LEFT BEHIND
by Todd
Strandberg
I realize this web page will
be addressing two audiences: those of you who read this page before the rapture
and those of you who read it after the rapture. My focus here will be on those
who have found this page after the rapture of the Church. For anyone reading
this material before the pre-trib rapture, I highly recommend that you ponder
the negative consequences of being left behind and seriously consider
committing your life to Jesus if you have not done so already.
What's Happened?
Right now, I'm sure there's a
tremendous battle going on, with people offering various points of view and
trying to explain why much of the population has suddenly disappeared into thin
air.
It's likely that the media is
teeming with possible explanations for the disappearances. It would be foolish
for me to try to guess what authorities will be telling the general population.
I will boldly say the cause of this event was supernatural. The mass
disappearance of all these people was the result of the Lord Jesus Christ
removing from the earth all believers who were spiritually ready. This
catching-up of the Christians into heaven is referred to as the rapture of the
Church.
"For
the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words"
(1 Thes 4:16-18).
"Behold,
I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality"
(1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
Why Didn't He Take Me?
If you are reading this after
the rapture, you need to realize that you have been left behind. At this time,
you may be feeling rejected by God. You might be saying to yourself, "Why
didn't He take me?" or "I don't understand; I've led a good
life." The problem isn’t that God rejected you; the problem is that you
have rejected Him. By not committing your life to Jesus and by declining to follow
Him, you have left Him with no choice but to leave you behind.
"Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven"
(Matthew 7:21).
"For whosoever shall do
the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister,
and mother"
(Matthew 12:50).
"Come now, and let us
reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool"
(Isaiah 1:18).
Is There Hope For Me?
Depending on when you read
this article, you may have heard people say, "Because we've missed the
rapture, we are lost forever." That assumption is totally wrong! The only
way you can find yourself eternally lost is by receiving the Mark of the Beast
on your right hand or forehead. Barring that, as long as you have breath in
your lungs, you can gain salvation by trusting in Jesus Christ as your Savior.
"... him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out"
(John 6:37).
"Come unto me, all [ye]
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"
(Matthew 11:28).
"But as many as received
him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that
believe on his name"
(John 1:12).
According to Revelation, a huge number of people will be saved during the tribulation. Some scholars have predicted that tribulation believers would grow to outnumber the saints that were just raptured.
"After this I beheld,
and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands" (Revelation 7:9).
"And he said to me,
These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14).
Why
Do I Need Jesus Christ To Be My Savior?
To be allowed to pass through heaven's gate, you need to have all of your sins removed. The only industrial strength cleanser strong enough to thoroughly remove sin stains is the blood of Jesus Christ.
You could say heaven is much like the "clean rooms" where computer companies make their microchips, and sin is like any dust or dirt that might try to find its way into one of those rooms.
The manufacturing process for
microchips requires "clean rooms" to be absolutely spotless, with
virtually zero free-floating dust or dirt particles that could damage the
delicate microchips.
Because humans are naturally contaminated with all kinds of dirt and dust particles, whenever workers enter one of these "clean rooms," they need to wear a special suit that prevents them from giving off particles.
To prevent heaven from becoming contaminated with sin particles, God has long set the requirement that anyone desiring to enter into His untarnished dwelling place needs to be covered by the blood of Jesus.
The sin decontamination process is very simple - you simply ask Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for it. First, admit your sinful state. Next, ask Jesus to forgive you of your wrongdoings. Finally, make Jesus Christ Lord of your life by surrendering your will to Him.
By dying on the cross, Jesus
made it possible for each of us to be granted a full pardon from the punishment
of eternal damnation. The reason so few people accept this pardon is that they
don't think they need a Savior or they want to find their own way of salvation.
"Then said Jesus unto
his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and
whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man
profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
(Matthew 16:24-26).
"...if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation"
(Romans 10:9-10).
"For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life"
(John 3:16).
Changing Your
Direction
After making Jesus the Lord of your life, you need to change the direction of your life. I remember when I was a young lad, I was on vacation with my parents, and we were headed to a city in Minnesota. We made a turn that some of us in the car questioned. It wasn't until almost an hour later that we realized we were definitely headed in the wrong direction. Well, after having a spirited debate about proper automobile navigation, we found our bearings and headed toward our original destination.
Once you realize you have been
heading in the wrong direction, the only option that makes sense is to turn
right around and start heading in the right direction.
You cannot just say a few
words and then continue on your merry way. You need to make a full commitment
to Jesus Christ by reading His words and following His examples of holy living.
"Enter ye in at the
strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it"
(Matthew 7:13-14).
There Will Be Strong
Delusion
I imagine that on the Sunday
immediately following the rapture, every church on earth will be filled to
overflowing. Suddenly, all those left behind will discover a need to renew
their faith.
Unfortunately, the revival is
going to be very short-lived. The Apostle Paul, in the Book of Thessalonians,
predicts that because most men's hearts will still love unholy living, they
will follow after a deception that God Himself will send. Jesus foretold that
the false prophets would arise using "great signs and wonders" to
trick people into believing satanic lies.
There will be no middle ground.
The people who failed to fully dedicate their lives to Christ will be
totally ensnared by the demonic delusion that will sweep over the world.
"And with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all
might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness"
(2 Thes 2:10-12).
"For there shall arise
false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders;
insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect"
(Mat 24:24).
During the next few years, a
world leader--whom the Bible calls the Antichrist--will arise. At first, he
will seem like the most benevolent leader who has ever held office. However, by
the end of the tribulation, he will easily put the likes of Hitler and Stalin
to shame. Because the lies of the Antichrist and false prophets will be so
pervasive, you will need to assume that everything you read and hear in the
mass media is tainted doctrine. Your only source for the truth must now
exclusively come from the Bible.
Do Not Trust Christian
Leaders After The Rapture
In the coming days, you will see and hear messages from some of the biggest names in Christendom on radio and TV, and these messages won't be ones recorded before the rapture. The broadcasts you'll be hearing will be either live or taped after the rapture. They will be from Christian leaders who have also been left behind.
Millions of people will be reassured by the fact that their favorite Christian celebrities are still here on earth. I expect most of these well-known leaders, possibly out of embarrassment, will be working feverishly to disprove the rapture event. They may say things like, "I don't know where or why those people disappeared, but I will tell you this: That was not the so-called rapture of the Church."
I'm sure it will be quite
confusing to hear people who were regarded as the leading authorities on the
pre-tribulation rapture now proclaiming contradictory theories. Don't listen to
them, no matter how well respected they appear.
Many religious and political
leaders will attempt to persuade you into believing some logical explanation
for the rapture. All of their lies will be contrary to the Word of God.
Remember, they were left behind just like you; what business do they have
instructing you?
Enduring To The End
Well, folks, here comes the unpleasant news. Most of you will likely have to choose martyrdom if you wish to maintain your commitment to Jesus Christ. There will be no middle ground. During this tribulation hour, you will have to choose between two masters--the Antichrist or Jesus Christ.
Your decision to follow Jesus
will not be a popular one. The majority of the world's population will soon be
falling captive to the Antichrist's hypnotic words. Because true believers will
refuse to join the chorus of praise, the Antichrist will demand that all
nonconforming Christians be put to death.
"And it was given unto
him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him
over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear.
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with
the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of
the saints"
(Revelation 13:7-10).
"And when he had opened
the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the
word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud
voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge
our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto
every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a
little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should
be killed as they were, should be fulfilled"
(Revelation 6:9-11).
At first, it may seem rather
easy to secretly be a follower of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, very soon the
Antichrist will be requiring everyone to receive a mark in his or her right
hand or forehead. This electronic implant will be the means by which everyone
will buy and sell goods and services. If you do not have this implant, it will become
quite obvious..
"And that no man might
buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number
of his name"
(Revelation 13:17).
Because the Bible says that
everyone who receives this implant (Mark of the Beast) will be eternally lost,
I'm going to strongly advise you to decline the offer when the government
informs you that it has your implant ready for insertion.
"And the smoke of their
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night,
who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name"
(Revelation 14:11).
In the coming persecution, you will probably face some of the greatest trials that Christians have ever had to endure. How long will you have to endure? From the time the Antichrist declares himself to be God, there will be only 1,260 days until Christ returns to earth.
As time passes and the
suffering caused by the tribulation grows more severe, your desire to see
Christ should grow all the more stronger. From my understanding of Scripture, I
would guess most tribulation saints will not live to see the conclusion of the
tribulation. If you are facing a situation that requires you to lay down your
life, I promise you that the brief moment of pain will be nothing compared to
the pleasures of an eternity in God's glory.
"And ye shall be
hated of all [men] for my name's sake: but he that endures to the end shall be
saved"
(Matthew 10:22)
