Friday 21 September 2018

Corrie Ten Boom (Rapture Thoughts part 4)

Corrie Ten Boom suffered terribly during the second world war. She watched her dear sister suffer terribly and die in a Nazi camp. By God's grace she survived the terrible cruelty of that time. Years later she learned of the pre-trib rapture theory sweeping into the church. It concerned her greatly, especially after the trouble she had suffered. She realized that such a teaching would have weakened her and made her ill-prepared for what she was to suffer.

In Corrie's words:


There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this.  These are some of the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days.  Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world.  I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution.
In China, the Christians were told, “Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated — raptured.”  Then came a terrible persecution.  Millions of Christians were tortured to death.  Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly,

We have failed.  We should have made the people strong for persecution rather than telling them Jesus would come first.  Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes — to stand and not faint.
I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation.  There is no way to escape it.  We are next.
 http://www.tedmontgomery.com/bblovrvw/rapture/corrie.html
  

I agree with Corrie. Many Christians in North America today think they are going to escape the coming tribulation, and that the relatively smooth and easy life they have been blessed to live will continue as it is until the Lord quickly and easily removes His loved ones before any suffering comes their way. They think a loving God would not allow true Christians to suffer, when the Bible clearly warns us that we, like He, will suffer great persecution at the hands of those who hate the Lord. Christians of the west have grown soft and flabby in their faith, relying on an easy way when the Bible warns that the narrow way is not easy at all.

A website that I like that has many articles about the post tribulation rapture position is located here:


http://endtimepilgrim.org/


I'm not saying I agree with everything they
say but as much as they agree with the Bible I also agree with them. We need to be ready for whatever is ahead for us. Of course it is possible that you and I might die tomorrow and escape the terrible days yet ahead. It is also possible that the pretrib rapture position is the correct one and if so, thank the Lord! That would be wonderful. BUT if the post trib position is correct and many Christians who are depending on a pretrib rapture instead of completely being dependant on the Lord through thick and thin come what may, might find their faith was grown and nurtured on a flabby diet of false hope and because their faith was built on a teaching and not on Jesus Himself, might not have been regenerated at all not having fully surrendered to His will, come what may. Those will fall away when they see the "man of sin", the antichrist, believing they have been forsaken by God because He didn't do as they were promised. I pray that isn't you, dear friend reading this. Please put your entire trust on what Jesus wills for your life, whatever that may entail, and trust that He will see you through just like He was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abbednego when they went through fire.

7 comments:

  1. Dank je wel. Ik denk dat hier in Europa de duivel het op een andere manier probeert dan in landen waar geloofsvervolging is. Op beide manieren probeert Hij gelovigen weg te trekken bij Christus.

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    1. Ik denk het ook, Aritha, de duivel heeft vele manieren om te misleiden

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    2. The devil has many tricks up his sleeve and the way he does in various counties can be using different schemes

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  2. Hi Susan,
    I certainly agree that God has never promised to spare His children from suffering, but He has promised never to leave or forsake us through it. All trials He allows into the lives of His children are to strengthen our faith, make us more like His image, and give us wisdom, experience and compassion to help others going through similar trials. Birth pangs leading up to the Great Tribulation continue to increase, with worsening persecution, wars, pestilence, and natural disasters. But I personally believe in the pre-trib position that God will spare His children from the great wrath to come, i.e. the time of Jacob's trouble, which is the time God uses primarily to deal with the rebellious nation of Israel. Thanks as always for the thought-provoking post and God bless!
    Laurie

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    1. Hi Laurie,
      Many pretribbers say the rapture is in chapter 4 of the book of Revelation when actually the word wrath doesn’t come up unti well into the trumpets and the bowls (or vials) are what are called wrath of God.
      My hope is that people do not listen to the popular “wish it to be so and it will be so” message and actually read what all their proof text verses actually state in their proper context of God’s word to us.
      You and I may pass away before the antichrist shows up and thereby make us both “pretrib” ☺️😉❤️Lord make us ready to serve you and do your will come whatever may.

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    2. Hi Susan, The reason for the belief that the Rapture occurs in chapter 4 is that the church is mentioned prominently in the first 3 chapters, and not at all thereafter. Chapter 4 opens with John being summoned to Heaven, as we will be at the Rapture: Revelation 4 King James Version (KJV)

      4 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

      2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

      I'm looking up for Christ's imminent return! Amen, may we continue to serve Him and do His will until He calls us home. God bless, Laurie

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    3. Thank you Laurie, yes, that is the way it always gets explained, but however it does not actually say that the church is being raptured. It just says John is being shown what will happen in the future, the rapture has to be “read into” the text from a preconceived theory and not “taken out” (exegeted) from what it actually states. I’m working on the next blog post on who is meant by “the elect” in Matthew 24:31 and whether it makes sense that Jesus meant only Jews would be remaining in an unbelieving world after a secret rapture removes the church.
      Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. ❤️🙏

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