If you are reading this because millions of people have suddenly and
mysteriously disappeared, then you are looking for answers to what has
happened, why it has happened, and what will be happening next.
What Has Happened
First, as to what has happened – Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has
returned.
For 2000 years the Bible has been proclaiming to the world that Jesus
would be coming back. Jesus stated in John 14:3, “I will come back.”
Because Jesus has returned, millions of people who have put their faith
and trust in Jesus as Saviour, accepting His free gift of salvation, have
disappeared in an event called the Rapture.
You might be thinking that there was something mysterious in the sudden
disappearance of millions of people, but the Bible has already explained
this so-called mystery. Jesus said that when He came again, He would
come for those who are saved. He said, “I will receive you to Myself;
that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-4). The Apostle Paul
put it this way: “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep,
but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
The Rapture happened to those of us who accepted Jesus as Saviour, both
those alive and those who had died since Jesus was resurrected. Both
groups – living and resurrected believers – were caught up to be with
Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
This all happened very quickly, like a flash of lightning. Jesus left as
suddenly as He came, taking those who have accepted Him and His
salvation, and leaving behind those who have rejected Him. And you,
sadly, have been left behind.
Well, maybe you know a loved one who has disappeared – a wife, a
husband, a child, a friend – and are wondering what has become of them.
In that flash, as those who had accepted Jesus as their Saviour were
caught up to meet Jesus in the air, they traded their earthly bodies for
bodies that are perfect, imperishable and immortal (1 Corinthians
15:42-44, 50-55).
They sit with Jesus now in Heaven at a great banquet called the
“Marriage Supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19). They will live in great
joy and know no sorrow. They will be with their King and live in love
forever. They are well taken care of, and you don’t have to worry about
them.
Why It Has Happened
But, it is the why of the disappearances that is your cause to worry.
For believers in Jesus were taken out of this world to spare them from
the great wrath that has just begun to befall the planet (Romans 5:9; 1
Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9).
Jesus’ return for all His true believers was just a prelude to His final
Second Coming. The second phase of Jesus’ return is to set up His
Kingdom on earth. Jesus’ Kingdom is why this whole thing is happening.
You see, we have come to the end of one age and will soon be beginning
the age of Jesus’ glorious reign right here on earth. But first, God has
to deal with rebellion – sin – before setting up His Kingdom. God’s
going to use this intermediate time period you now live in to pour out
His wrath on mankind for its continued refusal to accept His Lordship.
The time you live in is called the Tribulation.
What It’s About
What is the Tribulation all about? The unparalleled horror of the
Tribulation is spelled out in detail in both the Hebrew Scriptures and
the New Testament. Isaiah wrote that it will be a day of “the terror of
the Lord” when “the pride of men will be abased” (Isaiah 2:10,17,19).
Zephaniah proclaimed that it will be a “day of wrath,” “a day of trouble
and distress,” and “a day of destruction and desolation.” Men will
stumble around like they are blind and “their blood will be poured out
like dust” (Zephaniah 1:15,17).
This dreary picture is echoed in the New Testament. Jesus said it will
be a time of tribulation “such as has not occurred since the beginning
of the world until now, nor ever shall.” In fact, Jesus said it will be
so terrible that if it were not stopped at the end of seven years, it
would result in the destruction of all life (Matthew 24:21-22).
The Apostle John states that the chaos will be so great that the leaders
of the world will crawl into caves and cry out for the rocks of the
mountains to fall upon them (Revelation 6:15-16).
Why is there going to be such carnage? How could a God of grace, mercy
and love allow such an outbreak of unbridled terror and bloodshed?
One reason is to satisfy the justice of God. Yes, God is characterized
by grace, mercy and love. God is a God of love. Jesus says so in John
3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,
that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life.”
But, God is also a God of justice. The Bible also says in John 3:36, “He
who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the
Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” It is God’s
very nature to love, but also in love to see justice done for evil.
What Comes Next
So, what comes next? For starters, people are going to try to explain
away the Rapture with all sorts of wild theories, like possibly Global
Warming or UFOs. So-called “Christian” leaders are going to come out and
say the Church is still around because they didn’t disappear.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:24 that they cannot be believed, for the times
will be filled with false religious teachers. The greatest of these
false teachers the Bible calls the False Prophet, and he will seemingly
be able to do many miracles and will promote a one-world religion and
leader (Revelation 13:11).
Amid all the chaos from the Rapture, the Bible teaches that the world
will turn to a dynamic leader to bring order and peace (Revelation
6:1-2). He will succeed where no other person has been able in
establishing a peace treaty for Israel (Daniel 9:27). That treaty marks
the official beginning of the 7 years that the Tribulation will last.
But, the world leader, known to believers in Jesus as the Antichrist, is
anything but peaceful. He will plunge the planet into nuclear world war,
resulting in terrible famines, pestilence and mass death. Violence,
disease and starvation will be a way of life. A quarter of the world
population – almost 2 billion people – will die from this war
(Revelation 6).
In Jerusalem, 2 men will appear and preach there for 3 1/2 years that
Jesus is the Messiah the Jews have been looking for (Revelation 11:3).
144,000 Jews will call Jesus their Messiah and also preach about Him
throughout the whole world. Millions will accept Jesus as their Saviour –
hopefully you will be one of them. But, many of those millions of
believers will be killed by the Antichrist for not pledging their
loyalty to him by receiving his mark on either their right hand or
forehead. The persecution of believers in Jesus will be awful in the
Tribulation (Daniel 7:22; Revelation 7).
Next, the greatest earthquake the world has yet experienced will
devastate the planet (Revelation 6:12-14). Something falling from space
will then burn up a third of all the world’s vegetation. A second item
from space, probably a meteor, will crash into the ocean and annihilate
a third of the world’s marine life and ships. A third object from space
will taint the world’s water supply, poisoning millions (Revelation
8:7-11).
The devastation to the atmosphere will block out most of the sun and
moonlight so that the days appear shorter (Revelation 8:12).
Next, some supernatural “woes” will befall mankind. First, the holding
place for a demonic hoard is opened and millions of locust-looking
demons pour out and sting people like scorpions. The pain will last 5
whole months. Second, 200 million riders on horse-creatures will burn
and impale, wiping out a remaining third of the people (Revelation
9:1-19).
Three and a half years into the Tribulation will see the 2 men
witnessing in Jerusalem killed, but 3 1/2 days later come back to life
(Revelation 11:7-12). It will also see the Antichrist supposedly killed
and appear to come back to life as well (Revelation 13:3).
And that’s just the first half of the Tribulation. As bad as the first
half of the seven years is, the next half is even worse (Revelation 16).
Those who take the Antichrist’s loyalty mark on their hand or forehead
will suffer from painful boils. Those who don’t take the mark will be
cut off from commerce and hunted down, but the Bible assures (Revelation
20:4-6) that those who take the mark have made a decision that will last
forever – eternal damnation – so don’t take it!
The oceans and everything in them are totally destroyed, as well as all
the fresh water. The heat from the sun will become scorching. The
Antichrist’s kingdom will fall into pitch darkness.
An even greater earthquake than the one 7 years earlier will flatten the
earth and 100 pound hailstones will crush the inhabitants.
The Euphrates River in Iraq will dry up and a massive army from the East
will cross and enter the Valley of Armageddon in Israel to fight the
Antichrist’s army. This is what the Book of Revelation calls the battle
of Armageddon.
It is the moment that Jesus will gloriously return with all those who
disappeared in the Rapture. Jesus Himself by just speaking will destroy
the armies at Armageddon. Jesus will throw the Antichrist and the False
Prophet into Hell, and Satan into a deep pit. Jesus will be victorious
and all who continued to rebel will be put to death – all of them
(Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-3). This is the Tribulation – the wrath of
God.
What You Can Do
Now, you may be asking “God, why didn’t you tell us all this before the
Rapture so we could get ready.” Well, He did. The Bible clearly teaches
that God never pours out His wrath without warning for He is a just and
loving God who does not wish that any should perish. That is why God
provided the Bible, the Good News about Jesus spreading across the
planet, and the many signs alerting us to the fact that we were living
on the threshold of the Tribulation and soon return of Jesus Christ. God
gave the world every possible chance for 2000 years to repent of its
rebellion and return to Him.
But, it’s not too late for you to be with Jesus unless you’ve taken the
mark. You see, this story has a happy ending. Jesus’ return at the end
of the Tribulation means great joy to those who love him. Jesus will
cleanse the world of evil and the damages from His wrath and restore the
planet to pristine condition. Jesus will rule from Jerusalem over those
who throughout human history have put their faith and trust in Him
(Revelation 20:4-6,9).
You can be one of those people. Whether you die in the Tribulation or
not, it is where you end up eternally that truly matters. Everybody who
does not accept Jesus as Saviour during the Tribulation will go to Hell
for their rebellion. Anyone who accepts Jesus as Saviour, though their
earthly bodies may die during the Tribulation, will then live forever in
glorified bodies with Jesus in His love and glory.
Remember Jesus’ promise in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that
He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not
perish, but have eternal life.” Pray now for forgiveness for your sins
and ask Jesus to be the Saviour and Lord of your life. Don’t delay!
In what little time you have in this life, get a Bible or download one
from Bible.org (or rapture-notes.com ...Keygar), so you know God’s will for your life. Download this and
everything you can from our website at christinprophecy.org or others
like raptureforums.com (or rapture-notes.com ...Keygar) so you can know more about Jesus and what is in
store for you in the Tribulation and the glorious return of Jesus.
Gather quickly with others who have accepted Jesus as Saviour for support
and to worship together.
If you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour, we will be waiting for you on
the other side of this. May God bless you and keep you. Maranatha!
“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who
trust in him.” (Nahum 1:7 NIV)