The Coming Apocalypse

The Rapture of the Church

i Thessalonians 5:1-3
1. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3. 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.
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The message contained in this column is real; it is not presented as a scare tactic, or from the viewpoint of doom and gloom. None-the-less, it is unavoidable and will unfold, as stated. I have never claimed the mantle of a prophet; however in this case, it is not necessary. The details of these coming events have been laid down millenniums in the past. Every aspect of prophecy leading up to our time, has thus far unfolded, exactly as predicted. The remainder of the story is well underway toward fulfillment.

The Rapture of the Church

Those of us who have studied the Holy Scripture realize the word 'rapture' is nowhere written therein. The word is commonly used to describe a real and prophetic event, described in the text of the scripture. The word simply means to be taken away quickly, removed or caught up. The event called The Rapture is promised to those truly saved, spiritually born again. We may from time to time fool each other, and we may hold fast to whatever doctrine we choose. Some, who are not counted among the faithful, may believe themselves to be Christians. But whatever ones status, when that moment comes there will be no masquerade; no public image, no 'designer god's' and our many denominations will be left behind forever.

When The Rapture happens, there will be no Protestant and Roman Catholic. Those who are of the new birth will be taken, the others left behind, and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, will make that decision. We may for the present, choose to hold fast and convincing one another, ours is the absolute truth. That will not be an issue on that day! The truths of Almighty God and the Holy Scripture will prevail, and the deepest thoughts and intents of our heart will be known.

Almighty God the great I AM knows precisely, the condition of your hearts and the status of our salvation, even to the innermost thoughts. After all when we stand before the Almighty God, we will not have by our side, our lawyer, minister or priest.

There will be but two of us present on that day, the judge of all creation and the plaintiff! Therefore whom would you prefer to have impressed the most, the judge of all creation or each other? Appease the Great I AM, or peer pressure and what is popular?

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go and 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 14:2-3).

"Behold, I shew 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." (I Corinthians 15:51-52).

"For this we say unto you by the world of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent 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 with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (I Thessalonians 4:15-18).

Just as the Almighty God kept Noah and his family safe in the ark against the global floodwaters, so shall we who are born again, be kept safe from the hour of temptation, known as the great tribulation. Thus the Rapture occurs just as the great seven years of tribulation is about to begin.

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon the entire world, to try them what dwell upon the earth." (Revelation 3:10). Why does the Lord call it the 'hour of temptation?' Because if you cannot believe in and stand up for the Lord God of Creation now under present conditions, when the grass is green and the waves relatively calm.

How do you suppose you could possibly stand for him in a world ruled by the great satanic beast? In a global society where Christianity is against the law and punishable by death, you will be required to take his mark and worship him as god, or face an executioner. The Almighty God requires you to make a real and permanent choice; choose this day that you shall serve; inevitably you shall make a choice.

The Reign of the Beast

If those who still teach and preach of a pure heart witnessed by a holiness lifestyle, are ridiculed today. Where will you stand then? After all they say no ones believes that way anymore! How do you suppose to you could endure the temptations to come, when the true Christians have been ruptured, and you are left behind in a satanic world? If you believe a little sin and 'worldliness' is all right in our time, while you still have many options? What about then, when indulging in sin becomes a worldwide requirement, heaped up, pressed down and running over.

When there are no more Ministers, Priests or Rabbis to console you. In any case, according to this reasoning, everyone will be doing it and the old cliché ‘no one believes that way anymore' will be truer then anyone can imagine. In a world where you will be required to make an instant and eternal choice; worship the beast, or worship the Lord Jesus Christ. The latter choice will mean your death! The former option brings unrepentant and irretrievable damnation in hell. Perhaps you don't think it will happen? If not, you'd be making a loosing bet!

Given our present world condition, points to The Great Apocalypse; increase of demon activity, homosexuality and drugs. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;" (I Timothy 4:). "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affections, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.

Traitors, heady high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women, laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth." (I Timothy 3:1-7). "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." (I Timothy 3:12-13).

The Rapture of the Church will mean a complete abandonment by the remaining world’s population, of belief and faith in the Almighty God, as laid down in the Holy Scripture. Those who believe Christians who still believe in that Ole time way, and in a holy lifestyle, are somehow to much trouble, and out of date with the times. Imagine a world with such people! In the midst of this entire calamity, there will come to pass afterward a crisis of natural resources and a severe over population.

There will be enormous upheavals in nature, added to shortages in food and fuel reserves. These will bring on disasters, plagues and draught, which will cause global starvation on a colossal scale. This in turn, will bring on wars and rumors of wars, as we approach ever closer to the close of this dispensation, and the end of man's rule on earth.

"And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, a measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." (Revelation 6:5-6).

The English word penny, is not what is referred to here, since the penny as we know it today, did not then exist. It speaks of a day’s wages for a loaf of bread! The word 'wine' here does not refer to a processed or alcoholic beverage, but merely alludes to the 'fruit of the vine.' It also denotes articles of luxury and food items, as being scarce.

"And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast saying, come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."

Based upon today’s numbers, it speaks of the death of a fourth part of the earth’s population of 1.5 billion people, and this only describes one series of disasters; there are many. Notice the phrase 'beasts of the earth’, which in this verse relates to the animal kingdom rising up against man, as we approach the end of the age.

This age of total terror will begin with The Rapture, as families, friends and neighbors are caught by surprise, not knowing what has happened; those individuals, which have scorned and mocked the right wing radical extremist, saying who would believe such rubbish.

After The Rapture, churches will initially become packed to capacity with standing room only, parking lots overflowing. The graves of the born again dead, will be laid open with tombstones toppled, as a witness to the unbeliever. Just as the stone was rolled away from the tomb of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when he arose from the dead.

There will be rampaging, lawlessness, crime and mobs roaming the streets worldwide, police unable to gain control. There will be burning, looting everywhere, and a complete unrestrained free-for-all, as telephone lines are jammed. Television as well as radio commentators and news anchors will be in complete confusion, while reports arrive moment by moment of multiples of millions missing worldwide. There will be airliners, automobiles, trucks as well as trains, colliding leaving wreckage everywhere, and a trail of death, injury and destruction on a global scale.
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Maybe you think these things won't happen, that perhaps this ole radical is preaching doom and gloom. You'd be betting on a loosing horse, and loosing your eternal soul in the process. There are those who discard these prophesies saying; "I don't believe in God or the bible." The outcome of scriptural prophecies is not affected by unbelief! "That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." (Philippians 2:10).

"Every knee" means every knee, which includes the believer, unbeliever, agnostic, atheist, and skeptic, critic alike, ignorant and uninformed. Thus unbelief won't buy anyone a free pass or an excuse on that day. And we will all kneel and yield on his terms, not our own. The Almighty God did not issue options, but commandments, and they will be obeyed or the payment will come due.

In the midst of this pandemonium, a world leader and false messiah will arise, who will rally the worlds remaining population. Giving forth what will sound like reasonable and rational reasons for these events! He will restore a semblance of world peace and continuity.

He will be instrumental in causing Israel and the Arab nations to sign a seven year treaty of peace. Thereby allowing Israel to falsely believe it lives in security, allowing the Temple to be rebuilt on Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Thereby for the first time in over 2000 years, the Old Testament worship, as handed down to Moses and the Prophets to the Hebrew People, will commence.

"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abomination he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." (Daniel 9:27). Here the scripture uses a formula whereby a week of seven days, is representative of seven years, each year represented by a day.

Eventually this world leader will sit in the Temple of Jerusalem and claim before the world that he is god. It will not be until the middle of the seven years (42 months), that it will be fully determined; he is the ANTI-CRIST of the apocalypse. "Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (II Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Thus he fools the entire world, save those few who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, thereby laying their lives on the line. After three and one half years, the dictator, false messiah and beast, will show his true colors. This will lead to an apocalyptic war called the Battle of Armageddon, a time when all the armies of the earth, shall gather on the plains of Megiddo east of Jerusalem, across the Jordan River. It is a certainty, unless the Almighty God intervenes, and Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior returns in glory, no human life will survive upon the earth. However he will return and the atomic genie will be put back in the bottle.

Apocalyptic Christians

The often ask question; If someone missed The Rapture, can they still become a Christian during the seven years of tribulation? The answers are a most definitely yes, but in a literal sense the cost goes up, for having waited. It will cost you your life, because of the reign of the Anti-Christ or Beast as he is also called in scripture.

The decision comes to a head, when the beast is in full power, which will happen quickly after The Rapture. There will be a requirement, that all humanity shall take a mark of loyalty and service to the beast. This will also serve as an economic and an identification mark, allowing every human being on earth to be immediately identified and traced by computers and global satellites.

Very simply, if you don't take the mark, you don't buy or sell anything whatsoever, nothing. Your money or credit, regardless of who you are, will be worthless, without the mark. If you do take the mark, you are thereafter, the property and servant of the beast; body, mind and soul, eternally. No chance of repentance, and hell is your destiny, no reprieve.

This is where the fence walkers and Sunday morning Christians make a real choice; get onboard or get off the bus. Serve the Almighty God, according to the Holy Scripture, in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, or the Devil, completely, loyally and permanently, with all of ones heart, mind and soul. No third option and no decision not to choose!

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six." (Revelation 13:16-18).

It should be noted, prior to the last quarter of the 20th century, it was physically and technologically impossible to literally enumerate and mark every human being upon the earth. Presently, that is no longer impossible! Micro-chips can be manufactured in the billions, placed under the skin of every person on earth, through the use of injection guns, and in a short amount of time.

These microchips could be scanned at the checkout counter of every business; readily available will be the detailed banking and personal information of the individual. Also included with that international mark of the beast; that drive through or walk up bank teller machine you like so much will automatically scan your flesh, thereby detecting if you are a marked and loyal member of the new world order. If not, your account is confiscated and you are ordered arrested!

In the even some of us don't believe there is such a mark on the way consider this, products being shipped around the world already come with a scan mark, though not always readable to the naked eye, since they are coded. They do contain information such as; nation of origin, company, type of product and serial number; the encoding comes with a space for three more digits; the international mark of the One Nation World. Such an international number already exist on the Internet, in the form of the encoding 'WWW' which translates '666' in the Hebrew language. Interesting is it not, and could that have been by happen chance?

However it should be pointed out, the number '666' has no particular meaning, when posted on license plates or on other products. It only matters if they require you to permanently affix it to your hand or forehead, in whatever format. However, you can be certain, they are readying the process! When the 'mark of the beast' does comes, you will have a choice of accepting or rejecting; howbeit an ultimate death penalty for refusing.

There will be a multitude of people from all nations and tongues who refuse to worship the beast or to take his mark. These are described as the born again or saved of the great tribulation, at the cost of their lives. These are Tribulation Saints or Christian Martyrs!

Many people who hesitate now, or have neglected the Lord Jesus Christ, will wake up and smell the coffee, and be emboldened at that time. Knowing of the critical hour in which they live! And I might add there will be no denominationalism during this period, only Christians collectively. All church denominational organizations will either be among The Rupture, or left behind. Those left behind will scatter with the wind, or become part of the worship of the beast. Christian worship will then take place in hidden places in secret.

Make no mistake about it; denominationalism will die at the time of The Rapture! There will be no wimpy ministers or priests, begging for your membership and donations, only bold holy men of God. The concept of 'grace alone' without backing up your profession of faith with action will also be dying with The Rapture! Those who preach and teach during the great tribulation will do so with the fire of Almighty God in their eyes. There will be no begging, pleading or soft peddling the message. There will be a ministry of wrath and repent or perish, as the sum total of the message!

A situation will exist whereby the Old and New Testament message will come together; Old Testament fire-breathing prophets, with a New Testament grace. It will be a hard corps Christianity having a message, which cuts straight to the bone, with no frills, fuzzy edges or theologians. The Great Tribulation is where the Almighty God finally says enough is enough already! It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God, and the Almighty God will be furious.

The event known as The Rapture followed by the Great Tribulation, require a comprehensive study of several books of the Holy Scripture; Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel, Revelation, as well as numerous other scriptural books and passages. The passing of many centuries and the fulfillment of scores of prophesies, have opened up a more certain understanding of what will happen, in those final hours of mans rule upon earth. We have not herein made an exhaustive study, therefore it would behoove everyone to do so on his or her own.

Not everyone claiming to be a Christian, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
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Matthew 7:22-23
22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ... 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity

God save the Confederacy