Let's talk about what matters most.
Jesus is coming soon for his Church, and then comes judgement. Get ready.
Hello, friends,
Welcome to Let’s Talk About Truth, a newsletter primarily focused on exercising discernment by being a Berean and testing all things.
I was going to kick us off by tackling the (surprisingly, to me at least) controversial topic of dispensationalism -- explaining exactly what it is, what dispensational theology teaches, and addressing a lot of the wild misinformation that’s out there about dispensationalism and pre-trib rapture doctrine. That’s still on the docket, but for this introductory letter I’m feeling led to do something a little different.
See, I, along with many other students of Bible prophecy, feel deeply in my spirit that our time here is growing short. Perhaps very short. And if that feeling is correct, then I don’t want to waste my first and what could possibly be my only entry here on non-essentials. I want to cut to the chase and go straight to the heart of what matters most, speaking the truth as I understand it in love to a world that’s lost in darkness.
Jesus is coming, y’all. Soon and very soon.
It may be that, by the time you’re reading this, he already came in the clouds to collect his Bride, the Church, and take us to the heavenly home he went to prepare for us. If that’s the case, you need to know this: if millions, perhaps billions, of Bible-believing Christians suddenly went missing in the twinkling of an eye (leaving behind many who claim to be Christians but have not, in fact, actually put their faith in Jesus Christ), it was not aliens. It was not Project Bluebeam. It was not Mother Earth cleansing herself of lower lifeforms, or a work of the Cosmic Consciousness, or the Mandela effect, or CERN, or any of the other explanations being put forth to explain our disappearance.
It was the rapture. The Church age has ended, and the seven-year Tribulation written about in the book of Revelation is about to begin, if it hasn’t already begun.
Things are probably worse than you ever imagined they could be. That’s because Satan and the spiritual forces who threw their lot in with him are completely unrestrained and operating in the world at their full power. It’s only going to get worse from here. Literal hell on earth is going to be unleashed until Jesus returns to the earth to bind and/or destroy all the powers of evil once and for all.
But then again, things might not be so bad. See, Revelation and the book of Daniel tell us that a global ruler is going to rise up during this time and appear to establish global peace and security. He’s going to appear to be a savior to humanity. He’s going to appear to perform miracles, which the Bible calls lying signs and wonders. You’ll know him by his number, 666, and by the mark that everyone in the world must get on their hand or forehead in order to buy or sell. But you can recognize him even before that -- he’ll be the one establishing or renewing a covenant with Israel, one that will restore their ancient worship practices and appear to finally bring peace to the Middle East. This person is none other than the Antichrist, whom the Bible calls the Abomination of Desolation, the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, and the Beast. This is the rider on the white horse in Revelation 6. He doesn’t want to save humanity, he wants to conquer and enslave you. And this covenant with Israel is the event that officially kicks off the Tribulation.
Three and a half years after this treaty is established, he’ll reveal his true colors and demand your worship. And then all hell will break loose. Literally.
But three and a half years after that, the true savior, Jesus the Messiah, will return physically to the earth and plant his feet on the Mount of Olives, splitting it in two (seriously, the coolest scene in your favorite superhero movie can’t even come close to how awesome His grand entrance back into the world will be), bringing his Bride and a whole host of angels with him. The Antichrist and all his followers will be cast directly into the Lake of Fire, from which there is no escape. And after all of his enemies are put down and the earth is completely cleansed of evil, King Jesus will take his seat on his ancestor David’s throne and inaugurate his earthly kingdom.
If you’re living in this time frame, here’s what you need to know:
The Antichrist is a very convincing, very attractive liar and he wants to enslave you and take away your humanity.
Jesus Christ is real, he is alive, he is the Son of the living God, and he is returning very soon.
DO NOT TAKE THE MARK. It is a one-way ticket to spending eternity in the Lake of Fire.
Your ONLY hope is to put your faith in Jesus, and repent. This is a hard truth, but it’s likely that this won’t save your life. In fact, you may very well die a martyr’s death. But it will be a relatively quick and painless death compared to the suffering that’s on the way, and it will only be temporary, because believing and trusting in Jesus will grant you eternal life in the presence of God.
If you’re reading this and the rapture has not yet taken place, there’s still time to turn to Jesus and, through faith in him, attain eternal peace with God. You’ll immediately become a new creation, cleansed of all your sins, born anew into the body and Bride of Christ, and you’ll ensure that not only will you never see the Lake of Fire but you won’t live through any of what I described above. And you’ll no longer be a slave to darkness, to sin, or to your own carnal lusts and impulses. You’ll be free, and you’ll be completely forgiven.
How? Simple. Just call out to him in faith. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). But do it quickly, and don’t put it off. Time is running out.
If you’re a Christian who’s reading this and the thought of a pre-tribulation rapture fills you with anxiety -- possibly even more so than the thought of going through the Tribulation -- instead of joy and hope, I suggest you pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what’s making you feel that way. Are you too attached to the world? If so, ask him to change your heart and help you shift your priorities and desire to be with him more than you desire to be here. Is it that you have unrepentant sin in your life and/or you don’t feel ready to face Christ in judgment? Repent while there’s still time and start living for him as you never have before.
Is it because you have unsaved loved ones and you fear what will happen to them? Use whatever time we’ve got left to share the gospel with them and warn them as best you can of what’s to come. If you can’t do that, then pray for them. Pray for their salvation, and pray that if they do get left behind, that God will grant them eyes to see through the deception and to know the truth of the rapture, and that that will be what wakes them up and leads them to saving faith in Jesus.
Is it fear for your young children? I believe in an age of accountability, and I fully expect young children and infants who are too young to understand the gospel and make an informed decision (as well as adults who are too mentally impaired to do so) will be included in the rapture.
Is it fear for your pets? Pray for them, remembering that we serve a Good Father who cares for ALL His creatures and understands how much our pets mean to us. Commit them into His hands and trust that He’ll do right by them.
Finally, if you’re reading this and you’re a Christian who doesn’t believe in a pretribulational rapture, or in a literal second coming of Christ, and you’re scoffing at all of this, know first of all that you are presently fulfilling God’s prophetic word (2 Peter 3:3-4). Know also that if your faith in Christ is genuine, you’ll be included in the rapture whether you believe in it or not, and Jesus is literally coming again whether you believe it or not. I would ask you to be a Berean and search the scriptures, first searching your heart for pride and repenting of any you find there, and asking the Holy Spirit to help you see with fresh eyes and to lead you to the truth. And to set aside any pride in believing that your view is “the historical view” and look at what the earliest of the Church fathers, long before Augustine or Origen introduced allegorical interpretations of Bible prophecy, actually believed and taught. You may be surprised, and if you’re willing, you might even be humbled by what you find.
I would also ask you to save your objections for future posts when I’ll be addressing common objections to pre-trib rapture doctrine, if we’re here long enough. This post is about sharing the gospel, not about getting into an in-house debate. At any rate, we’ll all know soon enough which of us has the correct doctrine, or at least who landed closest to the truth.
I pray that all who read this will be blessed by it, and that I will see each and every one of you in eternity.
In His love,
Jean
Hi Jean, what a sobering letter, but much needed for everyone. I appreciate your attention to detail. We all should look forward to Christ’s return. If not, repent and be saved.
very clear