The Rapture & End times - Questions & Answers

When will Christ return in the Rapture?

Quoting "Friesen, Mel" (mel@hertzler.com>

Throughout history there have been people whose religious focus has been on the End times. They all have had one thing in common, that they predict the end to happen within their natural life time.  So far their batting average .000   If I were manager of a team I would not want one of these on my team.

- Mel

PASTOR MAX Answers:

Hello Mel:

Since you are more taken up with baseball and commercial enterprises than with Holy Scripture, let me enlighten you with spiritual things and the historical record of the Church, the end times and the rapture.

ST. PAUL WAS GIVEN THE REVELATION OF THE RAPTURE - THE SECOND COMING RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST

St. Paul - unto whom was given the revelation of the parousia, gr. (return) of Christ with the taking up (harpazo, gr.) of the Church (body of Christ) - made this powerful statement under the direction of the Blessed Holy Spirit:

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

GOD PROMISES HE WILL RETURN IN THE SECOND COMING TO RAPTURE THE CHURCH - ALSO CALLED "THE RAPTURE"

"LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from from all iniquity, and PURIFY unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works." (Titus 2: 11 - 14)

God's purpose in laying in our hearts the hope of the soon return of our precious Lord Jesus Christ is a strong incentive to live holy and RIGHTEOUS LIVES  before Him and to win LOST SOULS for His Kingdom!

When the Church loses that incentive, it dies spiritually!  No "looking for Jesus to return" nearly always brings a COLDNESS into the heart, WORLDLINESS and SIN into the church and removes the burden from the individual Christian to be a firebrand for Jesus and a SOUL WINNER!

Mel, please look at the facts:  What happened to the Early Church when they got more interested in politics and games than in looking for the return of Jesus? The Roman Catholic CHURCH and THE DARK AGES OF APOSTASY !!!!

Martin Luther said: "I live as though Jesus died yesterday, arose today and is COMING AGAIN tomorrow!"

St. John stated: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, WHEN HE SHALL APPEAR, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him PURIFIETH HIMSELF, even as He (Christ) is pure." (1 John 3: 2, 3)

The Bible admonishes: "If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above (not just sports, Mel), where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

PREPARE FOR THE SECOND RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE RAPTURE WITH JOY & ANTICIPATION  the Rapture

"WHEN CHRIST WHO IS OUR LIFE SHALL APPEAR, then shall ye also appear with Him in  glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Are you looking for Jesus to return, Mel? The Holy Scripture says: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and UNTO THEM THAT LOOK FOR HIM SHALL HE APPEAR the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9: 27, 28)

"For our conversation is in Heaven, from whence also WE LOOK FOR THE SAVIOUR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself." (Philippians  3: 20, 21)

Like yourself, Mel, there were doubters and SKEPTICS during the time of the Early Church, who said: " Where is the promise of HIS SECOND COMING? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." (2 Peter 3:4)

Here is St. Peter's answer to them and the same holds true today, so it is also my answer to you, Mel. There are two reasons why Jesus has not yet returned to earth to rapture his church:  No. 1 - He does not reckon time like we do and No. 2 - He is longsuffering, waiting for more people to be saved!

"But, beloved, BE NOT IGNORANT of this one thing, that ONE DAY is with the Lord as a thousand years, and A THOUSAND YEARS as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us ward not willing that any should perish, but that all men count slackness." (2
Peter 3: 8, 9)

From reading the admonition of St. Peter, it is evident that he was preaching the Old Testament prophets' conception of the Coming of our Lord in judgment (verse 10), but he refers to St. Paul's letters which deals the Rapture - THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH:

"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. Account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our BELOVED BROTHER PAUL also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written to you;

"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them OF THESE THINGS; in which are SOME THINGS HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD, which they that are UNLEARNED and UNSTABLE, wrest (twist), as they do also the other Scriptures (be careful, Mel), unto their own destruction.

"Ye therefore, beloved, seeing that ye know these things before, BEWARE lest ye also, being led away with the ERROR OF THE WICKED, fall from your own steadfastness."  (2 Peter 3: 15 -17)

the Rapture - the Second Coming of Christ

ONE DAY TO GOD IS LIKE 1000 YEARS WITH US - JESUS SAID, "Behold I come quickly...."

Now, that you know how the Lord reckons time (one day with Him is like one thousand years with us), then you realize Jesus could promise: "Behold, I come quickly..." (Revelation  20: 7,12, 20) A better translation is "SOON". Two other translations render it "without delay; at once".

Since Jesus has been gone for not quite two days, we know that His Word is perfect and that he will fulfill His promise to return in HIS OWN GOOD TIME!

Mel, I close with these Scriptures from the pen of St. Paul: "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren concerning them which are asleep (had died in the faith), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus WILL GOD BRING WITH HIM.

"For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that WE WHICH ARE ALIVE and remain UNTO THE COMING OF THE LORD shall not prevent (hold back, precede) them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST.

"Then we which are alive and remain SHALL BE CAUGHT UP together in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4: 13- 18)  - the Rapture

"Behold, I show 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and WE SHALL BE CHANGED." (1 Corinthians  15: 50-52)

May the Lord richly bless you, Mel.

Your servant for Jesus' sake,
Pastor Max Solbrekken
2 Corinthians 4: 5