Dear Harold,

May 21 came and went. No earthquake. No end of the world. No rapture. Your prophecy was wrong. No need to bash you. I hope people give me mercy when I say dumb stuff at age 89. We all make mistakes. But your error has caused us to loose street cred. The world laughs at us and “we” deserve it on this one. The silver lining is people are talking about it. A friend of mine asked me yesterday about the rapture because her parents’ pastor doesn’t believe in it. I hope I don’t insult you by reminding you what the Bible says about the Rapture, but I hope its helpful for others who get the opportunity to defend their faith because of the buzz you created.

What is the rapture?
Its an event when Jesus takes His bride (Christians) home. The word “rapture” isn’t found in our English Bibles, but it is written about in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Titus 2:11-14, and Matthew 24.

Who will be raptured?
Jesus is coming back for his bride; his followers.

Why will the rapture take place?
We will be delivered from the Great Tribulation. You can read what Jesus said about it in Luke 21:36. Even though we Christians aren’t promised not to suffer or be persecuted on earth, we won’t be effected by the 7 year tribulation. Therefore, we don’t need to be looking for it or the Antichrist. We need to be looking for Jesus. We will be lifted out of the pain here on earth to be with our Lord Jesus, other Christ followers, and be rewarded according to our good works.

When will the rapture happen?
You thought you nailed it down to the exact hour. The problem with your calucation is you ignored Jesus. He gave us a list of signs in Matthew 24. We know that we are getting close and his coming is imminent, but he said in verse 36 that no one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels. The signs of His coming must be fulfilled before Christ’s visible appearing, but not necessarily before His secret coming of His followers.

What does this have to do with me?
If I’m not a Christian, I repent, confess Jesus as Lord, and surrender my life completely to Him. Those who do not repent and confess Jesus as Lord will be left behind to suffer through the Great Tribulation. Read the scary stuff that will happen in Revelation. If I’m already a follower, I live a holy life so as to not stain my wedding dress before he returns. I also take His great commission seriously. There are a lot of folks who are lost and He desires to baptize us in the Holy Spirit so we can have the power to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them everything Jesus commands us.

So Harold, about that new Oct 21 date you set. Just please just stop. It’s embarrassing. Apologize. Say you were wrong. We will forgive you. But if you don’t, we will have to call you out as a false prophet being in error of scripture. I pray our Lord Jesus gives you wisdom, humility, and a desire to know truth.

Sincerely,

John

Advertisement