We're told by some that there are real distinctions between the "catching away" or rapture of the church and the final appearance known as His second coming. "The rapture occurs during prosperity and normalcy, but the second coming takes place in the midst of great devastation." Here our brothers are referring to the portion of Matthew 24 assumed by them to be "before" the tribulation, verses 36-44 , distinct from Revelation 19, where plagues of all sort have been laid on the sons of men. In Matthew the reference is made to the days of Noah, and the very "ordinary" lifestyle they were leading when suddenly the flood came.
The argument implies that normal living does not take place in abnormal times, that there is essentially no "eating and drinking" , "marrying", and working, and playing and all the rest, during world crises and wars. But is that conclusion justified in even the world in which we now live? What was it that President Bush called for in the days following our 9-11 tragedy? Normalcy! A quick nod to the Creator, a "moment of silence", then back to normal lives so "the terrorists don't win." How many weddings were cancelled? Maybe a few. Who stopped being over- indulgent in food and drink? Maybe a few. But normal life continues, even in disaster.
But you say, Magnify 9-11 many hundreds of times, to the World Wars, and to that final series of tragedies slated for the planet. Surely the desire for "normalcy" ends somewhere, and men as a unit abandon all hope in things material and cry out for God? No. Never. This incredible truth is discussed in Revelation 9:18-21. At this juncture, one-third of mankind is dead! What of the rest? They do NOT repent! They continue their murders, their sexual abominations, thefts, drugs. Normal. Business as usual. They will have their needs and wants met, and that is all that matters. They have no clue about a coming judgment.
Consider Egypt of old (Exodus 7-12). In the midst of their own plagues, the likes of which will be coming to all the earth one day, we read of the unbelievable hardening of the hearts of all from the one on the throne all the way down. Truly when Jesus comes it will be after an unprecedented series of calamities, so bad that if he did not come at that moment all flesh would be annihilated. Yet in the midst of it all, men continue to defy God and ignore His ways, and are totally shocked at his coming. Normal life will thus continue until the very downfall of this present regime. No distinction
here, only side-by-side truths.
Maybe this "distinction" will work: a "rapture" occurs when the church is sleeping, but the second coming occurs during the devastation, when Christians must obviously be wide awake. The sleeping church idea he proves only by using the parable of the virgins (Matthew 25:25) when at least half of the young ladies are quite ready to go in to the feast. There is also a problem in his evaluation of believers in the midst of devastation, in my opinion. Revelation 16 tells us that Jesus must even at the very worst of moments warn His people not to show their "nakedness" by being polluted by the world. For, as we showed above, the world, in its panic will be trying everything to stay alive and stay happy, normal, so as to ignore the evils falling around them. Remember how many entertainers came to fame during the [Second World ] War years?
Christians are warned not to sell out to the world with all its comforts and false peace, so as to avoid the harsh realities of life in this era. Though this is a message for all times, it is especially true in a society which will require the damnable mark of the beast to be able to prosper. But Revelation 16 implies that some have already slipped into the desire for a comfort zone, available at that time only to those who deny Christ.
Christians living in a prosperous economy even now would do well to examine their hearts and see if they too are compromising Christ in their present lifestyle. Harry Bethel of Bethel Ministries says, "Most Christians in this country are not spiritually ready to go through what is on the horizon if it is as late as we think it is. The days of the Great Tribulation will be the worst time that this world has ever seen. And this earth has seen some very bad times. Probably not many Christians will be ready to go through the Great Tribulation, but believing that you are going to be raptured out before it begins is certainly not conducive to spiritual preparation for it."
But our point is that even on the eve of Christ's coming there will be believers sleeping, dreaming that eternal lukewarm dream that somehow there is peace and joy in this present evil age. These wicked servants will be dealt with by one look at the descending Jesus.
http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!
And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.
No comments:
Post a Comment