End Times #5: Should Christians Worry About Being Left Behind?

This won't be popular or make people happy but ...

Yes, I think Christians need to be concerned about the possibility of being left behind. 

This is my opinion.  I cannot say for sure that it's what's really going to happen.  And I'm still considering it all.  But the more I read the Bible, the more I wonder if it shows that not all Christians will go up in the rapture.

Of course, unbelievers will be left behind.  Those who have rejected Jesus's offer of salvation and grace and mercy, who have rejected the offer God gives the faithful church to be spared from the coming wrath.

But I think it's possible that there will be Christians left behind, too, specifically those who choose their life on earth over the Lord, those who are living disobediently and for themselves, those who compromise or alter Scripture so it says what they want, and those who think they are Christian but really aren't.




And what Scripture is there to support this possibility?


1.  
First of all, consider all this (warning: this point will get a bit messy, but I'm trying to paint a complete picture of the "faithful church" - those who will be raptured):

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8)

As I said in an earlier post, I think the elders around the throne in Rev. 4 are representatives of the raptured church.  And what are the elders wearing?

Crowns.  I think these crowns are the ones that are awarded to those who have longed for the coming of the Lord, who are looking forward to His return.  The faithful believers.

And I think "that day" the crowns are awarded is the day of the rapture.  And the elders are around the throne before the first seal is opened, meaning that we are raptured before the start of the tribulation.

The faithful church is represented by the Philadelphia church in Rev. 3:7-13.  And what is the promise given to this church?

"Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.  I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown."  

They remained faithful to Jesus and to the Gospel and endured patiently in the faith all the way to the end, which is far different than the backslidden church, the compromising church, the superficial church, the lukewarm church, etc. (the other churches listed in Rev. 2-3).  

And as a result, they alone were promised a crown if they "hold on to what they have" (their faith, their commitment to Christ and the Truth).  They were promised to be spared from the "hour of trial" that will come on the rest of the earth (I believe that's the tribulation).  

[Why would there be a warning to not let anyone take your crown if there's no chance of losing your crown?  I think the "crown" is part of the reward for the faithful church, taken out at the rapture.  If this is so - if you can "lose your crown" - then it may be possible to lose your place in the faithful church and not be taken out in the rapture.  It doesn't mean you lost your salvation, just that you lost your chance to be raptured out because you weren't ready and weren't living like you should be.  Or it's possible that this warning is just about losing the rewards that come with living faithfully, with being ready for the rapture, instead of losing your place in the rapture.  I'm not sure.  But losing your rewards, not your place in the rapture, is a very plausible idea too.  Maybe that's what all the "be ready" passages are about.  I'm just not sure yet.  But it would fit with 1 Corinthians 3:12-14's warning that any works not done for the Lord will be burned up on that Day.  This is about losing your rewards, for failing to live faithfully.  So this is the other option I lean toward.  Either way - losing your place in the rapture or losing eternal rewards - both would be great losses and should cause us to live faithfully and expectantly.]  

So this church gets a crown - like the elders around the throne.  And they are spared from the "hour of trial" (the tribulation) - like the elders who are around the throne before the first seal opens to start the tribulation.

The tribulation is a time to test the people on the earth (and of course, it's really about God finishing His prophetic plans for Israel).  I think this means it's a time to test their allegiance, if they will turn to Christ or away from Christ.  (And of course, it's a time of God's wrathful judgment being poured out on those who already rejected Him.)  And since the faithful church already proved their allegiance, there is no reason for them to be around for the tribulation, the time of testing.  They have already made their decision about Jesus and have been faithful to Him.

But this time of testing - the tribulation - will come on everyone else, forcing them to make their final decision about Christ.  

[I believe the Holy Spirit won't seal or necessarily live inside those who become believers in the tribulation, the way He does believers now.  Because the promise to "seal" believers was for the "day of redemption," the rapture (Ephesians 4:30).  And since the rapture would have already happened during the trib, there's no reason to seal trib believers.  And so after the rapture, I think that the Holy Spirit goes back to a more "Old Testament" way of working, moving about as He pleases, and that believers must maintain/persevere in their faith till the end of the trib in order to be saved.  It's just my thoughts on this.]  

[I also think children under the age of accountability will be raptured, too.  The Bible talks about an age when children are old enough to choose right from wrong.  But if they are too young to understand "right and wrong" - too young to be able to choose between Jesus and Satan - there is no point for them to go into this time of testing.  So they will be spared, taken out in the rapture, covered by God's grace.  See this post for more on this.]

Another promise for the faithful church: "and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."  (1 Thess. 1:10)

The true and faithful church will be rescued from the coming wrath!  The tribulation!

And where will we be taken?

We will be taken to the "Father's house" (John 14:2-3), which I believe is the "New Jerusalem" that comes down out of heaven in Rev. 21.

Notice what Rev. 21:12-14 says about the New Jerusalem: That there are 24 names written on its walls and foundations - 12 for the tribes of Israel and 12 for the apostles of the Lamb.

And how many elders are sitting around the throne wearing crowns?

24  

I think these elders are the 24 names written on the New Jerusalem because they represent those who live in the New Jerusalem - the faithful believers of all time before the rapture.  [Further proof: In Luke 22:30, Jesus tells the disciples, "And you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  The disciples (apostles) get thrones.  There are elders sitting on thrones in Revelation, before the trib starts.  The names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Jesus) are on the foundation of the New Jerusalem.  Conclusion: The apostles are twelve of the elders, sitting on thrones, representing those who live in the New Jerusalem.]  


Look again at the Philadelphia church.  What does Rev. 3:12 say about them?

"Him who overcomes ... I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven ..."

God promises those in the faithful church that He will write the name of the new Jerusalem on them.  He will write the name of their new home on them - the new home of the raptured church.    


All of this ties the promise of a crown for those who long for the Lord's appearance with the elders who are wearing crowns before the first seal opens ... with the Philadelphia church who was promised crowns for their faithfulness and promised to be spared from the "time of testing" (the tribulation) ... with the New Jerusalem where the faithful church is taken (the "Father's House")!

All of this means that the faithful church will be raptured out before the tribulation, and we will go to the New Jerusalem while the world enters the "time of trial."


[One other interesting note about the Philadelphia church:  

Rev 3:8 refers to an “open door that no one can shut” which is set before this church.  Many have said this means that it’s an evangelizing church, that the “open door” is a door to the world, to go out and tell others about Christ.  And maybe this is so.

Or ... maybe it's a reference to the rapture?  Maybe the "open door" is the door to heaven ... and only this church (the true believers) has the right to enter it?

Look at Rev. 4:1:  "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.  And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here ...'"

John saw a door open in heaven (same door the Philadelphia church gets to enter?) ... and he hears a voice like a trumpet (any relation to the trumpet call that leads to the rapture?) ... and a voice says "Come up here" (like the command given in 1 Thess. 4:16?) ... and John is immediately "in the spirit" and taken up to heaven.  

Could this be a foreshadowing of the rapture?  Of what the Philadelphia church will experience?]

[Added note: Another possibility about the elders' crowns is that they are wearing the "crown of glory" which is promised specifically to the elders of the church: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory." (1 Peter 5:4)  Whether the elders around the throne are wearing the crown of glory or the crown given to those who long for the coming of the Lord, it still supports the idea of a pre-trib rapture because the crown of glory is given after the "Chief Shepherd" appears, which I believe refers to the rapture and would explain the elders being around the throne, wearing crowns, before the seals are opened.  And if the Shepherd appears for the elders, then He appears for the Church too, especially considering that the Church contains all the "sheep" who follow the Shepherd, Jesus.] 



2. 
"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.  On that day, no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them.  Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.  Remember Lot's wife!  Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other one left.  Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."  (Luke 17:30-35)

I think this shows that there will be those who could have escaped the wrath, like Lot's wife could have escaped, but that they chose to turn back to their lives.  They put their lives over their faith.  They lived for themselves instead of living for the Lord.  

I think it's possible that the Lord might only take those who are ready and willing to come with Him, who have shown they love Him more than their lives by how they lived.  And as I said in a previous post, I think there might be a "time of decision" while the rapture is happening for Christians to decide if they want to go or stay.  If they will run to the Lord or run to their homes, like Lot's wife.  

I have a theory on Lot's wife - that she didn't just glance back at Sodom as it was being destroyed, as I'm sure many of us think, but that she actually hung back, longingly looking back, unwilling to let go of her life in Sodom.  

In Genesis 19:21 an angel tells Lot to hurry while he flees to a nearby town because the angel "cannot do anything until you reach it."  So Lot would have made it all the way to the town before Sodom began to be destroyed.  But the wife was still on the way when Sodom was destroyed.  So either she was really, really slow ... or she hung back.  

And I also think it's that she hung back because she was turned into a pillar of salt.  I don't necessarily think this means she merely accidentally glanced back in terror and - poof! - turned into a pile of salt, but that she was encrusted with salt, the same salt God rained down on Sodom and the other towns, which would mean that she was close enough to Sodom to be destroyed by the same disaster.  

And the reason I think God rained salt down along with the burning sulfur is because Deuteronomy 29:23 says that "the whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur ... like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah."  (Did you know scientists recently uncovered an ancient town that was basically melted, and they speculate that excessive salt might have prevented vegetation from growing?  Sounds to me like they found one of the towns God destroyed along with Sodom.)

And so because of this - that the disaster wouldn't start till Lot reached the town and because Lot's wife was encrusted with the same salt rained down on Sodom - I think it means she hung back, unwilling to give up her life in Sodom.  

And this makes me wonder if the warning to "remember Lot's wife" might possibly mean that Christians could be left behind if they don't want to go, if they love their lives too much and aren't willing to leave life on earth when Jesus comes back to get us.  Just an idea.

And if we are living in a way that would make us ashamed before Him, then we won't be ready.  We'll be caught by surprise or be too ashamed to stand before Him.  And so instead of running to meet Him when He comes, we'll hang back, unwilling to face Him or to let go of our earthly lives.  And we'll be left behind.  Once again, just an idea.  But one worth considering given all the warnings to be ready when He comes.  

[I also a tiny bit wonder if those who refuse to believe in a pre-trib rapture - you know, the kind who call it a teaching of the devil - if they are at risk of being left behind, too, because they won't be ready, because they reject the possibility of it happening.  After all, Lot's future sons-in-law didn't believe him when he warned them to leave Sodom because the Lord was going to destroy it.  They thought he was joking (Genesis 19:14).  And so they rejected the offer to leave, to be saved.  And they perished.  Just wonderin'.]

3.  
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  As it was in the days of Noah ... one will be taken and the other left.  Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.... So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.... Who then is the faithful and wise servant...?  It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing [his job] when he returns.... But suppose that servant is wicked ... The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.  He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  (Matthew 24:36-51)

"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.  For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."  (Luke 21:34-36)

Notice in the Matthew passage that the person who was assigned a place with the hypocrites was actually a servant.  He was a servant just like the faithful servant.  They were both servants (Christians?).  But the wicked one was a lazy, self-serving servant who was not doing what he was supposed to be doing or living the way he was supposed to be living.

I wonder if this is comparing two types of Christians: those who are faithfully living as God wants them to and those who aren't.  

They were both servants, but only the faithful one was ready for the Lord to come back.  The unfaithful, lazy, self-serving one was sent to the place with the hypocrites, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

I think (wonder if) this "weeping and gnashing of teeth" describes the tribulation time.  Unfaithful believers will be left behind to face the tribulation, and it will cause them to weep and to gnash their teeth.  (I talk more about this in the next post where I differentiate between the tribulation and hell.  Two different places where, I believe, there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Other options I've read about are that it's about people being left out of the millennial kingdom or left out of the heavenly city of the New Jerusalem, though I haven't explored these for myself.  But they're worth considering too.)

The above Luke passage also shows that "that day" (the rapture, I believe) will overtake those who are not expecting it, those who got distracted with the cares and pleasures of life.  

But we can watch for that day and pray to escape it.  And if we are faithful to the end, we will have the confidence we need to stand before the Lord on the day He comes to get us.  Those who are ashamed of how they are living will not be able to stand before Him.  They will hide and stay behind.  

They just weren't ready to face the Lord.  

Why would there be so many warnings to be ready for the Lord's coming if it doesn't really matter whether we're ready or not?  I just can't imagine that the writers of God's Word would waste valuable time and space on needless, unnecessary warnings.



4.  
What about those who change Scripture to tickle people's ears?

There are so many churches doing this right now.  They change what God says in order to please people, to tell people what they want to hear.  

And most of them truly think they are trying to honor God and uphold Scripture, even while they change or soften Scripture.  They use Jesus's love as an excuse for telling everyone that everything they do is okay and that God would never make anyone feel bad about their choices, that He loves everyone just as they are and doesn't expect anyone to change a thing.  As long as you "love others," you're good with God!  (Click here and here for more on that.)

I think these are the "wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:15), those who won't share or tolerate sound doctrine, but who trade in God's truth for a more people-pleasing "truth," for myths (2 Tim. 4:3-4).  They are the ones who will hear "Away from me; I never knew you" when they say, "But, God, didn't we do this and that in your name!?!" (Mathew 7:21-27).  They seem all good and godly, but they are misleading people terribly.  (And it's the fact that they seem so good and godly that makes them the most dangerous.)  

These compromising churches are not part of the faithful Philadelphia church.  They are not promised to be spared from the "hour of trial."  In fact, Jesus promises the compromising Pergamum church (Rev. 2:14-16) that He Himself will fight against them if they do not repent.

It's one thing to know the Truth; it's another thing to live it.

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone take words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."  (Rev. 22:18-19)  

(I believe the "holy city" is the New Jerusalem, the place the raptured church goes to.  And this is possibly saying that you can miss out on the holy city - the rapture - by altering God's Truth.  This is a serious warning for the many churches who have altered God's Word about things like homosexuality, abortion, gender, marriage, etc.)




5.
And why do I think that those who cherish money too much (such as some of those from the "prosperity gospel" group) are at risk of being left behind?

"No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money."  (Matthew 6:24)

I think there are people who believe they worship God, that they love God.  But in reality, they are worshipping material things.  They love His gifts more than they love Him.  They pursue temporary pleasures over heavenly treasures

They are the Laodicea church (Rev. 3:14-22) who is rich but lukewarm, self-sufficient, and self-serving.  They are living in their wealth instead of in the Lord.  

And the Lord is not pleased with them.  He promises to spit them out of His mouth.  He tells them that they are on the wrong side of the door from Him, that He is knocking on the door of their hearts/lives but they need to open the door and let Him in.

And if they do not do so soon, they will be left behind when He comes for His own. 

Missing the rapture will be a huge wake-up call to them.  And they will realize they were worshipping the wrong thing all along.


[Incidentally, some scholars believe the churches listed in Rev. 2-3 are not only real churches at that time, but that they also represent the various churches all throughout history and that they are a listing of various over-arching "church ages" in chronological order.  

If this is so, notice that the Laodicea church is the last in the list.  And if the Laodicea church is the age of the "prosperity gospel," then we are at the end of the church age, right before Jesus returns.

To the previous churches, Jesus says things like "I will come" and "I am coming soon."  But to this church, He says, "Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock."  

If these churches represent a chronological order throughout time and if the "prosperity gospel" church is the Laodicea church, then He is nearly here.  Something worth considering!]  

So if we all know that Jesus could come back at any moment, why aren't more of us watching for Him?  Why aren't we working and living the way He wants us to, knowing that we could have to face Him any day? 

Here's a good look into that.



What it all boils down to it this:

If you are a genuine believer who's made a heart commitment to Jesus as your Lord and Savior and who's being faithful to the Lord, looking forward to His coming ... then you have nothing to worry about.  You will be raptured out of here before the tribulation.  If you are worried about being left behind, then you most likely won't be left behind.  Because you're focused on the Lord and want Him to come.  

It's those Christians who don't worry about being left behind - because they are enjoying earth too much or don't care/think about Jesus coming back again - that should be concerned, that should seriously consider how they are living and who they are living for and if they have placed anything over the Lord.  Because as I said, I'm not sure if all Christians will be raptured out.  (I am not saying that they lost their salvation, just their chance to be raptured out.)  I gotta think those warnings are there for a reason.

Don't wait that long.  Make your decision now, before it's too late!

[Of course, many would say that all Christians, no matter how they are living, will be raptured out because they have the Holy Spirit in them.  So when the Holy Spirit is taken out, they'll be taken out, too.  And this totally may be the case.  

Some people argue that it would cause too much fear in Christians if it was possible to be left behind.  However, if there was no fear of being left behind, maybe it would cause lazy Christians.  So maybe God left this issue a bit ambiguous, to reach both sides.  I just don't know.    

But I do think it's worth at least considering all the Bible's warnings about being ready and being faithful, about watching for His return and not being caught by surprise, about the potential to lose your crown, about the need to "remember Lot's wife" who lost her chance to be rescued because she longed for her life, about the bad things that will come upon the various churches in Revelation (all but the faithful Philadelphia church).  Even if they don't mean that Christians can be left behind, those warnings are there for a reason, even if it's just a warning about losing your rewards (which should be no small concern).  So take some time to examine why.]

I love this song: In The Sky

How I long for that day!



[This is from the previous post in this "series," but I'm adding it here because it fits.  It's another look at Lot's wife, about why I think Christians may be left behind:

I know most people won't agree (and I could totally be wrong), but the more I read the Bible, the more I think we will have a choice at the rapture:  Go with the Lord or be left behind!

"Remember Lot's wife!"  Lot's wife had a choice.  In fact, she was on her way to safety.  But she chose to look back, to long for her life and what she was leaving behind.  And she paid the price for it.  When the angels said "Don't look back," they meant it.

And God has operated this way before, giving a promise to people but requiring them to do something to acquire the promise.  He promised to spare the firstborn during the Egyptian plagues, but the people had to put the blood on the doorframe.  He promised to bless the Israelites instead of curse them, but they had to stay faithful to Him.  He promised to get the Israelites to the Promised Land, but they had to trust Him and go in and conquer the land.  He promised to give us all eternal life, but we have to repent of our sins and believe in Him.  He said He would spare Lot's family when He destroyed Sodom, but the sons-in-law refused to go with him (Genesis 19:14) and so they perished.

Over and over again in God's Word, we have the choice about obtaining what God promised or rejecting it.  And maybe it's the same with the rapture promise, that we have a choice to obtain it or reject it, that we have to do out part to obtain it by staying faithful and alert, to "stand before the Son of man" and not turn back.

When God says "You must be ready, because the Son of Man comes at an hour when you do not expect him" and "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen" and "Do not go back for anything.  Whoever tries to save his life will lose it..." ... maybe He really means it!

Maybe He really means it's possible for true believers to not be ready for Jesus to return.  That there are consequences for not being ready.  That we have the chance to escape what's about to happen but that we could end up not escaping because we "looked back" at our lives.  I think our readiness and willingness may affect whether we are raptured out or left behind.

Once again, I haven't made my mind up about this, but it's worth considering and worth warning others to explore more.]