The Rapture

I recently read this post on another website. I do not know the author. The information is timely and relevant to the world in which we live. Signs of the end times are all about us and I anticipate that our generation could very well live to experience the Rapture. Should any of us be left behind to endure the 7 years of Tribulation, this article is specific in what should be done.

If we are saved and secure in our salvation, living lives pleasing and obedient to God, then we shall be taken out of this world and raptured to the doorstep of our Father. We will escape the sheer terror of the 7 Year Tribulation. Don't wait too long.

What to Do if You Miss the Rapture

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them who are asleep. 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 who 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonian s 4:15-18

Amazing words from the Word of God. But what do they mean? This passage foretells an amazing event we have come to call the Rapture of the Church. It is the time when God will take all living, believing Christians out of the Earth instantaneously:

"Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we all shall be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye..." 1 Corinthians 15:51

When will this amazing event take place? It will take place at the onset of a terrible 7-year period of time the Bible calls the Tribulation. During those gruesome days, over half the population of the world will die amidst wars, natural catastrophes, plagues, as the result of economic manipulation, and especially at the nefarious hand of an evil world ruler known in the Bible as the Antichrist. Do you believe in Jesus Christ?

However if you are not a Christian, the answer for you is "Sadly, yes!" Sadly, because if you do not move quickly and come to believe in Jesus as Savior before the Rapture, you will be left behind after the Rapture to take your chances with the Antichrist and the world of his oppression. Your chances of survival will be less that 50/50, and most of those who will survive will be forced to join the new Satanic world economic system. But beware, the Bible says that joining that economic system (called the Mark of the Beast) will involve aligning yourself with the Antichrist, which will erase any chance you have to come to salvation.

But there is hope! Now, before the Rapture, you can believe on Jesus and become a Child of God. And even after the Rapture, you will have an opportunity to become a Tribulation Saint, enduring plagues and persecution, and probably being beheaded for the testimony of Christ.
A list of things you should do if you are left behind after the church has been raptured up into the heavens with Jesus.

I. STAY CALM AND DO NOT PANIC
Your natural reaction once you realize what has just occurred is to panic. But to do so is absolutely useless now. If you had wanted to get right with God before the rapture, you could have, but you chose to wait. Now your only chance is to stay on this earth and to endure to the end of the Tribulation. "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." - Matthew 24:13

II. REALIZE YOU ARE NOW LIVING DURING THE GREAT TRIBULATION

The Great Tribulation is a seven year period starting from the time of the rapture until Jesus' second coming. Also know as "the time of Jacob's (Israel's) trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7) and "Daniel's Seventieth Week" (Daniel 9), this period will be unparalleled in trouble and horror.

III. GATHER AS MANY BIBLES AS YOU CAN AND HIDE THEM
Soon after the Antichrist becomes the leader of the European Community (the revived Roman Empire [i.e. the Jews]), Bibles will be confiscated and owning a Bible will be tantamount to treason. The Bible, however, will be your most valuable possession during the Tribulation.

IV. READ THE BIBLE LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER READ IT BEFORE IN YOUR LIFE Since all of your Bibles may be confiscated, even if you are careful, it is imperative that you read the word until you memorize whole passages and can quote them. It is especially important to read Daniel, Luke 21, Matthew 24, Revelation, and Amos, for these books describe the events you can expect to unfold before you.

V. PRAY LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER PRAYED BEFORE IN YOUR LIFE
Pray until the power of God comes strongly upon you - pray and pray and pray. Only by reading the word and praying will you gain the spiritual strength to be able to withstand the torture you may have to endure for the sake of Jesus.

VI. DO NOT TAKE THE MARK AT ANY COST - EVEN IF IT MEANS YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES DIE AS MARTYRS After the Antichrist becomes the leader of the European Community, he will institute a world economic system, designed so that you cannot buy, sell, or eat unless you take his mark or the number of his name. Money will be useless. "And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666" - Revelation 13:16-18. The Antichrist will implement the greatest slaughter in all of humanity. Think of the various ways people have been tortured and killed in the past, such as the Holocaust. You cannot even imagine the horror that will take place under the Antichrist's rule; it will be much worse than anything in history (Matt 24:21) "...I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And a white robe was given to each of them: and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of the fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed." Revelation 6:9, 11. His targets will be Jews and Christians who do not worship his image or take the mark on their forehead or right hand/ "...And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on the hands." - Revelation 20:4. He will use every form of torture and humiliation in order to force you to renounce Jesus. Nor will he hesitate to use your loved ones against you, even your children, torturing and killing them in front of you so that you will be tempted to take the mark. If you take the mark or worship the Antichrist or his image, however, you will be consigned to the second death, which is the Lake of Fire. You cannot be redeemed. It is better to endure torture for a short while and gain eternal life than [sic] to endure eternal torment in the Lake of Fire. "...If anyone worships the Beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation. An [sic] he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." -Revelation 14:9-10

VII. SET A PLAN IN MOTION FOR SURVIVAL Although you may not be able to hide from the Antichrist's government until the end of the Tribulation, all of the time you gain in hiding is important for your spiritual growth and strengthening, since only those who are extremely strong in Jesus can suffer and die for his sake. The first thing to do is move out of the city and into a rural or mountainous area, for the Antichrist's control will come last to the least populated areas. Take a good radio or TV with you so that you can stay attuned to events and discern the time schedule of the Tribulation. Store water and food, because you will not be able to purchase anything without the mark. Water in lakes and streams will be polluted by radioactive waste from nuclear warfare and will eventually turn into blood. Bring different types of clothing for all seasons, as well as flashlights, batteries, generators, and First Aid supplies. In short, learn how to survive and live off the land as the pioneers did.

VIII. TRUST NO ONE There will be secret agents everywhere, spying for the Antichrist's government. Be on the lookout.

IX. WATCH FOR THE ANTICHRIST It is important to realize who the Antichrist is and what he is up to, for he will deceive many into thinking that he is a great world leader who will bring peace and prosperity to a world hungry for it. We can infer from Daniel 11 certain characteristics of this man. Popular during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation, he will dominate the airwaves. He will be physically appealing, highly intelligent, with Christ-like charisma and personality. An international politician, military tactician and economic expert, his word will be peace; he will make a treaty with the Jews, which he will break after three and a half years. He will have such supernatural power that a mortal wound to his head will be healed. Even the very elect will be deceived. If you do not pray and read the Bible, you too will be deceived. The Antichrist will have a companion, the False Prophet , who will make an image in the likeness of the Antichrist and cause it to speak. All who refuse to worship the image will be killed. The final three and a half years will be absolutely insane, with demonic spirits everywhere.

X. DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE! The seven years of Tribulation will end with the triumphant return of Jesus. The Antichrist will be defeated. Be steadfast and endure, and you will be rewarded greatly in Heaven. Start reading the bible and praying fervently now. The salvation of your soul depends upon it. Determine that, come what may, you will not take the mark or worship the Antichrist. You still have a chance to be saved or remain saved, but this time you will have to be "faithful unto death." May God find you ready in the hour of His glorious return!