At It Again
by Randall Walton
Last year at about this same time, thousands of Christians were trembling in their spiritual boots because a certain Bible prognosticator had predicted that 2011 was the year of the return of the Lord for his people. The month and day were also included in the prediction.
This was to have been the highly popular “rapture” of the church; a supposed Pre-tribulation translation of God’s people as an escape from the calamities which are to befall the rest of humanity in the last days of this era.
In order to have even a small degree of credibility, the rapture theory divides the second coming of Jesus into two phases, or stages: (1) Jesus is to come “for” his saints; (2) Jesus is to come “with” his saints.
Phase 1 is just prior to the Great Tribulation, and is to be a secret, at-any-moment catching away of only those people who are genuinely born again. Some denominations teach that eligibility is confined to those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit, while others say you must belong to their organization in order to be counted worthy. There are a number of groups who claim to be THE Body, THE Church, THE Bride of Christ, and only their group is to be raptured.
Supposedly, those who are not raptured will remain here on earth and suffer martyrdom or horrible persecution, while those who have been taken to heaven will be guest of honor at the “marriage of the Lamb.”
Phase 2 is to occur 3½ years (some say 7 years) after Phase 1. (Therefore, those who do not participate in Phase 1 will know exactly when Phase 2 will occur!) Phase 2 is to include the raptured saints returning with Jesus and assisting him in setting up a materialistic, earthly 1000 year kingdom.
Personally, it seems to me that having spent 3½ years in heaven, or any amount of time in heaven, it would be a great let-down to have to return to this poor old planet! I, for one, would greatly prefer to remain there, not here.
The Greatest Disappointment
As all of us now know, no one left this globe last fall, and Jesus did not come to get anyone, even though multitudes of people were waiting and looking for him. No one knows how much money people lost last year by selling their homes, giving up their jobs, and watching the skies for the Savior to appear.
In addition, the Scriptures absolutely refute the idea of Jesus returning to this earth in two phases, or stages, one of which is secret and imminent, and the other as described above.
Not Imminent
The word imminent is defined as “likely to happen without delay; impending; threatening” (Webster). Those who predict that the coming of Jesus may take place at any time, or even this year, are saying it is imminent. One well-known evangelist as adopted the slogan “Perhaps Today” as his banner. He believes the rapture may occur today, tomorrow, or at any time.
It is appropriate and necessary that we lift our voices in loud protest against this false hope. Paul wrote plainly about the “coming of the Lord Jesus” and “our gathering togetherunto him” and “the day of Christ.” He warned us not to be deceived by whatever means people might use to convince us that the coming of Jesus is imminent. He admonished us not to be upset, shaken or troubled even though a spirit should speak out saying “the day of Christ is at hand.”
He said, “That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that manof sin be revealed, the son of perdition”(II Thess. 2:1-3). Observe carefully: the coming of Jesus and our gathering together unto him shall not occur until: (1) a falling way has occurred, (2) the man of sin has been revealed.
There have been many well-intentioned efforts by religious authors to prove that both of these pre-advent events have taken place, but their arguments are not well-grounded, nor substantiated by evidence. In addition, Jesus placed the time of his return immediately after the Great Tribulation described in Matthew 24:29-31. We can, therefore, boldly state that the return of Jesus is not imminent.
Complacency is Unwise
However, the fact that the return of our Lord is not on the immediate agenda is no reason for God’s people to be complacent and apathetic. There is much evidence that we are drawing closer to a time of great peril and trouble: a time which will surely try men’s souls and test their faith.
Corruption and violence fill the earth on an unprecedented scale. Terrorism stalks the streets of our large cities. It is unsafe for pedestrians in most metropolitan areas at any time after dark. Newspapers and news magazines are continually presenting features of policemen, teachers and other influential people who are involved in the sale of hard drugs such as crack, cocaine and heroin.
Add to all of this the speculative nature of the economic market. Our nation’s own growing debt, along with the indebtedness of thousands of corporations in this country as well as abroad, is incurred upon the premises of speculation and risk: the belief that tomorrow’s profit will somehow pay for today’s excesses. At almost any time, some unexpected occurrence could bring the entire house of finance to its knees, causing a worldwide depression of such proportion that it is nearly impossible to imagine.
Truly, this is no time to be complacent!
Jesus, the Way
While the outlook for the world is bleak, there is hope and assurance for God’s people, provided they do what is necessary. Jesus himself gave the ultimate solution to the problems of mankind which exist in any age or any condition. The answers are found in his commandments, his words and his sayings. He gave the blueprint for men to follow in the building of their lives. He not only told us how to live, but how to conduct our lives on a day-by-day, person-to-person basis. Few professing Christians are aware of, or are concerned about, the manner of life which Jesus prescribed for those who would follow him.
For one thing, he commands us to have complete, unwavering faith in the Father; and in the Father’s ability to provide for our needs. A good time to start practicing this is now (seeMatt. 6:19-34)! If the Father clothes the lilies and the grass of the field, feeds the birds and watches the sparrow, and even numbers the hair of our heads, how much more is he able to take care of our necessities and provide for us?
He has not promised us luxury nor material fortune and wealth, but to care for us as bountifully as he does his other creatures. And, he has promised us this care if we but seek his Kingdom above everything else.
Friend, waste no time worrying about the predicted rapture of the church; rather, redeem the time by seeking the Lord and his Kingdom, and adjusting your life to the commands, the words and the sayings of Jesus Christ as found in the Sermon on the Mount and the other portions of the four Gospels.
[Taken from “The Testimony of Truth,” a periodic publication
by The People of the Living God, March, 2012 issue.]
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