Reflections on the Non-Rapture: Are We There Yet?

Perhaps you noticed the billboards or other media announcing the Rapture last Saturday (May 21).  Yet despite all the calculations of civil engineer-turned-prophet Harold Camping, we are still here.  This would appear to be very awkward indeed for Camping - and for those who followed him.

Surprising?  Disappointing?  A relief?  No big deal?  The answer to these questions  is yes - to all of the above. That of course depends on your point of view.

In the eschatology of the Christian faith, the Rapture is that moment described in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17:  

The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. And those who have died believing in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive will be gathered up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever. (NCV)

The return of Christ most certainly is the one thing that every living Christian hopes to see in his/her lifetime.  But if that is not the case, it is the assurance to every Christian that we will see him when our bodies die.  It is perhaps the greatest mystery we all face - one that is not based necessarily on fact, but on the faith that the Bible is true to its Word.  

All Christians who are fairly familiar with the Bible were not surprised by Saturday's non-event.  It doesn't mean that we weren't hopeful.  It just didn't seem right - for a lot of reasons.  I would like to share some of those reasons.

So why didn't it happen?  Simply put, it wasn't time.

Will it ever happen?  I believe it will.

He will be seen by everyone at once.  I don't know if it came from Camping or from someone else, but there was another terrible flaw in the prediction:  that Jesus would arrive at 6:00 pm local time - evidently picking up his followers as he traveled across time zones. That was probably the most preposterous, ridiculous, and stupid thing I heard about the imminent Rapture!  Besides it would have been a tremendous disadvantage for those in the earliest time zones.  And would people believe it more if they had more warning?  Folks, read the Bible - we've had plenty of warning! When it happens, it will happen all at once - and everyone will know. [Matthew 24:27]

When will it happen?  I don't know.  Harold Camping doesn't know.  The angels in Heaven don't know.  Not even Jesus knows.  Only God knows. It will be totally unexpected.  Jesus said that everyone will pretty much be going about their usual business when it happens - just like when the Flood struck in Noah's time. [Matthew 24:36-44] Jesus wants us to be ready no matter when it comes.

Will we at least get a sign when it will happen?  I hear you - I love seeing signs, too (hence the title of my blog).  Unfortunately many don't know what signs to look for until they become clearly visible in hindsight.  Jesus said that in the same way we can discern the changing of the seasons, we will be able to discern when his return is imminent. [Matthew 24:32-34]

Are we there yet?  What are the signs?   The signs that Jesus specifically pointed to are mentioned in Matthew 24:  wars, rumors of wars, famine, earthquakes, religious persecution, people leaving the church, false prophets, salvation for those who keep the faith, and the spread of the Gospel to every nation in the world. [Matthew 24:4-14]  So based on this Scripture alone, I would say we are close.  How close?  Only God knows.

The Bible is replete with other end time prophecies as well.  And don't worry if you don't have a Bible - I've provided the links here.  I would invite you (if you are so inclined and have the time after you read this article) to go ahead and read all of Matthew 24.  Of course we all know about the Book of Revelation which is worth reading.  But don't forget the latter chapters of Daniel that contain some intriguing prophecies that many agree have successfully predicted several empires before they existed, including the Greeks and Romans! - and one yet to come.  I also recommend Ezekiel 37 which predicts the restoration of Israel - and has happened! - and the two following chapters (38-39) which describes a military strike on Israel, complete with an order of battle that names the combatants - a situation that is very plausible given the complicated nature of the geopolitics of the Middle East today.

Was this a false prophecy?  In my opinion, yes.  I admit I don't know much about David Camping, or where he stands in regards to his faith.  What I do know is that he disregarded the Bible by trying to predict Christ's return.  This wasn't even the first time he did it.  And he is only one of many who have done it.  Ironically, this false prophecy is just one of many signs I mentioned above!

How do I know what to believe?  Read the Bible. [Romans 12:2]  Pray for guidance.  Talk to a Christian friend you trust.  And by all means, don't take everything you hear at face value - test the Spirits [1 John 4:1].  If something doesn't seem right, check it out!  Consider the Bible and your Christian friends as your personal Snopes page for all things that are spiritually fuzzy.  Satan is a powerful deceiver and there are a lot of wolves in sheep's clothing.  Remember Jesus warned us of this!  

Last Saturday was a wake up call

To those who do not have Christ in their hearts, let me be very clear.  If (in your assumption) and when the Rapture comes, the time that follows will not be pleasant - even if you survive the initial event.  There will be several judgement events yet to come.  Any short-term gratification you may receive will be superseded by long-term pain and suffering.  Whether you believe that or not is up to you, and I respect that.  But it is what I and millions of Christians - past and present - believe.

There are some who will never believe, no matter what.  Jesus faced such non-believers in his time.  He knew that whatever miracles and signs he performed their very eyes, they still would not believe.  Even during the Crucifixion, some said, "If you are the Messiah, come down from that cross." [Matthew 27:39-40].  He did not.  First, they still would not have believed even if he came down from the cross.  Second, it was necessary for Jesus to die on the cross.  And third, was it not even more miraculous for Jesus to have been resurrected and to have shown himself to numerous people afterwards?  And still, some did not believe.


I grew up to be a skeptic and a cynic.  And yet the Holy Spirit managed to get past my analytical mind and into my heart.  Despite all logic, I am a follower of Christ.  Over the years I have read the Bible and sought the counsel of strong Christian friends.  I am still learning and growing, and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.  The more I learn and grow, the more I know in my heart that this seemingly illogical devotion makes more and more sense.  And what I've learned - as I apply it to my life and compare to current world events - is that it is so amazing. 


Approximately 28% of the Bible has to do with prophecy.  In the Old Testament, there are roughly a hundred prophesies that predicted the First Coming of Jesus Christ.  But did you know that there are five times as many prophecies predicting his Second Coming?


Jesus himself said there would be signs.  And I believe the signs abound.  Signs that point to an imminent Rapture.  Will it happen today?  tomorrow? next month?  next year?  in our lifetime?  Perhaps.  But only God - the Creator of Time itself - knows.


Will you be ready?  Come to Christ if you haven't already (see the prayer for accepting Christ in the sidebar).  Grow in your faith by learning everything you can about it, by communing with other Christians in prayer and worship, and by serving others in the most graceful and compassionate way you know how.  If you do that, you'll be ready when that Trumpet sounds.

The Bible Tells Me So: Nuclear Power

Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a large star, burning like a torch, fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. And a third of all the water became bitter, and many people died from drinking the water that was bitter.

–Book of Revelation 8: 10-11

Ever since mankind discovered how to split the atom, its unleashed power never ceases to amaze us. When used in war, it can destroy entire cities and leave entire regions desolate. In a more peaceful application, when left within the safe confines of a reactor vessel, the sheer energy is enough to power many cities – even entire nations! But when containment is breeched, it becomes a veritable Pandora’s Box.

The reactors at the Fukushima I Nuclear Plant may have weathered the 9.0 earthquake that struck off the Miyagi Prefecture of Japan on March 11, 2011; but the 46-foot tsunami that struck soon after deprived the plant of the safety apparatus that would otherwise protect the reactors from an all-out meltdown. Despite heroic efforts to the contrary, the Fukushima I Nuclear Plant is expected to be a total loss as Japan faces its worst nuclear crisis since two atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki toward the end of World War II.

The severity of this nuclear crisis rivals the one that occurred at Chernobyl in the Ukraine twenty-five years ago. When all is said and done, perhaps the Fukushima incident will be on record as the worst nuclear accident of all time. For now.

I would like to now point out something that perhaps you were not aware of:  the once-thriving city of Chernobyl is named after the Ukrainian word for mugwart - also known as wormwood! Coincidence?  I think not!

There are some who hold the view that the Great Tribulation will occur before the Rapture, and that the Chernobyl incident is the fulfillment of the Third Trumpet Judgment. Granted, while it is intriguing  that Chernobyl is specifically named in this prophecy (at least in Russian), I do not hold that view.

Clearly much of the biosphere in and around Chernobyl was – and still is – contaminated by the 1986 incident. But as serious as it was, this disaster did not incur the Biblical proportions as prophesied in the Scriptures. Indeed the situation in Japan may yet prove to be even more serious than Chernobyl was, but again – not Biblical proportions. Most would agree that the account in these two verses implies that one third of the entire world will be poisoned.

Like many, I hold the view that the Great Tribulation will not occur until after the Rapture. Imagine what the world would be like after millions and millions of Christians have simply vanished from the Earth. It will be utter chaos. Anything goes. Soon after, on top of all that chaos, the judgments that await mankind will be poured out. These judgments include earthquakes and other natural disasters which occur before the Third Trumpet Judgment that specifically names Wormwood. No doubt there will be many nuclear power plants that will be affected by these disasters. Between the Rapture and the Judgments to follow, there will already have been a considerable reduction in manpower. Many nuclear power plants will be severely undermanned – or even unmanned. 

In southern California, there are two active reactors at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and two reactors at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. Both of these power plants are located within an active earthquake zone. And in Arizona, there are three reactors at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. A level-7 incident (such as they had at Chernobyl and will possibly be had at Fukushima) at any one - or a combination - of these plants will have devastating ramifications for the region. With the prevailing winds, it could make much of the American Southwest inhabitable for decades, if not centuries.

Consider also that much of the eastern United States and nearly all of Europe is under the threat of severe radiation in the event of multiple meltdowns. Now the scenario where one third of our world will be poisoned as prophesied in Revelation 8:10-11 becomes not only a possibility, but is indeed plausible.

Here is another interesting fact to note: there are far fewer reactors operating in the Middle East. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Just another instance of God’s protective Hand over Israel.

The Book of Revelation was originally written in the Greek language common in the 1st Century AD; the fact that Chernobyl and Wormwood are translations of the same word is not a coincidence. I am one that believes that God’s Hand has been and continues to be upon human history. Considering all the nuclear plants that could possibly suffer from a serious incident, I believe He purposely chose Chernobyl. It was chosen to serve as a warning. It was chosen to underscore these specific verses, to show us how one third of the earth would be poisoned. It was chosen to give us a reference point – since 1986, all nuclear incidents have been compared to Chernobyl. Although it will be much, much worse than Chernobyl, those who manage to survive the Third Trumpet Judgment (and there won’t be many) will still compare it to Chernobyl.

Keep watch my brethren, and remain vigilant.

Source:LiveScience

Who Is Inspiring the Violence in America?

There is a lot of talk about political rhetoric - on both sides - inspiring the tragic shooting that occurred in Tucson on Saturday morning.  Perhaps it did.  Perhaps we will never know.

What has become clear is that Jared Loughner is a terribly troubled young man with a political viewpoint that was not only so far out of the outfield, it wasn't even close to the ballpark of civilized society!

Despite all of the name-calling and finger-pointing that goes on in the mainstraim media, one does not have to turn on to MSNBC or Fox News to get a dose of people behaving badly.  Have you ever watched prime time television?  Wake up, people!

I use CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as an example in the photo.  After all, they do display a fairly good share of blood and gore.  But you and I know very well that the CSI franchise set in Las Vegas, Miami, and New York is not unique.

I did a little research and compiled a list of current television dramas that display varying degrees of violence on a regular basis.

CBS
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Miami
NCIS
CSI: NY
Criminal Minds
Flashpoint
The Mentalist
Medium
NCIS: Los Angeles
Blue Bloods
Hawaii Five-0

ABC
Body of Proof
Castle
Desperate Housewives
Detroit 1-8-7
Grey's Anatomy
No Ordinary Family
Off The Map
Private Practice
Rookie Blue
V

NBC
Chase
Chuck
The Event
Law & Order: Los Angeles
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

FOX
House
Bones
Fringe
Lie to Me
Human Target

The CW
Smallville
Supernatural
The Vampire Diaries
Life Unexpected
Nikita

TNT
The Closer
Saving Grace
Leverage
Hawthorne 
Dark Blue
Southland
Memphis Beat
Rizzoli & Isles

USA
Burn Notice
Covert Affairs
In Plain Sight
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Psych

FX
Rescue Me
Sons of Anarchy
Justified

SyFy
Being Human
Haven
Warehouse 13
Sanctuary
Haven
Stargate Universe

Spike
1,000 Ways to Die

AMC

Breaking Bad

Gee, no wonder...it's a pretty long list. I'll bet one or some of your favorite shows are listed here.  I have to admit that some of my favorites are listed here, too.

And this is not even a complete list.  These are just the current TV shows, not past.  Nor I did I include any of the series produced by the premium movie channels like Dexter, who analyzes blood spatter in a crime lab by day, and is a serial killer by night.  AND WE APPLAUD HIM FOR IT! (granted he's killing criminals, so that makes it okay in our collective pysche).

We laugh when the coroner and the detective on scene are making bad puns over someone's dead and maimed body.  We hear the screams and don't want to look, but we look anyway.  Remember when Quincy was the only medical examiner on television?  Nowadays each us probably has a favorite quirky ME from the dozens of quirky ME's to choose from with our remote control.

"Are you not entertained?  ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED???  Is this not why you are here?"  I believe these words uttered by Maximus in the film Gladiator ring true today.  We're no better than the mobs that clamored into the Coliseum in Rome and in similar coliseums across the entire Roman Empire.  As a society we have become desensitized to the acts of violence depicted on primetime television and the real-life violence shown on the news.  We're even becoming desensitized to the political barbs thrown at each other.  In fact, we've come to expect it.

We were shocked by the shootings at Columbine High School, the bombing in Oklahoma City, and by the terror inflicted on our nation on September 11, 2001.  But I'm wondering if we've grown even more desensitized.  One thing we learned on September 11 was that anything - no matter how heinous and evil - is possible.  

The attempted assassination of a member of the US House of Representatives was cold-blooded and pre-meditated.  The chance assassination of a Federal judge and the brutal murder of five others - including a little girl - no doubt delighted the assassin.  

Unfortunately it did not end there. There have been numerous character assassinations leveled from a broad spectrum of political - and even religious - viewpoints.  No matter what the pundits say, however, does not account for the depraved soul of one Jared Loughner, who was acting out in a manner which - quite frankly - our society has grown accustomed to.

Despite what one extremist group says, God loves all people and he is weeping over this tragedy, as we all should.  It is my hope and prayer that the terrible events that unfolded in Tucson have awakened our national conscience.  Otherwise this might just be another blood stain on the tapestry of our national heritage.

One Journey Ends, Another Journey Begins

Back in July I was laid off from the company where I had worked for over 24 years.  I knew it wasn't going to be an easy time but I was determined to make the best of it.

So there I was, sitting in my own wilderness, with plenty of time to think, pray, and meditate on where my life was going from there.  I asked God, "So what would you like me to do?"

I listened.  And he answered:  "Embrace your cross."  Embrace my cross?  What did he mean by that?

Actually I knew darned well what he was asking of me.  He's been asking for years.  Just as Jacob had struggled with God (Genesis 32:24-32), I had been struggling with God; he wanted me to do something and repeatedly I had said, "No," while coming up with every excuse imaginable to justify my reasoning.

But one doesn't reason with God - instead, God reasons with you.  To make a long story short (I will post the rest of the story another time), God has been calling me into ordained ministry.

It was after his leading me to embrace my cross that I become more and more aware of his calling.  When the opportunity presented itself for me to let go of any spiritual burdens, I knew that I had to give up my resistance.  And so I did.

Wouldn't know it?  Immediately upon giving up my rebellion and surrendering whole-heartedly to God's will, the leading became even stronger!

It wasn't long before I came to embrace my cross - and to accept God's Call to ordained ministry.

I talked to my wife, my pastor, and several others whose counsel I trust.  I've never felt more right about doing something as I do now.

My friends, I covet your prayers as this new journey begins.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ... - Ephesians 4:11-12 (NKJV)

It's Been A While

Yes, I know I haven't posted here for quite some time. With everything going on lately, I figured I'd get back into it. So enjoy!

Meanwhile I will be transferring some old posts from an old blog, so feel free to come back and check it out.

Pray For America

The purpose of this blog is to transmit what's on my mind and in my heart.

Lately with all the politics and the turmoil surrounding our crumbling economy, I haven't had a whole lot going on in my heart. I hadn't realized that until last night as I settled into bed after shooting out another political blog.

Frankly I'm concerned and even a little scared about what's happening. I am also very angry at those responsible for causing this mess.

So as I settled into bed last night, feeling sorry for myself, that small, still voice deep inside me spoke up and asked, "Have you prayed about this?" Have you prayed for your country?" Sadly, my answer was "no." That was my wake-up call.

We are facing what could be the most dire moment in our country's history during our lifetimes. More dire than Hurricanes Andrew, Ike, and Katrina. More dire than the floods that devastated the Midwest. More dire than the fires in California. Even more dire than September 11, 2001.

This is a disaster of our own doing, one that could have been prevented. There were those who warned us of this impending disaster. But the warnings went unheeded - even laughed off. We have been betrayed by the people whom we entrusted to lead us. Now that we are facing disaster, those we entrusted before cannot even agree on how to get us out of this.

It is this burden of adversity and uncertainty that I laid - and continue to lay - before God. "In God we Trust" is the motto proudly displayed on our currency. As a nation, the time certainly has come when we need to trust in God.

We need him now, more than ever. So please join with me - trust in God. And pray for America.

Another Saint Called to Heaven

My wife's Uncle Roger passed away a couple of hours ago. His health had been deteriorating gradually for the last couple of years, and the deterioration had accelerated this past summer. He had already been in hospice once already, but recovered enough so that he could move into a group home. But last week he suffered a stroke and ended up back in hospice.

While it is never an easy thing for the family, at least there is some satisfaction that he did have a full life, and is no longer suffering.

His room at the hospice had a large window by his bed. There was a bird feeder outside and you could watch the birds. His wife and daughter were there when he passed. They say that as he breathed his last breath, a bird hit the window, then flew off.

Roger is at peace now. No doubt he's playing cards with his twin brother.