My process
I had to be sure. Not that I don't believe God (at this point, He is surely making it very hard for me to live in unbelief) but I am serious about being right, not being first. I have this weird sense of unshakable responsibility to people who God loves (every person). God has shaken my character to where as excited as I am to share what He has shared with me with you all in order to warn or bring hope or both, I am more concerned about how these truths will rest on each of your hearts. Through on the job/real world training with the Lord, I now understand how important it is to not share before it is time as this can be dangerous. When God has prepared hearts to receive, then it is time. I am not sure how I know when THE time is. I pray and I pay attention for confirmations all over. This is God's process for me. It's important that I say, more than anything, God's heart is for His people and it is not His wish to harm us. I am grateful to know this about His heart. It is also never my intention to harm anyone which is why I exhaust the time to be sure unless God leads me elsewhere.
With that being said, I was inspired to write this word on October 20, 2020 but have not shared it publicly until now. With the confirmations I have received to date, the last of which was yesterday, January 30, 2021, I have faith that this is where God's heart is on this matter.
Somethings to Consider…
What IF some of us are left behind: not because we aren't worthy of heaven but because as servants of the Lord God, He sees it fit for some believers to remain on earth, possibly for the benefit of those who still need hope of salvation during dark times—the lost?
I say this with a heavy heart: some of us Christians have idolized “The Rapture.” Sure, no one wants to suffer persecution unto beheading, but when we say “yes” to Jesus, there is an understanding that we do not love our lives so much that we would fear death (Revelation 12:11). Anything or anyone that we place before God will without a doubt be our god. In this, we are already breaking the first commandment (Exodus 20:1-3). This is also dangerous because when we place our faith in an event rather than in THE Holy God, we rob ourselves of the preparation for: “what IF God chooses me to stay?” “What IF The Rapture doesn’t happen as I expect?” Can you imagine how many would lose their faith and deny Jesus just to live a little longer on earth under anti-christ rule, ONLY to be denied by Jesus with this confession (Matthew 10:33)?
“Occupy until I Come”
The Gospel of Luke chapter 19 verses 9-10 reads: “Jesus said to him, “9Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus was salvation then, and He is now. In verse 10, Jesus shares that His agenda is to seek and save the lost. If our focus is on The Rapture, how are we doing with being the hands and feet of Jesus? How are we doing with seeking and saving the lost? Please understand that I am not saying we humans can save anyone, but through us, Jesus can still seek and save the lost. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, there were righteous people who also expected Jesus to save them right away, IF He was actually the Son of God. Don’t these words sound familiar? If not, here is a refresher: “If You are the Son of God…(Matthew 4:6; Luke 4:3)”. Satan said this to Jesus. The spirit of the anti-christ was present within the people of Jesus’ day and it is present within many of us today as well. How can I make such a bold claim? Of all the attributes and names of God, not one of them is selfish. The people of Jesus’ time hated Roman occupation. Their hatred for Roman rule made them selfish. They desired to be saved by Jesus (His kingdom to come then) that it is absolutely believable that they did not think much of those who were suffering from various forms of oppression before Jesus would forgive and set them free. Sounds familiar?
Remember, no one expected Jesus to ride into Jerusalem on a small donkey (you can read ‘Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King’ in all four Gospel accounts), the people had other ideas. The many subtleties of Jesus is also a reason the religious authorities and the people of His hometown had difficulty believing He was their Messiah (Isaiah 53:2-3; Matthew 13:55-58; Philippians 2:7). Even John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the one to come or if they should expect someone else (Matthew 11:2). To this, Jesus replied with verifiable facts: “5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me (Matthew 11:5-6 NIV).” Bringing salvation to the lost was His purpose, it still is, and it needs to be ours.
Not properly discerning how God is moving, not listening, or not spending enough time with Him can harm our faith when He does not act how we EXPECT Him to. Trusting God regardless of what we see, hear, or experience is SO VERY IMPORTANT. Here is God’s truth: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 58: 8-9 NIV). I will never tell anyone to second-guess God’s written or spoken Word. What I am doing is calling us all to follow Jesus’ example. Jesus did what He saw God the Father doing and He said what God the Father commanded Him to (John 5:19; John 12:49). Following Jesus is only possible when we have cultivated a close and intimate relationship with Him because this takes much more than human effort.
The characteristics of Jesus that caused Him to prioritize the lost then, will remain True to Who He is now (Hebrews 13:8). He will prioritize the lost once more. Jesus did not take His disciples away to heaven at THAT time, He prepared and equipped them to go into the world to the lost to bring them salvation. So, I ask, with all of these lost souls still here on earth that Jesus died for because He loved them as well, what makes any of us Christians believe He will not do the same once again? This time around however, I believe we will see the manifestation of the “greater works (John 14:12 NLT)” that Jesus spoke of.
Our Expectations Versus How God Moves…
The Parable of the Ten Minas, Luke 19:11-13 reads:
“11 While they were listening to this, He went on to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.”
Jesus used a story to explain what was to come (in a future generation) to the people that began following Him after verse 9.
12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.”
The man of noble birth is Jesus. The distant country He went to was heaven at the right hand of God until God would make His enemies a footstool (Psalm 110:1) and THEN Jesus would return.
13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work, he said, ‘until I come back.’
Jesus appointed His disciples as apostles with authority and power. He intended for them to use this new level of authority and power to continue His work (save the lost) until He returns. This is the legacy us Christians today have for reference. Jesus expects us who He has made His hands and feet, to occupy until He returns. This means we seek God to be led by Holy Spirit and walk according to His leading, will, and IN HIS TIMING. The last is so crucial because many of us don't know how to truly wait. God's time is perfect.
So, I believe there will be believers left on earth at some point around The Great Tribulation whom God has seen it fit to carry out His will: saving as many souls for the kingdom of heaven as possible. In His patience, He gives us every chance at salvation because it is not His will that any of us die but that we repent and live (2 Peter 3:9).
Therefore, no Christian’s goal should be to JUST be "a saint in that number". Servant of God, even if the world knows nothing about you, I pray hell does. "Jesus, I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you (Acts 19:15 NIV)?" Evil spirits to the Sons of Sceva who tried to cast them out but had no authority. Needless to say, the evil spirits won this particular battle.
Let’s Set the Record Straight…
There is so much work left to be done through the lives of believers (those who have said "Yes" to God). Why sit and wait to get flown out of here when you can be a worker for the plentiful harvest? The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37). Is it possible that these words are a foreshadow our present time? I don’t know about anyone but two verses that have been heavy in my spirit for the past two years and apply to this topic are: 2 Timothy 3:5-7 and John 14:12 NLT. We are seeing much of the first at this time. The second, I am overjoyed to be a part of. You mean to tell me that I can walk in POWER and POWER like Jesus at that—I can do greater works than Jesus did? If Jesus said it, it’s true. He is “the Truth (John 14:6)”.
To Those Who Don’t Yet Believe, but Who DO Have Questions…
It's okay to have them! God wants you to ask Him questions. He is even okay with you asking Him for signs to prove Himself to be true (Gideon: Judges 6:17). When a heart seeks God to genuinely understand (with the right motives), He responds in grace and with love, with gentleness (Judges 6:18). It is unwise to be pompous, arrogant, or haughty (Isaiah 13:11) towards God. Scripture has taught us how He handles these unwise heart postures (King Nebuchadnezzar: Daniel 5:20). Yes, God loves, but He is also a Father Who disciplines His children who He loves (Hebrews 12:6).
For those who aren't really sure if they believe in God or not, His Word says: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)." God LOVES you and wants you to also have a chance at life in heaven. This desire of His does not go without saying He is holy and pure—God is perfect. Many of us may not want to readily admit this, but y'all, we are dirty, filthy, let me tell you. If not in our actions, in our thoughts and hearts. We know this because scripture says we do have desires that do not come from God and are not good in nature (James 1:13-15). Furthermore, they ultimately cause death. Jeremiah 17:9 NIV also tells us: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
What this all means is, God KNOWS we are filthy, yet He STILL wants us. Please don't continue to believe anything that tries to convince you otherwise. Proof of this love that God has for each and every one of us—He sent His ONLY Son, Jesus to die for our sins—to save us (John 3:16). With all this hope that I have just shared, I have to also share that as filthy people, when we come to God this way, we cannot remain this way. As we grow in the understanding of God, it is a given that we change. We all fear the unknown. I was raised in church so I knew some things about God but I can only imagine what you may feel like if church from an early age wasn't your introduction to God. Regardless, a changed you is the hopeful result if you follow Jesus. God knows you are scared and He still calls you to come. The details ("How God?") will always be made clear to you according to God’s will and timing.
Christians…
Can you now see why being so excited to leave all these souls that God loves and has a hope for behind can be heartbreaking—selfish? It is the attitude of someone who just wants to march in with the saints as opposed to occupying until Christ comes. Maybe for some of you, it is enough to get into heaven even if you BARELY make it, but for those I will refer to as the "new breed," it isn't. This term came to me in 2020. I cannot tell anyone I can explain this unwavering affection and love for God's people that I have, even those who don't yet know how special and loved they are by their heavenly Father but I can assure you, I am not alone in THIS kind of reckless love for the lost—for everyone, hence the "new breed." People of God, we must do better. God has called us to do such incredible things during these end times and to be equipped takes lots of work. Are you willing to have God Almighty expose your hearts and give you new ones, ones that reflect His? If not, I am not sure how effective you will be for this incredible harvest of souls.
Challenge:
1.) Make time for your relationship with God. Seek Him first.
2.) Ask Holy Spirit daily to search your heart, help you to be aware of any trait that is unlike God, and help you to repent and remove it.
3.) Only with God can we be prepared for anything. So, whether it has been predestined for you to remain on earth post-rapture or not, allow God to prepare you by removing yourself as the god of your own life. What does this mean? Read Proverbs 3:5-6. Believe it.
Whatever you may face, may it go well with you. In Jesus' name. As always, please pray to God about what I have been led by Him to share. It is okay to disagree with ME, I am just a human, but please find out what God has to say to YOU regarding what He has given me for you.
