The day Christianity disappears, rapture

The day is coming, and is soon to be here, when Christianity will disappear from this earth. While I cannot give an exact day or hour, I do know that there are countless thousands of God haters out there who would prefer that it be sooner than later. They just cannot wait to be free from any reminder that there is a right and a wrong. Just like a bunch of rebel teenagers, they cannot wait to be free of Mom and Dad so they can be as dirty as they want to be.

But if you think that they cannot wait, Bible-believing Christianity cannot wait all the more. The more wicked our society grows, the deeper the groanings reverberate from the depths of our souls as our faces turn heavenward and we cry, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

To us, the term “rapture” is an affectionate term. Though not found in the Bible itself, it nonetheless is synonymous with the doctrine taught in I Thessalonians 4 about being caught up to meet our Lord in the clouds. It is also synonymous with I Corinthians 15 where it teaches that our mortal bodies shall be clothed with immortality. And to say how close it is, when one understands that the Apostle Paul expected to be bodily present when that trumpet sounded means that it is long overdue.

Yet not everyone who lays claim to the mantle of Christianity will have right to such a glorious resurrection. Simply put, church membership has never been part of the salvation formula. Nothing but repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ will do; no other religion, no other creed.

But that many put their confidence in their church is spelled out Revelation 2 and 3 where only one church is promised to be kept from the hour in which God would pour out his wrath upon a Christ-rejecting world. Of the seven churches mentioned, the last four are still in existence, and the last one, Laodicea, is the dominant church type of our day. Not only is Laodicea not promised to be kept from the outpouring of God’s wrath, but a careful study of the passage reveals that this church is largely lost.

This means that the day when true, Bible-believing Christianity disappears, there will still be churches in full operation the very next day.

But for those of us who will disappear, there are some things that need to occur before that day arrives. In I Thessalonians 4:1-8, Paul tells us that it is God’s will for us to have a proper sanctification. Doubtless this is a word that very few church-goers know anything about these days because it is as unpopular in our churches as it is outside of them to suggest how people live. Everyone wants to do what is right in their own eyes, and heaven help you if you won’t tolerate their sinful behavior.

What sanctification means to the Christian is that we are set apart from the world. It doesn’t matter how accepted any particular behavior is in our society; if the Bible says that it is wrong, we just don’t do it.

The particular sin mentioned here is that of fornication. While this is very applicable to our young people because it is having sex before marriage, it is not exclusive to them. Recently I was talking with a certain lady who professed Christianity and was having certain financial troubles, and I suggested that God may be using these troubles for chastisement because of her living arrangements: She was living with her boyfriend. And guess what? She was older than me.

The same thing happened several years ago. A couple, older than me, came and asked if I would officiate their wedding. When I found out they were living together, I asked them, “How far have you gone?”

“The whole nine yards” was their reply.

What’s going on with Christianity? Have we lost our minds? Listen: It does not matter how acceptable this is in our society, it doesn’t belong in the life of a Christian, I don’t care how old you are.

While Paul makes it clear in verse 2 that this is a command of God, he also acknowledges that even as a believer, we have choice in the matter when he uses the word “beseech” in verse 1 — it basically means “beg.” But while you have a choice, someday you will wish you had made the right one, and that will be when you stand before Jesus just after the rapture and have to give account for the things you have done here in this life.

Far too many people are quick to claim the mantle of Christianity until they find out the cost. And while there is a cost from the lost with regard to scoff and scorn, there is also a price to be paid in the area of behavior.

God has paid a high price for your redemption — he has a right to expect conformity of your behavior to what the Bible says.

Ron Hamman is pastor for Independent Baptist Church of Wasilla. Contact him at 357-4229.