“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” [2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-12]. [1]
A satirical Christian newsletter published an article entitled, “Progressive Criticizes Jesus For Not Being Very Christlike.” [2] The article cited evidence of Jesus when He wasn’t Christlike. He devoted entire seconds of His sermons ranting about archaic religious concepts like hell and the last judgement. He didn’t affirm people in their sins. He did not advocate for government subsidies or women’s abortion rights. According to the fictional article, Jesus needed to spend more time asking Himself, “What would Jesus do?” and devote more of His time to social justice. The article is a caricature of contemporary Christendom—a group of inoffensive people who meet regularly to teach themselves to be nice to one another. They promote the “Gospel of Nice,” telling nice people to be nicer still.
If we truly love people, we will tell them things they don’t want to hear. For instance, we will warn them that suicide is not something to celebrate. A tragic news item describes how a husband and wife deliberately ended their lives. What was stunning about the news item was that their family knew about their plans, and yet, made no effort to prevent the couple from carrying out their plan to take their own lives. Two evenings before their deaths, they went out on a last date to a favourite restaurant. The next night, they bid farewell to twenty people gathered for a “bon voyage” dinner hosted by a daughter. Present at their deaths were their children and their spouses, two doctors who would administer the drugs that would take their lives, and the Dean of Toronto’s St. James Cathedral. The Dean enthusiastically supported their plans by ensuring that the couple would have an Anglican funeral. [3] What is obvious to thinking individuals is that the culture of death was being normalised with the assistance of religion.
The gospel of nice will provide a blessing for suicide. The gospel of nice will encourage the discouraged to quit, to give in to despair. The Gospel of Christ will reach out to the weary traveller, endeavouring to lift up the individual with a broken spirit. The Gospel of Christ will strive to encourage the discouraged. The gospel of nice is based on sentimentality, not on love. The gospel of nice prioritises short-term happiness instead of what is good. The gospel of nice leads to blessing self-murder rather than offering the hard, but loving, words, “This is wrong.” The gospel of nice will exalt the individual’s personal desire over the welfare of others.
Taught by the Gospel of Christ, we love people. Because we love people, we seek their welfare. The love of Christ compels us to warn people that abortion takes the life of a child. Abortion is not something to celebrate; abortion is an act to grieve. It is not hate that leads us to counsel a woman to spare the life of the child she is carrying as she struggles to cope with a pregnancy she didn’t anticipate in the aftermath of an illicit affair. It is love that leads us to counsel the young man who impregnated his girlfriend that he must support her and the child, accepting responsibility for his actions. However, progressive churches have raised the gospel of nice to an art form, blessing abortion clinics and even same sex “marriage.” [4] The gospel of nice seeks to make sure people feel good about themselves rather than honouring God.
It is one thing to be astonished by the gospel of nice as practised in progressive churches; however, evangelicals have been known to withhold truth in the name of love. A recent Christianity Today cover story quoted couples who have conceived children using what can only be recognised as unethical methods, as well as women who “feel called” to be surrogates as their form of Christian service. [5]
A Breakpoint article noted, “Christian and even non-Christian bioethicists have argued that surrogacy treats children like commodities that are manufactured by renting wombs. Most European countries ban surrogacy on the grounds that it leaves the poor vulnerable to exploitation.” [6] We have raised a generation of professing evangelicals who gauge truth by what they feel rather than by what is true. Stories of personal experience are more persuasive than ethical arguments and theological reasoning. This is due, in great measure, because the churches have avoided biblical training, especially in areas demanding rigorous reasoning. Contemporary Christians are often unable to define love because we have confused sentimentality with compassion.
Ultimately, our confusion leads us into serious error condemning us as we adopt such views. Christ the Lord has promised to return; and when He returns, He will be “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” [2 THESSALONIANS 1:7b-8]. Ignorance of His will invites discipline if you are His child. Ignorance of Him ensures judgement. Adopting the Gospel of “Nice” demonstrates that you know neither the Lord nor His will. Therefore, such people are under sentence of death!
A TIMELINE FOR COMING EVENTS — “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” [2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-4].
God has not left us without knowledge of what comes next. If we are ignorant of the outline of future events, it is because we choose not to heed the information God has provided. At other times in the past I’ve spoken of the broad outline of what is coming, but it is appropriate that we refresh our memories at this time. The next event on God’s timetable is when He calls His people to come home. God, in His own time and according to His Word, will call His people from this earth to be gathered to Christ.
In the First Letter to Thessalonian Christians, we read the revelation God has given His people. “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” [1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18]. Christians are not looking for the undertaker! Christians are looking for the Upper-taker! Hallelujah!
The dead in Christ shall be raised and those believers who are then living who follow the Master, will be transformed into His image, according to the Word of God. Paul has written, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” [PHILIPPIANS 3:20-21].
This is necessary because we cannot be confined to these dying bodies throughout eternity. Therefore, we are taught, “I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’
‘O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?’
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” [1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-57].
We who believe shall be seated at the marriage supper of the Lamb of God. What a beautiful picture is presented in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. John has written, “The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’ And from the throne came a voice saying,
‘Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
small and great.’
“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
‘Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God’” [REVELATION 19:4-9].
While these events are taking place, a different scenario will be playing out on the earth. The redeemed of the Lord, those who are saved at His return, will have been taken out of the earth, and when we are removed, the Living God will begin to pour out His wrath on the earth. Paul writes, “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” [2 THESSALONIANS 2:3-4].
Believers being gathered to Christ the Lord signal the beginning of judgements on the earth; and the first judgement is the revelation of an unholy trinity! In the Apocalypse, John writes of the first judgement, “I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer” [REVELATION 6:1-2]. John saw the antichrist unveiled!
Following this first judgement—a judgement that appears to give earth dwellers then living what they want, multiple judgements, awesome demonstrations of divine wrath will be unleashed on the earth one after another, for a period of seven years. As already intimated, an unholy trinity will be unveiled, that trinity of evil consisting of “the antichrist”—a man seemingly empowered to perform incredible feats, an individual identified as “the false prophet,” and the ancient dragon, Satan himself. This ungodly triumvirate shall make war against Israel, a war that will conclude with the nations of the world surrounding that tiny nation. They will be intent on destroying Israel. Hitler’s dream of extirpating the Jews, a dream shared by many of the Muslim nations of this present world, will seemingly appear as though it is about to be fulfilled. However, our God shall intervene to protect His chosen people.
At the conclusion of these awful days of world-wide judgement, the nations that survive will be judged by the Lord of Glory, the Risen Son of God. It is amazing to realise the amount of detail provided in the Word that describes these last events. That awful judgement is described by Matthew, who writes, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left” [MATTHEW 25:31-33].
Those assembled before the Lord Jesus will be judged on the basis of whether they feared God. Their judgement will depend upon their treatment of those who openly turned to the Saviour in those dark days when the antichrist shall reign on earth. This is one of the amazing truths to come out of the knowledge of God’s judgements—He is merciful and full of grace, even saving those who turn to Him in the midst of judgement!
Matthew describes the astonishment of those who are judged at that time. He writes, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me no food, I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” [MATTHEW 25:34-46].
This is the final act before the Millennial reign of our Saviour. For one thousand years, Satan will be bound, and Christ shall reign on earth. The Revelator saw that day and wrote of it. “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years” [REVELATION 20:1-6].
When the Millennial reign of Christ has reached the climax at the one-thousand-year mark, for a brief period Satan and his minions will be released from the dark hold in which they had been incarcerated. These demonic hordes will foment rebellion against the Lord, as John foresaw. It will be Satan’s last hurrah, his opportunity to incite mankind to express the evil that always seethes in the unredeemed heart.
John wrote, “When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” [REVELATION 20:7-10].
Until the very end, when Satan will at last be cast into the lake of fire, when the lost will at last stand before the great assize to hear sentence pronounced, the Lord God will have been extending grace to any who will receive His mercy. To anyone who will receive Christ Jesus as Master over life, God promises the forgiveness of sin. His mercy is extended to any willing to receive it today; but no one must imagine they can trifle with the grace that is now offered.
A REVELATION OF THE LAWLESS ONE — “That day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” [2 THESSALONIANS 2:3b-10].
“That day,” the immediate focus of the Apostle’s revelation points the reader forward to “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him.” The rapture of the saints of the Living God—the resurrection of the redeemed who have died in Christ and the transformation of the living believers at that time—is in the Apostle’s view. Though some may argue that Paul’s words are somewhat cryptic, he appears to be informing Bible readers that we will know who the man of lawlessness is, for he shall be revealed. I am confident that we who are now following the Master will not be compelled to live under the reign of this wicked man, nor will we be aware of the awful things that he will do once he has been revealed; but it does appear certain that we will see who he is. There will be a revelation of this wicked individual.
Barrels of ink and thousands of trees have been expended by people speculating about the identity of the antichrist. Throughout the ages, scores of individuals have been identified as the antichrist, but none of the speculation has been validated. In fact, in many instances after the antichrist was supposedly identified, the man so identified died without anything happening, thus disproving the speculation. I doubt that anyone will write a book accurately identifying the antichrist, because immediately after he is revealed, the people of God will be gathered home. What appears evident is that those in whom the Spirit of God lives will intuitively recognise this individual for who he is when he appears. Speculating before the event is probably futile, though we are given some insight concerning this individual throughout the pages of the Word of God.
Bringing together what has been written in the Word of God, we are able to make a few suggestions concerning this man of lawlessness. Daniel appears to have witnessed by revelation something concerning this man. What Daniel wrote reveals something of the character of this dark individual. In the prophecies of Daniel, we are given a glimpse into events that shall take place during the last days. Among the prophecies Daniel provided is one that speaks of this final despot who will rule in the city of David. Daniel has written, “Ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.
“And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price” [DANIEL 11:30-39].
Daniel reveals that the man of whom he writes will prevail in what he does because this has been decreed. He says this man “shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women,” referring, it would appear, to the fact that this individual is of Jewish extraction. He will have no regard for the Anointed One for whom women had long pined. That the antichrist would be of Jewish extraction should be no surprise. Satan is the great imitator—he is not an innovator. The antichrist will imitate the Christ. Since the Christ was born a Jew, then it should not be surprising that the antichrist will claim Jewish heritage.
Elsewhere, Daniel appears to identify this individual as “a little horn” [see DANIEL 8:9]. Viewing what he has written of this little horn leads to the belief that he comes from a confederation of European states, perhaps something like the present European Union. Moreover, this “little horn” would appear to represent a revived Roman Empire, suggesting that he is Italian. Antichrist may be an Italian Jew having an identification with apostate Christianity.
It is interesting to speculate, but let’s be honest, this is only speculation. No one can speak with authority on this subject; the Lord has chosen not to reveal in detail who this man will be. What is important for us to bear in mind is that when he is at last revealed, those who know the Lord will not question who he is. They will realise the times because the Lord will have made us aware of what is taking place. This will be a time when Christ followers will know to “straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” [LUKE 21:28b].
GOD’S CONDEMNATION OF THE LOST — “God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” [2 THESSALONIANS 2:11-12]. Part of God’s judgement is “a strong delusion.” Not every judgement sent by God causes immediate pain. However, every judgement sent by the Living God reveals His wrath against that which is unholy and that which is ungodly. Condemnation of the world in the Day of God’s Wrath begins with the populace being deceived. Though the deception He sends at that time will appear innocuous, and though it will appear quite reasonable, it will lead to great pain for those who are deceived.
We know who will be deluded, because the Apostle has revealed who will be deceived. God, speaking through His Apostle, has warned “those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” [2 THESSALONIANS 2:10b]. Those who will be judged, those who are already perishing, ignorant of what is taking place, will be deceived. I do wonder what this “strong delusion” might be that God will send the lost world. While we are not told specifically what might be entailed in this strong delusion, it does appear that it will be accepted throughout the world as fact, though it does not actually address what those accepting it thought it addressed.
Perhaps the understanding of what is in view is revealed through considering the context of what Paul has written. His focus is “the coming of our Lord Jesus and our being gather together to Him.” Obviously, the Rapture of the faithful is in view. So, it is reasonable to assume that the “strong delusion” to which Paul refers deals in some way with the sudden disappearance of the faithful from the earth. If this is so, and I do believe that this is true, then we might rightly speculate what is being disseminated is “a strong delusion.”
I love magic tricks; I especially enjoy watching street magicians. What all magicians, whether performing on stage or on a street, share is being able to deceive those who watch them. Something like this slight of hand will be accomplished on a world-wide scale in that day. Whatever this “strong delusion” may be, it will be universally accepted as reality. The explanation provided will be generally accepted throughout the world.
Perhaps such deception as that which will be provided shouldn’t be so surprising. After all, people generally accept a myth to justify ignoring God now. Do you remember the words Peter recorded in his second letter to the believers in the Diaspora? “This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” [2 PETER 3:1-7].
In this day, the church of science has convinced most people that no Saviour will come. If no Saviour is coming for His people, then we are forced to trust science to be our deliverer. There never was a judgement in the past, and there will be no judgement in the future. We are threatened by our own success, and we must embrace a collectivism in which the elite deliver us from ourselves. “Trust us,” says the climatologists and the social scientists. “With our superior insight and intellect, we will deliver you!” And the world rushes to embrace their promise.
Let me speculate as to what the “strong delusion” delivered in that day might possibly be. Followers of the Saviour will have been removed from the earth when Christ calls His people home. This is the Rapture of the redeemed, when we who have placed our faith in the Master will have been transformed into His image. Throughout the earth, people will suddenly be gone without explanation. The numbers missing will not be a majority of the population, but a noticeable number will be suddenly gone. While professing Christians are possibly a majority in North America, the actual number of twice-born believers is considerably smaller. There is no way to speak with authority on this issue, but it would be surprising if so many as ten or twelve percent of the population are actually redeemed individuals—people who are born from above as evidenced by a transformed life and genuine love for the Son of God. Talking the talk is relatively easy here, but walking the walk is becoming more challenging with each passing day.
Unexpectedly, at the Rapture, great numbers of the population will no longer be found! Without warning, people will be gone, and there will be no explanation provided for their precipitous absence. They will appear to have not prepared for leaving—no packing, no arrangement for others to cover for their jobs, no specific travel plans—they will simply have been here one moment and then they will be gone without warning! The Master has spoken of this transition in society when, as recorded in LUKE 17:34-36 NASB95, He instructs His followers, “I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.
“There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left.
“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”
Flowing out of this statement concerning what will take place at the time of His coming again, the Master cautioned those who wish to follow Him, “Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” [MATTHEW 24:42-44].
Stay awake! Stay alert! Keep watching! You must be ready! When the Master returns, there will be disruption as people working together will suddenly be separated, when a woman sleeping with her husband suddenly becomes aware that she is alone—her husband can’t be found. The removal of the redeemed will be precipitous, sudden, eerie! We can only imagine the sense of unease that those who are left behind will experience as one moment they are speaking with a follower of Christ and the next the one to whom they were speaking is gone. We can’t know all the details, but we are fully aware of the fact since the Master has informed us.
There are so many questions. Will the redeemed leave behind a body, a husk that once housed the soul and the spirit? Will there be mass funerals for those who were God’s holy ones? Or will they simply disappear? They are suddenly gone, not merely “away from the body,” but actually removed physically from the earth! Is that possibly what happens? Perhaps that is what is meant when we read of a transformation [e.g. PHILIPPIANS 3:21]. God doesn’t tell us precisely what will happen at that time, only that it does happen. And the world will be mystified.
It will be necessary to provide an explanation for the sudden disappearance, or simultaneous death, of so many people—family, friends, neighbours, colleagues from work, even casual acquaintances. Governmental functionaries, working on behalf of the antichrist, will provide an explanation, never understanding that God has placed this delusion in their hearts. They will imagine that they are calming the jitters that will be felt throughout the world at that time; however, the disappearance is only the initiation of the judgements which God shall pour out on the earth.
For years contemporary culture has trained us to do our own thing, whatever that thing may be. Unconsciously, we have adopted the popular view, “If it feels good, do it!” Unfortunately, that attitude has seeped into the assemblies of our Lord. Modern churches are influenced by the world rather than influencing the world—and that condition leads to death! This is nothing less than the gospel of nice, and it must lead to death—culturally and physically. God has warned mankind,
“There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.”
[PROVERBS 14:12]
In that day when the faithful have been removed from this earth, the gospel of “nice” will be harnessed to allay the fears of those who have been left behind. People will have been conditioned to focus on their own interest rather than being concerned for others. Already, people are being trained in the churches to expect a message that makes them feel good. Contemporary church members generate considerable pressure in an effort to compel pastors to say things that will make uncommitted people feel good about themselves. The great tragedy is that pastors are so often persuaded to go along with these ill-considered requests by toning down the righteous demands of Holy God.
I deliver this message because I want to be faithful to Him who appointed me to this ministry. I want the people for whom I bear responsibility to know that God is in charge, regardless of how insane the world appears. I want God’s people to be encouraged to say,
“I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, ‘You are my God.’
My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!”
[PSALM 31:14-15]
I want the followers of Christ to be hopeful despite the dark clouds now appearing on the horizon. I do not want you to slip into a tolerance of that which is evil, of that which is opposed to righteousness. I want you to stand firm in this holy Faith, to graciously refuse to concede to evil. As a follower of the Risen Son of God, you must not allow yourself to be “nice,” to the exclusion of honouring the Son of God.
I want any who are outside the grace of God who hear my voice to know that there is deliverance from the storm that is about to break. I want the lost to know that safety and shelter is available through faith in the Risen, Living Son of God. I grieve at the thought that many now living, perhaps some who hear me speak at this time, are in peril of eternal judgement precisely because they have imagined that being nice will satisfy God.
Do you listen to the message this day knowing that you are lost? There is hope for you in Christ the Lord. I urge you to believe in Him and be delivered from the coming wrath. God promises deliverance to all who place their trust in Christ as Master over life. Will you hear the gracious offer that God delivers to all who will receive it? The Word of God promises each one, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” [ROMANS 10:9-10]. The promise is made stronger still when the Apostle cites the Prophet Joel, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. Trust Jesus as Master today. Do this and be saved. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] The Babylon Bee, September 18, 2017, http://babylonbee.com/news/progressive-criticizes-jesus-not-christlike/, accessed 26 April 2018
[3] Wesley Smith, “CANADA: Couple Kill Themselves in Joint Assisted Suicide as Anglican Church Official Cheers Them On,” lifenews.com, April 3, 2018, http://www.virtueonline.org/canada-couple-kill-themselves-joint-assisted-suicide-anglican-church-official-cheers-them?utm_source=Colson+Center+Master+List&utm_campaign=699d5b2ccc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_BP+Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_84bd2dc76d-699d5b2ccc-6629605, accessed 26 April 2018
[4] Julie Zauzmer, “Clergy gather to bless one of the only U.S. clinics performing late-term abortions,” The Washington Post, January 29, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/01/29/clergy-gather-to-bless-an-abortion-clinic-which-provides-rare-late-term-abortions-in-bethesda/?noredirect=on&utm_campaign=699d5b2ccc, accessed 26 April 2018
[5] Kate Shellnutt, “America’s Surrogacy Bump: Is Fertility a Blessing to Be Shared?”, Christianity Today, February 20, 2018, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/march/surrogacy-surge-us-christians-bioethics-ivf-reproduction.html?utm_source=Colson+Center+Master+List&utm_campaign=699d5b2ccc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_BP+Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_84bd2dc76d-699d5b2ccc-6629605, accessed 26 April 2018
[6] John Stonestreet & G. Shane Morris, “BreakPoint: The Deadly Gospel of Nice,” April 26, 2018, http://www.breakpoint.org/2018/04/breakpoint-deadly-gospel-nice/?utm_source=Colson+Center+Master+List&utm_campaign=699d5b2ccc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_BP+Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_84bd2dc76d-699d5b2ccc-6629605, accessed 26 April 2018
