An Open Letter to Those Left Behind

Sometime in the near future an event of unprecedented proportions is going to occur. At the same time it takes an eye to blink, countless numbers of people will disappear. This will be a shock to the systems of the world. This will be an astounding event of biblical proportions. If you are one of those remaining on earth after this event, you might wonder, “What just happened?” This letter is for you. It’s an “open letter,” meaning, it’s a letter for you and anyone else wondering what has happened. This is an open letter for all to see.

The Rapture will be a sudden event. The Bible describes the Rapture as a shockingly sudden event: (1 Corinthians 15:51–52)The Rapture is also described as Jesus coming in the clouds to receive believers to Himself in the clouds:(1 Thessalonians 4:16–18)The phrase “caught up” is a translation of the Greek term harpagesometha (Future/Passive/Indicative of harpadzo which means will be carried off, will be taken, will be snatched away, will be caught up, will be seized. Jesus will one day come and catch us up to Him in the clouds in the twinkling of an eye. The Rapture involves a sudden snatching away. The Rapture will separate people. Jesus spoke of such an event in His Olivet Discourse saying:(Matthew 24:36–44)

The Rapture is not only sudden and snatching, but it involves a separating of people. The Rapture will be a time when people will be separated. Born again believers in Jesus will leave unbelievers behind. True believers will leave false believers behind. Believing family members will leave unbelieving family members behind. Believing friends will leave unbelieving friends behind.

Nothing can be more frightening than the fear of losing a loved one. But those who depart could not be in a safer place when they are taken. They will be with Jesus. The greater cause for concern is for those left behind.

Those who are left behind will not likely know what’s happened. They weren’t paying attention to the gospel message of Jesus. They mocked and threw aside any thought of a “Rapture.” But when the Rapture does occur, they will be thinking, “Now what did that christian say about the Rapture and the End Times?”

Why did this, the rapture, happen?

There are two reasons: First, God will judge those who reject Him. There is a time of God’s judgment coming for those who persistently resist and rebel against God. God is patient and long suffering, but there is a time when His patience runs out. When this happens, His judgment on this world will occur.

This is explained in (2 Thessalonians 1:3–10) You have been left behind because you, “do not know God,” and are one of those, “who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Second, the Rapture is Jesus’ rescue plan for the saved. God’s word and promise to those who receive Jesus as Savior, is that they are saved from God’s wrath. This is stated in the following verses:

(Romans 5:9) (1 Thessalonians 1:10) (1 Thessalonians 5:9) (Revelation 3:10) The Rapture is God’s means to remove His born-again believers out of this world before He pours out His wrath of judgment on this Christ-rejecting world.

But I go to church. Why was I still left behind? It’s interesting that in His letter to the church in Thyatira Jesus said the following:

(Revelation 2:21–22)(NKJV) – 21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.

Jesus said not everyone who is in a church is necessarily “born again” or spiritually alive (Matthew 13:24-30). Jesus said some would even call Him “Lord, Lord,” but they aren’t known by Him (Matthew 7:21-23). Some may even do church related things. But the only ones who have been “born again” meaning they put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and asked him to be their Lord and Savior and acknowledge that he died for our sins are the ones who will be taken at the Rapture. It’s not about religion or religious practice, but being saved by Jesus and accepting His gift of Salvation. Salvation something that is not obtained by good works of your own doing rather it is a free gift that Jesus gives to you and you have to receive it. You have a choice to accept it or deny it. There is nothing that you can do on your own, if that was the case then Jesus dying on the cross would be in vain.

Jesus said to Nicodemas the very religious pharisee: (John 3:3) (NKJV) – 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

When Will This Happen?

When will the Rapture happen? No one knows except the Father in heaven according to Jesus. In Matthew 24:36 And since no one knows, Jesus says we ought to be watchful:

(Matthew 24:44) – Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Jesus gave signs we should look for to know that His return was close:

  1. Leading up to Jesus’ return it would be like the Days of Noah – people would be ignoring God’s prophetic warnings and indulging in depravity and sin – (Matthew 24:37-39) (Genesis 6)
  2. Leading up to Jesus’ return it would be like the Days of Lot – people will go about their everyday life with no concern for God’s judgment – (Luke 17:28-29)

The Bible also says that leading up to the prophetic culmination of all things (including the Rapture) believers would be able to discern the “times and the seasons” but unbelievers would be deceived by apparent “peace and safety!” 1 (Thessalonians 5:1–11)

There are many passages of scripture which speak of the times leading up to the Rapture and beyond, e.g. (Matthew 24-25); (Mark 13); (Luke 17:20-37);  (Luke 17:21); (Ezekiel 38-39); (Revelation 2-3). You may be hearing or paying attention to these passages for the first time. That’s one of the reasons you have been left behind. God has been calling, shouting a warning, you have not listened.

Why Hasn’t the Rapture Happened Yet?

God still loves you. Why hasn’t the Rapture happened yet? The short answer is because God loves you. This is an open letter to those left behind at the Rapture, but did you know that God has provided us with an open letter long before this? The Bible is God’s open letter to us. In this letter, from the beginning, God has expressed His love toward us. He has also expressed His justness. His love is Holy, it is unique, uncommon, there’s no love like it. And just because you have been left behind doesn’t mean God doesn’t love you anymore.

To give you an idea of the love of God for you, here are a few scriptures from God’s letter: (John 3:16), (Romans 5:8) (1 John 3:16–18) (1 John 4:9)

Sometimes love must be tough. You have been left behind because you have persisted in your rejection of God. But that doesn’t mean God hates you now. God still loves you. He wants you to spend eternity with Him. But time is running out. You have resisted, so God is resorting to tough love to hopefully shake you up and wake you up to your need of a Savior Jesus, and a willingness to turn from your sins and trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

That God is willing to use tough love to get out attention is seen in the following verses:

(Psalm 66:10–12), (Hebrews 12:3–11)
In life, hardship and trial does not necessarily mean God’s judgment, it may be His efforts to wake you up to your need of repentance and salvation.

Repentance and salvation (forgiveness). To repent is to have a change of heart or mind that leads to a change in behavior. We cannot enter heaven or have a relationship with God is we hold on to our sins. We must be willing to let go of what God calls sin and trust God. This is conveyed to us from God’s heart to ours in His following words: (2 Chronicles 7:14), (2 Corinthians 7:9–10)

This leads us to the answer to the question of why the Rapture hasn’t yet occurred.

God desires that none perish. If you’re a skeptic, it might interest you to know that the Bible speaks of your skepticism. The Apostle Peter wrote: (2 Peter 3:1–9)

You see, its’ really for your benefit that Jesus hasn’t yet come to take His church out of here. It’s to your benefit that you have more time to consider your ways, repent, and trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Why Should I Care to Be Raptured?

Why should a person even care to be raptured? There’s a reason why Jesus takes His bride the church out of this world. Jesus raptures the church out of this world to spare them what will be happening after the Rapture. That’s something unbelievers should consider. Right from the start I’d like to provide you with information on what you can expect to happen after the Rapture.

  1. God’s Righteous Wrath – Once the church is removed, God will begin to pour out His righteous wrath on the Christ-rejecting world – (Revelation 6:16-17)  (Revelation 11:18)
  2. A Left Behind False Church – God’s wrath will be poured out on the False Church and its congregations who have been left behind – Revelation 2:22
  3. Antichrist – A prominent figure who is very attractive, charismatic, cunning, deceptive, powerful, will rise to power. This is the Antichrist spoken of in scripture (e.g. Revelation 13) – Revelation 6:1-2
  4. The Tribulation Begins – The Tribulation will begin when Antichrist brokers a covenant with Israel – Daniel 9:27. This is a seven-year period of history Jesus described as, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).
  5. Unprecedented Conflict – (Revelation 6:3-4)
  6. Unprecedented Scarcity – (Revelation 6:5-6)
  7. Unprecedented Death – (Revelation 6:7-8)
  8. Unprecedented Persecution – (Revelation 6:9-11) Those who do come to their sense and turn to Jesus after the Rapture, will be severely persecuted for their faith. Those who put off coming to Jesus now with the idea they can just come to Him later, should consider, if you can’t live for Jesus now, what makes you think you will be able to die for Him later in the Tribulation.
  9. Unprecedented Global Shaking – (Revelation 6:12-17). The earth will literally be an earthquake. There will be no place to hide. There will be no escape.
  10. Revival – (Revelation 7). Even in the midst of God’s outpoured wrath, He will be merciful and send out His gospel through 144,000 Apostle-Paul-like evangelists. He will raise up two Tribulation Prophets to call the world to repentance (Revelation 11). He will even send an angel throughout the world to proclaim the everlasting gospel (Revelation 14:6).
  11. A Third of the World’s Vegetation will be Destroyed – (Revelation 8:7)
  12. A Third of the Oceans will Be Turned to Blood by a Cataclysmic Event – (Revelation 8:8-9)
  13. A Third of the Rivers and Inland Bodies of Waters will Be Destroyed by a Cataclysmic Event – (Revelation 8:10-11)
  14. Another Cataclysmic Event will Knock Out a Third of the Sun, Moon, and Stars – (Revelation 8:12-13)
  15. Demons will be Let Loose from the Pit of Hell to Torment Earth-dwellers – (Revelation 9:1-12)
  16. A Third of Mankind will be Killed by Four Angels Released on the Earth – (Revelation 9:13-21)
  17. Israel will be Attacked Mercilessly and There will be Great Persecution of Believers – (Revelation 12)
  18. Satan will Rule through His Counterfeit christ, Antichrist – (Revelation 13) You won’t be able to buy or sell unless you take the mark of the Antichrist. This mark will be an oath of allegiance to the Satanically empowered Antichrist. If you take the mark, your soul is lost eternally.
  19. God’s Wrath Will Be Just and Severe for Those Who Persist in Rejecting Him – (Revelation 14:17-20)
  20. The World Will be infected with a “foul and loathsome sore” – (Revelation 16:1-2)
  21. The Sea Turned to Blood – (Revelation 16:3)
  22. Inland Waters Turned to Blood – (Revelation 16:4-7)
  23. People of the World will be Scorched from the Sun – (Revelation 16:8-9)
  24. Darkness and Gnawing of Tongues in Pain – (Revelation 16:10-11)
  25. Terrible Literal Shaking of All the Earth – (Revelation 16:17-21)
  26. The Destruction of the One World Religion – (Revelation 17)
  27. The Collapse of the World’s Economic System – (Revelation 18)
  28. Antichrist and the World’s Nations are Defeated by Jesus at His Second Coming – (Revelation 19)
  29. Satan Bound – (Revelation 20:1-3)
  30. Jesus Reigns 1000 Years on Earth with True Believers Serving as his Ambassadors throughout the Earth – (Revelation 20:4-6)
  31. One Final Rebellion Put Down – (Revelation 20:7-10)
  32. The Great White Throne Judgment – (Revelation 20:11-15). If your name isn’t found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.
  33. All Things Made New – (Revelation 21-22). Without Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will miss out on all of this.

That was a very brief synopsis of what the person left behind at the Rapture can expect. It will be a terrible time on the earth during the Tribulation. The Tribulation is not merely punitive, but God’s tough-love attempt to shake up the Christ-rejecting world that they might repent and be saved.

Something to remember. The Tribulation is something temporal to be saved from. The Lake of Fire is something eternal that once there, no one can be saved from.

Miracles Happen

Maybe now, before the Rapture takes place, you’re thinking, “Rapture? What a crazy lunatic doctrine that is. It doesn’t make any sense. It defies science. It’s preposterous. It’s impossible. It’s just another lunatic fringe idea.” But one thing such thinking leaves out, the miraculous. Just as surely as God created all things, just as surely as He parted the Red Sea, fed 4,000 and healed the lame and blind, rose Lazarus from the dead, and resurrected himself from the dead, just as surely God could take all His children out of this world.

What Should I Do Now?

If you are reading this, it means there is still time for you to escape the Lake of Fire and spend eternity in heaven with the Lord. But you must accept the gospel, or “good news” God has offered to you. It’s time to get right with God.

Below is some straight talk on your need to be forgiven for your sins. So, get out your Bible and begin looking up these verses that instruct on how to be forgiven our sins and receive spiritual life in Christ. (You should get in the habit of opening and studying the Bible. It is Gods’ love letter to you and tells you what life is all about.)

Straight Talk on Salvation

Life is a vapor – (James 4:14)

Death is sure – (Hebrews 9:27)

Sins the curse – (Romans 6)

Christ is the cure – (Romans 5:8); (Romans 10:9-10); (2 Cor. 5;21); (Ephesians 2:1-10)

By grace through faith, not works – (John 16:8-11); (Eph. 2:8-9); (Titus 3:4-7)

But faith leads to works; faith without works is dead – (James 2)

Grace is not an excuse to sin – (Romans 6)

We must repent – (Matthew 4:17) (Mark 1:15) (Acts 2:37-39)

We must not continue to follow the world – (James 4:4); (1 John 2:15-17); (Gal. 2;20); (Colossians 2:6-10)

We need to rely on the Holy Spirit to help us live holy lives – (John 14:15) and (John 21); (John 16:13); (1 Peter 1:15-16)

We must learn to love – (2 Cor. 5:14-16); (1 John 3:16-23); (1 John 4:7-19)

Love is the fruit or product, the evidence that the Holy Spirit is within you and giving you life – (Galatians 5:22-24).

Now, simply pray from your heart, sincerely, for God to forgive your sins. By faith trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Admit that you are a sinner that needs saved and acknowledge that Jesus died for your sins and rose again and know that He is alive and well. Thank Him for saving you from your sins and accept his gift of salvation. When you do this, the Holy Spirit will come to indwell you. Then live in constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit asking Him to help you live and please God. Welcome to the family of God! See you soon.