The Lie: Following Christ is Salvation
Since the church culture avoids contemplating the permissible acts of Satan, the global church places its hope in following Jesus's words vs. being indwelt by the Word.
Many churches today have entirely removed the ideology of Hell. Since it is trendy to remove the destination of Hell, it covertly removes Satan from the end-times equation. In this stupidity, we find that most opinionates do not focus on the prophecies of the Great Tribulation, Satan, or the destructive promises of punishment God laid out in His prophecies. However, a surprise is coming!
No matter how you view eschatology, the world IS experiencing the birth-pangs of the coming of our Lord’s ordained and well-placed “gathering of the Saints,” the Great Tribulation, and His Second Coming. Identity in "following" Jesus will ultimately end in a God-sized wake-up call - I wasn't one of them.
The Rapture Is For Indwelt Believers
Jesus warned us of the things to come, He didn’t hold back any consequences from those who refused to listen, and He won’t hold back from those with deft ears today. Yes, He is coming to gather His Bride. Yes, He is preparing the world for the Great Tribulation. Yes, He will arrive in His Second Coming.
Until then, He will separate the goats from the sheep - the authentic Christians from the Christ-followers. Yes, He will rapture His Bride. Yes, He will allow Satan to rule for seven short years. Yes, He will return and put Satan, his demons, and the refuters of Christ in a place of torment. Yes, He will judge all those who refused the message and invitation of Christ. And yes, He will take those who remained faithful to the end to the New Earth as an eternal resting place.
Eschatology is a gift our Lord gave us to prepare for the closure of all of God’s prophecies. While some will run to hide in the caves of the earth, others, like myself, will consider the prophecies one of the greatest gifts given to authentic Christians.
When people die or are Raptured out, they all go to where their identity was housed while on earth. Put your identity in the indwelling Life of Christ today.
Discussion of the End Times and the Rapture can raise questions, apprehension, and fear. "Why do I need to study prophecy?" "It is too complicated, and I don't understand what it means." "It makes me anxious." Even for long–time Christians, prophecy can seem overwhelmingly complex. At first glance, passages written two thousand years ago appear disconnected from modern life. But if we accept this limited perspective, we will miss the rich truth God has provided for us. We cannot understand where we are now if we do not understand where we are going. Dr. David Jeremiah
Thank you Stephen. I am looking up for His coming at any moment. I selfishly pray sooner than later. Those who identify as Christian, in the historic sense, are in decline. I believe this is yet another sign of the times.