By Pastor Greg...
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
went on a camping trip. Some hours after
they laid down for the night, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend,
"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." Watson replied, "I see millions and
millions of stars." "What does
that tell you?" Holmes asked. Watson
pondered for a minute. "Astronomically, it tells me that there are
millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I
observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is
approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is
all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I
suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Why? What does it tell you?"
Holmes was silent for a minute,
then spoke, " Someone has stolen our tent!"
You can almost hear Sherlock
Holmes say, “Why, the answer is elementary, my dear Watson.” However, I wonder what people will say when a
large percentage of the population disappears.
How will the world leaders explain the Rapture?
The Rapture if the Church is the
day Jesus calls all believers to Heaven; the day the Spirit of God is withdrawn
from the earth. How will the event be explained? Christian teachers and leaders have a theory,
based on some actual comments made by “New Age” mystics and psychics. Israeli mystic Uri Geller wrote, “[extra-terrestrials] would not interfere
until, in a single night, at the peak of the conflict, they would remove
millions of humans who resist this initiation into a higher spiritual
consciousness and ‘re-educate’ them before returning them to Earth a few years
later.”[1] Another example comes from Barbara
Marciniak, a mystic, and psychic
channeler. In her book “Bringers of the
Dawn” she writes, “The people who leave
the planet during the time of Earth changes do not fit in here any longer, and
they are stopping the harmony of Earth. When the time comes that perhaps 20 million
people leave the planet at one time there
will be a tremendous shift in consciousness for those who are remaining.”[2]
So, in their minds, people who
resist change or who resist the initiation into a higher spiritual
consciousness will be taken away by some alien force. The idea is that Mother Earth or some cosmic
being will finally rid the earth of those who interfere with “oneness” and
“unity.” These comments are why some
biblical scholars feel government leaders will attribute the Rapture to “alien
abduction.”
It is essential for us to understand the emotional climate of the world
once Christians are taken away. If we understand this, we can better understand the
events which follow once Jesus begins to open the Scroll.
In Revelation 6, John says, As I watched, the
Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the
four living beings say with a voice like
thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked up and saw a white horse standing
there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out
to win many battles and gain the victory.
3 When the Lamb broke the
second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” 4 Then
another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the
authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter
everywhere.
5 When the Lamb broke the
third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a
black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And
I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread
or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil
and wine.”
7 When the Lamb broke the
fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” 8 I
looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named
Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over
one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild
animals. [3]
It is implied that the rider on
these horses is the same individual. The
color of the horse changes, but not the one who sits on the horse. Significantly, this rider enters the scene on a white horse. He comes
as a victor but does not fight a single
battle. He has a bow, but no
arrows. He is given a crown (a stephanos;
a victor’s crown, not a diadema; a kingly crown). He unites the world
without a single battle. The world
government he establishes will happen without warfare.
I used to wonder how that could
happen. How is it possible that many of
the nations in this world will openly embrace the leadership of this
Antichrist?
I don’t have that answer. I am not exactly sure. I may not know precisely why or how this will
happen, but considering the growing loathing for Christian values and morals in
this world, it’s not hard to imagine that those left behind will breathe a deep
sigh of relief. At last the world will
be freed of all unenlightened buffoons; the deplorables
will finally be gone. Naturally, when a
leader arises calling all like-minded nations to unite, most people on the
earth will gladly surrender to his leadership.
He is precisely the kind of leader
the world has wanted. However, not
everyone on earth will be so enchanted by
the Antichrist.
After the Rapture of Christian
men, women, and children, some who are left behind will finally believe in the
message preached by the Church. The good
news is they will be saved in eternity; the bad news is they will not be spared
these great trials and tribulations.
Probably also present on the earth will be many other religions. There will still be Jews in the world; this
much is certain. But perhaps we will even see Hindus, Buddhist, Muslims, Mormons,
Jehovah Witnesses, etc. Certainly, they will not fawn over this leader’s
plan for a one-world government and a one-world religion. They will resist. And although the Antichrist assumes power
without going to war, he will lead his followers into battle attempting to
annihilate every other form of religion.
Revelation 6:8 says 25% of the people on this earth will be wiped
out…except for the Jews. For whatever
reason, this Antichrist will “protect” the Jewish people from these great
battles. He will pretend, at least for
three and a half years, to be their friend; their “savior.”
This is what will happen one day
in the future. The Church will be taken
away, and the world will rejoice. A
world leader will rise to power. He will
call the “enlightened” to unite with him in the battle
against those who resist, notably, those who embrace a different religion. The world will go to war. Many will suffer and die.
Now, what I have given you this
morning are some facts and a few speculations.
But like you, I still wonder why this information is essential. I mean, we
believe, and the Lord has promised to spare us
these trials and tribulations. Why then does
the He show us these things? I think the answer is found in what John wrote at
the beginning of this book. “Blessed is he who
reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which
are written in it; for the time is near” [4] (Revelation
1:3). In John’s words, there is a call to do more than merely read these words,
but to hear and heed… meaning a person is to speak the message and follow the message.
And if this is a lesson for the Church, then we need to do more than
merely learn a few facts. Christians
need to get to work NOW.
We need to stop being so
indifferent. We need to start making
personal sacrifices for the good of others; for those who are still wandering
around lost in the world. They don’t
know Christ. They don’t know hope. They don’t know
peace or love. They only know pain,
agony, and sorrow. They are alone – like
sheep without a shepherd. They are still
being deceived by the world. They are still held captive by sin and death. And if they are still alive once the Church
is raptured away, they will face global trials and tribulations. They may end up spending eternity in hell;
forever separated from the Lord.
It seems the Lord has revealed
these things to the Church so we might consider the fate of those who are still
lost.
But, it seems, some Christians
have more important things to do.
[1] As
mentioned by Jim Sayers in his report The
Shocking Truth About UFO’s, Ghosts, and Psychic Powers. You can read the article at http://theendtimeschurch.org/articles/The%20Shocking%20Truth%20About%20UFO.pdf
[2] https://library.abundanthope.org/index_htm_files/BRINGERS_OF_THE_DAWN.pdf
[3] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Re 6:1–8). Carol Stream,
IL.
[4] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Re 1:3). La
Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
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