Christians And The Apocalypse: Brace Yourselves

1. The Honeymoon is over. During the past number of years the world has seen ISIS beheading dozens, if not many more of Christians, sometimes brazenly displayed on worldwide television. In 2015 the Syrian archaeologist, Khaled Al-Asaad was beheaded by members of the same gang for refusing to lead them to where Palmyra’s hidden antiquities were located. Brace yourselves … the honeymoon is over, the gloves are coming off. Those who believe that Christians won’t suffer persecution in this age are in for a rude awakening.

2. ‘Rapture’ Models & Issues. This interesting field of study is currently dominated by basically four different models of the Rapture, i.e. 

- No Rapture; 

- Pre-Trib; 

- Mid-Trib and 

- Post-Trib Rapture. 

   In the final analysis, however, only one of these models can possibly be correct, unless all four are wrong altogether. No matter which model we espouse and preach, three of these are one day going to be proved having been in error, with the proponents of the erroneous three not only in error i.r.o. the interpretation of Scripture (with leeway allowed in terms of Matthew 5:19) but also as ‘false prophets’ (not allowed by Scripture!) as any model advanced as a forecast about the future is catapulted immediately into the risky arena of Biblical prophecy.

3. Persecution of the Church. Those who naively think that the Church will not suffer persecution must think again; Christians have been suffering harassment & persecution for years. Speak to those beheaded by ISIS in recent times and Christians in places like China, North-Korea and elsewhere in Asia, the Middle-East or Africa and they will laugh you out of the kitchen should they be told that the Church ‘will not suffer persecution’.

4. ‘Worthy to escape these things’. Christians are not destined for wrath, and Christ’s injunction for us to pray ‘to be considered worthy to escape these things’ is a reference to the wrath and judgments of God on the ungodly to come over the inhabitants of the earth (of which this worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, I surmise, is only a precursory preview) and not the promise of a Disneyland kind of Utopia of absolute immunity of the Church (Ekklesia) against persecution, irrespective of our pet ‘Rapture model’. 

   Christians should learn the fundamental difference between (i) suffering persecutiion for Christ and the Christian faith ('tribulation') and (ii) escaping the wrath poured out on the ungodly and the wicked in the end times. A careful study of MatthewChptr24 will show that by the word 'tribulation' Jesus has meant the persecution of believers by a world or system hostile to the Church and believers, not 'wrath' or judgments'. Jesus Christ has indeed solemnly warned: 

   “… In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” [John16:33b].

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