Get Ready For The Rapture
One area of prophecy that is the most significant for the Christian believer is the expectation of Jesus Christ’s return for the Church. The pre-tribulation rapture is the moment when Christ comes in the air to catch away all who are spiritually ready. The rapture is the doorway between two opposite worlds. On earth we have sin, suffering, and strife. In heaven, there is nothing but holiness, happiness, and cries of “hallelujah.”

“The dead in Christ will rise, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord” (1 Thes 4:16-17).”Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:51-53).

Because the pre-tribulation rapture is likely to be the next major event on God’s calendar, it is all-important to be cognizant of the rapture’s nearness. If you should find yourself left behind, you’d suffer a double tragedy of missing out on the splendor of heaven and having to face the various judgments God will be pouring out on the earth.The rapture is clearly something any person with a logical mind would not want to miss. Unfortunately, most people are unprepared to meet the Lord Jesus. One of the biggest reasons for the lack of readiness has to be the fact we are drowning in a sea of warning signs.

“So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”(Mat 24:33-34).

Final Warning Incorporated
Authors of prophecy books have a natural tendency to aim for book titles that imply the most dire scenario. I’ve run across dozens of books and sermons that have the phrase “final warning” in their titles.I know those words sound catchy, but they imply that you should not expect any more warnings from the author. For the sake of continuity, if not honesty, any subsequent books by the same writer should be given titles such as “Final Warning 2,” “Final Warning 3,” or “More Final Warnings.”

Asahel Nettleton wrote a sermon entitled, “The Final Warning.” I was never able to determine when he wrote it, but I do know Nettleleton died in 1844. More than 170 years later, we still have plenty of “final warnings” in publication. Here are several book titles from the past few years:

Final Warning
The Final Warning
The Final Warning: Your Survival Guide to the New Millennium
God’s Trumpet Call: A Final Warning
Jesus’ Final Warning
God’s Final Warning to America
666: The Final Warning
The Last Day: The Final Warning
Final Warning: Daniel’s Prophecies Decoded
A Final Warning to America

I’ve talked to some of these authors, and most of them seem to believe that it doesn’t matter if the passage of time has thrown doubt upon their “final warning” cries. They assert that their main goal in writing the books was to make people aware of the approaching end times.

In the story of the boy who cried “wolf!” the young lad was certainly active in warning the villagers, but we all know he eventually warned them a little too often. A “final warning” title may increase sales of books, but if the Lord Jesus fails to return on cue, everyone who has read these books will become immune to the end-time message.

“Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Pet 3:4).

Jesus Did Say He’s Coming Back
When I talk to unsaved people about the rapture and world events, 90% of them agree with the validity of Bible prophecy. Most of them even admit that we are headed towards the tribulation hour. If I try to tell them we might be getting near to the end, that’s when I get strong opposition from them. “Not in our lifetime,” is the average reply I receive. I always try to reason with them by saying, “You agree Jesus is coming back, and the likelihood of His return only increases each year. Because there is nothing to prevent Him from returning, why not at least be open to the possibility?”A large portion of the population strongly refuses to consider the prospect of prophecy being fulfilled in our generation. In all honesty, many of these people probably have a good reason for not wanting to see the end times: the start of the tribulation would signal their doom.

In most wars in which two main forces are at odds, it’s historically common for fighters to realize they’re on the losing side and then defect to the side that’s winning. This is particularly true in tribal conflicts. If you’re not in Jesus’ camp, you’re on the losing team. For the time being, sinners still have the opportunity to abandon their loyalty to Satan and to realign themselves as soldiers in God’s army. Once Jesus returns to earth, it will become too late for someone to change his or her allegiance.

“And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”(Rev 6:15-17).

Seven-Day Warning
I often wondered what would happen if the Lord supernaturally announced to the world that He was coming back in seven days. Of course, the proclamation would obviously have a profound impact on society:

Global stock markets would close.
Manufacturing would slow to a halt.
Stores would freely distribute their goods.
Livestock would be freed to roam the countryside.
It would be impossible to get an airline ticket to the Holy Land.
Prostitutes would become nuns overnight.
All media outlets would have continuous news coverage from Jerusalem.
A spirit of piety would sweep over the world.

During the Miller Movement of the 1840s, as people looked forward to the predicted return of Christ, a number of people did things they later regretted. When the date failed to produce the Lord Jesus or doomsday, most folks went right back to their previous sinful lifestyles. The fact that people would make phony commitments immediately before a known rapture date is the most likely reason the Bible says we shouldn’t expect a warning.

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44).

The Window Of Opportunity
During the tribulation, people will be able to calculate exactly when Jesus is coming back to earth. From the time the Antichrist declares himself to be God, saints will know that the second coming will take place in 42 months (Rev 13:5).

An obvious question some folks might ask: Why is the timing of the rapture a big secret, while the timing of the second coming is known? The answer is simple: For the most part, it currently doesn’t cost the average person much to live for Christ.

Once the tribulation starts, all believers will be in a whole new ball game, one in which most will have to suffer martyrdom in order to hold on to their Christian faith. Knowing how bad it is going to be for those left behind, I certainly don’t envy their benefit of knowing when the tribulation will end.

Some Bible scholars go to the extreme by promoting the idea that it’s impossible for people to find salvation after the rapture. Their general attitude is if you’re foolish enough to miss the rapture, you should be out of luck.

Once a person is left behind, his flesh might be in a dreadful state of affairs, but his soul still has a chance at redemption. (An article on the main page of Rapture Ready called Second Chance for Salvation refutes the teaching that there will be no tribulation salvation.)

I have a difficult time understanding where these people get the idea that the tribulation is a time when people will be able to blissfully wait for Jesus to come and rescue them. The tribulation is going to be a time of immense persecution. Few people realize we are living with a window of opportunity that will soon close. Most of the saints who will find salvation after the rapture will not physically live to see Jesus’ glorious return.

“And it was given unto him (Antichrist) to make war with the saints, and to OVERCOME THEM: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” ( Rev 13:7).”He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Rev 13:10).

There’s No Such Thing As A Final Warning
If this is the first time you’ve visited Rapture Ready, I could say, like other people, that this could be the last time you encounter the Gospel. But that would only be speculation on my part. You might be presented with the salvation message 100 times after you read this article.Because man has no control over his destiny, it’s impossible for him to know when he’ll have the final opportunity to turn his life over to Jesus. Because you have no guarantee you will be here tomorrow, it should be obvious that you need to be ready today.

Because of what we know about the aging process, we know that a 20-year-old man has a greater chance of being around a year from now than does a 90-year-old man. However, unless the older gentleman is in declining health, he’s not likely to have a deeper focus on his spiritual state than the man who’s still a youngster. If someone is 90 years old, he typically expects to live to see age 91. If he makes it to 99, he generally believes he’ll make it to 100.

Death is always a surprise. Because there is no certainty you’re going to be here tomorrow, you need to accept Jesus as your eternal Savior today. To do this, you first must ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins.

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).”And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

After you commit yourself in words to Jesus, you then begin to follow Him with your actions. Committing yourself to faith in Jesus Christ is the easy part. Fulfilling that pledge is where the difficulty comes in.

Once a big-time evangelist visited a large city in central Africa. During one crusade service, more than 10,000 people raised a hand to show that they had accepted Jesus into their life. Several months later, a Christian organization did a follow-up study. They found that less than 1% of those people were still practicing their faith. The other 99% had heard the warning message, but they must have assumed that in the future they would yet be offered a final, final warning or possibly a final, final, final warning.

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2).

The Quest For Truth
The difficulty in recognizing truth from fiction starts right after birth. From my earliest days, I recall being constantly bombarded with falsehoods. When I was age five, none of my peers questioned the popular belief that some fat guy in a red suit was sneaking into houses annually to deliver name-brand toys made by his worker elves.

I exposed this giant Santa conspiracy when I realized it was impossible for one man to visit all those locations in one single night. I remember encountering some true believers in Old Saint Nick up until the time I reached the higher grades of elementary school.

When I reached the age at which I knew people were telling me things that were full of contradictions, I began my quest for truth. It has not been an easy search. I’ve gotten off track a number of times, but the Word of God and determination have always quickly led me back to the straight-and-narrow path.

Truth is not something you can hold in your hands. Its existence is based on a process of eliminating every other possibility. In the grand summation of all things, truth will outlast and outweigh all other explanations of reality.

Truth becomes lost or hidden when people fail to diligently seek after it. When the Roman governor, Pilate, was judging Jesus, he asked, “What is truth?” Of course, he said this not knowing the Man of Truth was standing right before him.

In this article, it’s not possible for me to tell you what is truth and what is not. You folks would be foolhardy to just blindly trust the words of some guy you located on the internet. My plan is to show some methods you can use to find truth for yourself.

A Strong Conviction Doesn’t Make Something True
People have a natural tendency to assume that if you believe in something strongly enough it will become reality. No matter how dedicated people are to an idea, their positive confessions do not produce truth.

In the past decade, many radical terrorists have believed in their twisted ideologies so resolutely that they have been willing to die for their causes. I’m sure the hijackers who crashed the three jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were fully convinced that killing all those people was a supremely justified act that had the blessings of some divine being.

I realize the world has lost much of its grasp on morality, but I don’t think we’ve fallen far enough from grace for the average person not to understand that these men were greatly mistaken in their actions. I’m sure the terrorists were quite shocked when they realized they were not in Heaven.

I’m constantly receiving email messages from folks who hold to some rather strange doctrines. In most cases, I can tell right away that their beliefs directly conflict with the Word of God. But nonetheless, they firmly believe that they are right. Sadly, most don’t even bother to see whether the Bible agrees with them. It is simply the strength of their own human will that makes them correct.

You simply can’t use faith and conviction to make something true. Even a person of great doubt can still be correct. The power of positive thinking is powerless in the real world of hard facts.

In many faith healing circles, many erroneous teachings tell people it’s a sin to have a negative thought about your state of health. They’re instructed to say goofy things like, “I don’t have cancer”; “I’m not sick”; or “I don’t have a bad back.”

If you have a terminal illness, saying you don’t have it isn’t going to make it go away. God does not wait until someone is in the perfect state of denial before he heals that person. Until the Lord sees fit to answer your prayers for healing, it’s dishonesty to claim a state of health you don’t have.

Everyone has the right to have mangled logic. I’m just not sure that was their original intent.

Everything Has An Explanation
I got out of the debate business long ago. I used to argue with people for hours over some major issues, but after years of experience, I’ve learned it’s impossible to corner someone who doesn’t wish to be cornered. There is always a counter point to every point, and a counter, counter point to every counter point.

Pride is a huge obstacle to finding the truth by debating. One person has to be willing to admit he’s wrong, and it’s very unlikely this will happen. And just because someone acquiesces and admits he is wrong, the opposing point isn’t necessarily the truth. I try to respond to emails that challenge the views I present on my site, but I rarely engage in a lengthy, back-and-forth discussion with people who are clearly in some other camp.

Any type of lie can be defended to some measure. Most everyone believes the Earth is round. Try putting yourself in the mindset of the members of the Flat Earth Society. Sure, we have pictures of the Earth from space, but any Hollywood graphic artist could dream up similar photos. As for those live images of men walking on the moon… hmmm, those rocks in the background do look suspiciously like foam rubber.

Because everyone you encounter has the potential to be a false witness, you should never completely let down your guard. Computers have firewalls that constantly check for viruses; we need to always have the latest version of common sense loaded in our minds.

Everything does have a potential explanation, but not every explanation makes sense. Some people need to know when to give it a rest. When you’ve become the only witness to truth, you’ve then gone too far. I like the slogan, “Don’t put a question mark where God puts a period.”

Rat Poison
I’ve always been amazed that the common poisons we use to control rodents are made of 99.995 percent inert ingredients. When you open up a box of Victor Rat/Mouse Bait, only 5 thousandths of a percent of the content is the actual poison that kills the little rascals–the rest is mostly grain. I guess if the mixture were 90 percent grain with 10 percent poison, the vermin wouldn’t eat the stuff because it would taste repulsive.

The mixture of lies with truth often works the same way as rat poison. You only need an extremely small amount of falsehood to pollute any given belief, and by using a small dosage, the devil can make lies very palatable.

Adultery presents a very good example of the use of this type of subtle poison. Someone cheating on his wife could possibly detail a long list of reasons to support his affair. He may find the adulterous relationship has several positive benefits: It may give him happiness, companionship, or understanding, but every time he and his lover make their secret rendezvous, the toxin, sin, is also present.

Rodents lack the ability to realize they’re eating something that’s slowly killing them. In most cases, humans are fully aware they’re consuming something that is poisonous. The lack of immediate negative consequences creates a false impression that the poison is manageable.

In John 17, Jesus talked about being in the world but not of the world. Even though we live our lives in this sinful world, we need to constantly be aware that everything of an earthly nature is tainted. We don’t need to become monks to retain our faith. Just remember, it’s all right for a ship to be in the ocean, but woe unto that ship if the ocean gets into it.

The Greater Truth Principle
In my many years of study, I’ve had to resolve where I stand on a wide range of issues. During my research, I have often found one source saying one thing and another source saying the opposite. After many years of study, I have come up with a rule that has been very helpful to me.

I call it the “greater truth principle.” In all arguments for truth, some facts and statements overrule all others. In a murder case, a mountain of circumstantial evidence may point to the suspect’s innocence, but all it takes is one signed confession of guilt to nullify the circumstantial evidence. The suspect may not have initially fit the profile of a killer, but if he admits to the crime and provides a motive, the lack of the profile match becomes irrelevant.

Here’s a more in-depth illustration to drive the point home: One might say, “Tom and I are going bass fishing this weekend.” Supporting this claim are the following true statements:

• Tom and I have gone fishing each weekend during the past month.
• Tom just bought a new fishing pole and wants to try it out.
• We plan to go fishing this weekend.
• Tom’s brother is coming along with us.
• The weather is going to be great well into next week.

These five points may be true, and they make it highly likely that Tom and the person making the statement are going bass fishing this coming weekend. However, other factors can instantly make them incorrect. Those factors instantly become the dominant truth outranking all other statements. Here are a few examples:

• Tom had a heart attack and is now recovering in the hospital.
• Tom’s Army reserve unit was called up and he had to leave immediately.
• Tom had to make an unexpected two-week business trip to Europe.
• Tom died in an accident.

These four declarations override each of the first five statements. If Tom is barred by overwhelming circumstances from attending the fishing date, it doesn’t matter what his plans were for that weekend.

Some people try to dance around the truth by promoting implausible answers to absolute statements. Here are a few examples of these types of remarks:

• Tom Jr. was whom I was talking about.
• Tom will be there in spirit.
• Tom will rise from the grave.

The key to making the greater truth principle work is to honestly judge which truth outranks another lesser truth. You have to do this without injecting your own personal opinions into the decision-making process.

Examples of Greater Truths
The main purpose for my website is to defend the pre-trib rapture doctrine. I have included on the site dozens of articles that detail why I believe in pretribulationism; however, the greater truth that always puts the issue to rest is Matthew 24:44: “For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” There simply cannot be a rapture surprise if we already know the event is coming at the mid-point, pre-wrath, or end of the tribulation.

Many liberal scholars will tell you all religions lead to God. They quote passages that talk about God’s eternal love for mankind. The greater truth facing universalism has to be Jesus’ statement in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Rev. Sun Myung Moon is the leader of the cult, “The Unification Church.” One of his specialties is having a supernatural ability to match up strangers for his mass weddings. People who have never met before are told by Moon that they are perfect matches for each other. The first greater truth would be that Moon’s teachings are not found in the Bible. The most pointed greater truth that disputes Moon’s claim of being a divine matchmaker is the fact he’s been divorced himself.

In the debate between eternal security and responsible living, those who believe in “once saved, always saved” quote John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” In James 2:26, we have one of the clearest examples of the power of a greater truth: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” In order for James’ statement to be correct, John 6:47 has to come with conditional requirements.

Regarding homosexual acts, Leviticus 18:22 makes it very clear where the Bible stands on the subject: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” I’ve never read a rebuttal that tried to use Scripture to counter the numerous passages that condemn the gay lifestyle. The most common approach is to say God was talking about the perversion of pure homosexuality, such as homosexual rape, prostitution, and lust. If you stick to the Golden Rule, there is no way you should misunderstand the Bible’s view on this matter.

You can always find ads for baldness cures in men’s magazines and on late-night cable channels. The hucksters selling these products claim they can restore anyone to a full head of hair. The greater truth disproving these ads is the fact that image-conscious male celebrities continue to suffer from various stages of baldness.

I realize some folks may disagree with me on my examples of greater truths. If that is the case, I challenge you to find in the Bible a greater, greater truth that invalidates any of the ones I’ve cited.

The Bible: Your Only Dependable Source for Truth
The Berean citizens, of the Book of Acts, are famous for their dedication to biblical truth. When the Apostle Paul was instructing them in the faith, every day they would check the Old Testament to verify the claims Paul was making about Jesus being the promised Messiah.

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:10-11).

Without the Bible there is no understanding of eternal truth. The truth that man has forever been trying to devise is subject to constant revision. In the final summation, it will have to be said: All truth begins with God and all truth ends with God.

I’ve searched the internet and book libraries for commentary on truth, and have found very little instruction on how to find it. I had zero trouble locating material that talked about the need for truth. The Bible goes on endlessly about the subject of truth. It boldly and emphatically says, look no further:

“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth” (Psalm 119:142).

“The sum of thy word is truth” (Psalm 119:160).

“Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17).

“And now, O Lord Jehovah, thou art God, and thy words are truth” (2 Sam. 7:28).

“And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation” (2 Tim. 3:15).

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).