What happened to the Christians?
If you are reading this post and there has been a large disappearance of Christians around the globe, then I know you probably are trying to figure out what is happening right now. The answer is quite simple – Christ has come back for His church to save us from the time of tribulation to come. In short, the christians have been Raptured.
What is the Rapture?
The rapture refers to Christ coming back for His church to save us from a period of time where great trouble will come upon the face of the Earth. This is something that Christians have been hoping for since Christ first came to this Earth to die for our sins. If you are still on the Earth after this disappearance then that means you will live through these times of trouble, but take heart because you still have much to hope for depending on your decisions. There is something I’ll write below that you MUST AVOID during this time period so please keep reading.
What to expect during the Tribulation?
The Bible gives lots of warning of what to expect during the tribulation period after Christians have been taken away. Let me go through some of these things and please look up the Bible references so you can verify these things were written well before you are experiencing them and know they are true.
The biggest thing I want to prepare you for is that a great deception is going to take place that will likely try to explain away why Christians disappeared. This deception will likely fundamentally change the way of life for most people on Earth. The form of this deception has not been revealed, but it will seem very believable to the larger world and may take the form of a new global religion of sorts. I am telling you this beforehand so that you will know that a great deception is coming on the Earth. Christian believers are in Heaven with the Lord after they have disappeared from the Earth – this you can count on. God is going to allow for this all to take place for a short time, but many will become Christians during this period as well.
Somehow there will be someone who is able to perform signs like calling fire down from the sky and other miracles. What this person tries to tell the world will be very convincing and many will foolishly trust what this person says to their doom. This person will cause an image of the ‘beast’ as this is referred to be able to speak and will try to force you to worship an image and to take on an image or mark on your forehead or right hand that will be required to buy or sell goods. The mark will be either the name of the beast as he is called or his number, which is 666 (Revelation 13:11-18). DO NOT TAKE THIS MARK OR WORSHIP IT! There is significant punishment from God for this you need to read in these verses -> (Revelation 14:9-11). God specifically notes great punishment for those take the mark. Please read those last verses before moving on it is that important.
Here are additional things to expect during the period of tribulation:
- Two Witnesses preaching the Biblical truth will arise with powers to kill those who would harm them with fire, stop rain from falling on the Earth during the days of their prophesying, (LISTEN TO THEM – FOR THEY ARE SPEAKING TRUTH), and they will be able to turn the waters into blood, and strike others with plagues. They will be killed after they have completed their work. They will lie dead for 3 and a half days before coming back to life. God will call them up to heaven as their enemies watch. (Revelation 11:1-14)
- A person will set up something terrible to be worshiped connected to the Jewish regular sacrifice (Daniel 12:11)
- War will come on the Earth (Revelation 6:4)
- Famine (Revelation 6:5-6)
- Christians will be martyred (Revelation 6:9-11)
- Great Terror – Great Earthquakes, the Sun will turn black, and moon will be like blood, people will try to hide in the mountains and caves (Revelation 6:12-17)
- 144,000 from the tribes of Israel will be sealed by God (Revelation 7:4-8)
- Hail and fire where a third of the earth will burn up and a third of the trees and all the green grass (Revelation 8:7)
- A third of the sea will become like blood, a third of the creatures in the sea will die, and a third of the ships will be destroyed (Revelation 8:8-9)
- A star will fall named Wormwood that will go into the springs and rivers making them bitter (Revelation 8:10-11)
- Horrific locusts will plague the earth and will torment men. (Revelation 9:1-12)
- Terrible sores will come to those with the mark of the beast (Revelation 16:2)
- Scorching heat (Revelation 16:9)
- The Euphrates river will dry up to make way for the kings of the east (Revelation 16:12)
What Hope Does Anyone Have During the Tribulation?
This is the same hope that Christians have had during any period of persecution that has often come against the church. This hope is in our Lord Jesus Christ that His death on the cross was the perfect sacrifice to cover our sins so that we can get into right standing with God and live with Him for eternity in Heaven. The alternative is rejecting His free gift of salvation that comes through faith in Christ as your savior and being separated from God after death.
Let me be clear many will come to know Christ during the tribulation period because His message of hope will be preached among all the chaos and lies that are being spread around the globe.
How Do I Get This Hope?
God wants every person to be with Him in heaven. The Bible makes it clear what we must do in order to be saved. We must believe in the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, in His perfect sacrifice on the cross to cover our sins in order to be saved (Acts 16:31). We are only saved through our faith in Christ Jesus as our savior and no works that we perform can ever save us as we read in Ephesians 2:8-9. Romans 10:9 NASB says “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”
If you are ready to accept Christ’s free gift of salvation, then please pray along out loud with the prayer below.
I urge you, please do not put this decision off. You are not promised tomorrow.
God, I know that you look at our hearts so please hear my words and know why I am coming to you at this time in prayer. I may not know all the answers or fully understand everything as this point, but I pray that you will reveal yourself to me. I know that I am a sinner and I have fallen short. I know and have faith that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was the payment necessary for my sins in order for me to be with you after this life. I am sorry and ask now for your forgiveness of my sins. I call on Your Name to save me. I need you as my savior and I ask that you would send your Holy Spirit into me to guide me in my journey of knowing you more, to help me as I turn away from my lifestyle of sin and make you the Lord of my life, and to convict me to continually try to live more like You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer above and meant it, then you have made the greatest decision you can make in this life. The next step for you is to tell someone else that you now believe Jesus is Lord. Start reading your Bible more to gain a better understanding of God and His love for you and to see what else will take place during this period of tribulation. Please repent and completely turn your life from sin. And make your decision public by sharing with others and by being baptized. Your time left is short and tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Still take heart knowing that this period of trouble will not last very long. Start reading the book of Daniel in the Bible to better understand exact timelines. Even if you face death in this life from your beliefs know that you are not alone and your faith will not be in vain. The book of Philippians is an excellent encouragement to read. Paul had an excellent view of life and death you can read in Philippians 1:21-22.
I can’t wait to meet you in Heaven one day! May God bless you and bring you His peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7)