Don't worry about what others think... (tweet)

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"'I have loved you with an everlasting love.'" (Jeremiah 31:3b)

Will I Go Up? (tweet)

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"For the Lord (Jesus) Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

7 Signs That You've Missed the Rapture (in 30 seconds)

(If you can't see this video, click here.)

Pre-Tribulation or Pre-Wrath Rapture?

There was another bungling of the subject of Rapture recently. (To read: "Is May 21,2011 the Day?," click here.) If anything, at least it brought the whole idea of Jesus' returning to catch His church away to the forefront again. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) (You should see my 12-year old daughter how into it she is with the "Left Behind" books, the teen series. Cool.)

And I've been doing a lot of studying lately of the book of Revelation. (A "like" at: A Heart For God Ministries gives exclusive access to Episode 1-11 of my newest video teaching series on "Revelation.") In the midst of my research the concept of a pre-tribulation Rapture versus a pre-wrath Rapture has been brought up.

Let me try to explain these in the simplest way I can.

PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE

There are those that believe there is a 7-year period called "The Tribulation" (or "Great Tribulation") ahead for planet earth. (Matthew 24:21; Mark 13:19) During that period (at the very beginning) a man seen as Antichrist will appear and rule the world by Satan's power. It will be the most destructive time humankind has ever known. As it has to do with the Rapture, many believe it happens directly prior to The Tribulation/7-year period. This is the "pre-tribulation" understanding of the Rapture.

At least one passage that is used to back this belief is found in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2...

And you know what restrains him (Antichrist) now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he (the Holy Spirit) who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)

A large part of the Holy Spirit as the "restraining force" keeping Antichrist (the "man of lawlessness") from being revealed is believed to be the Church. (Matthew 5:13a, 5:14a) When she is "taken out of the way" through Rapture, that's when the Tribulation starts.

Again, this understanding of Rapture (pre-tribulation) and the end times is held by many.

PRE-WRATH RAPTURE

The pre-wrath understanding of Rapture is different (of course). This point of view sees the Church undergoing trials and troubling times (as depicted in especially 5 of 6 of the seal judgments portrayed in Revelation chapter 6 and then in 6 of 7 trumpet judgments portrayed in Revelation chapter 8 and 9.) These trials and troubling times (tribulations) are age long beginning in the first century up until our day. Thus, the Church endures tribulation up until the time the wrath of God is poured out (as depicted at the sounding of the 7th trumpet which is the 7 bowls of wrath portrayed in Revelation chapter 16.) This is the "pre-wrath" understanding of the Rapture.

One verse used to back this belief is found in John 16. This is our Lord speaking (note italics)...

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

And then there are Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians 5 (note italics)...

For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

And so is it a pre-tribulation or pre-wrath Rapture? (Please leave your thoughts in the comments. Thank you.)

My answer: Whichever it is, the only thing I really have control over is making sure I'm ready. (1 John 3:2-3)

(To view: "How to receive Christ into your heart and life (in 30 seconds)," click here.)

You might also be interested in:

• 7 Signs of the End of the World
• In Case of Rapture...

Charting the End Times

Insatiable Awakening

It's exciting to see God awakening a heart. It's especially exciting (exhilarating!) to see Him doing it with your own daughter.

You see, that silly Harold Camping prediction about the end of the world (Is May 21, 2011 the Day?) ~ it really got our family talking about the Rapture. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

And so I dusted off my old Left Behind videos (yes, videos), popped the first one in the VCR (yes, we still have one), clicked play and ~ POW! My 12-year old daughter has literally become consumed.

And so ~ we bought the third movie. (I only had the first two.) She's been sitting listening to me read from the books. (I have twelve plus two prequels - missing "Kingdom Come" and one prequel.) And now she's checking the Left Behind teenage series out of the library. (There are 40 in all. She read one of those books in an afternoon. She's halfway through another.) You should see how she's recounting the story to me.

You can't drum this kind of hunger up. You can't force your child, "Now, you're gonna watch these movies! And you're gonna read these books!" Uh uh. No way. It takes a work of God to stir a soul.

And when He (Christ) does it, it's insatiable!

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth." (1 Corinthians 3:6)

You might also be interested in:

• Candidate for Antichrist - Part 2
• In Case of Rapture...

In Case of Rapture...

"Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)



A man and wife asleep in bed,
She hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone,
I wish we'd all be ready,

Two men walking up a hill,
One disappears and one's left standing still,
I wish we'd all been ready,

There's no time to change your mind,
The Son has come and you've been left behind.

You might also be interested in:

• Abomination of Desolation
• 7 Signs That You’ve Missed The Rapture (in 30 seconds)
• How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit (in 30 seconds)
• How to Receive Christ into Your Heart & Life (in 30 seconds)
• On The Subject of Martyrs
• Is May 21, 2011 the Day? (Christ vs Camping)
• Top 10 Trending Topics on Twitter the Day After Rapture

Is May 21, 2011 the Day? (Christ vs Camping)

"'But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.'" (Matthew 24:36)

Pack your bags. Cash it in. Liquidate. It's over. Done. The fat lady (not politically correct?) ~ the "obese" / weight-challenged lady is singing. At least that's what some people would have us believe.

On the twenty-first of the fifth month, in the year of our Lord twenty-eleven (just 16 days from the writing of this post), Jesus will return to receive His Church. (To read "End of Days in May? Believers enter final stretch," click here.)

And let me just say, "What is it about our Lord's statement, 'No one knows the day and hour,'" that Harold Camping doesn't understand? Yet again, he's behind this pinpointing the date thing. It's not the first time. He also did it in 1994.

Sooooo ... let me just ask a really silly question: Then why is Camping still here?

Well, the reason why is because Christ did not return in 1994. (Duh.) Camping was wrong. An article on the web indicates he would (will) not repent of his quote "mistake in interpretation."

And so here he is in 2011 doing it again.

If Camping were a hermit on an island, that would be one thing. But he's got the ear of thousands who buy into his foolishness. It's what "pride" does to a person who removes himself from Christ's Church (which Camping has done). They go "crazy" in their understanding.

Many of Camping's teachings are destructive. Thus, his words must be turned from and his date setting must be dismissed.

The Lord will indeed return. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) But everyone will be surprised. Including false teachers.

^"And Jesus began to say to them, 'See to it that no one misleads you.'" (Mark 13:5)

(Picture above under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license: HERE.)

You might also be interested in:

• 7 Dynamics At The End Of The World (in 30 seconds)
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Israel's "Iron Dome" in Action (video)

(If you can't see this video, click here.)

How a Super Power Disappears from the Final Act of History

The United States of America is conspicuously absent in Biblical prophecy. Pat Robertson in his book, The Secret Kingdom, suggests she is among those being referred to in Ezekiel, chapter 38, verse 13, where it mentions: "the merchants of Tarshish." Beyond that there is nothing about the USA (many scholars agree).

How could this be? One suggestion is that she declines to the point of being irrelevant as it has to do with end times events. This is interesting as we see that process taking place right before our very eyes? And how else will Israel become surrounded by her enemies and face annihilation as the Bible declares it must happen? (Zechariah 14:2) America has to be no more. She really is the one and only friend of the Jewish people left that can do anything to help protect her.

So how is America removed from the scene? Here's how (it's happening now?)...

How a Super Power Disappears from the Final Act of History (7 ways):

1. Socialism established in place of capitalism
2. Sympathy offered to the religion of Islam
3. Political instability promoted within
4. Policies upheld to increase job loss, inflate fuel and food prices
5. Chaos, unrest encouraged/emboldened abroad
6. Military stretched thin by too many conflicts
7. Believers in Jesus Christ caught away (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

"And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one." (Zechariah 14:9)

Michael W Smith "There She Stands" ♫ #godblessamerica #trust #hope

Top 10 Trending Topics on Twitter the Day After Rapture

The trumpet is about to sound. (Revelation 11:15) When it does, believers in Jesus Christ will be "caught away" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) in the "twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52) to meet the Lord in the air. They will be removed from the earth. That's when all hell breaks loose. Trust me. You don't want to be left behind. Some of you will be reading this post who are. You'll bookmark/favorite it today and you'll come back to it on the day after Rapture. You'll come back to find out if I was right about the...

Top 10 Trending Topics on Twitter the Day after Rapture:

10. Millions disappear
9. Christians gone
8. Evolution takes next step
7. Great world leader appears
6. Peace treaty with Israel
5. Global government
4. One world religion
3. Microchip implant
2. Justin Bieber still here?
1. 666 (Revelation 13:18)