WHERE DID THEY GO?

 

 

If tens of millions of people worldwide have recently disappeared, then Read this.  This article will explain what happened to them and what you can expect to happen in the coming days.

 

            No doubt, many have noticed that a common denominator of the missing people is their spiritual belief in Jesus Christ as Son of God, Savior and Lord.

 

            It should come as no surprise, then, that the events that have occurred and will soon occur have been prophesied in the Bible, the Word of God: 

 

^{II Peter 1:19-20}And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. ²¹For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

 

^{Romans 8:14 ..}because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

 

The Rapture

 

First, concerning the disappearance of tens of millions of people. This is what has been referred to as the “Rapture” in common Christian terminology.  The term rapture isn’t found in modern English translations of the Bible; but is derived from the Latin Vulgate translation.  In verse 16 below, the phrase “caught up” is from the Latin root word “rapio”: to take away by force.  The word rapture is simply the label given to the event that the apostle Paul calls a “mystery” in the verse below.  That is what Jesus Christ has done with his believers.

 

^{IThessalonians 4:16}For 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 the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

 

^{I Corinthians 15:50}I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- ⁵²in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

 

Above, the Apostle Paul declares the “catching away” as a mystery.  The rapture, as we call it, was first revealed to Paul and not entirely understood or accepted by believers throughout the ages.  But now, you have witnessed it.  Why did it happen?  Because the Lord Almighty is about to pour his wrath upon the earth.

 

^{IThessalonians 5:12}For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

 

^{Revelation 3:10}Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. ¹¹I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

 

God has kept his faithful servants from the tribulation the world will soon experience; as He promised to the ancient church above.

 

Jesus also warned about the times to come and the signs of the age and gave this alert:

(the phrase ‘Son of Man’ was a title Jesus used for Himself)

 

^{Luke 21:35}For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

 

There are other similarities between the rapture and the days of Noah and the days of Lot.

 

^{Luke 17:24}For the Son of Man in his day^[3] will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. ²⁵But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
²⁶"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
²⁸"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
³⁰"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. ³²Remember Lot's wife! ³³Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

 

All of these scripture passages plus the parable to follow clearly teach that Jesus Christ will return to instantly take away his believers filled with His Holy Spirit to keep them from His wrath to follow.  Clearly, God removes His faithful before his wrath arrives.

I believe the “oil in the lamp” in the following parable is symbolic of the indwelling Holy Spirit present in true believers.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

^{Matthew 25:1} "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
⁶"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
⁷"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
⁹" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
¹⁰"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
¹¹"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
¹²"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
¹³"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

 

In Jewish tradition, the bridegroom would prepare a home under the guidance of his father.  When the father decided the home was ready, the bridegroom would return in a surprise to take away his bride.  Below, Jesus tells His followers He will do just that.

 

^{John 14:1}"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. ²In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

 

Christians are now in heaven with Jesus for the next seven years of the tribulation.  The Saints in heaven will worship God and partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb, (Jesus Christ). 

 

^{Revelation 19:5}Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
 "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!"
⁶Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:  "Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.  ⁷Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  ⁸Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)  ⁹Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."

Global Government and the antichrist

                       

 

            Now that we have established where all of the true Christians have gone and that the Word of God, the Bible, had prophesied this thousands of years ago; pray that you will see the truth in the rest of the article and believe the Word of God concerning what will happen in the coming days, months and years.

 

^{I Thessalonians 1:16}Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
¹⁹Do not put out the Spirit's fire; ²⁰do not treat prophecies with contempt. ²¹Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²²Avoid every kind of evil.

 

 

            I believe that the disappearance of tens of millions of people will cause the world to panic including economic, political and military instability; especially nations where enough Christians have vanished; including the United States. The world economy follows that of the U.S.  Certain nations will try to take advantage of the world confusion and try to fill the power vacuum.  It is very easy to see from my perspective of writing this that Iraq and Syria would try to attack Israel at this time when the U.S. is severely weakened after the rapture.  In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, chapter 49:23-27 and chapters 50-51, prophesies indicate such a war. 

 

            This war seems to be fierce and fast, involving nations to the north (Jer. 50:9). The bulk of Europe and the U.S. are both north of Iraq.   Damascus in Syria is mentioned as being destroyed (49:27); and Babylon, modern day Iraq, is also destroyed (50:18).

This scenario of war may happen in other ways, involving other countries. But, however it happens, the stage will be set for the final seven years of human rule on this planet.

 

            The war above will help cause a global shift of political power and a person commonly referred to by Christians as the antichrist will be the prominent world leader.  He will promise peace and prosperity if the world follows him.  The world will follow him to avoid a more dangerous war and a worldwide economic collapse.  He will convince the world to follow him by lying.  The prophecy below symbolizes him as the false christ on a white horse.  White usually symbolizes peace, but he will achieve it with military threats (the bow) and an attitude of conquering.

 

^{Revelation 6:1}I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" ²I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

 

            The next passage is in the context of world empires and the final reign of human government. Insight into the antichrist’s ways is given, along with his future.

 

 

 

^{Daniel 8:23} "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. ²⁴ He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. ²⁵ He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

 

Not only does God rapture believers to keep them from wrath, but the Holy Spirit dwelling in believers must be removed to allow the time of lawlessness to begin upon the earth.  In the verse below, the one ‘holding it back until taken out of the way’ is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will still be on the Earth to enact God’s specific plan; but His restraining influence will be taken out of the way. The man of lawlessness is the antichrist. This verse includes a brief preview of what you can expect from the antichrist.

 

^{IIThessalonians 2:1}Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, ²not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. ³Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁴He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
⁵Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? ⁶And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. ⁹The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, ¹⁰and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ¹²and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

 

In verse 11 above, God allows a powerful delusion to spread among the world so people will believe the lies of the antichrist.  If you are still reading this article, then I believe you would rather believe the truth than delight in wickedness.  Time is running short for you to make a decision between the two; before you are deluded and deceived by Satan and his servant, the antichrist.  This is a good opportunity for you to consider believing the Bible is the Word of God and praying to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, for He will return at the end of the tribulation period to conquer, judge, rule and reign forever.

 

 

Salvation

 

^John3:5The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

 

^IJohn1:5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 

^1John2:1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for^[1] the sins of the whole world.

 

Dear reader, the above verses sum up the plan of salvation that God has given us.

Please read them carefully and pray to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord.  You will endure tough times, persecution and most likely death from the antichrist and his followers.   But be strengthened by these verses:

 

^{IICorinthians5:5}Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
⁶Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷We live by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

 

^{Revelation2:10}Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. ¹¹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

 

If you have prayed and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are  now considered a tribulation saint.  Again, you will suffer and most likely die for your faith in God because the antichrist is directed by Satan and wishes to destroy God’s children.

 

 

Peace Treaty; Israel is the focus of God and the World

 

Once the antichrist has power, the seven-year tribulation period officially begins when the he makes a peace treaty involving Israel and other nations. 

 

^Daniel2:7 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

 

In God’s prophetic timepiece, He has appointed a specific number of years to finish dealing with His chosen people, the Jews. 

 

^{Daniel 9:24} "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish  transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. 
²⁵ "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. ²⁶ After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.

 

Each “seven” above is seven years.  Sixty-two and seven “sevens” have passed. Leaving one “seven”, since the first verse says there will be seventy total.  This is the final seven years of tribulation that have now arrived.  The Anointed One is Jesus Christ.  Christ was cut off when He was crucified.  Then, the Roman Empire in A.D. 70 destroyed Israel and the Temple in Jerusalem.  The “people” referenced above is the Roman Empire and the ruler who will come is the antichrist who rules from the modern day Roman Empire, perhaps the European Union.

 

Isn’t it amazing how a nation that was destroyed and most of her people scattered about the world over 1900 years ago, has been restored.  Just as God’s Word said it would happen.  This is unparalleled in human history.  Israel and Jerusalem are the center of the world’s attention.

 

^{Amos 9:14} I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit. ¹⁵ I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,"
says the Lord your God.

^{Zechariah 12:1} This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord , who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: ² "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. ³ On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. ⁴ On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness," declares the Lord . "I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. ⁵ Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.'

^{Zechariah 14:1} A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. ² I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.
³ Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle.

 

Persecution of Saints

 

            Clearly, a peace treaty and a strong leader will be seen as necessary to stop the world from destroying itself.  The antichrist will seem to fit the bill, but will really be setting up the world for destruction.  Again, the antichrist is demonically possessed, possibly by Satan himself.  The goal of Satan is to destroy God’s creation and children.

In the passage below, the beast is the antichrist and the dragon is Satan.  Notice how the antichrist is given forty-two months to exercise authority.  This is three and a half years, or until the middle of the ‘seven’. Compare that with Daniel 9:27 that follows.

 

^{Revelation2:13}And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. ³One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. ⁴Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
⁵The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. ⁶He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. ⁸All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. ⁹He who has an ear, let him hear.  ¹⁰If anyone is to go into captivity,  into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

 

 

Mark of the Beast

 

The following passages show how the antichrist will coerce people to worship him by using a tracking system, also known as the mark of the beast.

 

^{Revelation13:14}Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. ¹⁶He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, ¹⁷so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
¹⁸This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.

 

 

^{Revelation14:9}A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, ¹⁰he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." ¹²This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
¹³Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."
"Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

 

^{Revelation16:1}Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth." ²The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

 

^{Revelation20:4}I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. ⁶Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

 

Clearly, you should not take the mark of the beast or worship him, the antichrist.

The antichrist will want to control everyone and modern technology can now easily accomplish that.  People who accept Jesus Christ after the rapture are the tribulation saints.  They will be persecuted because they are now children of God.  The antichrist will have good-sounding reasons to persecute the saints and enforce the mark.  With the world in chaos, perhaps more terrorism, and missing people, keeping track of everyone will sound necessary for the world to become stable and safe again.  The raptured Christians will probably be blamed for the world’s problems and the new tribulation saints will be seen as a problem, as well, and therefore persecuted for not being committed to the new system of the antichrist.  Some children as young as 5-7 years of age may have been raptured because they were believers, even if their parents weren’t.  Christians will be blamed for the missing children, as well as the failing world economy.  Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior now will not be easy.  Even so, please consider doing just that, right now.  Go back to page 6 to read God’s plan of salvation and accept Him.  Then seek out a Bible and other believers and pray.

 

Jewish Temple

 

^Daniel2:7 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

 

It appears as though once the antichrist defiles the temple, his authority over the world will decrease.  It is obvious that a Jewish temple in Jerusalem must be rebuilt, then.  This probably happens as a result of the peace treaty he signs with Israel and other nations.  Again, the Word of God correctly prophesied that there would be a temple in Jerusalem more than 1900 years after it was destroyed.

 

Conclusion

 

A world war then begins and lasts for about three and a half years until it culminates in the battle of Armageddon.  This final period won’t be covered much here. It will be enough to say that it will be filled with war, famines, plagues, pestilence, natural disasters and more to kill at least half of the world’s population.  There is much I didn’t cover here that is in the book of Revelation. I just wanted to present to you enough truth that you would believe the Word of God and give yourselves to Jesus Christ and take comfort in Him.  If you do this, you most likely will not be around for the second half of the tribulation.  If you are around, you will have had plenty of time to read the Bible and other, more complete works.  Or you will be a follower of the antichrist and be doomed to death and hell.

God Speed.