In case you missed the rapture, the rapture being the time when Jesus removed His bride (the church) from the earth before the Great Tribulation, there are things you may want cleared up in reference to the world before the rapture happened. I’ve written this because scripture says that in the time that your currently in there will be strong delusion that will not allow many of you to receive the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:11). This is my attempt to provide some assistance in accessing the truth and breaking that strong delusion.
In specific reference about Christians and the church before the rapture there are some things you need to know. First off, not everyone that called themselves “Christians” were actually believers in repentance & salvation only through Jesus Christ. Not all of them had a relationship with Jesus Christ. Not all of them lived by His Word and made Him the priority & center point of their life.
Now please understand there were many that claimed their belief in Jesus. There were many that went to church regularly. Many that you may have been sure that they were on their way to heaven because of their dedication to their religion. But the unfortunate fact is that many of those same people are still here with you and were not raptured up with the Lord. I’d imagine that many pastors of the most prominent churches are still here as well.
The simple truth is that most of the Christians, particularly in the United States were following religion more than they followed Jesus. They made the church an actual organization with structure & hierarchy, rather than the church being a group of people with all the same values, belief, and doctrine all being guided by the Holy Spirit. Many looked for titles and leadership roles in their churches. They wanted to be looked at as a figure of authority when it came to things of God. It was all about their church,organization, and pastor. They didn’t know that they made their church and/or pastor an idol.
The majority of churches in the U.S. were not biblically based, but traditionally based. They were built around traditions that were passed down over time. A lot of the traditions coming straight from the Roman Catholic Church in the 4th Century when Rome made Christianity their main religion. They tied Christianity up with their pagan beliefs. Traditions and practices like Sunday worship, church organizational structure, tithing, Christmas, Easter, and many other traditions. Even though Mark 7:13 tells us that our tradition passed down makes the Word of God have no effect in our lives, it did not matter to most. They still continued on with their man-made traditions. Colossians 2:8 told us not to conform to the principles and philosophies of man, but again many ignored that instruction as well. The main reason being that most Christians did not even know the Bible said these things because sadly most Christians did not read their Bibles. Most just trusted that their pastor was telling them what God wanted them to know.
Most Christians woke every Sunday morning, put their best clothes on, and made sure they gave God His 4 hours of attention for the week at church service. They felt guilty if they missed a church service. They looked down on others that didn’t dress up. They looked down upon those that didn’t go to church or have a church home. They never understood that they didn’t need to get up anywhere to be in church because they WERE the church. As long as they lived through the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit lead their lives they were bringing the church to the world more than any building or organization could do.
Many felt like they went to church to hear from God. They felt their pastor was anointed by God, so every Sunday they were hearing a word from the Lord through their pastor. They never knew that because they were born again they now had access to the Holy Spirit. God was living inside of them. As long as they yielded to the Holy Spirit they could hear from God as much as they wanted.
Many of them actually put their pastor and their churches in priority of their one on one relationship with the Lord. There was an intermediary between their relationship. This intermediary actually becoming an idol. They were warned constantly about idols and keeping from them. They were told all the history of what happened to the children of Israel because of idols, but it did not matter.
Many Christians lived exactly like the world lived. The only difference (in their opinion) with them and the rest of the world was that they believed in Jesus and everyone else didn’t. That’s why they were saved. But they loved the world and all the things in it. You could not really see the difference between them and people who did not believe in Jesus. For many Christians, their main goal in life was to obtain all the things of the world. God was just the source for them obtaining it. They never knew that because they were believers they were supposed to be different from everyone else. They were not to love the world and things of the world (1 John 2:15). They were called to not be of this world (Romans 12:2).
You may have encountered some of the true believer’s that were raptured up. If you interacted with them you may have felt they were very different, even extreme in some ways. They never took part in the changing world tradition’s and values. In fact they might have very distinct words speaking against the things that were common practices and even entertainment for everyone else. Sometimes they were a sort of rain on your parade. They did not do the same things others did. They did not believe in politicians and false leaders. They may have had words of rebuke about President Obama & the direction he’s taking the world and it may have bothered you. They might have always spoke about having discernment. Most of the time you may have thought of them as being negative because they never enjoyed most of the things that everyone else was enjoying. You might have thought of them as a conspiracy theorist scared of the world, because they kept warning about it changing and God’s judgement being near.
Try to remember the things that they were telling you. Most importantly please get a Bible and read it for yourself. This site was made to give you the truth about subjects that most people did not touch during our time so please use it as a reference point, but back everything up according to the Word. Read the Bible for yourself and ask the Lord to guide you through it. The New Testament is the most important part in the beginning because it provides you understanding on the importance of Jesus and the Lord’s gift of Grace. After having a good grasp on Him, go back to the Old Testament to understand the history of man, Israel, and their interactions with the One True God. It’s a history book with Word’s of prophecy from God in reference to the future. Many have now happened, some are yet to come. Revelations is specifically about the end. You will read this book a lot. If you have not done so, please read the repentance prayer. Pray it and mean it. Unfortunately you may be persecuted and you certainly face trials ahead, but the good news is you have this last chance to get it right. Many were not afforded that luxury. Accept Jesus Christ as your messiah and redemption of your sins! Walk in the power of the Lord. I look forward in meeting you soon. Amen! God Bless!
Note:
If this is before the rapture, please read the Bible for yourself. Rebuke the religious practices that have been passed down over time and reject the world and the things of it. Do not be conformed by the principles and traditions of this world, but be renewed by the Word of God. Repent daily and break away from all bondage and unclean spirit, demon, and/or principality.
