A Special Thanks to the U.S. Armed Forces

Today is Memorial Day in the U.S., when we take a day off from our usual activities to celebrate the sacrifices of those who have served and sacrificed as part of our armed forces.  I know my readers are probably busy entertaining friends and relatives at backyard parties or family vacations all over the U.S., but I hope they all take a minute from their day to remember the reason for this holiday!

Yesterday I got a chance to thank a Korean War veteran for his service, and he seemed surprised, even touched, to hear it. I was reminded again that everyone is permanently changed by war, even those who don't seem to have any visible scars.  They carry the memories with them everywhere, although they rarely talk about them.

It isn't just the soldiers who have tales to tell.  Also remember those who "served" with them in a less official capacity, including spouses, parents, and children.  These people spent their time worrying about them, missing them, and praying for them to arrive home safely, while at the same time trying to encourage and support them from the home front.  They have their own secret scars to carry.

I guess what I am trying to say is that, all politics aside, these people have given all or a part of their lives with the hope that our families and our way of life can go on without interruption or trouble.  Let's not minimize the fact that we have the time to debate the rightness or wrongness of things while they spend their time defending our right to that debate.  As a religious person, I appreciate this right and the sacrifices it has taken to keep it all the more keenly.  While I was in college, studying in the liberal arts, I lost a lot of confidence in the younger generations, including my own peers, that they fully comprehend what it takes for them to live as they do, or what it would be like to live without their freedoms.  I still pray that I am wrong.

So, today I'm asking you to personally thank a member of the armed forces and his or her family for your freedom--particularly your freedom of religion.  If you can't do it today, do it the next time you get the opportunity (and I'm not just talking to Americans here).  These people need to feel your gratitude and know that you care about them, even if you don't personally agree with all of their political beliefs.  This is the Christian thing to do.

4 Things We Need to Know About the Rapture

So the world waited with baited breath for May 21st to pass, and nothing happened.  What now?  Does this mean it is time to sit back in confidence because God isn't in any hurry to return?  It seems that all I am currently hearing on the television and elsewhere is some mocking laughter at the naive notion Christians have about this thing they call "the Rapture."  I even heard some mockery of the whole concept on the Nightline segment "A Sign of the Times," this weekend.

Frankly, I don't think the Rapture is a concept to be mocked--not by Christians, anyway.  So let's clear the air and talk about the Rapture.

What is the Rapture?

The term "Rapture" does not appear anywhere in Scripture, but it is a term used among Christians to name the incident described in prophecy, when Christ will descend from the clouds with a shout and the sound of trumpets, and first the dead Christians, then the living ones, will be taken instantly into the clouds to join Him (1 Thessalonians 4: 15-17; 1 Corinthians 15: 50-58).


While I don't think there will be enough time for latecomers to change their minds and "catch the bus as it leaves town," because the Bible says it will happen "in the twinkling of an eye," I do feel that this will not be an event that will go unnoticed.  I think the shouting and the trumpets are to get the whole world's attention, and I think they will all look up and see that it has happened (note, I said it will have already happened when they see).  I think many will believe in God after seeing it, and be filled with dismay (Matthew 24: 30-31).  I do imagine that someone will call it "the Day of the Disappearances," but I don't think many will miss the presence of Christians--I think they will view them as a nuisance and a source of guilt that has been finally removed, much as the Nazis celebrated the removal of the Jews from their homes during the war.

When is the Rapture Coming?

Jesus told us with extreme bluntness that God knows when the Rapture is coming, but even Jesus hadn't been told, because God wants us to always be in a state of readiness (Matthew 24: 36-44).  God does not want to see us putting off repentance until the last moment necessary, so He is not sharing with us what that last moment will be.

There are those who have tried before to predict the Rapture, and they have failed.  Take, for instance, the Millerites (now called Seventh Day Adventists), a religious group who formed around the idea that the Rapture and the end of the world would come on October 22, 1844.  These followers of William Miller quit their jobs, sold their possessions, and gathered to await the Rapture on that date, but were horrified when it didn't come.  It also didn't come in 1845, on several projected "date corrections." Eventually many gave up and left the group, while others sought to rewrite their primary beliefs to eliminate this error.

I know that eventually, someone might say that the Rapture is tomorrow, and be right--but I believe this will be an accident, not some secret knowledge that God has shared with only a few.  If God didn't share this information with His own Son, and He didn't share it with the disciples who personally knew Him on Earth, why would He leak this secret information to others?  I have faith that God will do just as He has said--He will come like a thief in the night, when no one has planned for it and when few are ready for it.  Therefore, let us be wary of following anyone who claims to predict the date of the Rapture.

Is the Rapture the end of the world?

There are three theories among Christians about when the Rapture will occur.  Some say it will be before the 7 year reign of the Antichrist (thus signaling the end of the world as we know it); some say it will be at the half-way (3 1/2 year) mark, at the Desecration that will cause desolation;  and finally, some say it will be at the end of the 7 years (the end of the world), at the time of the battle of Armageddon.


Personally, I have studied all three and prefer the pre-Antichrist theory, but I am prepared for any of them.  It doesn't matter when it happens, as long as our hearts are ready for Christ to return, right?  In any case, the Rapture is not the only sign of the end of the world, but it is definitely one of them.  The rest are outlined primarily in the prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, and John (who wrote the book of Revelation). 

How do we prepare for the Rapture?

When the Rapture happens, Jesus is taking the Christians to be with Him--leaving the unrepentant and disobedient to be punished and judged.  If you want to be prepared for the Rapture, prepare your heart today, and don't wait to be counted among the ones left behind.  This means repent of your sins, and call upon God to (1) remove from you the reproach of past sins with the redeeming blood of Christ's sacrifice, (2) teach you how to live righteously and flee from all future sin.  You don't want to be caught sinning when Christ returns!

Jesus did add another charge to this preparation--to be found doing what God has called us to do in His service.  As Jesus said, "“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?  It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns," (Matthew 24: 45-46 NIV 2011).  Those who do not know the Lord are not His servants, and therefore do not understand His will or do it.  So today, if you already know Christ, I charge you to find out what tasks God has made you to accomplish, and get busy doing them.  It will have the added benefit of developing in you the nature of Christ.

Let us get ready for Christ's coming, because it could be any day now.  Until then, let us all behave like fitting servants of God, so that the world will find out about how great He is before it is too late for them!  I leave you today with the haunting and challenging lyrics of Larry Norman's 1969 hit, "I Wish We'd All Been Ready," here performed by D.C. Talk in 1997.

Beulah Land

I last posted about Ruth and the symbolism of the Kinsman-redeemer, and how it all foreshadows the relationship of the believer with God.  Today, I was thinking about that further, since I will be attending a wedding tomorrow, and I know of several others that will be happening in coming weeks.  It is a wedding weekend, so let's talk about the wedding day, that is, the day the Bridegroom returns!

In Isaiah, the prophet writes,

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.  The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.  No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate.  But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married.  As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:1-5 NIV 2011; Hephzibah means his delight is in her; Beulah means married)

  This was written before Israel's exile to Babylon, but Isaiah was already predicting the joyous re-entry into Israel many years later.  Looking beyond that still further, it seems to be a prophecy about the last days, when Christ will return in glory and fight the last battle at Megiddo, near Jerusalem, and enter the New Jerusalem a triumphant King, with the church, His bride, by His side.

Deserted and Desolate, but not for long!

Today, it may seem that we are living in deserted and desolate spaces, where no one loves the Lord, or truth, or anything honorable, and there is no vindication when we are wronged.  Despite how things look, this prophecy is an example of how even before the offense comes, God has planned the ending, and His plans are both good and thorough.

Not only will mockers and troublemakers be silenced, but also they will have to acknowledge their wrongs and follow God's rules as He dictates them--calling us by a new name, not smeared with derision, and blessing us for our obedience.

This is what it means to be the bride of Christ: We are to be not merely provided for or admired for one day, but honored, protected, even doted over for the rest of our days!  And God has promised us eternal life, so this is an enduring promise of goodness and joy.  It is better to be the bride than to be those who have rejected and divorced Jesus.  They will regret their choice soon enough.

So let us endure the temporary pain of waiting for Christ's return, so that we can enjoy the glory of being the bride when He comes back.  It is going to be wonderful!  Let us prepare our hearts for His return, so that no harbored sin could come between us and Christ.  He could be here any day now.

Next time, I want to talk more about the "Glorious Appearing" that everyone has been talking about, that is, the Rapture of Christians.  I believe what Jesus said, that not even He knows the day or the hour when He will return to this Earth to take His people away (Matthew 24: 36-44), so all of this talk about the end of the world being tomorrow is not convincing me.  However, if Jesus does come back tomorrow, I welcome it whole-heartedly.  What a blessing it would be to be mocked for being a Christian today, and a bride of Christ tomorrow!  Take care, folks, and I'll see you Monday, whether here or in Heaven.