Pastor’s Note: The following excerpt is a continuation from the article I posted last week. Like the Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, we SHOULD be comforting one another with the Scriptural prophecies that have been given us in God’s written word. Again I say, don’t be deceived by the sensational that you see and hear going around us for the sensational will soon be the routine of the day used to deceive many. Rather, trust in the eternal word!

As with any of these articles that are not mine, the credit is listed at the end of the excerpted article and all rights are reserved to the author and publisher.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-21, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” KNJV (Bold emphasis, added).

The Rapture Has a Caring Influence on Soul-Winning Hearts

No believer can study Bible prophecy without being gripped by the awesome power and wrath of God. Just a simple reading of Revelation 6–18 reminds us of what is in store for this earth after the Rapture. Scripture also describes the eternal horrors that await those who die without trusting Christ. The Bible brings us face-to-face with what is at stake for those who don’t know Christ as their Savior. Second Corinthians 5:20 reminds us of our calling during this present age: “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (NASB). Those who have already responded to the message of God’s grace and forgiveness through Christ know the world’s future, and we are Christ’s ambassadors, representing Him and His heart to a perishing world. We should care deeply about those who are still lost, willingly give of our material resources to help spread the gospel message, and regularly ask the Lord for opportunities and boldness to share the Good News of Christ. A clear understanding of the Rapture should exert a strong influence on every believer to care about the lost before time runs out.^[1]

^[1] Mark Hitchcock, The End: Everything You’ll Want to Know about the Apocalypse (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2012), 196–197.
*Where noted, Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
**Where noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.