Posted on 01/22/2011 7:01:33 AM PST by kindred
Greetings in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ!
For a future not so distant day...
This brief letter is written to those of you who have been left behind. May I calm your great anxiety and fears with this great message of hope! God loves you and cares greatly for you. He has a great plan, purpose and future for you and your life. He wants only and always the highest and best things for you. So please give your ear and full attention to the words that follow. The days ahead will be days that will not be easy - in fact they will be quite horrendous. But be of good cheer and of good courage. Have Faith in Almighty God and His Word. - Link to Bible Study on the Rapture.
Jesus said, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but hath everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17).
God so loved us that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins and mine! God has thus provided a way to restore fellowship with sinners (all humans), and to remove His righteous wrath that was upon us because of our sins and trespasses. Everyone that puts their trust in Jesus Christ will thus find God's pardon for sin and restored fellowship with Him (1 John 1:1-3). The proof that God will do what He says is shown in what has just transpired, i.e., The Rapture, which is (or was) the abrupt removal of Believers (Christians) from the earth. God foretold in His Word that He would do it and He did! Almighty God never lies and never changes (see Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Hebrews 6:18, 13:8). Almighty God and His Word can therefore be fully trusted! All that put their trust in Almighty God and His Word can be confident that God will do what He says (2 Timothy 1:12).
Basic Facts About Salvation Found in Jesus Christ . All that put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation (the Saved) thus find God's pardon for sin and have Eternal Life. All those who reject Gods saving grace (the Unsaved or Lost) will only receive Gods judgment and wrath (John 3:18).
The Saved will enter Christs Glorious Kingdom, which He will establish at the conclusion of this terrible time of Great World Tribulation, i.e., upon Christ's Second Coming to earth (Matthew 25:33-40). Facing Gods judgment, the Lost are removed from the earth prior to the beginning of Christs 1000-year (Millennial) Kingdom reign (Matthew 24:36-51, 25:41-46).
Another wonderful truth regarding those that are Saved is the deliverance from the power of wrath, darkness, and death (see 1 Thess. 1:10, Col. 1:13, Heb. 2:14-15). The Lost will have to experience the Second Death, which is eternal separation from God in Hell (the Lake of Fire) forever (Rev. 20:11-15). There is a Biblical saying that goes, Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once.
Humble yourselves before Almighty God. Listen to His Word! Have faith to believe Him, and all will be well. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!!
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1John 5:4-5).
The Rapture of the Church and Tribulation Period . As earlier stated, the major event that has just taken place (i.e., the Great Disappearance) is called "The Rapture of the Church." This is the event spoken of in the scriptures when Christ receives unto Himself all True Believers on earth who are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He has come to meet them in the clouds to be united Head and Body, Bride and Bridegroom - forever more.
As the Bible states: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:3).
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he [Christ] shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).
This period following the Rapture of the Church that you presently are in is called, "The Time of Jacob's Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), The Time of Great Tribulation (Matthew 24, Mark 13), and The Time of Indignation and Wrath (Isaiah 34:2; Revelation 6:16-17). These terms describe a seven-year period of great global catastrophe: war, pestilence, famine, desolations, false hopes, false promises and great deception such as the world has never seen (see Revelation chapters 6-19). The only hope you have during this time of great global turmoil is to trust in The Lord Jesus Christ and His Word with all your heart, soul and mind. God has made provision for your total salvation in His wonderful person. Put your trust in Him!
A Brief Overview of Current Events . 1. The first event that will take place after the Rapture is the treaty signed between Israel and their enemies. A Man from Europe will greatly strengthen this treaty and make it work. Dont be deceived! His one goal is to destroy Israel. Dont believe this man, his teachings and political motivations. He is Satan's Anti-Christ. From the signing of this treaty to the Second Coming of Christ is exactly 7 Years (1 week of years or 2520 days; see Daniel 9:26-27).
2. The Gospel message will be preached from Israel by God's Two Jewish Witnesses (Rev 11:3-14) and 144,000 Jewish missionaries (Rev. 7:4-8,14:1-5). Listen to them!!! They bring the True Gospel message. They are God's messengers to the whole earth. Hear them! The Anti-Christ will seek to destroy them and their Gospel message of Jesus Messiah.
3. Beware of the great deception at hand as Jesus spoke of in (Matthew 24:4 and Revelation 12:9). The fearful and unbelieving inhabitants of the earth will be very susceptible to this demonic deception because of the many-faceted catastrophes, conditions and circumstances of this dreadful time. Stay focused and have faith in God and His Word alone (Proverbs 3:5-7)!
4. Love and honor the people of Israel (Genesis 12:2-3). They are God's people and this time period involves them coming back to God as a nation. Love God's chosen people, the Jews (Isaiah 41:8-11). The Anti-Christ and the World system will persecute them with all their hatred and power (Revelation 12, 17:12-14). Line up with God and not with this Wicked World (1 John 2:15-17).
5. Study God's simple plan of salvation, the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and hide it in your heart as the Bible teaches, for these are the Words of Life (2 Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119:11). Share it with anyone who will hear you (Colossians 4:5-6; 1 Peter 3:15). Be faithful, knowing they may kill the body but not the soul (Matthew 10:28-39). Your soul and spirit are possessed by Almighty God as you possess Him. If your life is taken, God will raise you up at the end of this seven-year tribulation period (Rev. 14:13; 20:4-6). Dont be afraid; God is still in control, and He is working all things together for good (Rom. 8:28). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou will be saved! (Acts 16:31)
6. By all means, DO NOT receive the Mark of the Beast! (Rev.13:18, 14:9-11) If you know Christ as Your Savior, you are safely His and the Holy Spirit will make it clear not to take it. If you know not yet Christ, then do not let yourself be deceived. The mark might bring temporary relief but doom for eternity! Trust in Christ as your Savior! Do not be swayed by the lies of the enemy! Dont take the mark of the beast for any reason.
7. Again, place your trust in Almighty God and His Word alone! God is always right in what He says and does, and He is merciful and faithful in all His ways (Psalm 103:17-18; 1 Corinthians 10:13). This ought to bring great comfort and encouragement to your hearts. No matter what happens, remember that you belong to the Most High God and are eternally safe! (John 10:28)
The Kingdom Of Heaven is At Hand! Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shall be saved! (Acts 16:31) It is our desire that this brief letter may bring hope and insight about the Major Event that has just transpired. There are many links on this site that will direct you to the scripture truths about salvation and the current events at hand. Pray for God to give you wisdom and understanding in these days ahead.
The Kingdom of Heaven is truly at hand!!
Maranatha!!
bookmarking to refer back to...nice post by the way, thanks for taking the time to to this!
He is coming indeed.
Dibs on your car!
You are welcome indeed.
The Historic Hope of the Church
by George Ladd
http://www.gospelpedlar.com/articles/Last%20Things/history_prophecy.html
You said “search the scriptures”. i have. (And my Mom raised me Southern Baptist.)
I read your articles for years, learned from them, and found them useful. And I agree with you, about the 7 years of tribulations, etc. I only disagree, on one specific point.
(curiously, often the same people who take Genesis literally, take other passages very symbolically and loosely. ...seems a very inconsistent approach to me.)
But passages do talk specifically about the matyrs and the elect, living through the tribulations.
The chaff is gathered and burned before the good wheat is stored, not after. And many more, which people who know the Bible better than I, have quoted at length.
...only a few vague verses to support Airline pilots being “taken up” mid-flight.
Worse, the Rapture people, never consider if they are wrong, or the damage being caused, by not preparing to live through Tribulations, and doing more to fight evil NOW.
If they thought they would, they would be doing more now, to fight evils gathering now.
There are Christians being torture and killed today, around the world. (Christians like the mother of 5 in Pakistan, raped and imprisoned for “blasphemy”.) Instead of doing more, in the trenches, to help them, rapturists are gleeful they will soon be gone. It is not their problem, not their “table”...
Jesus is coming!!! And i accept His will, instead of looking for an easy out.
Ezekiel 7:19 KJV
They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
http://www.aftertherapturepetcare.com/
...Most Volunteer Pet Caretakers fit this description:
* They are atheist or another non-Christian religion.
* They love animals enough to register with us even though they do not believe there will be a Rapture (or are agnostic about it).
* They are not paid, so they are not signing up simply to make a quick buck. In fact, they’ve agreed to care for the pets they rescue as their own, including being financially responsible for them.
We match Volunteer Pet Caretakers by location and the types of pets they wish to care for. Some Volunteer Pet Caretakers will care for any type of pet, while others express interest in only caring for particular animals, such as only dogs or only cats. They have agreed to seek out other Volunteer Pet Caretakers to help them with our mission if the Rapture occurs. Each Volunteer Caretaker will be given access to our database of animal shelters and other animal rescue groups so they can quickly find other animal lovers to help rescue your pets...
There are Christians being torture and killed today, around the world. (Christians like the mother of 5 in Pakistan, raped and imprisoned for blasphemy.) Instead of doing more, in the trenches, to help them, rapturists are gleeful they will soon be gone. It is not their problem, not their table...
You are right! The “pre-trib rapture” is an American invention.
Christians need to ask themselves if their hope is in the rapture, or in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Go to those scriptures that anticipate souls without number coming to Christ before He returns ONCE, and for all.
As the Bible states: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:3).
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Thank you!!
We all need to read this ever day to keep it in our minds what is coming..I know I try to stay close to God and know I have..I am not a Saint, but I do think I will come face to face with our Lord and Savior ..I get so sad when I see every day what is going on everything is coming into place and he will be here soon..To many hateful things are happening..
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Wonderful promises from the Word of God, but they say nothing about a pre-trib rapture. For that to be true, Jesus would have to return twice, and that’s not Biblical.
Defend your position to the thousands of Christians who are subject to the worst persecutions the world has seen, right now! Where is their pre-trib rapture?
I agree. I am not a pretribulational rapturist. That the rapture occurs cannot be honestly contested Biblically. However, we will experience the Great Tribulation which is shortened “for the sake of the elect”.
“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short Mt 24:22
And I might add the rapture will be much, much more stunning and dramatic than the signless, any moment rapture so commonly taught today. The Church must be prepared.
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