Hi to all my Forum Friends,
In the discussion recently begun by our devoutly atheist Friend, Uno, titled "What If?" -- Uno is presenting a video "After The Rapture" -- created by an atheist group which is mocking Christians and the Rapture. Not a problem. It is sort of like the children's game "Last Man Standing" -- and, in the case of the real Rapture (which no man can predict, which no man can tell us when it will happen) -- the last people standing on earth will be the non-believers. Wow! Are they going to have a real shock?
And, to Uno I say -- your atheist video is an interesting concept. However, it overlooked one VERY important point. What kind of world will exist with only atheists and other non-believers on earth and at each other's throats? What kind of world will exist when all Christian influence is taken out at the Rapture, when the Christian church has been removed to heaven?
We are told in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7, "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains (the Holy Spirit)will do so until he is taken out of the way."
Frequently Asked Questions - Answered by Don Stewart, Calvary Chapel College, Murrietta, California: http://www.blueletterbible.org...t/stewart.cfm?id=827
Restrainer: The Holy Spirit also has a ministry to the world as a restrainer. As bad as things are in the world, they would be much worse without the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is presently acting as a restraining force to hold back sin. He does this through the influence of the believer. As long as the Holy Spirit is working in the world through the presence of the believer, sin will not run utterly rampant.
In this way, the Holy Spirit ministers to the world. He also does this, as we have seen, by convicting the world of its sin, by revealing its need for Christ's salvation, and by restraining evil.
After the real Rapture, there will be two very surprised groups of people. First, there will be the people who only wore the Christian hat but never really had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They will be standing here asking, "What happened? I went to church -- not every week, but, on important days like Christmas and Easter. I am a good person. Why was I left behind?"
And, then there will be those atheists, secularist, and worldly pleasure loving non-believers who have been demanding "separation of church and state" -- demanding, "Keep all Christians and Christian influence out of all public life -- keep those kooky Christians away from me."
Suddenly, all those kooky Christians WILL be gone. And, all that will be left will be those who will say, "Sure, I will do good deeds for you, I will help you. Oh, you are wondering what you are feeling -- that is my hand stealing your wallet to cover my cost of helping you!"
Yes, my Friends, the world will truly be a miserable place when only the non-believers have it all to themselves. They are going to be the most shocked people you can imagine. For, without the restraining power of the Holy Spirit, without the influence of the Christian communities -- sin and evil will run rampant; for there will be nothing to restrain it.
But, all will not be lost. Although all the people who have the Holy Spirit within them, i.e., Christians, will be gone -- the Holy Spirit will still be around. And, among the many still here on earth, those standing around wondering what went wrong, many still wearing their Christian hats -- some will realize what has happened. They will realize that they have been left behind because they were only playing church, only playing Christian. And, many of those will call upon God, will call upon the Holy Spirit -- and He will work upon their hearts, bringing them to faith in Jesus Christ, bringing them to eternal life in Christ.
Unfortunately, those who are saved after the Rapture WILL have to go through the terrible Tribulation. But, God will use them mightily to save many others. We are told in Revelation 7:9 that a great multitude, a number too large to count, will be saved during the Tribulation.
These people will be saved and will spend eternity in the presence of God. But, they will suffer greatly during the Tribulation; with most of them being killed, martyred, for their faith in Jesus Christ. The vast majority of them will be brutally murdered during that terrible seven years of the Tribulation -- many for not accepting the sign of the anti-Christ, the mark of the beast (Revelation 16:2, 19:20).
So, Uno, I see two results coming from Harold Camping's misguided fiasco regarding the Rapture. One will be that many folks will begin to wonder about and ask about the Rapture -- which can bring folks to faith in Jesus Christ. This silly episode can even cause many existing Christians, who do not really understand the Rapture, to dig more deeply into their Bibles and learn more about God's Written Word.
I am a good example of that. I was saved in 1987; yet, in 1991 when the Gulf War was happening in Kuwait and Iraq -- I had no idea what people meant when they mentioned the Rapture. I recall a Bible study when all the oil wells were burning in Kuwait and black smoke filled the air -- causing the sky to be black. "I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood" (Revelation 6:12).
Our Bible study leader, Tom Fletcher, began to talk about the Rapture. I had no idea what he was talking about -- but, I was not going to show my ignorance by asking (that reluctance to ask, as I have learned as I mature in God's Word, is a type of ignorance). Yet, upon looking back upon that evening -- I am sure that I was not the only one who did not know about the Rapture during that Bible study.
As a result of that evening, I have spent the last twenty years studying eschatology, a study of the End Times -- and, I feel that I have a pretty good knowledge of what the Bible teaches about the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Millennial Kingdom, etc. And, hopefully, this silly fiasco birthed by Harold Camping will have the same positive result among many other people -- both believers and non-believers, bringing many non-believers to faith in Christ.
So, Uno, we will let everyone view your atheist inspired video once again:
After The Rapture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...ture=player_embedded
And, I will close by sharing this Scripture verse with our Friends; for, I believe we all can see how well this fits all our atheist Friends.
2 Thessalonians 2:11, "For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false."
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill