WHERE DID THEY GO?
( courtesy www.raptureready.com )
WHERE DID THEY GO?
( courtesy www.raptureready.com )
If tens of millions of people worldwide have recently disappeared, then read this. This article will explain what happened to them and what you can expect to happen in the coming days.
No doubt, many have noticed that a common denominator of the missing people is
their spiritual belief in Jesus Christ as Son of God, Savior and Lord.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the events that have occurred and will
soon occur have been prophesied in the Bible, the Word of God:
II Peter 1:19-20 "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you
will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts'. 20 "Above all, you
must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own
interpretation". 21 "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men
spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit".
Romans 8:14 ..because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
The Rapture
First, concerning the disappearance of tens of millions of people. This is what
has been referred to as the “Rapture” in common Christian terminology. The term
rapture isn’t found in modern English translations of the Bible; but is derived
from the Latin Vulgate translation. In verse 16 below, the phrase “caught up” is
from the Latin root word “rapio”: to take away by force. The word rapture is
simply the label given to the event that the apostle Paul calls a “mystery” in
the verse below. That is what Jesus Christ has done with his believers.
1Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 "After that, we who are still alive and are
left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so we will be with the Lord forever".
I Corinthians 15:50 "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable".
51 "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be
changed--" 52 "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the
trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be
changed". 53 "For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the
mortal with immortality".
Above, the Apostle Paul declares the “catching away” as a mystery. The rapture,
as we call it, was first revealed to Paul and not entirely understood or
accepted by believers throughout the ages. But now, you have witnessed it. Why
did it happen? Because the Lord Almighty is about to pour his wrath upon the
earth.
1Thessalonians 5:12 "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ". 10 "He died for us so that, whether we
are awake or asleep, we may live together with him". 11 "Therefore encourage one
another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing".
Revelation 3:10 "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also
keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to
test those who live on the earth". 11 "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have,
so that no one will take your crown".
God has kept his faithful servants from the tribulation the world will soon
experience; as He promised to the ancient church above.
Jesus also warned about the times to come and the signs of the age and gave this
alert:
(the phrase ‘Son of Man’ was a title Jesus used for Himself)
Luke 21:35 "For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole
earth". 36 "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all
that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of
Man."
There are other similarities between the rapture and the days of Noah and the
days of Lot.
Luke 17:24 "For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which
flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other". 25 "But first he must
suffer many things and be rejected by this generation".
26 "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son
of Man". 27 "People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up
to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all".
28 "It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying
and selling, planting and building". 29 "But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and
sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all".
30 "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed". 31 "On that
day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go
down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.
32 "Remember Lot's wife!" 33 "Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and
whoever loses his life will preserve it".
All of these scripture passages plus the parable to follow clearly teach that
Jesus Christ will return to instantly take away his believers filled with His
Holy Spirit to keep them from His wrath to follow. Clearly, God removes His
faithful before his wrath arrives.
I believe the “oil in the lamp” in the following parable is symbolic of the
indwelling Holy Spirit present in true believers.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who
took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom". 2 "Five of them were foolish
and five were wise". 3 "The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil
with them". 4 "The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps". 5 "The
bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell
asleep".
6 "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'"
7 "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps". 8 "The foolish ones said
to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'"
9 "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go
to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'"
10 "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The
virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was
shut.
11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'"
12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'"
13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour".
In Jewish tradition, the bridegroom would prepare a home under the guidance of
his father. When the father decided the home was ready, the bridegroom would
return in a surprise to take away his bride. Below, Jesus tells His followers He
will do just that.
John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me".
2 "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.
I am going there to prepare a place for you". 3 "And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where
I am".
Christians are now in heaven with Jesus for the next seven years of the
tribulation. The Saints in heaven will worship God and partake of the marriage
supper of the Lamb, (Jesus Christ).
Revelation 19:5 "Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
'Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!'"
6 "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing
waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God
Almighty reigns'". 7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding
of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready". 8 "Fine linen, bright
and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of
the saints.) 9 "Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are
invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true
words of God."
Global Government and the antichrist
Now that we have established where all of the true Christians have gone and that
the Word of God, the Bible, had prophesied this thousands of years ago; pray
that you will see the truth in the rest of the article and believe the Word of
God concerning what will happen in the coming days, months and years.
1Thessalonians 1:16 "Be joyful always;" 17 "pray continually;" 18 "give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".
19 "Do not put out the Spirit's fire;" 20 "do not treat prophecies with contempt".
21 "Test everything. Hold on to the good". 22 "Avoid every kind of evil".
I believe that the disappearance of tens of millions of people will cause the
world to panic including economic, political and military instability;
especially nations where enough Christians have vanished; including the United
States. The world economy follows that of the U.S. Certain nations will try to
take advantage of the world confusion and try to fill the power vacuum. It is
very easy to see from my perspective of writing this that Iraq and Syria would
try to attack Israel at this time when the U.S. is severely weakened after the
rapture. In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, chapter 49:23-27 and chapters
50-51, prophesies indicate such a war.
This war seems to be fierce and fast, involving nations to the north (Jer.
50:9). The bulk of Europe and the U.S. are both north of Iraq. Damascus in Syria
is mentioned as being destroyed (49:27); and Babylon, modern day Iraq, is also
destroyed (50:18).
This scenario of war may happen in other ways, involving other countries. But,
however it happens, the stage will be set for the final seven years of human
rule on this planet.
The war above will help cause a global shift of political power and a person
commonly referred to by Christians as the antichrist will be the prominent world
leader. He will promise peace and prosperity if the world follows him. The world
will follow him to avoid a more dangerous war and a worldwide economic collapse.
He will convince the world to follow him by lying. The prophecy below symbolizes
him as the false christ on a white horse. White usually symbolizes peace, but he
will achieve it with military threats (the bow) and an attitude of conquering.
Revelation 6:1 "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I
heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, 'Come!'" 2 "I
looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was
given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest".
The next passage is in the context of world empires and the final reign of human
government. Insight into the antichrist’s ways is given, along with his future.
Daniel 8:23 "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become
completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise". 24 "He
will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding
devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men
and the holy people". 25 "He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider
himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand
against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power".
Not only does God rapture believers to keep them from wrath, but the Holy Spirit
dwelling in believers must be removed to allow the time of lawlessness to begin
upon the earth. In the verse below, the one ‘holding it back until taken out of
the way’ is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will still be on the Earth to enact
God’s specific plan; but His restraining influence will be taken out of the way.
The man of lawlessness is the antichrist. This verse includes a brief preview of
what you can expect from the antichrist.
2Thessalonians 2:1 "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being
gathered to him, we ask you, brothers", 2 "not to become easily unsettled or
alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying
that the day of the Lord has already come". 3 "Don't let anyone deceive you in any
way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of
lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction". 4 "He will oppose and will
exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he
sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God".
5 "Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?"
6 "And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the
proper time". 7 "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the
one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the
way". 8 "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will
overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his
coming". 9 "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of
Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders", 10 "and
in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because
they refused to love the truth and so be saved". 11 "For this reason God sends them
a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie" 12 "and so that all will be
condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness".
In verse 11 above, God allows a powerful delusion to spread among the world so
people will believe the lies of the antichrist. If you are still reading this
article, then I believe you would rather believe the truth than delight in
wickedness. Time is running short for you to make a decision between the two;
before you are deluded and deceived by Satan and his servant, the antichrist.
This is a good opportunity for you to consider believing the Bible is the Word
of God and praying to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, for He will
return at the end of the tribulation period to conquer, judge, rule and reign
forever.
Salvation
John3:5 "The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands".
36 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will
not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
1John1:5 "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is
light; in him there is no darkness at all". 6 "If we claim to have fellowship with
him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth". 7 "But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin".
8 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us".
9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness" 10 "If we claim we have not sinned, we
make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives".
1John2:1 "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if
anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus
Christ, the Righteous One". 2 "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not
only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world".
Dear reader, the above verses sum up the plan of salvation that God has given
us.
Please read them carefully and pray to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord. You
will endure tough times, persecution and most likely death from the antichrist
and his followers. But be strengthened by these verses:
2Corinthians5:5 "Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has
given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come".
6 "Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in
the body we are away from the Lord". 7 "We live by faith, not by sight". 8 "We are
confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the
Lord". 9 "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body
or away from it". 10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad".
Revelation2:10 "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the
devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer
persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will
give you the crown of life". 11 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second
death".
If you have prayed and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are now
considered a tribulation saint. Again, you will suffer and possibly die for
your faith in God because the antichrist is directed by Satan and wishes to
destroy God’s children.
Peace Treaty.... Israel is the focus of God
and the World
Once the antichrist has power, the seven-year tribulation period officially
begins when the he makes a peace treaty involving Israel and other nations.
Daniel2:7 "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of
the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the
temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that
is decreed is poured out on him".
In God’s prophetic timepiece, He has appointed a specific number of years to
finish dealing with His chosen people, the Jews.
Daniel 9:24 "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to
finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in
everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most
holy".
25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and
rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven
'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench,
but in times of trouble". 26 "After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will
be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will
destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will
continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed".
Each “seven” above is seven years. Sixty-two and seven “sevens” have passed.
Leaving one “seven”, since the first verse says there will be seventy total.
This is the final seven years of tribulation that have now arrived. The Anointed
One is Jesus Christ. Christ was cut off when He was crucified. Then, the Roman
Empire in A.D. 70 destroyed Israel and the Temple in Jerusalem. The “people”
referenced above is the Roman Empire and the ruler who will come is the
antichrist who rules from the modern day Roman Empire, perhaps the European
Union.
Isn’t it amazing how a nation that was destroyed and most of her people
scattered about the world over 1900 years ago, has been restored. Just as God’s
Word said it would happen. This is unparalleled in human history. Israel and
Jerusalem are the center of the world’s attention.
Amos 9:14 "I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the
ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit". 15 "I will plant Israel in their own
land,
never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,
says the Lord your God".
Zechariah 12:1 "This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord , who
stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms
the spirit of man within him, declares:" 2 "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup
that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well
as Jerusalem". 3 "On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered
against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All
who try to move it will injure themselves". 4 "On that day I will strike every
horse with panic and its rider with madness," declares the Lord . "I will keep a
watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the
nations". 5 "Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The people of
Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God'".
Zechariah 14:1 "A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided
among you". 2 "I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the
city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the
city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the
city".
3 "Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the
day of battle".
Persecution of Saints
Clearly, a peace treaty and a strong leader will be seen as necessary to stop
the world from destroying itself. The antichrist will seem to fit the bill, but
will really be setting up the world for destruction. Again, the antichrist is
demonically possessed, possibly by Satan himself. The goal of Satan is to
destroy God’s creation and children.
In the passage below, the beast is the antichrist and the dragon is Satan.
Notice how the antichrist is given forty-two months to exercise authority. This
is three and a half years, or until the middle of the ‘seven’. Compare that with
Daniel 9:27 that follows.
Revelation2:13 "And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and
seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a
mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne
and great authority". 3 "One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal
wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and
followed the beast". 4 "Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to
the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast?
Who can make war against him?"
5 "The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to
exercise his authority for forty-two months". 6 "He opened his mouth to blaspheme
God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in
heaven". 7 "He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them.
And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation". 8 "All
inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been
written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the
creation of the world". 9 "He who has an ear, let him hear". 10 "If anyone is to go
into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the
sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and
faithfulness on the part of the saints".
Mark of the Beast
The following passages show how the antichrist will coerce people to worship him
by using a tracking system, also known as the mark of the beast.
Revelation13:14 "Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the
first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up
an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived". 15 "He
was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could
speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed". 16 "He also
forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a
mark on his right hand or on his forehead", 17 "so that no one could buy or sell
unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his
name".
18 "This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of
the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666".
Revelation14:9 "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: 'If anyone
worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the
hand'", 10 "he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured
full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning
sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb". 11 "And the smoke of
their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those
who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his
name." 12 "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey
God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus".
13 "Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die
in the Lord from now on'" .
"Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will
follow them."
Revelation16:1 "Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven
angels, 'Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth'". 2 "The first
angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke
out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image".
Revelation20:4 "I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given
authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because
of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not
worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their
foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand
years". 5 "(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were
ended.) This is the first resurrection". 6 "Blessed and holy are those who have
part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but
they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand
years".
Clearly, you should not
take the mark of the beast or worship the antichrist
The antichrist will want to control everyone and modern technology can now
easily accomplish that. People who accept Jesus Christ after the rapture are the
tribulation saints. They will be persecuted because they are now children of
God. The antichrist will have good-sounding reasons to persecute the saints and
enforce the mark. With the world in chaos, perhaps more terrorism, and missing
people, keeping track of everyone will sound necessary for the world to become
stable and safe again. The raptured Christians will probably be blamed for the
world’s problems and the new tribulation saints will be seen as a problem, as
well, and therefore persecuted for not being committed to the new system of the
antichrist. Some children as young as 5-7 years of age may have been raptured
because they were believers, even if their parents weren’t. Christians will be
blamed for the missing children, as well as the failing world economy. Accepting
Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior now will not be easy. Even so, please
consider doing just that, right now. Go back to page 6 to read God’s plan of
salvation and accept Him. Then seek out a Bible and other believers and pray.
Jewish Temple
Daniel2:7 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of
the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the
temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that
is decreed is poured out on him.
It appears as though once the antichrist defiles the temple, his authority over
the world will decrease. It is obvious that a Jewish temple in Jerusalem must be
rebuilt, then. This probably happens as a result of the peace treaty he signs
with Israel and other nations. Again, the Word of God correctly prophesied that
there would be a temple in Jerusalem more than 1900 years after it was
destroyed.
Conclusion
A world war then begins and lasts for about three and a half years until it
culminates in the battle of Armageddon. This final period won’t be covered much
here. It will be enough to say that it will be filled with war, famines,
plagues, pestilence, natural disasters and more to kill at least half of the
world’s population. There is much I didn’t cover here that is in the book of
Revelation. I just wanted to present to you enough truth that you would believe
the Word of God and give yourselves to Jesus Christ and take comfort in Him. If
you do this, you may not be around for the second half of the tribulation. If
you are around, you will have had plenty of time to read the Bible and other,
more complete works. Or you will be a follower of the antichrist and be doomed
to death and hell.
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