PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE (English); Dip (Computer
Studies); ND/HD (Journalism); Dip, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.
P.O, Box 1184, Owerri,
Imo State, Nigeria.
“PAINS” AFTER THE RAPTURE “For the Lord Himself will come down
from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet
call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are
still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord”, (1Thess. 4:16-17)
INTRODUCTION: In
a “guide” published by the Evangelical Tract Distributors of Edmonton, AB, Canada,
the writer share the feeling that, many true Christians are deeply concerned
about those who will be left to suffer in the “Great Tribulation” after the
Lord Jesus Christ had called His own to meet Him in the air, which is referred
to as the Rapture”. The message, equally, stresses that, “the opportunity of salvation
during the tribulation is merely a continuation of the present opportunity
offered to everyone to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour”. It hints
further that, “faith in the atonement works of Christ is the only Hope for a
lost humanity sold under sin, either before or after the Rapture” According
to Ben Onyeukwu (2016), the period in-between the second coming of Christ, phase
one which is referred to as “the rapture” or His coming into the air (1 Thess
4:16) and the phase two of His coming, which is the actual return to earth, (Rev,.
1:7) marks a time of the visible activities of the Anti-Christ on earth, which
is pictured as the Great Tribulation. Some theologians are of the view that the
Great Tribulation will take a period of three and half (3 ½) years, (Rev. 13:5;
Dan 7:25), while others are of the opinion that it will take seven (7) years,
(Rev. 11:2-3; Dan 12:5-7). This is because,
according to those who hold that the Great Tribulation will take seven years,
the first three and half years of the period will witness the prevailing power of
the Anti-Christ (Rev.11:2), whereas, in the last three and half years of the
tribulation, the power of God’s two witnesses, referred to as the Olive trees” (vs3),
which are believed to be Enoch (Gen. 5:24) and Elijah (2kings 2:11), will
prevail. To some scholars, the period under review is the actual period of the
Great Tribulation, while some simply describe it as the tribulation period.
But, this work holds that it is the actual period and that the Great
Tribulation will last for seven years, as cited above.
ANTI-CHRIST AND THE UNRAPTURED
BELEIVER As
already cited, the period in-between the two phases of the Christ is the period
after the rapture of the saints. During this time, both the civil and religious
government of the world would come under the administration of the Anti-Christ,
who would exercise excessive power on earth, and the believer who out of
carelessness missed the rapture will then, be in real trouble. According to the
Bible, such believers can only be saved then, by giving their lives as martyrs
(Rev. 13:15); if they would escape the damnation of Hell, (Rev.20:15). In other
words, they would pay for their salvation with their own blood, as they would
be killed for refusing to worship the Anti-Christ and the image of the beast,
(Rev. 13:15)
ANTI-CHRIST AND THE NUMBER 666 At
the period of the Great Tribulation, the beast of the Anti-Christ will exercise
great authority that would force the
inhabitants of the earth to worship him. According to the Scripture, he will deceive
the people with miraculous signs, and all those who would refuse to worship his
image will definitely be killed, (Rev. 13:12-15). In furtherance, he would
force everyone to receive his mark (666) on their right hand or foreheads or
they would not be allowed to buy or sell, (vs. 17-18). This would be a horrible
time for all the inhabitants of the earth, including the carless believer who
would miss the rapture.
ANTI-CHRST AND THE ONLY WAY OF ESCAPE The only way
to escape the Anti-Christ now, and during the Great Tribulation, is to embrace
the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, for the spirit of Anti-Christ is already
at work in the world, (1 John 4:2-3. According to the Apostle Paul, the secret
power of the lawless one (Anti-Christ) is already at work; but the one who now
holds it back (the Holy Spirit), will continue to do so till He is taken out of
the way. And then, the lawless one (Anti-Christ) will be revealed, whom the Lord
Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor
of His coming. (2 Thess.2:7-8). From the cited epistle, the Apostle, equally
indicates that the identity of the Anti-Christ is yet to be known. To this end,
some think, he would be a Jew, pretending to be the Messiah and ruling at
Jerusalem, while others consider the Pope as the Anti-Christ, as there are
other different opinions with regards to where the Anti-Christ would come from,
or his actual identity. Please note also that, “the coming of the lawless one
will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of
counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceive
those who are perishing. They perish
because they refused to love the truth, and so be saved. For this reason God
sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that
all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in
wickedness (vs. 9-12).
In conclusion, be informed that if one receives the
mark of the Beast, which is 666, on one’s right hand or forehead, one becomes condemned
forever, (Rev. 13). REPENT NOW AND BELIEVE
THE GOSPEL!
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