"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. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 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. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." Luke 17:24-36
Have you heard the recent hype about the end of the world taking place tomorrow, May 21, 2011? There are people driving with big banners on the sides of their vans, or walking around with t-shirts that say in big bold letters: “Judgment Day, May 21, 2011”. I even read today that the Center for Disease Control CDC issued a statement yesterday promoting emergency kits and strategies under the umbrella of a future zombie apocalypse (I’m pretty sure they were jokingly taking advantage of the latest news headlines but also addressing emergency preparedness in general….). At first I thought this was all a joke until I watched the news last night and saw a whole section devoted to this movement promoting the end of the world this weekend. Wow. As Christians, what should we think about such things? How are we to respond to such claims that are grabbing national attention and sending people scurrying to find answers? We must not let this sensationalism detract from the reality of the Rapture occurring at some time in the future so how do we respond to our friends, co workers and family members who come to us with questions? We must turn to the BIBLE for the answers, my friends!
As Christians, we know that there will be a time in the future, either eminent or still a long time to come, when Jesus will return like the lightning that flashes across the sky, and God will call His Children home in a twinkling of an eye. We can certainly attest to the fact that it feels like we are living “in the days of Noah” and “in the days of Lot”, just consider the international instability in the Middle East or listen to the evening news or any form of social, political, economic or religious current affair and you will clearly see the resemblances between our world and the world the way it was before God poured judgment out. Jesus warned us that this future event would come suddenly, unannounced, and some would be taken while others would be left behind. This has been commonly referred to as the “Rapture” by bible teachers and pastors for several decades. The actual word “Rapture” does not appear in the Bible. The word comes from the Latin word rapare which means "seize", "snatch" or "take away" and is used to refer to an event in the future when the faithful believers will be taken up to meet Christ in the air. One of the main supporting scriptures for this belief comes from Paul’s teaching to the church in Thessalonica: “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Other passages that describe the end times gathering of the faithful with the resurrection of the dead when Jesus comes includes Matthew 16:27, 24:30-31, 25:31-32, 26:64, Mark 12:18-27, 13:26-27, John 5:21, 5:28-29, I Corinthians 4:5, 6:14, 15:12-32, Philippians 3:20-21, Colossians 3:4, II Peter 3:8-10, Revelation 1:7 to name a few.
The timing of the Rapture is somewhat unclear in terms of how it interacts with the end time judgments on the earth usually referred to as the Great Tribulation or the Wrath of God. Over the past 2000 years, countless groups and individuals have compared events of their time to Bible prophecies and come to the conclusion that Jesus would be returning soon. Some have set a specific date and led their followers into the desert or the wilderness to await the Rapture. Every one of those predictions turned out to be wrong, but that has not deterred people from making modern-day predictions that Jesus will be returning in the near future. The tabloids at the grocery store usually have seasons of “doom and gloom” front page articles especially after the Y2K scare at the turn of the century, religious cults have gone to extreme measures to set dates, sell property and sit on rooftops waiting for the return of Jesus, good intending teachers calculate dates and historical events and try to find a pinpointed time for Christ’s return only to watch the date pass uneventful. Even now there is renewed flurry and hype from the news media and radio stations over a recent movement in northern California gaining popularity that promotes their belief that the Rapture will most certainly occur on May 21st 2011 because the leader of this group has foretold it along with his predictions of massive earthquakes and God’s Judgment being poured out upon the earth. Jesus was very clear in regards to any man knowing the day or hour of His return when He said: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." (Mark 13:32-33). Jesus said we should not believe anyone who claims to be the Messiah or anyone who claims to know when He is coming again. The important thing is not to be overly concerned with when or how the end will come, but to be spiritually prepared when it does. “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. (Matthew 24:43-44). Other passages that exhort God’s people to ready include Matthew 25:1-13, Luke 21:34-36 and I Thessalonians 5:2-3.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, it would be my deepest desire for Jesus to come for us RIGHT NOW…even today, May 20th, OR tomorrow, on May 21st, or the next day… and I will rejoice and celebrate the return of my Lord and Savior whatever day HE chooses. But I also know that scripture says that only our Heavenly Father knows the exact date and time so I cannot place my faith in the word of a man who is directly contradicting God’s Word by claiming to know the day of Jesus’ return. We must trust that Jesus will come for us when it is His time to do so and not based on a man’s prediction. If the Lord tarries longer, this means that God’s purposes here on earth have not been fully completed and we will continue to wait, continue to watch, continue to serve, continue to worship Him until He does call us all home. Pray for those who believe that May 21st is the end of the world because they will need our support on May 22nd if it does not happen! We should not let this be used to mock or diminish our faith that God will return for His people soon, we should prepare ourselves to give a sound, biblical response to those God brings to us with questions about this important topic and see it as an opportunity to share our faith with unbelievers or those who have fallen away from their faith. Let God show you what He wants you to do in the midst of these uncertain times, and let your light shine before men, speak the TRUTH from God’s Word and testify about the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Shalom, sister Lahoma
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