What Do You Think?

[jerrys1960]

The other night several of us were discussing possibilities of the rapture or tribulation . . . or whatever term you prefer to use regarding 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”


I am going to shorten the discussion to just the highlights to keep from making this note much to long. So there are some points that may not be completely clear and several "what ifs" that I am going to leave out completely, but I am going to try to get enough of the key points to where everything will fit together for the final question.


The basic topic was why will such a small number of the living be taken / sealed with the rapture. (assuming that revelations 7 is referring to the number of people that will be taken with the rapture).


Rev 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

Rev 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Rev 7:4 And I heard the number of them who were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.



Even in biblical days 144,000 people was a relatively small number of people and is minuscule by today’s world population. So why such a small number when so many say they are saved, follow the teachings of Our Lord, etc., etc., etc.?


In Matthew it talks about what many assume to be two equally deserving people yet only one is taken.



Mat 24:40 Then will two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Mat 24:41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.



Why?


As discussed earlier revelations talked about angels coming to the people.


So what would an angel look like?



Angels take many forms in the bible but often they are described as looking like ordinary people. For instance, with the story of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18) the angels looked like normal men.

Gen 18:2 And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him.


Or Genesis 19 the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, two men came to Lot.


So basically while Angels can, and do, take many forms often they take the form of normal people, though obviously with some type of presents about them, where people that truly follow The Lord can recognize them as Angels if the people are paying attention.


Then we have . . .


Mat 24:17 Let him who is on the house-top not come down to take any thing out of his house:

Mat 24:18 Neither let him who is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Mat 24:19 And woe to them that are with child, and to them that nurse infants in those days!

Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight may not be in the winter, neither on the sabbath:

Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.



In a nutshell saying when it is time to go . . . IT IS TIME TO GO.



Unlike the depiction in so many movies and books, in The Bible The Lord always seemed to give people a choice. They could follow His instructions or they could go on doing whatever. So it would make since that even with the rapture we would be given a choice to go or to stay.


Of course everyone will say, “Oh, I would obviously make the choice to go. There is no doubt about that.”


Really?

You are sure about that?


This is the kicker and where the meeting stopped to leave everyone with something to think about.


Let us pretend for a moment that the rapture happens like I am about to describe . . .

Obviously no one knows exactly how it will happen but just for a mental exercise . . .


Suppose, just suppose one day this week a rather average looking person walks up to you while you are at work
or while you are shopping,
or while you are picking your kids up from school,
or while you are getting ready to order dinner at a restaurant,
or while you are doing whatever you would normally be doing . . .


Suppose this average looking person walks up to you and said, “It is time to go, will you come with me?”. Then starts to walk on.


Seriously think about that, even if in the back of our minds we recognized the person to be an Angel of The Lord, How many people would really honestly go? No going back to get anything, no going to tell anyone anything, no texting or calling anyone, just go walk away from everyone and everything right then at that moment when the person asks you to go.


I am curious what do all of you think, I will not ask what you think you would do. But I am curious if the rapture were to happen that way, how many people do you think would really go with the Angel that asked them to go?


Again no one said this is how the rapture will happen, simply, WHAT IF, it were to happen this way . . . how many of us would really go?