There is something inherently wonderful about the concept of the rapture. It means salvation, joy, and harmony to the majority of Christians. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen the way that most believe.
This is not an article to give evidence about the idea that we will go through tribulation before the return of our Messiah. It’s also not an article that will go into the reasons that the false idea of a pre-tribulation rapture became so popular and why it’s taught in most Christian churches today. That particular conspiracy theory would take much longer than one article to explain. Today, let’s simply discuss the dangers of having a closed mind and the reason that so many do.
The title of this post is unfortunate because there really is not a “they” or an “us” in this debate. The reality is that those who live long enough to see the end days just prior to the return of Jesus Christ will all be faced with tremendous challenges and the type of world that most do not want to consider. The reason that I use the word “they” is in hopes that you, the reader, will soon be willing to open your mind to reality.
When hope is blinding
Hope is the cornerstone of a set of emotions bestowed on us by the Creator that drive many of us to do more than we normally could. It is a top-tier emotion that can supersede the base emotions of fear or joy that guide many of us from moment to moment.
With all of the wonderful things that hope brings to humans, it can have a negative effect. In the case of believing in a pre-tribulation rapture, it’s our hopes that play against us to strengthen the delusion. The end days will be marked with the greatest evils the world has ever seen. Millions, even billions of people will die quickly in an unprecedented wave of destruction and chaos. People will be forced to make tough choices unlike anything that we’ve ever had to face.
It won’t be choices about how to pay a mortgage or what to do about the bully at school. These choices will be more important than even the life or death decisions that some are forced to make today. These will be choices about our soul, choices about eternity.
There will be suffering greater than the vast majority of people have ever imagined, let alone experienced.
Many churches have latched onto the concept of the pre-tribulation rapture for two reason:
- It has been accepted by their peers, publishers, conference organizers, and other religious support bodies. If you preach anything other than a pre-tribulation rapture, you’re not going to get in with the “cool kids” of the modern church movement.
- People don’t want to hear it. There’s a reason that people like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren are so popular. They tell people that everything is going to be okay, that they can do great things in this life, and that the Bible is not about doom and gloom. As a result, the churches that are preaching the truth about the coming of Jesus Christ have a challenge with filling their pews.
Hope is empowering in many cases, but in the case of the rapture, it’s debilitating. It is arguably the greatest threat to Christians.
An open mind (in this case) is imperative
Today, many churches and Christians suffer from the negative effects of having an open mind. The Bible is very clear about what we should believe and how we are supposed to live our lives, but many modern churches have abandoned sound Biblical doctrine in order to be more inclusive. This is not the time to go into those things, but rather to focus on the instance when an open mind is most important.
Regardless of what you’re taught at church or on the internet, you must have an open mind about the end days. To believe that we will not have to go through tribulation is a nice thought, but if you are willing to open up to the possibility (truth) that we are going to face the toughest challenges that man has ever faced in the coming days, then you’ll be more prepared to face it when it comes. This is the time to open your mind. If you don’t, you may not be prepared and you are more likely to make very poor decisions that can haunt you for eternity.
It’s human nature to want to believe that good things are ahead in this life. We desperately want to feel like we are going to be spared the hardships that will face the world, that the bad things that are coming will not happen to us. The message of a pre-tribulation rapture is something to be desired. Unfortunately, it’s not the truth.
If through prayer, study, and an open mind you’re able to see the truth, then you will be better prepared when it happens. If you have a closed mind to it, the bad things to come will shock and confuse you. It will be in this time of confusion that many people of faith today will lose their faith. They will feel betrayed. They will fall away. It will cost them their souls.
We were told of this by Paul [emphasis mine] in 2 Thessalonians 2:
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
The real hope
This is not bad. No matter how much this world and our current lives pull us in, we have a far greater future. During the times of tribulation is when our faith is most tested. Tribulation is not a time to fear. It is a time to shine. It is an opportunity for us to face the worst that the adversary can throw at us and come through the other end with the greatest hope of eternity still intact.
No man can do it alone. We need to pray constantly for our Father to guide us, for the Holy Spirit to fill us, and for the glory of our Messiah to take us up to Him at the appointed time. There will be many tests and challenges that we will face before that time. When you realize that the hope of men and churches are almost always false, the real hope of a permanent place in Heaven can give you more to live (and die) for than any reward from this world.
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
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