the rapture is when someone has set a date
and was
wrong.
That Old Time Religion
It used to be a natural rule of thumb when one was visiting a church or
listening to a preacher, if the church or the preacher taught the
rapture
doctrine, it was logical to assume they also believed in repentance,
prayer,
and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It was also true the churches that
were on
fire for God worshipped out of storefronts. Today many of those
storefront
churches have moved into marble palaces and have strayed from their
principle
doctrines.
Birds of a Feather Flock
Together
Whenever I look at all the groups that teach false doctrine and are
highly
focused on end time events, I cannot find any that support the rapture
theory.
You have organizations like the Jehovah's Witnesses that teach a false
gospel
and are heavily into Bible prophecy. Why then don't Jehovah's Witnesses
teach a
false doctrine that would be right up their alley? Could it be the
demonic
forces that influence these group knows something that Christians
opposed to
the rapture don't. The list of prophetically minded cults that rejects
the idea
of a rapture goes on and on. Here are some more: the Mormons, the
Worldwide
Church of God, the Moonies, and leaders like Jim Jones and David
Koresh.
The Church Would Rebuke the
Antichrist
If the Antichrist came to power with the Church still here, I do not
see how he
could operate. When Hitler was fighting to take over England, a number
of
Christians where praying for victory. Hitler made mistake after
mistake, and
England out performed its enemy at every stage of the conflict. It is
difficult
to measure the actual impact of intercessory prayer in physical
warfare. Little
is known of how great a role praying saints played in the defeat of
Nazi
Germany. If the Church were to reside on earth during the tribulation,
I am
sure she would give the Antichrist fits. In Rev 11:3, the two witnesses
give
the Antichrist enough headaches alone. Millions of Christians, who know
their
Bible well, would recognize the man of sin and pray fire down on his
head. The
post-trib view would have to plan on the Church just rolling over and
playing
dead, the whole seven years.
There is one thing we should all remember. Whether we or not we know the Antichrist's mother's maiden name isn't the primary goal. Knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and having your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life -- this should be our number one priority. The jailer asked Paul, "what must I do to be saved?" The answer was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."(Acts 16:30-31)