Thursday, February 10, 2011

PLACE OF SAFETY

For many years, I have bought into the wrong theology of a pre-tribulation rapture. The rapturists believe that all Christians who are living at the time of Christ Return will be hauled out of earth into heaven before tribulation begins 'to enjoy an eternal life of bliss forever'. But the Bible teaches no such thing, these are purely the invention of man, thought out by a Jesuit priest named Ribera in the sixteen century and later popularised by an Anglican preacher named John Nelson Darby in the nineteen century.

The truth as recorded in Scriptures is that only true disciples of Christ will be provided a way of escape to a place of safety before the Great Tribulation begins. Most who are Laodiceans (the seventh and last era of the church age) will go into the Great Tribulations and the Day of the Lord to experience the cataclysmic events prophesied to occur as never before in the history of mankind. But for the sake of God's chosen ones, the time of suffering will be cut short (Matt 24: 22).

According to the rapturists, the rapture will create great confusion as aircrafts, trains and vehicles will crash out of control as the pilots and drivers are raptured out of sight. Many vital institutions will come to a grinding halt as Christian doctors, nurses, teachers and law enforcement officers are being raptured away. But God is not an author of confusion but of peace as in all the churches of the saints(1 Cor 14:33).

Truth is, heaven is not the rewards for the saints - earth is. Jesus Christ said it plainly in Matthew 5:5, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth'.  The same truth is reiterated all over Psalm 37 penned by king David (verses 9, 11, 22, 29, 34) - see also Psalm 22:28 and 67:4. The man whom the Lord Jesus Christ loves wrote in Revelation 2:26 for all saints who are overcomers,' And he who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations'.

The Tribulation will come upon the whole earth as a snare  (Luke 21:35) and billions of people are caught off guard, totally ignorant and unaware. That is why the Work of God for His true church in this end-time is to warn the inhabitants of planet earth, especially the lukewarm Laodiceans. For billions of lives are at stake! Those who scoff at bible prophecy are in grave spiritual danger. The warnings from the Word of God cannot be sidelined, 'His watchmen are blind, they are ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough. And they are shepherds who cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his own territory' (Isaiah 56:10-11).

The destruction of Jerusalem coincides with the abomination of desolation (Daniel 12:11; Matt 24:15) which had happened twice before. The first occurence was in 167 B.C. when the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes offered a pig on the temple altar in Jerusalem. The second took place in 70 A.D. when the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the true church fled to Pella. There will be a third attempt to invade Jerusalem and the true church is warned to flee to a place of safety when that occurs (Matt 24: 16-22; Luke 21:20-27; Rev 12: 14). The sad truth is that most people would rather listen to man (especially those who are powerful and influential) than to the very Word of God delivered by Christ and His prophets - that is why the world will plunge into unprecedented sufferings during the coming Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord!

Revelation 12:17 records that even some who are Christ's disciples will not be immuned from Satan's attack. This goes to show the high standard God is expecting from His saints who are called to be spirit born as eternal immortal being in His Family to rule and reign with Christ in His coming kingdom to be established on earth (Daniel 7:18, 22, 27; Rev 3:21,11:15). To be counted worthy to escape all these things (the Great Tribulation), the true disiples must learn to watch and pray (Luke 21:36). One must be watchful of events leading to Christ Second Coming as prophesied in Scriptures and to pray meaningfully, not selfishly and regurgitatively (Matt 6:7).

Most people simply do not have the faith to believe what Christ said in His Olivet prophecy about the events leading to His Second Coming (Matthew 25, Mark 13 and Luke 21). Little wonder the Lord warns in Luke 18:8, 'When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?' Do you have the faith to believe Christ at His Word and count yourself worthy to escape to a Place of Safety that God will supernaturally provide for His special treasures (Psalm 91:1-3)?