Most
Christians would not be Raptured
The rapture is the hope of hundreds of millions of Christians.
Unfortunately, according to Bible prophecy, most will be "left
behind" weeping and gnashing their teeth (as Jesus portrayed it).
This can happen if we trust in what men have taught and not what Jesus
actually said about belonging to him at his coming (1Corinthians 15:23).
Find out what most Christians are missing about the true requirements for
the rapture so that you can be sure not to be left behind.
“Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.” 2 Peter 1:10-11
Among
Christians, the rapture is the most important event in Bible prophecy. The
aspect of the rapture most discussed without a doubt is the question of when it will happen, either in absolute and relative
terms.
Absolute
timing would be all the date speculation and date setting constantly made (that
constantly fails). Then there is the endless debate over its timing relative to
the Great Tribulation. It would be an
But having
that answer wrong is not a problem. Millions of saints (including Abraham,
Moses, Elijah, David, etc.) have already secured their position in the Kingdom
of God without ever knowing a single thing about the rapture—including the
correct timing of it relative to the Great Tribulation.
The real
problem with all this debate over the questions of when, is that it causes the
truly important rapture issue to be overlooked: Who will be in the rapture and how do they qualify for it? Of course, Christians think
that question is already settled. They think that by simply believing in Christ
they are "rapture-ready."
In other
words, the prevailing notion is that all believers will make it. But is this
theory really
I'm quite
convinced that not all believers will be in the rapture.
Consider My Friend, Harold – Rapture Material?
Take my
friend Harold, for example. He lives within walking distance of me so we see
each other frequently and as a result, I know him well. He is a believer,
however, few Christians would recognize him as such. He does not talk a lot
about Jesus. If you asked him what church he goes to, he would answer,
"None."
He does not
keep Christmas or Easter, either. He has no pastor and therefore also does not
tithe anywhere. He mostly is busy getting things done on Sundays since he
sleeps in late with his wife on Saturday after a long hard work week at their
jobs.
Based on
this brief profile of him, would you expect to see Harold in the rapture? I bet
most Christians would have their doubts. They would not be wrong in principle
to wonder, but not for the reasons they think. For the Bible does teach that
there will be believers left
Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth By Left Behind Believers
There is an
abundance of passages in the New Testament teaching that some believers in Jesus
are going to have the supreme disappointment when Jesus comes back to rapture
people into the Kingdom:
“21 Not everyone
who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the
one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to
Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your
name, and do many miracles in Your name?' 23 Then I will announce to them,
'I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!'” Matthew 7:21-23 (HCSB)
People are
described as calling Jesus their Lord and even busy doing works in his name.
Yet they are still rejected by him. Although they clearly believe, they have
some flaw that Jesus calls “lawbreaking” that makes them unacceptable to
inherit the Kingdom of God.
Next let's
look at the the Letter to the Church of Laodicea. Of course, the Church of
Laodicea is not made up of unbelievers. It's made up of believers, like all
seven of the churches of Revelation. Yet what do we find:
“15 I know your
works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that
you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor
cold, I am going
to vomit you
out of My mouth. ...you don't know that you are wretched, pitiful,
poor, blind, and naked, 18 I advise
you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see.” Revelation 3:15-18 (HCSB)
The letter
tells the lukewarm believers there that they are naked and need to buy “white clothes”: Their works have been
examined and found to be flawed. Their central fault is called nakedness or a
lack of white clothing. For this and other faults they are going to be vomited
out of Jesus' mouth.
Obviously
vomit will not be going up in the rapture (although it might be found going
down from the dizzying heights).
We see the
same cause for rejection from the kingdom in the Parable of the Wedding
Banquet:
“But when the king came in to view the guests, he
saw a man there
who was not dressed for a wedding. 12 So he
said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in herewithout wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. 13 “Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie
him up hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, 
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” Matthew 22:12 (HCSB)
These
wedding garments are clearly a key requirement for the rapture, but what are they meant to represent?
We will see
that they are equivalent to the works related to the law that some believers
are accused of breaking in the verse above.
Are you struggling
with a big decision or wondering how your eternal future will play out?
Why not talk to the
God of the universe and let Him work in your behalf?
He says, “I will instruct you and teach you the way
you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8).
Ask God to show you
what to do. Pray the following prayer:
“Heavenly
Father,
I
admit that I am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You. I now want to
turn away from my past sinful life and begin a new life with You.
Please
forgive me. I now receive your Son, Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Master and my
Lord. I believe and confess that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and
rose from the dead.
I
want to receive all that Jesus Christ has provided for me as my Savior. Your
Word says, ‘Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved’ (Romans
10:13).
I
believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and
no man comes unto the Father, but by Him.
Lord
Jesus, I pray and ask You, to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I
thank You that you have given me eternal life, and according to Your Word, I am
born again.
Heavenly
Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit that is in me now. I
surrender my life to You. I promise to study Your Word - the Bible.
Use
me for Your glory.
In
Jesus Name. Amen.”
Related
Posts:
lyrics
In the twinkling of an eye, He is coming
Like a thief in the night, He’ll be there
We will meet Him in the air in all His glory
Maranatha, He is coming, He’ll be there
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
He’s coming again
If He came here today, would you be ready?
Would you know for sure that He’s your Lord?
By accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
We will live with the King forevermore
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
He’s coming again
In the twinkling of an eye, He is coming
Like a thief in the night, He’ll be there
We will meet Him in the air in all His glory
Maranatha, He is coming, He’ll be there
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
He’s coming again
Maranatha
Coming again
Maranatha
Coming again
In the twinkling of an eye, He is coming
Like a thief in the night, He’ll be there
We will meet Him in the air in all His glory
Maranatha, He is coming, He’ll be there
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
He’s coming again
If He came here today, would you be ready?
Would you know for sure that He’s your Lord?
By accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
We will live with the King forevermore
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
He’s coming again
In the twinkling of an eye, He is coming
Like a thief in the night, He’ll be there
We will meet Him in the air in all His glory
Maranatha, He is coming, He’ll be there
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
Maranatha, Maranatha
Yes, Jesus is coming again
He’s coming again
Maranatha
Coming again
Maranatha
Coming again
Tim McHyde is the founder of EscapeAllTheseThings .com
and a blogger on Bible prophecy since 1999.
escapeallthesethings.com
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