Posted on 07/02/2013 5:05:25 AM PDT by Gamecock
Some Christians believe that Jesus will return secretly, and the “rapture,” when Jesus “catches up” believers into the clouds of glory with him will be secret. As a young Christiain I watched a number of movies about this secret rapture. I particularly remember one called “A Thief in the Night.” The opening scene shows a young woman waking up with the radio on announcing the sudden worldwide disappearance of thousands. She calls out for her husband a couple times, gets no answer, so she gets up and goes into the bathroom only to find his electric razor laying in the sink buzzing. Terrified, she screams.
You can watch the opening sequence of “A Thief in the Night” here.
My friend Jim recently told me that when he was 11 years old at a church camp they showed all the kids that same movie in the rec hall right before bed. “We were all scared after we saw it, and it made a big impression on me.” Jim said that every morning the camp would play reveille over loudspeakers and everybody would get up, make their beds, and go down in front of the dining hall, line up, say the pledge of allegiance, and march into dining hall. If not there, you’d get in trouble. When Jim woke it was thundering and lightning. He looked around and everybody was gone. No one was in the cabin. Terrified he thought the rapture had happened. He ran out of the cabin. All the cabins were empty. The dining hall was down the hill. He ran down and could see that nobody was lined by the flag pole. Then to his great relief he saw the other campers in the dining hall. “Boy was I happy. I was quite relieved that the rapture hadn’t happened.”
“A Thief in the Night” takes its title from Matthew 24:43-44:
But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:43-44)
We must live every day as if Jesus might return that day. We don’t know when will come. But when he does he won’t come secretly.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
Believers who have died and those alive when Jesus returns will be “caught up together…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” but it won’t be in secret. The whole world will hear the “cry of command,” “the voice of an archangel” and the “sound of the trumpet of God” announcing the presence of Jesus. What will these things sound like? These sounds will strike terror into the hearts of all who are unprepared for Jesus to return, but will be joyful alerts to Christians. They will announce the joy of seeing Jesus and being with him, eternal pleasures at the marriage feast of the Lamb, along with all our loved ones who had entered heaven before us.
Jesus’ return is going to be visible and bright as well:
and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8)
For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:24-27)
No one will miss Jesus’ return. The “rapture” won’t happen in secret. Will unbelievers see us caught up to be with Jesus? Will we see each other flying through the sky toward our Lord and his angels? I don’t know. But it’s going to be loud. And bright. And glorious. I can’t wait.
Some years ago websites were set up to send post-Rapture messages to loved ones. It required users to provide a password that they had to submit at intervals or the messages would be sent.
This gave some wit a naughty idea. They set up a website to get this information and messages, then they got a bunch of fake names and addresses, to send these messages randomly to the emails of the senders and receivers.
So, all at once, people would get emails from people that did not exist, claiming to have been their friend. Who they, of course, would not remember.
Fortunately, the wits wised up and decided to not send out all these fake emails, as it might have resulted in some real harm, not just confusion.
Why do so many content themselves being liked to cattle and sheep?
Does not the shepherd feed himself of the flock?
Do you honestly suppose that a shepherd when hard pressed would sacrifice his life in exchange for one of the flock?
Better to give a sheep away and live to fight another day :)
Give thanks that both of your feet hit the floor. Some veterans don’t have their feet anymore.
Or that you aren’t ravaged by diabetes and had to have your feet removed.
Always, give thanks.
We must live every day as if Jesus might return that day. We don’t know when will come.
We do not know the day or hour when He will come. Or, more likely, when we will go to Him.
In the wake of a death in the family I've been hitting the resurrection passages a lot this past couple weeks. The resurrection is the great hope the new testament points us to, far more than just "dying and going to heaven" (though that is certainly there).
"And the dead in Christ will rise first."
Why disappointed you are still here? God gave you the life to live and praise him. whether here or in the next life, be with God.
Part of the tension of life in this age.
I watched 'Thief in the Night' as well...I am convinced that I read in the scriptures that events in the film will happen as portrayed...
If one takes the Gnostic view that everything here is bad and evil, one longs for death, even until suicide (Cathars) and see's the entrance of children as a perpetuation of maya...
"Life for me has become utterly unbearable with all that is going on."
I certainly understand the sentiment.I hope you take the following as an encouragement!
John 16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before *Him* endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before *us*
"Sometimes I am convinced the rapture has happened and I didnt make the cut"
Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
1 John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Mark 5:36 ...Be not afraid, only believe.
God bless
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