Sudden Destruction/Dynamic Destiny

Jesus, I am convicted, spoke to this very end-times moment in which we now live in telling about His end-of-this-Age-of-Grace, sudden intervention into the intolerable wickedness of humankind. By the use of the adjective “intolerable,” I mean in the eyes of our Holy God.

Jesus described the time of that future intervention, as we’ve looked at many times in this column. He said it will be like it was in the days of Noah and, more specifically, in the days of Lot when He will next bring catastrophic judgment to the earth like that with which God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Following Lot and his family being taken by the angels’ hands and removed from the doomed city of Sodom to a place of safety, sudden destruction fell from above, decimating that whole region that had become intolerable to Heaven’s sense of righteousness.

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah undoubtedly no longer recognized as wickedness the evil that occurred every day and every night. They had, apparently, willfully immersed themselves in the absolute immorality that had totally polluted their society and culture. I think it’s fair to say this was the situation at that time because God destroyed all those living there except for Lot and his family, with Jesus saying that Lot was “righteous in God’s eyes.” And that—God seeing Lot as righteous—obviously, we can conclude, was why Lot wasn’t so judged along with the others.

We leap forward now to our own time, examining and considering these days that almost certainly mirror those days of antiquity. If these days in which we live are the days about which Jesus prophesied —the time that will be like the time when Lot was removed so God’s judgment and wrath could fall—we must think on God’s method of removing the righteous so God’s sense of justice and righteousness can deal with the evil and wickedness of this world.

I choose not to go into all of the evil we’re witnessing all around us, and at every level, in this article. We’ve gone over these anti-God matters many, many times for literally years. I choose rather to think with you on a matter that’s among those of greatest interest to believers in Jesus Christ—the born again for salvation.

The Rapture of all born-again believers is inseparably linked to Jesus’ prophecy about the days of Lot in that Luke 17:26-30 account. The born-again believers in Christ for salvation of their souls are the righteous who, like Lot, will be removed at the Rapture (the twinkling-of-an-eye moment) when Jesus calls them into the clouds of Glory. This great event is, therefore, also linked inseparably to the sudden destruction that, like in the days of Lot, completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Apostle Paul was shown the mystery that is the Rapture of the Church. Paul was also given, through Holy Spirit revelation, prophetic truth about the terrible judgment that will immediately begin to fall upon those left behind—those committed to the evil and wickedness of this fallen world.

The following is Paul’s warning in that regard, linking sudden destruction to the Rapture of all believers.

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).

The great apostle had, as recorded in the chapter just preceding this in 1 Thessalonians 5, gone into detail about the Rapture. He then gives the above prophecy, saying no one knows exactly when, but when the Rapture occurs, sudden destruction will come. This, of course, is exactly what our Lord said in the days of Lot prophecy.

At the same time the earth and those left behind are experiencing God’s judgment and wrath and the coming rule by Satan’s final dictator, Antichrist, all who have gone to Christ at the moment of Rapture will experience a “dynamic destiny.”

Here is the “mystery” the Lord told his immediate disciples—and what He later revealed to Paul, and, through His recorded words in the Bible, gave the great message of comfort for all of us who follow Jesus as our Savior and Lord:

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).

And the Apostle Paul was further given, through Holy Spirit enlightenment, an exciting promise of the dynamic destiny of every believer at the moment of Rapture forward into eternity:

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Again, Paul addresses the sudden destruction/dynamic destination matters, bringing them to a most comforting conclusion:

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).

Of course, if you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ (haven’t accepted His grace gift offer for redemption from sin that separates your soul from God and Heaven), then you are, tragically, appointed to the wrath of God and His judgment for your sinful condition.

Here is how you can assure that you will not have to go through the Tribulation, or be eternally separated from God and Heaven:

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

—Terry

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If It Seems Slow

Do you feel it, too? Sometimes, the headlines of our day create an impatience within me for the Lord to intervene and begin His judgment on the evil-doers of our day. The ongoing murderous rampage in Syria began my latest round of wondering why the Rapture hasn’t already happened. Does He not see all the bloodshed in our world?

As I wrote last week, I recognize that the mind-numbing violence of our day has the world on course for the outpouring of God’s wrath after our departure from the world. The “sudden destruction” of the Day of the Lord begins soon after the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10). Jesus’ appearing to take us home begins His direct intervention in the planet, during which time He will deal with the murderers, thieves, terrorists, and wicked that are causing much pain throughout the world.

It’s the wait that grows in difficulty as we witness lawlessness increasing exponentially while deception abounds.

As I began to fret over the seeming delay of God’s response, I read Psalm 75:2, “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.” That’s what I needed to see. The Lord’s answer to wickedness of our day is surely coming, but it will happen in His appointed time.

I’m reminded of the words of the prophet Habakkuk, “If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay” (2:3).

The Father Knows

After reading the verse from Psalm 75, I turned to Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:36:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

The Father isn’t trying to determine the best time to send His Son to retrieve His bride, the Church. He knew the exact time two thousand years ago when Jesus walked through Israel. He’s not waiting for a time when conditions will be just right. He saw our day from antiquity and determined the day, hour, and moment of the Rapture long before the birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost.

The Son knew all about our day and described with much precision the events of the last days and Tribulation in Matthew 24:3-28. Then, perhaps to forestall questions from His disciples and calm our inquisitive minds in the twenty-first century, Jesus stated that only the Father knows the exact time in history when these events would sweep across planet Earth.

Fixed By the Father’s Authority

After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples asked Jesus if it was time He “would restore the kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1:6). In response, Jesus expounded upon His earlier statement that only the Father knew the timing of such things.

“It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7).

Here again, Jesus defers to the Father’s authority in this matter. God set the timing of the end-time events, beginning with the Rapture, long, long ago. In Isaiah 46:10, we read that He sovereignly declares “the end from beginning and from ancient time things not yet done.”

The Lord sees the murderous rampages of our time as well as the over-the-top wickedness. It is enough to know that at just the perfect time, He will intervene in world affairs in an unmistakable way.

We cannot know the exact time, but we know that we live in the season of His appearing.

With Equity

The other word in Psalm 75:2 that caught my attention earlier this week is “equity.” The word denotes an evenness or fairness in the Lord’s judgment. That’s bad news for those who think no one sees their corruption, murder of the innocent, and injurious behavior. They may think that God will not respond to their wickedness, but He will do so as their deeds deserve.

So, what’s the encouragement for us in knowing that God’s judgment will be fair, righteous, and wholly justified?

First, because Jesus paid the debt for our sins on the cross, we will not suffer the eternal consequences of our sins. Not only that, but we will not endure the outpouring of God’s wrath during the Tribulation period. Those who come to the Savior after the Rapture will suffer greatly, but like us, they will not pay the ultimate penalty for their sins.

Second, while today’s lawlessness and widespread violence upsets us, we find some degree of relief in knowing that the Lord sees all the evil of our day, even far beyond what’s apparent to us. Not only that, but He will judge with equity because not only does He see all things, but He knows the intent of the heart. We will most likely not see the evil-doers of our day arrested and put in jail, but they will not escape the consequences of their actions unless they repent and turn to Jesus.

Third, I’m reminded of my need to trust the Lord’s handling of the wickedness of my day. Psalm 37:1-7 sums up a response of trust, that of resisting the temptation to fret, remaining “still” or calm before Him in light of the success of the wicked, and waiting patiently for Him to act.

It’s easy to become weary of waiting for the Lord to act, but someday, He will come for us, take us to Heaven, and repay those who perpetrate so much evil in our world.

“If it seems slow, wait for it; will surely come.”

Maranatha!!

-Jonathan