Those who will be left behind

Who will be left behind?

The cultist and modernist church Suppose the Lord Jesus came on Sunday morning about 11:30 a. m. The cultist and modernist church, who deny that Jesus is Lord, won't miss a thing. Church will go right on as usual. There could be a believer who would suddenly disappear and shock a few but that would be all.

The Bible believing church
Remember Jesus had a Judas. They could have some visitors or professing Christians who would be shocked to death to suddenly see almost everyone around them just disappear in a "moment, in the twinkling of an eye."

A moderate church
Imagine a church where about half are saved and about half don't have a clue.  Can you imagine the consternation that will come over the lost left behind. There will be a lot more done than just scratching their heads in wonderment.

Transportation vehicles
Can you imagine what is going to happen to all the traffic on the roads, in the air and on the seas. On the roads there will be tons of wrecks. In the air, plane after plane will crash if the pilot were saved and no one to take over. A co-pilot will be stunned and call traffic control and report the disappearance. I have met a good number of "born again" pilots who have been aware of what could happen if they were flying at the coming of Christ. Awesome, when you think about it. The same goes for ships.

A husband and wife
She goes and he stays. What a shock will come over him. Years ago, I ran into John one day. He burst out to me, "Preacher, I got saved." Tell me about it John, I asked. He had heard me preach and heard about the rapture taking place. He said, "Last night, I was reading in bed. Mary fell asleep and when I looked at her it dawned on me that she would be taken and I would be left and I did not want her to go to heaven without me and so I prayed right then and accepted Christ as my Savior. I will be there Sunday and confess the Lord Jesus to everyone there." He did the next Sunday and went on with the Lord.

Prayer:  Father, help those who are not saved, and may they come to know Christ as their savior too. In Jesus name.

And I love you, all because the Lord Jesus suffered and died for our sins, paid our debt in full and rose again so we can be forgiven and go to heaven, sumner. Do you believe in that alone for your salvation? Believe and pray to receive Him as your Savior right now. "He that has the Son, has life" 1 John 5:12.

One taken and the other left

"Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. "Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left" Matt. 24:40, 41.

The context of this is clearly, the one taken in the flood was the lost person, the one left was Noah and his family, the saved ones. More on this later. BUT at the rapture, one is going to be taken, caught up to meet the Lord in the air and the other, the lost, left behind to go through the tribulation. What is it going to be like?

Let's start with churches
There will be many "left behind." The cultists and any who deny that Jesus is Lord (God), will be left. "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God" John 1:1. Excuse me, but I majored in Greek in seminary and this can only be translated, "the word was God" not "a" God, one among many but the only God. "All things were made by him" verse 3. "And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth" Jn. 1 3, 14. It does not take a rocket scientist to see this is referring to the Lord Jesus as God.

"Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. " 1 John 2:22, 23. This is strong language but solemn truth. It is not said by me in bigotry or hate but humbly as the servant of God, true to the Word of God. They will be left behind.

The modernist
In the Dallas newspaper, talking about Mel Gibson's movie, "the Passion of the Christ" said, "Not all believers share Gibson's view that Jesus died to atone for sin." One professed Christian said, "It doesn't make sense to me that God would need to be satisfied by sending his son to be killed. That's a vengeful God and not a God I want to worship." How blind can you be. I am so sorry, but that kind will be left behind.

The professer but not possesser "They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that it might be made manifest that they were not all of us" Vs. 19. Judas is the perfect example. He went "to his own place" Acts 1:25. There is a lot of professed believers as in Matt. 7:22, 23 who will hear the Lord Jesus say, "depart from me, I never knew you." These were never :"once saved" for Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them" John 10:27. He also said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU" Heb 13:5. These could have never been "once saved" because he said, "I will never leave you." They would have been taken in the rapture!

The unbelievers
"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, 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." 1 Thes. 4:15, 17.

"But for the cowardly and unbelieving, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" Rev. 21:8.

Prayer:  Father, wake up those who profess to be saved but are not and open their eyes that Christ suffered and died for their sins, rose again and to trust You for that alone to get them to heaven so they can be born again. In Jesus name

And I love you, all because the Lord Jesus suffered and died for our sins, paid our debt in full and rose again so we can be forgiven and go to heaven, sumner. Do you believe in that alone for your salvation? Believe and pray to receive Him as your Savior right now. "He that has the Son, has life" 1 John 5:12.

"Rejoice evermore" 1 Thes. 5:16. The joy of the Lord is your strength" Neh. 8:10

The Rapture

Rapture! How in the world is it going to happen?

Surprise! Swiftly. Shockingly.

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" 1 Cor. 15:52.

"The second coming of Christ is mentioned in both the Old Testament and Matthew 24-25 but the Rapture was not revealed until the night before the Crucifixion in John 14:1-3" Dr. John F. Walvoord pointed this out in his book, "Prophecy in the New Millennium." That is quite amazing. There is a multitude of Christians today who do not know about the Rapture or have not had it emphasized enough to be consciously looking for His coming for Believers.

How in the world is it going to happen?

SUDDENLY! The Rapture, the gathering and assent ion of who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, will take place just before the beginning of the Day of the Lord. More on this later. Paul tells us, "Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape" 1 Thess. 5:1-3.

 
SWIFTLY! "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound" vs.52. No man knows the day nor the hour. "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief" vs. 4. "So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober" (be serious about it) vs. 6. The blowing of the trumpet was for the gathering of the people of God Num. 10:2 ff. So it will be at the rapture.

Systematically! "The dead in Christ will rise first" 1 Thes. 4:16. This is all the believers from the day of Pentecost. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body" 1 Cor. 12:13. Christ only has one body Eph. 4:4. This takes place at the moment of salvation even as we are "born of the Spirit" at that moment. "If any man be in Christ he is a new creation" 2 Cor. 5:17. Every believer has been baptized by the Holy Spirit or he is not "in Christ."

"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." 1 Thes. 4:17. "What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see" and "we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is" 1 John 3:2. What a grand homecoming that will be. Please don't miss it, get in on it right now. Look up all the verses listed on the chart under "Rapture."

Prayer:  Father, help your children to be keenly aware that Jesus is coming so we will be ready and waiting with our eyes on You and things above. In Jesus name

And I love you, all because the Lord Jesus suffered and died for our sins, paid our debt in full and rose again so we can be forgiven and go to heaven, sumner.

Do you believe in that alone for your salvation? Believe and pray to receive Him as your Savior right now. "He that has the Son, has life" 1 John 5:12.