Left Behind

  When the rapture of the church occurs many will be left behind to endure the tribulation period. It is very easy to be caught up in this world and let our daily life separate us from God. I cannot tell you how many times people have said they were to busy to study their Bible. It is a worldwide epidemic and it leaves us starved for the light of His glorious Word. It will be a terrifying experience. If we cling to the faith we have, we will not be able to go to the grocery store and buy food. We will not be able to work or have money to pay our bills. We will be hunted down and butchered because of our beliefs. If we cave in and accept the mark of the beast, we will be destined for eternal hell and damnation. “We shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” 2 Thessalonians 1:9 NKJV  Our soul and spirit will live on into eternity suffering a total separation from God.

It is remarkable to me that many will be saved during the tribulation period. It will be a difficult time for  Christians. The Holy Spirit pulls back from earth, and the true nature of evil will be personified. I haven’t seen the movie series called “The Purge,” however, I have seen the previews. I can imagine a  similar world, only Christians will be the ones hunted and killed. If you think it is bad now, wait until you see how mankind reacts when the Holy Spirit of God is not holding their evil desires in check.

The only way we are going to survive this period of time is to study, study, and study some more. Bibles are plentiful now, but during the tribulation period you will be put to death if you are caught with one. It is very important that we memorize all the scripture that we can because we will not have our Bible when it comes time for us to share the Word of God. Here lies the greatest truth of all mankind. When we accept the fact that the Bible is the Word of God we become saved from our sins. Salvation becomes ours through faith. This enables the Holy Spirit to teach us the things of God so we can grow further in faith. When I first accepted Christ as my Savior I was like a little mouse. I was afraid to speak of my new faith, but as I studied the Word of God I became stronger and bolder in my beliefs. The Holy Spirit guided me to the point where I now share these words with you. As we grow in the Spirit we no longer need to rely on our own memory. All we need to do is start the conversation, and He will guide us the rest of the way. Many thousands will die in the name of the Lord during the tribulation period. None of us will be afraid because the Holy Spirit removes all fear from our soul. We will boldly go before the executioner and accept our fate because the power of God resides within us.

The times and seasons of the day of the Lord we do not know. What we do know is it will come upon us like a thief in the night.  For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 NKJV Because we have surrendered our life to Christ we will not be in the dark when these things happen. We are children of the light. The time will be as in the days of Noah. The world will be eating, drinking, partying, marrying, and divorcing just as if nothing is happening. It has been absolutely amazing to me the rise in popularity of homosexuality. God is against this and if you are involved in this behavior I urge you to stop immediately. There will be no homosexuals in heaven. “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5:6 NKJV We are to be prepared for this day and to keep watch taking shifts through the night. We are to put on the breastplate of faith and love. A helmet for the hope of salvation. We are the army of the Lord and we should be good soldiers. If you are a Christian prior to the rapture of the church you will be taken out of this world before the tribulation period begins. We will be gone before the Anti-Christ is revealed. If we have not escaped this terrible period after the rapture we are to heed the words if 1 Thessalonians 5.

We are to look for others like ourselves and give each other comfort. After the rapture people will be given over to strong delusion. The government will try every way they can to convince people the rapture didn’t happen. Look for other Christians and try to form groups. The church is the best place to start. There are many people who attend church today who feel they are too busy to read their Bible. These people may still be here.

We are to share with one another the lessons we have learned from our personal Bible study. What Bible study we did prior to the rapture should now intensify greatly. We should spend all the waking hours we can with the Lord to build up the strength necessary to combat evil. We may be called upon to be martyrs  for the Lord.

We are to respect those who lead us in our studies. There will be pastors who are left behind. They will realize they were living a double life, and most will completely surrender themselves to the gospel. Do not criticize them, but rather uphold them with prayer, respect, and love. We are all here for one reason or another. Let’s maker the best of it.

We are not to render evil for evil to any man. We are going to be persecuted. We are going to be hunted down, beaten, raped, and killed. We will need to echo  Stephen’s words when he was being stoned to death, “Father, forgive them.” When Jesus was hanging from the cross He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34 NKJV

We are to rejoice always regardless of our future fate. If we are in prison we sing hymns. If we have been beaten and robbed of our last piece of bread, we rejoice in the Lord. Should we have the hangmen’s noose around our neck, we will rejoice in our heart because soon we will be with the Lord.

We are to pray without ceasing. There is power in prayer. There is comfort knowing that you are not alone. The Holy Spirit is always there with you. Call upon Him during life’s struggles. He will give you the confidence you need to survive.

In every thing we should give thanks. This publication will be read by people all over the world. Some are very well off. Many others have very little, but all of us have something to be thankful for. This is going to be a time of great anxiety. For whatever you have, give thanks.

We are not to extinguish the flame of the Holy Spirit. The flame of the Holy Spirit is fueled by daily Bible study and prayer. They provide the wood for the fire. Without fuel for the fire, the fire goes out. If you are a backslider, it is because you stopped praying and stopped reading your Bible.

We are to listen to prophecy testing all things to make sure the prophecy is sure. We are to test everyone’s words with the Bible. If the Bible doesn’t say it is so, we don’t let it enter our mind.

We are to abstain from all appearances of evil.   Whether we like it or not, every action we take influences others around us. Kids and adults are forming opinions about us and themselves based on everything we say or do.  We are a walking, talking influence. Everything we watch, everything we read and everything we hear influences us. Generally what goes into the eyes and the ears will eventually come out of the mouth.  Filth goes in – filth comes out. Goodness goes in  – goodness comes out.

Influence – To change the nature or behavior of. When we accept Jesus as our Savior we receive a new nature. That nature is perfect before God because Christ has already paid a very high price for our sins. If this were our only nature life would be so easy. Unfortunately we still possess our old nature as well. All the things we did in the past are still locked in our memory. That’s why many times we are torn between  two behaviors.

I promise if you spend time with the Lord every day you can control, even defeat your old nature. The process is called regeneration. The Holy Spirit does away with bad thoughts and replaces them with good. He will do all the work for you if you ask Him. “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5 NASB. The next time something starts to come out  from that old nature take the time to think things through.

  We are living in the most exciting times since the dawn of mankind. In our lifetime “we are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17   “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2 NKJV. These are just a few of the great promises we can look forward to when Jesus Christ returns to gather His faithful and take us to Heaven where He has prepared a place for you and me. We will have the greatest celebration ever at the marriage supper of the Lamb. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4 NKJV. The curse that has been upon us since Adam will be lifted and sin will no longer have any place in our lives.  Satan and his evil will be destroyed forever. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”  Please do not waste another minute. Ask Jesus to come into your heart.