The Rapture...it is a subject that every pastor will encounter at some point in their ministry. But before You roll Your eyes and say "not another rapture article".
Please hear me out...I'm not going over the basics or origins of what pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-tribulation rapture is. There are many articles, videos and sermons that bear witness to these viewpoints.
Instead, I'm going to propose a theory that the "Rapture" itself could possibly be a cause of the great "Falling Away". The great apostasy as it is also called.
Many Christians have been taught that We will escape the coming Great Tribulation and this pre-tribulation rapture has long been the most popular viewpoint of rapture lore.
Many have settled it in their hearts that We will NOT be here when the Anti-Christ makes his appearance and therefore will NOT have to endure the incredible hardships described in
the Great Tribulation.
But what if...pre-trib adherents like John Darby, John Hagee and the folks over at TBN or CBN are wrong.
Think about it...
You expected to be out of here but now You start to see things such as:
The end result (for Most, NOT all)...A great disillusionment, a rethinking that maybe I was wrong all along in my Faith in Jesus. Jesus said He would "Come back for Us"...so why are we suffering like this!?!?! "Why are we still here!?!?" ...a tragic fulfillment of
a prophecy from Apostle Paul.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-4 - Now, brethren, †concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ †and our gathering together to Him, ...for that Day will not come †unless the falling away comes first, and †the man of sin is revealed, †the son of perdition,
Paul confirmed a Key point in 2nd Thessalonians...that the Lord will NOT return until the falling away comes first.
The root cause for this falling away will be a lack of preparedness of the heart. A spiritual preparedness. ...caused by following a false "rapture" doctrine. This is why We must prepare our hearts NOW while there is time.
You cannot will a strong Faith into existence at a moments notice. Our strength of Faith is like a tree that needs time to grow.
To condition Your Faith for detachment from the things of the world.
The reality check here is that some of us may be called to be Martyrs for Jesus. Are You prepared for that? Look at this passage from Revelation 6:
Revelation 6:9-11
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under †the altar †the souls of those who had been slain †for the word of God and for †the testimony which they held. 10And they cried with a loud voice, saying, †“How long, O Lord, †holy and true, †until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11Then a †white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them †that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
Yes...Your read that right..."Slain", "Killed". So when it comes to Martyrdom. It could be that for many of Us...that could be the limit of Our Faith.
An important question that is a thorn to pre-tribulation adherents and One they try to gloss over is "why are the elect still around during the Great Tribulation?".
Why would these Christians with the Highest Level of faith be left on Earth ?
But Jesus said it very clearly in Matthew 24:29-31
29†“Immediately after the tribulation of those days †the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30†“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, †and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31†“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His Elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
From Jesus own mouth...The Elect gathered "after the tribulation of those days"!!!
There is no scripture where the Lord Jesus said, "I'll take some of my elect at my coming...but i'll leave some of my elect until next time". Silly when You think of it that way, huh?
On the surface, is that even fair? the God of Justice, taking out Christians before the start of the tribulation but leaving
out His most important "Chosen" ones? The Elect?!?!? Does this even make sense?
~ and from a different account in Mark 13...
Mark 13:24-27
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25“the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be †shaken. 26†“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27“And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.
So You see...The Elect "His Chosen"... will be here on Earth and go through the Great Tribulation. Those that had the strength to overcome, be tested and
endured to the end.
Matthew 10:22 - And †you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. †But he who endures to the end will be saved.Who
did not love their lives to the death.
Revelation 12:11 - And †they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, †and they did not love their lives to the death.
Are You ready Friend? Are You spiritually ready to face whatever Our Lord requires of You? With or Without Rapture?
It all starts with this one Word