I have been writing articles now for the last year and a half. Over these last eighteen
months I have noticed a very clear trend from those who have responded to those articles. Even though I work a full-time job and have other responsibilities, I try to respond, but there are some I will not bother with. For example;
· When a response is obviously not necessary.
· When the sender of the email just wants to argue.
About thirty five years ago I was mowing our lawn and ran over a yellow jacket nest in the ground. Before I realized it, yellow jackets were swarming all around me. Needless to say, I left the mower sitting and ran toward the house like a scalded dog. The Roadrunner had nothing on me. Unfortunately, yellow jackets are fast too. Before I could reach the house, which was only about fifty feet or so away, I had been stung about a dozen times from the top of my head to my rear end. I found out, first hand, that yellow jackets are mean little boogers when you irritate them.
The articles I write are on many subjects, spiritually related that is, but only one irritates the yellow jackets to the point that they swarm and go after you in force. Be patient. I’ll get to it.
I must add, as I have in another article, that I receive very few “negative” emails. I must also state, as I have before, that to disagree with me and communicate in a respectful manner is not considered by me as a “negative” response. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but to disagree in a militant smart aleck fashion is uncalled for. You are immediately classified in my mental index as mentally deficient of any intelligent conversation and lacking good manners. Your IQ is quickly noted, and the importance of your email dips so suddenly from high to zero; I could blink and miss it. Obviously, you will receive no response. Your email will simply be eaten and digested by file thirteen.
From the articles I’ve written, one subject in particular seems to bring out the yellow jackets. My last article on the Rapture, “Will The Church Go Through The Tribulation?” caused another small flow of hostility about this subject. Is it because people want to go through the Tribulation period? Surely not! Why all the hubbub toward this one subject? I’ve thought a lot about this, and am concerned about the following possibility.
Satan’s time is running out, and it appears that he especially does not want people to be saved on this side of the Tribulation and then be removed from earth in the Rapture. Could it be that the time of our Lord’s appearing for His Church is closer than we think? I say this because it seems the attacks toward the subject of the Rapture are increasing. It is important to repeat that I am not referring to those who respectfully disagree with my belief in the Rapture of the Church prior to the Tribulation. I am referring to those who come across quite agitated and want to “straighten me out.” (like that’s going to happen)
Now, of course, Satan does not know when the Rapture will take place, but he is a better student of the Bible than any of us. He can see the signs that are leading to the Tribulation, and he knows the Rapture will precede the Tribulation period. Does Satan want to squelch any teaching on the Rapture he can, in order to keep as many as possible from coming to Christ prior to the Tribulation? Why would this be necessary? From what I see in the Scriptures, if you have heard the Gospel prior to the Rapture and not come to Jesus to be saved, you may not have the chance to do so once the Church has been removed.
The Tribulation period is Daniel’s seventieth week and is primarily for the judgment and reclaiming of Israel. During that time a lot of bad things are going to happen. Many will be saved, and many will not. In the following verses we see that God will send many people a strong delusion to believe a lie. Please notice the following Scripture passages.
“8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12)
Could it be that only those in the Tribulation period that have not heard the truth during the Church age will be given the opportunity to be saved during that time?
This could be exactly why Satan does not want people to believe in Christ now. He says to you, “Those Rapture talking people are nuts, but if they are right, you can still be saved later, during the Tribulation. So have a good time. Don’t let them spoil your fun.” Every soul who says “No” to Christ now could be another to add to his team later.
Yes, many will be saved during the Tribulation, and in all probability lose their head, but can those who have rejected Christ now, have that opportunity? (By the way, what does it mean to reject Christ? Do you have to say, “I reject you?” All you have to do is “nothing.”) It just seems to me when carefully reading the entire chapter of 2 Thessalonians that this could be what Paul was saying.
I realize that this is a subject where some will say there is no “second chance,” and others will differ. Respected Bible scholars have contrary opinions on this subject. Why take such a chance? For those who think they will get a second chance during the Tribulation, assuming they don’t die beforehand, is it worth the risk?
Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that all of us who believe that the Bible teaches a Rapture of the Church prior to the Tribulation are wrong. That still does not change anything in the verses above. If you reject Christ now, there may not be a “second chance” later during the Tribulation.
I stated in a previous article that the Tribulation will be a time unlike anything mankind as ever experienced. Satan longs to drag as many as possible into that hell on earth as he can. No wonder it gets him stirred up, like those yellow jackets I mentioned earlier, when the Rapture is taught. Every person who is called up to meet the Lord Jesus in the air is one less he will have to suffer along with him.
If you don’t believe that Jesus will Rapture His Church from this earth prior to the Tribulation that’s fine, but if you are a Christian, don’t allow Satan to use you in order to hurt others. If you are not a Christian, understand that the only requirement God demands for us to be saved is to put our trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Rapture is a bonus, and I for one believe in it wholeheartedly.
Grant Phillips
My articles are posted at “Pre-Rapture Commentary” http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com/ and many are also posted at “Rapture Ready” http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html.
