Some day there will be a bunch of
people missing.
Maybe it just recently happened.
Maybe that's why you are reading
this.
Someone will notice that all the
missing were followers of Jesus Christ.
That means something really serious
is happening in the spiritual realm.
So - what do I do next?
The Bible says that at some point in time millions
of people all over the world will suddenly vanish. If you are
still around after they are gone, then you will need some guidelines
on what to do. This is such a guideline. Bible references follow
pertinent information.
Why was it
only certain people that vanished? Christians? And only certain
Christians, not all church-goers?
Because, when this incredible event
took place, the only people who disappeared were those who were
true Christians.
Bible believing Christians understand
the Bible to plainly teach that some day Jesus Christ will come
for His church, and all those who have trusted in Him for salvation
will be instantly translated from earthly bodies into having heavenly
bodies like the Lord Jesus had after His resurrection from the
grave. If all believers all over the earth have suddenly disappeared
from sight, then that prophecy has come to pass. (1st Corinthians
15, 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Jesus Christ knows those that are His,
but the church-goers who were just going through the motions,
who were not real believers, those who had never actually received
Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin, got left behind. Sad, but
true.
Maybe you thought you were a Christian
because you grew up going to church, going to to Sunday School,
whatever.
That's not enough. Growing up in a
hospital can teach you the lingo, but it doesn't make you a doctor.
Same principle.
The only way you become a Christian,
is by trusting the Lord Jesus Christ to take away your sins.
So now what happens?
Now you get to make some serious decisions
about your immediate future. God has intruded into your reality
in an unprecedented way, and you need to decide how you will respond.
Unfortunately, none of your options will be pleasant, and you
don't have a lot of time to choose.
First, make up your mind that the Bible
means what it says, and says what it means. God just got done
proving that, all the Christians are gone. He said they would,
and they did. Everything else He said is also going to happen.
End of discussion.
Next, the reason you are not gone,
is because you do not currently belong to God. You are outside
His covenant of salvation. You never trusted Jesus Christ to take
away your sins. Sin is what separates you from God. In Romans
3:23, it says "All have sinned and come short of the glory
of God." Maybe you are a good person, a nice person, a kind
person. That is not enough, God is perfect, and sin cannot come
into His presence. Any sin is disqualifying. Any sin.
That's because sin against God is treason,
rebellion. Maybe you don't see it that way, but that's what it
is, and you will understand it soon enough, because there is a
spiritual war going on between God and Satan, it has gone on for
ages, and your sin against God has left you behind in the enemy's
camp when Jesus took His followers away. Very shortly, that war
will be totally obvious to anybody willing to see. And unless
you are on God's side, you are a traitor. That's why Romans 6:23
says "For the wages of sin is death." Death is the penalty
for treason.
Fortunately for you, Romans 6:23 continues
-"But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord." God does not want you to die, God wants you to
live. But like any rebel, first you need to surrender, throw down
your arms, and change sides. You need to swear allegiance to a
new King.
God has made provision that those who
turn from their sin and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation will
have their sin taken away. Their treason will be forgiven, because
Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself on the cross and died
to make atonement for them. Romans 5:6 tells us "For when
we were still without strength, in due time time Christ died for
the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet
perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God
demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."
If you will ask God to show you your
sin, ask Him to forgive you of it, teach you to hate it and turn
from it, if you trust the Lord Jesus Christ to take away your
sins, God will cleanse you from your sin and create in you a spiritual
new birth. Romans 10:9 says "That if you will confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
If you will do this, then God will
save you, and your name will be written down in heaven as belonging
to Jesus Christ. (Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, etc)
What if I don't do this? What if
I don't trust Jesus Christ for salvation?
Short version: There is about to be
an all out war between the forces of hell and God, and everybody
that doesn't belong to God is toast. Forever.
What if I do become a Christian?
Isn't this when the Antichrist shows up? And a lot of bad things
happen?
Make up your mind now that things are
not going to be pretty. Yes, the Antichrist will show up, and
yes, a lot of bad things will happen. There is a good chance you
will not survive. But look at it this way: everybody for the last
6,000 years has died, you wern't exempt before, still aren't,
and now you at least have a chance to make your life count for
something. Of course, if you had trusted Christ for salvation
a while ago, your residence and prospects during this horrible
period would be very different than what you currently have to
look forward to, but it's a bit too late for that.
So what is going to happen?
There will be a notable treaty made
that guarantees peace and safety for Israel, and the person who
engineers it will be the Antichrist. This is the specific event
that starts the clock ticking to begin the seven year tribulation
period.
There will be a huge number of people
who become Christians, along with a substantial number of Jews
who recognize Jesus Christ as Messiah. Work together, you have
a common Savior and a common goal.
There will also be a huge influx of
all sorts of religions into the remnants of the organized Christian
church - now totally apostate - who will follow the Antichrist.
Avoid these people other than to try and persuade them to trust
Christ for salvation, they cannot help you now.
The Antichrist will have a religious
Prime Minister - you find him in Revelation 13:11 through 18,
- who will be able to pull off all sorts of religious/occult signs
and wonders, spiritual fireworks of every kind, don't be surprised
at anything, no matter how remarkable. (Healing the sick? Raising
the dead? Angelic figures? Visiting Avatars from space? It's Showtime!)
Don't believe anything any of them say or do.
If you have become a Christian, a follower
of Jesus Christ, you will be considered a heretic, and life will
be extremely difficult. Expect martyrdom. The passage in Revelation
just quoted references the infamous mark of the beast - 666 -
which all followers of the Antichrist will be required to accept.
No one really knows what this mark consists of, but if it comes
down to this, make up your mind to die rather than take the mark,
because apparently this is what separates the real Christians
from the wannabes. The death of your body is temporal, it only
lasts a while. Hell is forever.
A confederation of countries will attack
Israel. God will provide a miraculous deliverance.
Isalm is sort of an unknown variable
in all this, but Islam has it's own concept of a messiah figure
they call the Imam Mahdi. They even have their own version of
an antichrist, and his discription in Islamic writings makes him
appear to fit the Christian concept of - Jesus Christ. The Islamic
end-times eschatology is sort of an "evil twin" reverse
image of Christianity's. So expect them to be involved in some
fashion. It is entirely possible that they may actually be the
primary players.
There will be an incredible number
of improbable natural disasters happening on the earth, the sun
and the moon, there will be asteroid impacts, the death of most
of the world's oceans, vast fires destroying the world's forests,
the sun growing hotter - all designed to get the attention of
mankind that there is a cosmic struggle going on, and that mankind
needs to cease rebellion against God and His Son, Jesus Christ
and ask for forgiveness. The refusal of almost all mankind to
do so shows the righteousness of God in pouring out judgement
on the earth and its inhabitants.
Seven years after the Antichrist signs
his treaty with Israel, Jesus Christ will return in power and
glory. Satan, the Antichrist, and his followers are dealt with
and the Lord Jesus sets things back right. If you survive the
tribulation, congratulations. If you were martyred during the
tribulation for your faithfulness to Jesus Christ, congratulations.
You win either way.
This is the abbreviated version, the
detailed version is in the Bible. If the Christians are already
gone, then once the treaty is signed with Israel, the Bible will
become almost like a script that is being revealed in real time.
Pay attention to it, study it, live by it. Your ability to figure
it out real time will probably be much more accurate than the
best prophetic theology done ahead of time.
Closing Thoughts
Revelation 7, verses 9 through 13 tell
of a great multitude of people, greater than anyone can number,
coming out of the tribulation period and God wiping away all tears
from their eyes. These are the ones who were faithful to Jesus
Christ during the tribulation period. Many of them seal their
faith with their blood. They were willing to die for what they
believed.
Make sure you are one of them.
WARNING:
It is incredibly risky to read and
ponder such information as this and then put off making a decision
for Christ. 2nd Thessalonians 2:9-12 warns that those who know
the truth and reject it are almost certain to be deceived by the
Antichrist during the tribulation period. It might even be impossible
for someone who reads this prior to the tribulation, (deciding
to "wait and see") to come to a decision for Christ
during the tribulation. If the Holy Spirit invites you to trust
Christ and you reject Him, you have no guarantee that He will
ever ask you again.
2nd Corinthians 6:2 tells us "Behold,
now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation."
Later might be too late. It might
even be impossible.