Violence Trumpets Christ’s Sudden Return
The Prophet of all Prophets, who just happens to be the very Word of God (John 1:1), described the human condition at the time of the first phase of His Second Coming. Jesus said:
“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man” (Luke 17:26).
Those are strong words, and they open an avenue that runs directly to a signal around which we can build a case for how near this generation must be to the Rapture. I write of the Rapture, and not Christ’s Second Advent, because in this prophecy, Jesus is talking about the sudden first phase, not the seven-year buildup to the second phase of His Second Coming.
The first phase is the Rapture; the second is the moment described in Revelation 19:11 when Jesus Christ returns dramatically to earth to end the human war called Armageddon. Jesus prophesied that at the time of this first phase, the Rapture, folks on earth will be going about life pretty much as usual. It will be like it was during the days before the Great Flood. About those days, Jesus said:
“They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27).
In those days, like in our time, some strange and sinful things were going on—things that finally brought God’s wrath, judgment, and the destruction of all but the eight people inside the ark. The sinful matter going on in Noah’s day that I want to explore a bit here is put forth in the following:
“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:11-13).
The operative sin is violence that “filled the whole earth.”
Violence has always been part of the human condition. Cain killed his brother Abel in the first murder. More than fifteen thousand wars have been the scourge of every generation since Noah and his family left the ark. Cain’s pre-Flood slaying of his brother set in motion a visceral propensity within humankind to do violence to fellow humans.
Wars waged by the likes of the ancient Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Alexander’s Greek Empire, and the Roman Empire brought tremendous bloodshed down through the millennia. But it was the twentieth century—with World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnamese War, and others that continue into the twenty-first century—that spawned the level of violence that equates to the level of worldwide violence during Noah’s day.
Murderous rage has exploded upon this late hour of human history in almost every aspect. Killing rampages that used to be aberrant acts of the rarely seen serial or spree killers now seem to be a part of homicide that’s considered the norm. One form of violence that strongly indicates a recently elevated rage that’s like the satanic hatred of times just before Noah and the others went into the ark is that aimed directly at true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Perhaps the most notable example is the assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder and head of Turning Point USA. He was a young man who told about his belief in Christ at every venue he spoke at. He tried, through that witness, to lead his listeners to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, in addition to trying to reason with them about coming back to their senses in understanding what living life peaceably in America should entail.
The entire world was shown the face of violence that has burst upon this generation with cameras focused on the young man when the assassin’s high-powered rifle round exploded the carotid artery in his neck at the very moment he sat civilly answering the questions of a student asking, ironically, about gun violence.
Following on the heels of the Kirk murder was the shooting by a sniper in Dallas, Texas, who unloaded his weapon into an ICE van while it transported detainees into an ICE facility.
One detainee was killed, and others were wounded. The sniper then shot himself. He, like Kirk’s assassin who wrote hate-filled things on the rounds in his rifle, had written anti-ICE engravings on the shell casing of the bullet he fired.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Lyons reported that such terroristic attacks against ICE have ramped up 1,000 percent just within recent weeks.
School shootings around the nation, too, have increased, with evidence coming out that such evil stems from the same leftist radical ideology.
The young have been radicalized–with the backing of mainstream news and entertainment media—to deal with anyone who opposes their anti-American ideas and upside-down political persuasion by using violence–even assassinating the political leaders they hate.
Such radicalized youths were responsible for the attempted assassination of candidate Donald Trump, the murder of Charlie Kirk, and the terroristic attacks on the ICE agents who are targets of their hatred.
So many instances of violent insanity are piling up that it is difficult to pick and choose which to use as examples of the end-times violence Jesus described.
That fact alone is enough to validate just how much our days are like Noah’s.
Violence that is such a characteristic of this generation must certainly be a major indicator sounding from the end-of-days trumpet of warning. It is heralding the glorious prophetic truth that Jesus can at any moment step out upon the clouds of glory and shout, “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:1).
—Terry
———————————————————————————————————————————————
What Makes Our Blessed Hope So Wonderful?
It’s the object of much ridicule and debate. Many Bible teachers and pastors say there’s no such thing as the Rapture, or they equate it with the Second Coming.
And yet, those of us who watch for Jesus’ imminent appearing recognize it as our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:11-14); it’s the time we will meet our Savior in the air. There are many things about the Rapture that make our anticipation of it over-the-top wonderful.
The promise of Jesus’ return soothes troubled hearts. How did Jesus respond to His anxious disciples on the night before His crucifixion? He assured them of His promise to “prepare a place” for them in His “Father’s house.” He promised to return so that someday they would be with Him in glory (John 14:1-3). How often do we find relief for our fears in this same assurance that Jesus is preparing a home for us in Heaven?
The Rapture comforts us when we suffer the loss of loved ones. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul responded to those in Thessalonica who were grieving the loss of others in their small band of believers. Because they assumed that those who had died would miss the Rapture, they continued to lament their loss like those who had no hope of a future resurrection. In response, the apostle assured them that at Jesus’ appearing, He will first raise the “dead in Christ.” Not only would the “dead in Christ” not miss the Rapture, but they will be the first to participate in it.
Such comfort is especially dear to my heart because, at the age of ten, the Lord used the words of this passage to comfort me over the sudden death of my dad. Even when we look into the coffin of a loved one who has gone to be with the Lord, we sense the Lord’s comfort despite our tears.
The promise of immortality assures us of a reward for our service to the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, we learn that when Jesus comes for us, He will give us, His redeemed, “imperishable” bodies. Whether we are alive or dead at the time, He will clothe us with bodies just like His (Philippians 3:20-21). Wow! This promise of immortality forms the basis for Paul’s encouraging words in Corinthians 15:58:
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
The promise of tangible “incorruptible” bodies assures us that our work for the Lord “is not in vain.” Someday we will stand before Him with resurrection bodies, and He will reward our service, no matter how insignificant we might think it was. The Lord will not overlook any of our work on His behalf.
The Rapture guarantees that we will miss the wrath of the Day of the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Paul promised the Thessalonian believers, and us, that we would miss the outpouring of God’s wrath that will come upon the world. This is particularly comforting to us as the signs of the approaching Tribulation period tell us that the “sudden destruction” of this day is ever so near (v. 3). These verses assure us of a pre-Tribulation Rapture; Jesus will take us out of the world before the dark days described in Revelation chapters 6-18.
If we were destined for this time of horror on the earth, how could it possibly be a truth that we could use to encourage one another and build each other up in the faith (v. 11)? But because we have such a hope, it reassures our hearts and leads to greater maturity in our walk with the Lord. After writing about the Rapture, Paul instructed his readers, us, to “encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Is this not the most overlooked command in Scripture?
Our hope enables us to “stand firm” during times of adversity. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11, Paul reminded his readers that they would miss the Day of the Lord with the terrors of the “man of lawlessness,” which will mark this coming time of devastation and terror upon the earth.
The apostle later wrote that our response to such a marvelous escape from this coming day of chaos and death should be that of giving “thanks to God” and standing “firm” in our faith (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15). In Philippians 3:20-4:1, Paul also encourages us to “stand firm” as the result of our hope embodied in the Rapture.
In light of our heavenly “citizenship” and the certainty of the glory that awaits us, we can remain confident of our hope of glory regardless of what comes our way.
The promise of inner wholeness promotes purity. I love the words of 1 John 3:1-3. They assure us that when Jesus “appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” These words go beyond the promise of immortal bodies that we noted earlier, but also include inner wholeness such as Jesus manifested during His life on the earth. Not only will He transform our physical bodies to be like His, but we will also be “like him” on the inside with our emotions, thoughts, and sinlessness. He will heal all the wounds and scars that come from living in a broken-down world.
Notice what John says will be the result of such a focus on Jesus: “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” Yes, there’s considerable comfort in watching for Jesus’ imminent appearing, but it also has a purifying effect on those who do.
People will continue to mock the Rapture and reject us because of our belief in it. However, those of us who daily watch for it recognize the wonderful blessings that come from daily watching for Jesus’ appearing. We know that whenever He comes for us, it will be well worth the wait!
-Jonathan