Left Behind

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4 v 16 - 17:  "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."

1 Corinthians 15 v 52: "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."

The other night I watched a movie on DSTV catch up called Left Behind starring Nicholas Cage. It was advertised as a thriller; paranormal sci-fi. I always thought sci-fi stood for science fiction, meaning its just a story.

Nothing could be further from the true Biblical reality of this film. It concerned the people who were left behind after millions of people all over the world mysteriously, soundlessly, vanished. In the blink of an eye they were gone leaving their clothing neatly folded behind them.

They vanished from air planes, cars, trains and homes. Without a word of farewell they were taken by Jesus into His heavenly kingdom. Its called the Rapture and it will truly happen on the day and moment appointed by God our Father. Not even Jesus knows when it will be.

He knows the season when it will happen and every day we wake up to realise that what He said 2000 years ago is happening all around us. When there is maximum hostility between two powers or two kingdoms, the ambassadors of peace and goodwill are removed back to their homeland, with all the people who belonged to them.

When the Antichrist fully manifests on Earth the Holy Spirit will remove the true believers, who are alert and watching with joy for Jesus to rescue them. Those left behind have to face a time of tribulation which Jesus described as never seen on Earth before.

In the movie those left behind were bewildered by the disappearance of newborns, children, wives, husbands, co-pilots etc. Then they realised that what their family had been telling them about Jesus and the Rapture was true. And they were left behind to face the music.

We who know what is coming have a responsibility to share the truth with the people around us to ensure that they have an opportunity to make their own choice. Whether they accept or reject you; whether they withhold their financial support from you; whether you are loved or persecuted is less important than obedience to God.

Do you want people you know and love to go through unimaginable terror and hardship because you were too shy to tell them about the Rapture? Some people tell me that God is a soft hearted loving Father who will spare every one that hardship.

This would make Jesus into a liar who went about warning people and scaring them just because He felt like it. No ways! It cost Him His life in terrible agony to bring His truth to us. So do not shame Him or deny Him and be bold from now on to tell the world about His love, kingdom, freedom and Rapture. 

Those who are left behind and become Christians will have to be martyred to come into His kingdom. In the Old Testament the atonement from sin was through the blood of lambs and bulls. In the New Testament it is by the Blood of The Lamb and thereafter our own blood.

Tell them not to go the hard way, when they can go safely and simply to the Father today for forgiveness and salvation. They can make Jesus their Lord and Saviour this very hour because nobody knows exactly when the trumpet in Heaven will sound for the Rapture to take place. Gone in a blink or left behind. 

If you need encouragement I recommend you watch the movie.

Prayer: Father God, your plan for our rescue from planet Earth is ready for Your voice to set it in motion. You are not willing to leave those stubborn ones behind. You are hoping we will bring in the harvest that is ready to be reaped. I pray that every Christian will rise to the challenge and know they have to tell somebody. In Jesus' name. Amen.