Post by Benjamin on Jun 18, 2014 2:29:10 GMT
Jesus Returned… what’s next?
This letter has been left behind for you.
If you are reading this because a large number of people have suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, then no doubt you are looking for answers to what has happened, why it has happened, and what will be happening next. This letter will answer those questions for you.
What happened? Why have people disappeared?
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has returned.
For 2000 years the Bible has been proclaiming to the world that Jesus would be coming back. Jesus stated in John 14:3, "I will come back, and take you to be with me."
Because Jesus has returned, millions of people who have put their faith and trust in Jesus as Saviour, accepting His free gift of salvation, have disappeared in an event that the Bible calls ‘the Rapture’ (or ‘Harpazo’ in the Greek).
I can’t even begin to imagine how unusual this might seem to you. This event has been called “the most preposterous belief in Christianity”, and that’s no exaggeration! The sudden disappearance of millions of people must be an incredible mystery to many, and, while I’m absolutely sure that the media will present it that way, it’s important to note that the Bible told us in advance what would happen. Jesus promised that when he returned, "I will receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-4). The Rapture, though, isn’t just about the disappearance of Christians; it’s an evacuation.
The Rapture ‘evacuated’ those of us who accepted Jesus as Saviour, both those alive and those who had died since Jesus was resurrected. Both groups — living and resurrected believers — were caught up to be with Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Apostle Paul put it this way: "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). This ‘last trumpet’, which signalled the occurrence of the Rapture, is the final event before a time that the Bible calls “the Tribulation”; a time in which God’s hand of protection will be removed from the earth, and God’s judgement will come.
The Rapture will have happened very quickly, like a flash of lightning. It was not Jesus’ intent to remain here on earth at this time, but simply to ‘catch up’ those who belonged to Him; to keep them safe from what is to come. As a result, Jesus left as suddenly as He came, taking those who have accepted Him and His salvation, and leaving behind those who did not.
You, sadly, have been left behind.
Why has this happened?
In many respects, this is the most important question for you. You may have had loved ones disappear in this event. You don’t need to worry about these people; they are safe with the Lord Jesus Christ, evacuated from this world to spare them from the great wrath that has just begun to befall the planet (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9).
What’s important now, for you, is to understand what is happening all around you.
Jesus' return for all His true believers (not those who go to church, not those who merely talk about Jesus, but those who actively trusted in Jesus as the Only Way God provided to deal with the problem of sin) was just a prelude to His final Second Coming. The second phase of Jesus' return is to set up His Kingdom on earth. Jesus' Kingdom is why this whole thing is happening.
You see, we have come to the end of one age and will soon be beginning the age of Jesus' literal reign right here on earth. But first, God has to deal with rebellion — sin — before setting up His Kingdom. God's going to use this intermediate time period you now live in to pour out His wrath on mankind for its continued refusal to accept His Lordship. The time you live in is called ‘the Tribulation’.
What is ‘The Tribulation’?
What is the Tribulation all about? The unparalleled horror of the Tribulation is spelled out in detail in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Isaiah wrote that it will be a day of "the terror of the Lord" when "the pride of men will be abased" (Isaiah 2:10,17,19). Zephaniah proclaimed that it will be a "day of wrath," "a day of trouble and distress," and "a day of destruction and desolation." Men will stumble around like they are blind and "their blood will be poured out like dust" (Zephaniah 1:15,17).
This horrific picture is echoed in the New Testament. Jesus said it will be a time of judgement and terror "such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall." In fact, Jesus said it will be so terrible that if it were not stopped at the end of seven years, it would result in the destruction of all life (Matthew 24:21-22).
The Apostle John says that the chaos will be so great that the leaders of the world will crawl into caves and cry out for the rocks of the mountains to fall upon them (Revelation 6:15-16).
Why is there going to be such carnage? How could a God of grace, mercy and love allow such an outbreak of unbridled terror and bloodshed?
One reason is to satisfy the justice of God. Yes, God is characterized by grace, mercy and love. God is a God of love. Jesus says so in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
But God is also a God of justice.
What you need to understand is that there exists between man and God a fundamental disconnect. This disconnect is caused by sin (breaking God’s law), and we all do it. In fact, the Bible says that the law was given to Israel, not to do away with sin, but to show us that we’re utterly incapable of dealing with it ourselves. God, though, in His great love for us, created an opportunity to solve that problem Himself. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, and to bear the punishment for our sin Himself. This is the difference between religion, and Christianity. Religion demands that you work to find salvation, and that you grind out a life desperately trying to reach God. In Christ, God did the exact opposite. He recognised that disconnect, understood our inability to reach Him, and acted both in great power, and in apparent weakness, by dying Himself, upon a Roman cross, to bear the full weight of God’s judgement against sin.
The Bible says in John 3:36, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." It is God's very nature to love, but also in love to see justice done for evil.
The real tragedy, however, is that despite the fact that God made this provision for you, despite the fact that God the Father gave up His Only Son to die here, for you, you refused to accept the offer of life, and instead chose to continue living your own way.
So… what happens now?
So, what comes next? To begin with, people are going to try to explain away the Rapture with all sorts of wild theories, like possibly Global Warming, UFOs, or other conspiracies. We’ve actually seen something of a foretaste of what might happen, with the disappearance of flight MH370 out of Malaysia. All kinds of amazing and incredulous theories surfaced about that plane. Expect the same to happen here.
Of greater concern, perhaps, is the fact that so-called "Christian" leaders are going to come out and say the Church is still around because they didn't disappear.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:24 that they cannot be believed, for the times will be filled with false religious teachers. The greatest of these false teachers the Bible calls the False Prophet, and he will seemingly be able to do many miracles and will promote a one-world religion and leader (Revelation 13:11).
Amid all the chaos from the Rapture, the Bible teaches that the world will turn to a dynamic leader to bring order and peace (Revelation 6:1-2). He will succeed where no other person has been able in establishing a peace treaty for Israel (Daniel 9:27). That treaty marks the official beginning of the 7 years that the Tribulation will last.
This world leader, known to believers in Jesus as the Antichrist (which means ‘instead of Christ’), may come in peace, but will rule through violence. He will plunge the planet into nuclear world war, resulting in terrible famines, pestilence and mass death. Violence, disease and starvation will be a way of life. A quarter of the world population — almost 2 billion people — will die from this first war (Revelation 6).
In Jerusalem, 2 men will appear and preach for 3 1/2 years that Jesus is the Messiah the Jews have been looking for (Revelation 11:3). 144,000 Jews will call Jesus their Messiah and also preach about Him throughout the whole world. Millions will accept Jesus as their Saviour. It is my honest prayer that you will be among them. However, you must be prepared for the consequences. Those millions of believers will be killed by the Antichrist for not pledging their loyalty to him by receiving his mark on either their right hand or forehead. The persecution of believers in Jesus will be awful in the Tribulation (Daniel 7:21; Revelation 7).
Next, the greatest earthquake the world has yet experienced will devastate the planet (Revelation 6:12-14). Something falling from space will then burn up a third of all the world's vegetation. A second item from space, probably a meteor, will crash into the ocean and annihilate a third of the world's marine life and ships. A third object from space will taint the world's water supply, poisoning millions (Revelation 8:7-11).
The devastation to the atmosphere will block out most of the sun and moonlight so that the days appear shorter (Revelation 8:12).
Next, some supernatural "woes" will befall mankind. First, the holding place for a demonic hoard is opened and millions of locust-looking demons pour out and sting people like scorpions. The pain will last 5 whole months. Second, 200 million riders on horse-creatures will burn and impale, wiping out a remaining third of the people (Revelation 9:1-19).
Three and a half years into the Tribulation will see the 2 men witnessing in Jerusalem killed, but 3 1/2 days later come back to life (Revelation 11:7-12). It will also see the Antichrist supposedly killed and appear to come back to life as well (Revelation 13:3).
And that's just the first half of the Tribulation. As bad as the first half of the seven years is, the next half is even worse (Revelation 16). For many, reading these verses over the past 2000 years has led to a sense of incredulity. Even many Christians didn’t believe that these things would literally occur; many refused to teach these books entirely. For you, however, the truth of these matters will quickly become apparent.
Those who take the Antichrist's loyalty mark on their hand or forehead will suffer from painful boils. Those who don't take the mark will be cut off from commerce and hunted down, but the Bible assures (Revelation 20:4-6) that those who take the mark have made a decision that will last forever. Granting ownership of your very being to the Antichrist, and worshipping Him, leads to eternal damnation — so DO NOT TAKE THE MARK.
The oceans and everything in them are totally destroyed, as well as all the fresh water. The heat from the sun will become scorching. The Antichrist's kingdom will fall into pitch darkness.
An even greater earthquake than the one 7 years earlier will flatten the earth and 100 pound hailstones will crush the inhabitants.
The Euphrates River in Iraq will dry up and a massive army from the East will cross and enter the Valley of Armageddon in Israel to fight the Antichrist's army. This is what the Book of Revelation calls the battle of Armageddon.
It is the moment that Jesus will return with all those who disappeared in the Rapture. Jesus Himself will destroy the armies at a place called Armageddon (just by speaking!). Jesus will throw the Antichrist and the False Prophet into Hell, and Satan into a deep pit. Jesus will be victorious and all who continued to rebel will be put to death — all of them (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-3). This is the Tribulation — the wrath of God.
Okay, so… what do I do?
Now, you may be asking "God, why didn't you tell us all this before the Rapture so we could get ready." Well, He did. The Bible clearly teaches that God never pours out His wrath without warning. He is a just and loving God who does not wish that any should perish. That is why God provided the Bible, the Good News about Jesus spreading across the planet, and the many signs alerting us to the fact that we were living on the threshold of the Tribulation and soon return of Jesus Christ. God gave the world every possible chance for 2000 years to repent of its rebellion and return to Him.
The great news now is that it's not too late for you to make a decision to follow Jesus Christ (unless, of course, you have taken The Mark). You see, this story has a happy ending. Jesus' return at the end of the Tribulation means great joy to those who love him. Jesus will cleanse the world of evil and the damages from His wrath and restore the planet to pristine condition. Jesus will rule from Jerusalem over those who throughout human history have put their faith and trust in Him (Revelation 20:4-6,9).
You can be one of those people. Whether you die in the Tribulation or not, the simple truth is that life is about far more than just this temporal existence. The Tribulation, and all the suffering that comes with it, is temporary; fleeting. What really matters is where you spend the rest of eternity. As I discussed earlier, God has already made provision for you to spend the rest of eternity with Him. That provision came in the person of Jesus Christ, in His life, His death, and His resurrection. Jesus bore the punishment for sin that should have been yours to take; yours, and mine.
Remember Jesus' promise in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." That’s what matters now. Time is running out, and the end is very near. Please, please do what must be done. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near”. The suffering you’re enduring now, in this Tribulation, is nothing compared to eternity without Christ, regretting the fact that you had this one chance, and failed to take it.
In what little time you have left, get a Bible. Download one from Bible.org, so you know God's will for your life. There are so many resources at places like www.raptureforum.net, www.lamblion.com, and www.raptureready.com – take advantage of them! Learn all you can about Jesus, while the opportunity remains. Gather quickly with others who have accepted Jesus as Saviour for support and to worship together.
If you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour, we will be waiting for you on the other side of this. May God bless you and keep you. Maranatha!
"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." (Nahum 1:7 NIV)
[This letter and its contents have been adapted from the excellent letter at www.lamblion.com, entitled "Jesus Came - What's next?"]
This letter has been left behind for you.
If you are reading this because a large number of people have suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, then no doubt you are looking for answers to what has happened, why it has happened, and what will be happening next. This letter will answer those questions for you.
What happened? Why have people disappeared?
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has returned.
For 2000 years the Bible has been proclaiming to the world that Jesus would be coming back. Jesus stated in John 14:3, "I will come back, and take you to be with me."
Because Jesus has returned, millions of people who have put their faith and trust in Jesus as Saviour, accepting His free gift of salvation, have disappeared in an event that the Bible calls ‘the Rapture’ (or ‘Harpazo’ in the Greek).
I can’t even begin to imagine how unusual this might seem to you. This event has been called “the most preposterous belief in Christianity”, and that’s no exaggeration! The sudden disappearance of millions of people must be an incredible mystery to many, and, while I’m absolutely sure that the media will present it that way, it’s important to note that the Bible told us in advance what would happen. Jesus promised that when he returned, "I will receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-4). The Rapture, though, isn’t just about the disappearance of Christians; it’s an evacuation.
The Rapture ‘evacuated’ those of us who accepted Jesus as Saviour, both those alive and those who had died since Jesus was resurrected. Both groups — living and resurrected believers — were caught up to be with Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Apostle Paul put it this way: "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). This ‘last trumpet’, which signalled the occurrence of the Rapture, is the final event before a time that the Bible calls “the Tribulation”; a time in which God’s hand of protection will be removed from the earth, and God’s judgement will come.
The Rapture will have happened very quickly, like a flash of lightning. It was not Jesus’ intent to remain here on earth at this time, but simply to ‘catch up’ those who belonged to Him; to keep them safe from what is to come. As a result, Jesus left as suddenly as He came, taking those who have accepted Him and His salvation, and leaving behind those who did not.
You, sadly, have been left behind.
Why has this happened?
In many respects, this is the most important question for you. You may have had loved ones disappear in this event. You don’t need to worry about these people; they are safe with the Lord Jesus Christ, evacuated from this world to spare them from the great wrath that has just begun to befall the planet (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9).
What’s important now, for you, is to understand what is happening all around you.
Jesus' return for all His true believers (not those who go to church, not those who merely talk about Jesus, but those who actively trusted in Jesus as the Only Way God provided to deal with the problem of sin) was just a prelude to His final Second Coming. The second phase of Jesus' return is to set up His Kingdom on earth. Jesus' Kingdom is why this whole thing is happening.
You see, we have come to the end of one age and will soon be beginning the age of Jesus' literal reign right here on earth. But first, God has to deal with rebellion — sin — before setting up His Kingdom. God's going to use this intermediate time period you now live in to pour out His wrath on mankind for its continued refusal to accept His Lordship. The time you live in is called ‘the Tribulation’.
What is ‘The Tribulation’?
What is the Tribulation all about? The unparalleled horror of the Tribulation is spelled out in detail in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Isaiah wrote that it will be a day of "the terror of the Lord" when "the pride of men will be abased" (Isaiah 2:10,17,19). Zephaniah proclaimed that it will be a "day of wrath," "a day of trouble and distress," and "a day of destruction and desolation." Men will stumble around like they are blind and "their blood will be poured out like dust" (Zephaniah 1:15,17).
This horrific picture is echoed in the New Testament. Jesus said it will be a time of judgement and terror "such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall." In fact, Jesus said it will be so terrible that if it were not stopped at the end of seven years, it would result in the destruction of all life (Matthew 24:21-22).
The Apostle John says that the chaos will be so great that the leaders of the world will crawl into caves and cry out for the rocks of the mountains to fall upon them (Revelation 6:15-16).
Why is there going to be such carnage? How could a God of grace, mercy and love allow such an outbreak of unbridled terror and bloodshed?
One reason is to satisfy the justice of God. Yes, God is characterized by grace, mercy and love. God is a God of love. Jesus says so in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
But God is also a God of justice.
What you need to understand is that there exists between man and God a fundamental disconnect. This disconnect is caused by sin (breaking God’s law), and we all do it. In fact, the Bible says that the law was given to Israel, not to do away with sin, but to show us that we’re utterly incapable of dealing with it ourselves. God, though, in His great love for us, created an opportunity to solve that problem Himself. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, and to bear the punishment for our sin Himself. This is the difference between religion, and Christianity. Religion demands that you work to find salvation, and that you grind out a life desperately trying to reach God. In Christ, God did the exact opposite. He recognised that disconnect, understood our inability to reach Him, and acted both in great power, and in apparent weakness, by dying Himself, upon a Roman cross, to bear the full weight of God’s judgement against sin.
The Bible says in John 3:36, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." It is God's very nature to love, but also in love to see justice done for evil.
The real tragedy, however, is that despite the fact that God made this provision for you, despite the fact that God the Father gave up His Only Son to die here, for you, you refused to accept the offer of life, and instead chose to continue living your own way.
So… what happens now?
So, what comes next? To begin with, people are going to try to explain away the Rapture with all sorts of wild theories, like possibly Global Warming, UFOs, or other conspiracies. We’ve actually seen something of a foretaste of what might happen, with the disappearance of flight MH370 out of Malaysia. All kinds of amazing and incredulous theories surfaced about that plane. Expect the same to happen here.
Of greater concern, perhaps, is the fact that so-called "Christian" leaders are going to come out and say the Church is still around because they didn't disappear.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:24 that they cannot be believed, for the times will be filled with false religious teachers. The greatest of these false teachers the Bible calls the False Prophet, and he will seemingly be able to do many miracles and will promote a one-world religion and leader (Revelation 13:11).
Amid all the chaos from the Rapture, the Bible teaches that the world will turn to a dynamic leader to bring order and peace (Revelation 6:1-2). He will succeed where no other person has been able in establishing a peace treaty for Israel (Daniel 9:27). That treaty marks the official beginning of the 7 years that the Tribulation will last.
This world leader, known to believers in Jesus as the Antichrist (which means ‘instead of Christ’), may come in peace, but will rule through violence. He will plunge the planet into nuclear world war, resulting in terrible famines, pestilence and mass death. Violence, disease and starvation will be a way of life. A quarter of the world population — almost 2 billion people — will die from this first war (Revelation 6).
In Jerusalem, 2 men will appear and preach for 3 1/2 years that Jesus is the Messiah the Jews have been looking for (Revelation 11:3). 144,000 Jews will call Jesus their Messiah and also preach about Him throughout the whole world. Millions will accept Jesus as their Saviour. It is my honest prayer that you will be among them. However, you must be prepared for the consequences. Those millions of believers will be killed by the Antichrist for not pledging their loyalty to him by receiving his mark on either their right hand or forehead. The persecution of believers in Jesus will be awful in the Tribulation (Daniel 7:21; Revelation 7).
Next, the greatest earthquake the world has yet experienced will devastate the planet (Revelation 6:12-14). Something falling from space will then burn up a third of all the world's vegetation. A second item from space, probably a meteor, will crash into the ocean and annihilate a third of the world's marine life and ships. A third object from space will taint the world's water supply, poisoning millions (Revelation 8:7-11).
The devastation to the atmosphere will block out most of the sun and moonlight so that the days appear shorter (Revelation 8:12).
Next, some supernatural "woes" will befall mankind. First, the holding place for a demonic hoard is opened and millions of locust-looking demons pour out and sting people like scorpions. The pain will last 5 whole months. Second, 200 million riders on horse-creatures will burn and impale, wiping out a remaining third of the people (Revelation 9:1-19).
Three and a half years into the Tribulation will see the 2 men witnessing in Jerusalem killed, but 3 1/2 days later come back to life (Revelation 11:7-12). It will also see the Antichrist supposedly killed and appear to come back to life as well (Revelation 13:3).
And that's just the first half of the Tribulation. As bad as the first half of the seven years is, the next half is even worse (Revelation 16). For many, reading these verses over the past 2000 years has led to a sense of incredulity. Even many Christians didn’t believe that these things would literally occur; many refused to teach these books entirely. For you, however, the truth of these matters will quickly become apparent.
Those who take the Antichrist's loyalty mark on their hand or forehead will suffer from painful boils. Those who don't take the mark will be cut off from commerce and hunted down, but the Bible assures (Revelation 20:4-6) that those who take the mark have made a decision that will last forever. Granting ownership of your very being to the Antichrist, and worshipping Him, leads to eternal damnation — so DO NOT TAKE THE MARK.
The oceans and everything in them are totally destroyed, as well as all the fresh water. The heat from the sun will become scorching. The Antichrist's kingdom will fall into pitch darkness.
An even greater earthquake than the one 7 years earlier will flatten the earth and 100 pound hailstones will crush the inhabitants.
The Euphrates River in Iraq will dry up and a massive army from the East will cross and enter the Valley of Armageddon in Israel to fight the Antichrist's army. This is what the Book of Revelation calls the battle of Armageddon.
It is the moment that Jesus will return with all those who disappeared in the Rapture. Jesus Himself will destroy the armies at a place called Armageddon (just by speaking!). Jesus will throw the Antichrist and the False Prophet into Hell, and Satan into a deep pit. Jesus will be victorious and all who continued to rebel will be put to death — all of them (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-3). This is the Tribulation — the wrath of God.
Okay, so… what do I do?
Now, you may be asking "God, why didn't you tell us all this before the Rapture so we could get ready." Well, He did. The Bible clearly teaches that God never pours out His wrath without warning. He is a just and loving God who does not wish that any should perish. That is why God provided the Bible, the Good News about Jesus spreading across the planet, and the many signs alerting us to the fact that we were living on the threshold of the Tribulation and soon return of Jesus Christ. God gave the world every possible chance for 2000 years to repent of its rebellion and return to Him.
The great news now is that it's not too late for you to make a decision to follow Jesus Christ (unless, of course, you have taken The Mark). You see, this story has a happy ending. Jesus' return at the end of the Tribulation means great joy to those who love him. Jesus will cleanse the world of evil and the damages from His wrath and restore the planet to pristine condition. Jesus will rule from Jerusalem over those who throughout human history have put their faith and trust in Him (Revelation 20:4-6,9).
You can be one of those people. Whether you die in the Tribulation or not, the simple truth is that life is about far more than just this temporal existence. The Tribulation, and all the suffering that comes with it, is temporary; fleeting. What really matters is where you spend the rest of eternity. As I discussed earlier, God has already made provision for you to spend the rest of eternity with Him. That provision came in the person of Jesus Christ, in His life, His death, and His resurrection. Jesus bore the punishment for sin that should have been yours to take; yours, and mine.
Remember Jesus' promise in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." That’s what matters now. Time is running out, and the end is very near. Please, please do what must be done. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near”. The suffering you’re enduring now, in this Tribulation, is nothing compared to eternity without Christ, regretting the fact that you had this one chance, and failed to take it.
In what little time you have left, get a Bible. Download one from Bible.org, so you know God's will for your life. There are so many resources at places like www.raptureforum.net, www.lamblion.com, and www.raptureready.com – take advantage of them! Learn all you can about Jesus, while the opportunity remains. Gather quickly with others who have accepted Jesus as Saviour for support and to worship together.
If you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour, we will be waiting for you on the other side of this. May God bless you and keep you. Maranatha!
"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." (Nahum 1:7 NIV)
[This letter and its contents have been adapted from the excellent letter at www.lamblion.com, entitled "Jesus Came - What's next?"]