Just in the last week alone I have heard people on both sides of the rapture debate make the claim that the other side is not going to heaven if they refuse to see the truth.
One guy was saying that if you believe in the rapture then you are not a true Christian The other side saying that if you do not have Gods peace and love in your heart then you aren't going to heaven.
Over the years I have heard both sides of the argument and to be honest both sides make valid arguments and though I honestly do believe that there are many people out there who cling to rapture beliefs because they want a “get out of jail free” card, there are many who are genuine Christians who truly love Jesus and sincerely want to serve him.
I used to be on the 'no-rapture' side of the fence until I asked God about it. I was very confused about this issue and to be quite honest I still find it a confusing issue.
God confirmed to me that there will indeed be some kind of rapture event and that is good enough for me!
God will protect his children!
This morning I was lying in bed thinking about this and wondering why there is so much confusion and debate about this and why Christians are so divided on this issue and then God let me see something I had been missing.
Believing in the rapture isn't just about knowing what's in the Bible or about knowing Christian history... It is about faith!
It is about the kind of faith in which you can say to the mountain move from here to there and it will move!
And it's about the type of power that accompanies this faith!
For a realist this type of faith is difficult at best and the truth is that every single person I have seen it the no-rapture camp is a realist!
I am also a realist which is why the rapture debate has been a difficult thing for me.
However being a realist also lets you see the flaws in various church doctrines that the vast majority do not see so finding a church in which we are welcome is a challenge, especially when we cannot conform to their beliefs.
A realist seeks the truth and it is very important to us, in fact it is so important to us that we would rather sever ties with the people whom we love than give ourselves over to a lie!
Jesus is the way the truth and the life....Period!
Many realists however are brain smart they seek out the truth and rely on their intelligence to guide them and often miss some of the more faith based aspects of trust and belief.
This morning it occurred to me to to wonder what if both of these beliefs could in fact be somewhat true?
It occurred to me to wonder if maybe those who do not believe in the rapture might be left behind and maybe there is a very good reason why!
God sees the end from the beginning, there is no way that he would not have seen this and used it to serve his purpose!
What if these are the elect that the Bible speaks of when it says “for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened”?
Matthew 24:22
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Mark 13:20
And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
Perhaps this is the group that will witness God's wrath on this earth as well as Gods mighty miracles and the protection of his people!
AND Maybe this is the group of people whom the Bible is speaking of when it says that the first will be last and the last shall be first!
Matthew 19:30
But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Matthew 20:16
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Luke 13:30
And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
Perhaps being left behind isn't necessarily about not believing but is at least in part about being a living witness to the end result of sin and the power of God's ultimate truth!
Maybe these people are in fact serving the purpose of the eternal witness of what happens when you reject your inheritance and choose sin over love!
These people will also serve as the light in the darkest time in human history!
I have heard many rapture believers say that anyone left behind will have to endure torture, unimaginable horrors and even horrible deaths but that may not be true for everyone left behind!
Some yes but not everyone.
I do believe that anyone left behind will indeed witness horror and terror beyond imagination yet many of these people will have God's hand of protection on them and will serve as the last embers of light in an increasingly darkening world!
So maybe what appears to us as random chaos and division within the church body is in fact serving Gods will!
I believe that most of the so called Church of Christ is now under Satanic control and currently part of the beast system but that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone in these churches are.
Maybe we need to stop focusing on our differences and start focusing on Biblical common ground!
Revelation 18:4
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
The simple truth is that we each have our own unique, individual part to play in Gods plan even if others refuse to see it!
Some parts may be small some might be large but all are important to the grand scheme of Gods plan.
So maybe, just maybe we should stop focusing on what we perceive as faults in each other and trust in God's overall plan!
Maybe we need to trust that Jesus will get his people out of the places where they don't belong and bring them to the truth... despite us!
We are witnessing the final chapter in the history of this earth so instead of criticizing each other lets pray for each other instead!
Let's act like true brothers and sisters in Christ and trust in Gods plan!