“Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”  (Matthew 24:40-42)

A friend of mine has been on my mind lately. I’ve known him a long time, and though the miles are between us, we’ve kept up with each other — a few times a year and as much as we can. For sake of privacy, I’ll call him Jack.

Jack is one of my “barely on the fence” friends that believes in God, but can’t really give in to the fact that Jesus Christ is his Savior. He says he believes in “some” of the Bible, but not all of it. Sure, Jesus was a good guy, but doubtfully God. No way could Jonah have been in the belly of a fish three days and survived that. Noah’s flood — nope! — et cetera, et cetera.  I sometimes have laughed at him when he has told me this, because I’m not really convinced he has ever made it through more than even a few pages of Scripture. Actually, I have heard a lot of people say this exact same thing — kind of believe it, but just some of it. However, If you don’t read the Bible, how can you say you don’t believe it if you haven’t made time to even study it? And on the same note, if you pick and choose what you do and don’t believe in the Bible, that would be like picking and choosing what your doctor tells you to do when you are sick and need to get well. With the Bible, it’s all or nothing and I am here to tell you that 100 percent of the Bible is true — every single word of it. What the Bible says, the Bible means — yesterday, today, and in the prophetic future. It has never fallen short — not even once!

Jack and I have talked a lot about end times and the Rapture — an event, that must occur in order to fulfill God’s plan. When this subject comes up, he thinks I am a nutcase and that I’m caught up in some supernatural, make-believe fairy tale, actually believing that I will be carried off with Jesus to God’s Kingdom while others are still left here on earth. And, that I think it is highly possible it could happen in my lifetime REALLY gets him going. We are great pals, so the debates always remain friendly … passionate in debate, but always in good spirit. Again, he just thinks I’m a nutcase and that I’ve lost my mind, but he loves me anyway, as I do him.

So, what exactly is the Rapture? Though the actual word is not found in Bible scripture, the word is taken from the Latin “rapio” for the two words “caught up” (used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17). It’s the common word used today referring to Jesus coming for the church (believers) to lift us up into the heavens to remain with Him forever. For Christians, this will be a rescue (from the seven-year tribulation period), a reunion (with all fellow-believing brothers and sisters from the beginning of time), and most importantly a reception held by Jesus Christ himself. And though no one knows exactly when this event will take place (as far as the day or the hour), we do know that we are very much in the season for His arrival. I do not anticipate this casually.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

For a visual comparison, Adrian Rogers puts a nice analogy on it — he says it reminds him of a scrapyard. “In that scrapyard, there was a great magnet on a crane that would pick up metal. If you swung that magnet across the ground, not every piece of metal would rise — only that which was made of iron. Why is that? Because the iron has the same nature as the magnet.” Anyone with the nature of Christ, because they were born again when they believed in Him as their Savior, will be raptured at that time.

For me, there is nothing in my life as exciting as this. With the exception of more work to do sharing the Word, hoping for future believers, I am ready. Sometimes it feels like a parallel life I’m living — trucking along in Lori-land doing my normal day-to-day things, yet — at the same time looking up — ready (and longing) to go. Though Jesus told us no one knows the exact day or hour of His return, he did tell us what to look for to let us know when the time is near. The signs of His return are beginning to unfold now, right before our eyes. It is time for people to get right with God.

Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. (Matthew 24:32-36)

What will it be like for Jack? Is he going to hop on his commute one morning to find himself the only one on the train? What will it be like for him with no “salt” and “light” left on the planet? Will he continually strive to find the scientific evidence that could have led to such a mass disappearance? As days grow darker, will he be eventually deluded by the world’s false explanation and solution for survival? Did I possibly make a difference? Will he remember what I’d told him many times before? Will he finally place his trust in God so he can ultimately have eternal life in spite of the dark and challenging times that he finds himself in?

It will be a much tougher place to be a Christian when these days happen, especially after the Rapture. It will take an enormous amount of strength to make it. But, by the power of God, through Christ, there will still be a chance — there is always a chance, as long as you are breathing. All one has to do is recognize He is Lord, admit your sins, and then receive Him as your personal Savior. Even in the darkest of days, He will make your path straight and bless you with His mercy and great hope.

There are a lot of Jacks out there. I hope I make a difference.

Holding fast,

Lori

For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

(Romans 10:13)

^{Photography by Matthew Wiebe}