Post-Rapture Rage
Post-Rapture Rage
By Terry James
Pat Robertson was once heard to say on his TV program that there couldn’t be a sudden disappearance of millions of people. That would cause such chaos and carnage that such a thing just couldn’t happen. I paraphrase, but that was very close to his declaration.
He said that it would mean cars would have massive accidents, airplanes would crash, and the world would just come unglued. This was just not going to happen, he adamantly said.
I haven’t a clue of where he was going with this except to suspect that he was making known his genuine disdain for the teaching of Rapture—particularly of the pre-Trib Rapture. He consistently railed against the teaching at the time.
This isn’t meant to cast aspersions upon Mr. Robertson. But the words I remember him saying do open up my thinking regarding things that will begin taking place immediately when people all over the world suddenly vanish before the eyes of those left behind, or when people are missing the next day where it is nighttime and most people are sleeping when the Rapture occurs.
The matter that sparked this thinking also is the explosion of violence that erupted when George Floyd, an African-American, was killed by the Minneapolis policeman just over a week ago.
Video of the officer pressing his knee into the neck of Mr. Floyd until he died went viral. It appeared to be murder caught in the act—on video recording. Even the victim’s begging to be allowed to breathe before he died was there for the world to see and hear.
Like in the cases of violence in American cities in the previous incidents where black men were killed by actions of white policemen and by a “white Hispanic” man, the city of the killing, Minneapolis, exploded in violence. The white-hot rage spread to many other large cities around America. Police vehicles were damaged and burned; the police precinct building near the scene of Mr. Floyd’s death was invaded and burned to the ground. The police fled the scene and left it to the anarchists for the most part.
Looters entered and stole all they could get, destroying buildings and businesses in the process.
Like in other cases of what was deemed police brutality, the media quickly, in my view, encouraged the violence by giving the rioters camera time and even moral support. The genuine expressions of protestation—the acts of the ones who lawfully assembled to express their anger—were lost in the anarchy that ensued.
Even CNN’s headquarters being targeted for destruction in Atlanta didn’t cause that media entity to come against the rioters to any meaningful extent. To my way of thinking, it was for that news organization, like for the anarchists, yet another opportunity to push the anti-American agenda they seem to champion.
This all, again, brought to mind the belief of those who have opinions on the Rapture—whether it will occur or is a prophetic event that will not happen.
Particularly, I’m interested in examining the opinions of those who believe the Rapture is going to occur, but who think it will have little effect on American life. It will, I’ve heard these say, hardly be noticed when it happens. Their reasoning is that there are so few “real Christians” that their numbers missing will have no significant effect.
It’s dumbfounding to think that those with such a view have witnessed the American inner cities go insane with rage over one incident and used that incident to burn and loot believe that the disappearance of millions will cause but a ripple. And factors even more traumatic than just the disappearance must be considered.
The first is the fact that every child, even those still in the womb, will be gone in that instant. We’ve gone over a number of times why this is so, as God’s very character is at stake. How can anyone believe that the national psyche will remain untouched—or touched very little—by such an occurrence?
Second, and even more importantly, the Holy Spirit will, in that moment remove as the Restrainer of evil, according to 2 Thessalonians 2. If people act as they have in the recent madness by burning their cities and looting at every opportunity, how will they react to the Rapture? Do these who think it will have little effect on society and culture really believe the anarchists won’t go completely insane with their consciences having been shed of all restraint?
We’ve seen, I believe, just a foretaste of what that post-Rapture time will be like immediately following Christ’s call to the Church. It is something for profound consideration. Would anyone want those they love to be left behind to suffer the throes of enragement witnessed within America’s cities the past week? The reality of that time will almost certainly be infinitely worse than what occurred following the outrageous killing of Mr. Floyd on the street in Minneapolis.
To avoid the post-Rapture rage, it is wise to accept pre-Rapture salvation through the grace-gift offer of the God who said:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” – (John 3:16)
—Terry