“PAINS” AFTER THE RAPTURE

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE (Eng); Dip (Computer Studies); ND/HD (Journalism); Dip, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939 E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

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 shares 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 BELIEVER  

       As already cited, the period in-between the two phases of the coming of 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-CHRIST 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!