Friday, November 29, 2024
Our world has been plunged into the rapid fulfillment of biblical end-times prophecy, but not many people, professing Christians included, are aware of these truths. For many, life demands the preoccupation of a sustainable family income as dark powers of evil create ever-increasing difficulties and struggles that keeps one’s attention, not on Christ but on passing earthly things. That’s the devil’s plan, to keep people distracted from eternal truths now impacting their lives. Of all people, true Christians should be discerning and preparing for the exceedingly difficult days to come – first, spiritually and secondly, physically. Believers should never come under rebuke of God for not discerning the signs of the times as did most at Christ’s first advent.
God knows there are things of this world we need, but to not get distracted by those needs, for Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles [meaning unbelievers] seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:31–34). [My bold emphasis] That’s the promise of Almighty God in Christ! As with many of God’s promises this one in particular is conditional to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. Christ must be our “first love” (Rev. 2:4), and if we make Him that then we have confidence that He will supply everything else that we have need of. And be careful to discern the difference between needs from wants. And by the help of the Holy Spirit let us be like our brother the Apostle Paul who said “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7); an excellent promise!
I realize many young Christian families are struggling to make financial ends meet in a world that’s turned against the nuclear family under leadership of the elite. Don’t allow that to deter from your calling in Christ no matter how difficult life becomes. Please keep in mind that we true believers are the large minority in this world. It was so in the 1st Century AD, and it will remain so until Christ returns. Sadly, many families are not led by parents who have genuine faith in Jesus Christ, and for all those we must sincerely pray. And many families are led by parents who do profess faith in Christ but are what Christ called “lukewarm” (Rev. 3:16). Lukewarm faith is displeasing to God and will be rejected. Many are deceived believing that being a Christian in name only and not having a true first love for Christ will gain eternal life. Not true. Christ makes it clear that for Christians, Christ is our “first love”, not worldly things.
Recent technological developments of transhumanism, biometrics, AI, robotics, surveillance and a digital currency controlled by central banks, indicates to us who have discernment of end-times that the world is ignorantly marching toward the embrace of Antichrist and his mark of the beast. People want peace in a world beset with multiple wars; financial security in a world beset by the worst personal and governmental debt level in history; accountability of governments run amuck by greed, power and egregious controls of people; freedom from crimes, illegal immigration and more. The New World Order of the UN’s 2030 Agenda promises to heal these issues under rule of a one world leader, a one world economy, a one world religion and a one world government. Technologies mentioned above are evil because their ultimate intent is to lure non-discerning, needy people to their grasps of control. Those evils will develop to controlling one’s ability to buy or sell by having received the name, or the number of the beast, Rev. 13:16–17. And for all those who think they will escape all this by a pre-trib rapture, they’ve been utterly deceived. But that end-time deception can be overcome by true faith in the end-time testimony of Jesus Christ.
In the love of Christ, concerning the “when” of the rapture of believers, I call your attention to what you actually believe and why you believe it. There’s a smorgasbord of rapture beliefs out there that have in the last century been developed by many not content with the clear resurrection rapture testimony of Christ, willing, rather, to believe that there must be an easier and better way to heaven than being raptured “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31) as taught by Christ. False teachers, beginning with John Nelson Darby (1800–1882) in their unbelief created the pre-trib rapture, the mid-trib rapture and the pre-wrath rapture, all of which disagree 100% with the testimony of Christ. And for all those who are unconcerned about “when” the rapture occurs, alleging that it doesn’t matter, they too have been deceived, because what and why we believe about “when” Christ gathers His elect in the resurrection rapture matters greatly with regard to faithfully enduring to the end as Jesus taught at Matt. 24:13. Now is the time to settle the issue of what you believe and why you believe what you do about the resurrection rapture.
Tens of millions of believers have had their ears tickled to believe, without a personal in-depth examination of the Scriptures, to put their faith in the pre-trib rapture, which to an unbelieving mind promises that they have absolutely no need to concern themselves with, nor prepare for the seven-year rule of “the man of sin…the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3), the Antichrist. But I tell you again in the love of Christ, those who believe the false pre-trib rapture narrative, are totally unprepared for and will be greatly offended to their probable falling away from the faith, when the rapidly approaching seven-year tribulation and Antichrist is revealed in real time. That is, IF they even recognize the Antichrist, which, again, to the unbelieving mind will likely disregard.
In love for Christ, make a personal introspection of what you believe and why you believe what you believe. It’s vital, for if one wills to believe the dream of a men rather than the testimony of God’s Son, he places himself in a position of unbelief and exposes himself to the tribulation offense Jesus warned of at Matt. 24:10. Don’t let that possibility even come near you and your loved ones. Search out and believe the testimony of Christ for the end-time and gathering of His elect. Are you a part of His elect? If you say “Yes”, then I invite you in faith to read Christ’s promises at Matt. 24:29–31. Christ’s elect are gathered in the resurrection rapture “at the last day” (John 6:40, 44); “at the last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:51–53); at “the seventh trumpet” (Rev. 11:15–19); when “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven” (1 Thess. 4:16–17), “whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21).
My new book “ON EAGLES’ WINGS” was written with much Bible study and prayer and reveals many truths in preparing unbelievers and believers alike for the 7-year tribulation and finding God’s safety and provision for the last 1,260 days of “great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21).
Marlin J. Yoder
