Yesterday, the Holy Spirit prompted me to move away from the sermon I had prepared. (I wonder when this happens if I wasn’t listening when I wrote that sermon or if God just wants to see if I will surrender to Him in front of you. I’d rather listen better!) Anyway, I spoke about one of my biggest concerns as a Pastor…that there are people who believe that if they miss the rapture they will just get “saved” during the Tribulation. After all, the Bible says that many millions of people will become believers after the rapture. So a number of people who would otherwise be a Christian now choose to wait and see, and then if they run out of time they will simply go to “Plan B”. After the rapture, they will know for sure that this “God stuff” is for real and that yes, indeed, Jesus really is coming. But there is a problem with this that I want to point out to you who are thinking this way.
If getting saved during the Tribulation was such a viable plan why does Jesus tell us seven times to “watch”? Why does He keep warning us that He will come like a thief in the night? Why does He tell us that He is coming quickly? The only reason He would keep warning us to watch is because there are serious consequences to missing Him, namely that it will be too late!
I touched on this a little yesterday, but since now I have access to a searchable Bible let me give you some scripture passages that give us clear warning…
Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:18)
I spent a lot of time on this verse but here it is for you. We will get into heaven humbly, realizing that without Jesus we couldn’t have done it. Heaven is not the destination of arrogant people!
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)
Here we are being told how difficult it is to come back to the Lord once we have been saved and then fallen away. Think about it, and I know that your experience is the same as mine…some of the hardest people to lead to Christ are former believers. These are often people full of hurt, bitterness, and most of all pride. Or even worse they have convinced themselves that they are still saved even though they have rejected Him. Stay with your Christian life. Jesus said that the way to make it is to endure. Don’t give up!
Let me give you one more reason your “Plan b” won’t work…if you can’t love and serve Jesus now when it is pretty easy to do so, how will you do it when it literally means giving up your life? After the service yesterday, my friend Michael shared a passage I hadn’t remembered. (boy, I wish I had!)…
If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? (Jeremiah 12:5)
The bottom line is you can’t afford to wait. You’ll either miss it, you’ll be too hard hearted, or the cost will be too high. If what I spoke about yesterday or have written about today touches you, please email, text or call me I want to pray for you!
Someday, He will come! I want you to be with me in heaven!
