Introduction
Laziness has blinded the Church in
its study of God’s Word. The Church seems to believe it has the power to
quicken “The Day of the Lord.”
“The Day of the Lord” will not come
without signs, so we must be vigilant in our faith.
Many Fellowships say that their
missionary endeavor is to quicken the day of the Lord. Quickening, “The Day of
the Lord” is a wrong motive for spreading the Word of God; Salvation of the
lost soul is its real purpose of the missionary pursuits.
Matthew 24:4-14 says,
And Jesus answered and said to them, See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come
in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will mislead many. You will be hearing
of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are
not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For
nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various
places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely
the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and
will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one
another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead
many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But
the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and
then the end will come.
The Church cannot hasten Christ’s
return, as catastrophic events will increase, so Christians must prepare and
never lose hope. Christ will come back in God’s timetable. God will command his
angel to proclaim the everlasting gospel to all humanity. God will complete the
evangelism of the world, not the Church.
Revelation 14:6-7 says,
And I saw another angel
flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on
the Earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said
with a loud voice, Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His
judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the Earth and sea and
springs of waters.
Why do Christians ignore or skate
around these verses in the book of Revelation? God will declare the gospel to
all people and languages by the voice of an angel. Christians are only workers
and cannot spread the Good News to everyone, even though commanded to do so.
God will accomplish this task in His own convenient time. Humanity will hear
the truth by the voice of one who cannot lie.
When the Lord returns, He will judge
all humanity. The Lord will settle all accounts justly.
Romans 14:9 says,
For to
this end, Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the
dead and the living
Acts 10:42 says,
And He ordered us to preach to the people,
and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living
and the dead.
Matthew 24:36 says,
But of that day and hour no one knows, not
even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
God’s day is coming, and one day
this world will end. God will persevere only so far, then the end. Jesus
commanded the Church to spread the Gospel to all. But remember, one must keep
one’s ego in check, so this work is not in the flesh. Many devout Christians
fall prey to their ego in frustration because few souls will enter the Kingdom.
Acts 1:8 says,
But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and
in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the Earth.
Matthew 22:14 says,
For many are called, but few chosen.
One must be a faithful witness of
Jesus Christ while still on Earth. Eventually, the responsibility belongs to
God for the delivery of the Gospel to humanity. In Corinthians, it is God that
will cause the growth, not man.
1 Corinthians 3:7 says,
So then neither the one who plants nor the
one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
Our part is we either plant the seed
of life, or we water. It is God’s responsibility for the increase in His
salvation plan.
Therefore, the day of the Lord will
come, and here is a question from Luke’s gospel.
Luke 18:8 says,
I tell you that He
will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the Earth?
So in Scripture, where is this
secret delight where all Christians will avoid God’s wrath and removed before
the Tribulation? Only this is possible with a stretch of the imagination or a
blatant misinterpretation of the Word of God.
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture started
around the 1800s and had no early church fathers supporting this alternative.
The whole idea of a clandestine joy is only a few hundred years old. This
concept of a Secret Rapture may have developed in Scotland. Christians
cultivated this belief that God would disconnect them from the persecution soon
to be on Earth.
2 Timothy 3:12 says,
Indeed, all who desire to live godly
in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Many believers see this misery of
seven years of sorrow and pain as only for the unbeliever. The book of Daniel
shows the first half of these seven years to be a peaceful time. We may
understand the books of Daniel and Revelation with serious Bible study.
Many Christians embrace a Secret
Rapture, knowing they will avoid suffering. Scripture teaches something
different from the way men look at the end times. If one is God’s child, then
he or she will suffer persecution. Just look at what is happening to the
Christians in the Arab and African world today with their persecution. (see 2 Timothy 3:12) One should also look at what is
going on in America today and see what the United States Government is trying
to do by taking away our freedom of religion.
Christians alive during the
Tribulation will go through, but it is the Wrath of God He will remove us
before it comes. After opening the sixth seal—terror will fill the Earth as
never was or will be again. Christians will not go through the Wrath of God
because God will remove the Holy Spirit, and without the Holy Spirit, NO ONE
could survive.
Revelation 6:12-17 says,
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; and the stars of the sky fell to
the Earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The
sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled
up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the
kings of the Earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the
strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the
rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall
on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?
Revelation 16:17 says,
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl
upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”
At this point, there was NO more hope for
humanity, for the Holy Spirit was no longer on Earth to convict humanity of unrighteousness,
God gave them several opportunities to confess their sin, but they rebelled and
cursed God. God destroyed man at the seventh bowl of wrath poured out.
2 Timothy 3:12 says,
Indeed, all who desire to live
godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
However, true believers will not see
the Wrath of God that will come upon humanity. But believers will see
persecution in this life.
As warriors going off to battle, we
must wear armor that protects us from harm. This armor is both defensive and
offensive is honoring to God through His Word.
Ephesians 6:10-17 says,
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand
firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces
of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that
you will be able to resist in the evil
day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having
girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and having shod your feet with the preparation of the
gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up
the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Here is a question, are you waiting
for the Rapture or the return of Jesus Christ? These two events are unique, for
one is cowardly, and the other brings joy. The one you choose will change the
way he or she understands the Word of God. Persecution will happen while in the
Army of God on Earth.
The Church must prepare for battle
every single day, waiting for the return of the Lord. The only protection given
by God is His armor, so use it well.
Fight the good fight, stay the
course, and eternal life with Jesus Christ is the reward.
Even Jesus did not want to go to the
Cross and suffer persecution, yet He did His Father’s will.
In Luke 22:42, it says,
Saying, Father, if You are willing, remove
this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.
Jesus, he must suffer pain before
going back to His Father. The Lord shows us we must endure to the end, and then
we receive the prize.
Sola Scriptura–By Scripture Alone
Sola Fide–By Faith Alone
Sola Gratia–By Grace Alone
Solus Christus–By Christ Alone
Soli Deo Gloria–Glory to God Alone
Copyright George L Gallant, ©2021
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995)
