RAMBLING: Another Rapture

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“No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the
Son don't know. Only the Father knows. Matt 24:36 (GW)

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We are telling you what the Lord taught. We who are still alive when the Lord
comes will not go {into his kingdom} ahead of those who have already died. 16
The Lord will come from heaven with a command, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trumpet {call} of God. First, the dead who believed in Christ will
come back to life. 17
Then, together with them, we who are still alive will be taken in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air. In this way we will always be with the Lord. 18
So then, comfort each other with these words! 1 Thess 4:15-18
(GW)

During a lull at work today I casually
glanced at my watch and noted the time which was around 7:00 pm and I calmly
informed my co-worker we had missed the 5:59 pm rapture and been left behind. I
have lost count how often I have been "left behind." We can joke about it, laugh
it off and some may even discreetly wipe a drop or two of sweat from their
brow...whew! close call. Seriously these predictions including the one made by
the 89 year old preacher for May 21, 2011, are a real threat to the Lord's
church here on earth. One YMCA Youth Director reports that many teens are going
all out on partying, no holds barred, because there will be no tomorrow.
Atheists are jubilant because once again "Christians have demonstrated the
uselessness (is that a word?) of our faith, they have made us a laughing stock
in the eyes of the world? Wait a minute what do I mean by saying "us?" A lot of
folks already have problems with "christianity" because they don't know whom to
believe. There are after all over 800 mainstream churches, churches within
churches, over 1200 cults to add to the confusion. Athiests, non-believers in
general are not going to see us as being truthful, trustworthy, reliable,
honest, sincere, etc. Once again those who profess to be believers in Christ
have thrown a monkey wrench into the Lord's Great Commission, ...wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 20
Teach them to do everything I have commanded you.
Matt 28:19-20 (GW). Note Paul's
words, 3
Whoever teaches false doctrine and doesn't agree with the accurate words of our
Lord Jesus Christ and godly teachings 4
is a conceited person. He shows that he doesn't understand anything. Rather, he
has an unhealthy desire to argue and quarrel about words. This produces
jealousy, rivalry, cursing, suspicion, 5
and conflict between people whose corrupt minds have been robbed of the truth.
They think that a godly life is a way to make a profit. 6
A godly life brings huge profits to people who are content with what they have.
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We didn't bring anything into the world, and we can't take anything out of it.
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As long as we have food and clothes, we should be satisfied.1 Tim 6:3-8 (GW)
and again 3
A time will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead,
they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who
tell them what they want to hear. 4
People will refuse to listen to the truth and turn to myths. 5
But you must keep a clear head in everything. Endure suffering. Do the work of a
missionary. Devote yourself completely to your work. 2 Tim 4:3-5 (GW). Listen this preacher
who made this prediction may certainly be a very sincere person and honestly
believed his own teaching but that doesn't make it right. We must study
scripture prayerfully and diligently before we start making predictions.
Whatever has happened the faith, the simple yet poewerful teachings of our Lord
and His apostles in the first century? One thing for sure folks Christ is coming
back to claim His own and to send away those who reject Him into a lake of
unbelievable suffering, in the lake of fire are we ready to meet Christ when the
second comming really occurrs?Below
is a brief history of "rapture
predictions."

500 AD Church father Hippolytus predicted the world would end based on his
analysis of the dimensions of Noah's Ark.

999 AD When the last change of
millennium drew near, masses feared of the 1000 years spoken of in
Revelation.

1033 AD When Christ didn't appear in 1000, they figured the
years should be calculated from his ascension and not from his birth, again
another bust.

1501 AD Christopher Columbus allowed 155 years for all
mankind to be converted to Christianity, after which the world would
end.

1546 AD Before he died, Martin Luther stated the end of the world is
not far off and believed all the signs which are to precede the last days had
alread appeared.

1835 AD Joseph Smith, father of Mormonism prophesied
that the coming of the Lord was near and that 56 years should wind up the
scene.

1835 AD Our lot has fallen under the solemn period emphatically
designated in Daniel as the time of the end. Archdeacon Browne of England in the
"The Last Times" by Joseph A. Seiss, D.D.

1818 William Miller, founder of
the Millerite movement predicted the end between 1843 and 1844 but later revised
it to late 1844.
Similiar dates were set for 1848, 1852, 1856, 1874, 1919,
1918 and 1925.

1917 Three dramatic visitations of the Virgin Mary
occurred in Fatima, Portugal. The visions warned of the WWII and the end of the
world.

1926 Oswald J. Smith wrote in his book "The Antichrist At Hand?"
and the Battle of Armageddon must take place before the year 1933.

1970's
Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth" cites 1948 as the prohetic sign and
the world would end in 1988.

1978 Gary Wilburn and Salem Kirbam predict
end of world and coming of Anti-Christ.

1978 Chuch Smith writes in his
book "Future Survival" the Lord is coming in 1981.

1988 Edgar C.
Whisenant, a retired NASA rocket engineer and prophecy teacher, sold 4.5 million
copies of "88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988." Then wrote a book
similar title by 89 reasons in 1989.

1990 Dallas Seminary President John
F. Walvoored releases book, "Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East." It paid off
during the Iraq war but when the war was over so were the sales.

1991
Charles dyer book "The Rise of Babylon Sign of The End Times" states Iraq's
Saddam Hussein was rebuilding the ancient city of Babylon whose end-time
destruction is prophesied in Revelation.

1993 Harold Camping predicted
the end of the world In September 1994 and appeared on Larry King
Live.

As times for the end have come and gone, and predicted events have
failed to materialize, it is because we have completely missed the biblical
meaning of "the end."