“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16 BSB)
“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight, if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:21-23 NKJV)
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV)
I continue to have a burning on the inside of me to share a growing concern that I have pertaining to how so many believers are reacting to our current world conditions. Our world is ready for revival. Everything is prepared for the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit yet to be experienced. The need for salvation (forgiveness, deliverance, healing, provision, etc.) is greater than ever before. The “End Time Harvest” is ripe for picking. And yet, many are pulling off the front lines looking for a way of escape.
The message of the Rapture is intended to intensify our efforts, and cooperation, with the Gospel of the Kingdom, not interrupt what we are doing. It is to comfort us, while at the same time giving us a sense of urgency in spreading the Gospel. Satan wants us to stop relying on the Gospel. He wants us to stop expecting to live long, strong lives in which we fill this planet with God’s glory as we expand the Kingdom of Heaven throughout the Earth. He wants us to read the “signs of the times” as expected world conditions, go into hiding as we wait on our opportunity to escape, and hand the world over to him.
Jesus never intended our expectation of His return to cause us to alter our approach to His Plan of Redemption for today. We are to storm the Gates of Hell with the Gospel of the Kingdom, and fill the whole world with God’s Glory as He hears and answers our prayer for His Kingdom to come, and His Will to be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. We are to live with the full expectation of living long, strong lives worth living with nothing broken or missing, while simultaneously being ready for Christ’s return today.
I have noticed that every time we go through a time of intense difficulty many begin to claim that the end is at hand. Do you remember the 1984 prediction? Many thought that year was all she wrote, and yet, here I am. I remember how the Church reacted to the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic. It was the end, and yet, I haven’t gone any where. Then there was Y2K, I’m still here. Now we have the current Pandemic, and political turmoil. Once again we are looking to the Rapture as a way of escape, rather than intensifying our efforts to spread the Gospel to offer hope, and turn this World around.
I am a strong believer in the Rapture of the Church. I believe Paul taught it clearly in his writings to the Thessalonians. We very well could be in the final moments before meeting Jesus in the air. However, we may also be on the verge of a major breakthrough in which Jesus continues to patiently wait for every person to hear and respond to the Gospel. While I look for Christ’s return, I will continue to carry out the “Great Commission” that He gave to me, and all true disciples, until that day.
As I already mentioned, I do not believe that bailing out on those who need the Gospel should be our aim or focus during this time of great need. It is the Gospel of the Kingdom that provides the answer to every question, resource for every need, and solution to every problem. You and I must actively carry that Gospel to the World.
That is why I am compelled to share..,
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 108: “While there is comfort for the Church in the Rapture, the Gospel is the hope of the World.”