Greg Laurie’s USA rapture comments

In my last post, Greg Laurie said he had three reasons that he felt that the USA was not mentioned in end time biblical prophecy; yet, the USA is referred to in passages such as Daniel 11:39 (see my last post Greg Laurie claims USA not in last days Bible prophecy and then speculates his reasons, including possible nuclear devastation.). In that post I listed Greg Laurie’s first two reasons, and for this post, here is the third reason he gave:

A third possibility could be that the U.S. will witness a revival, “which I find a lot more hopeful,” Laurie goes on to say. “That is not to say a revival would eliminate us as a world power. But if our nation had a revival, it would affect us. Think about this. Let’s say, for example, that one-fourth of all Americans are believers. This would mean that we have approximately 78 million true believers in our country today… When the Rapture of the church takes place, don’t you think there would be an impact on the United States…?” http://www.christianpost.com/news/greg-laurie-on-why-bible-prophecy-makes-no-mention-of-america-100050/#zBIt5upyd2ZV3vBB.99

Various ones (normally evangelical Protestants), in the past, have speculated that they believe that because they felt that the USA was full of Christians, that a pre-tribulation rapture would tend to weaken the USA to the point of insignificance, and this is why they have claimed that the USA is not mentioned in end time prophecy.

Well, the fact is that a power that sounds like the USA is mentioned in various prophecies (such as Daniel 11:39), and readers can refer to the items at the end of this post for them. Also, the USA is definitely not so filled with real Christians that their departure, of it self, physically-speaking, would seem that devastating to it (although after the departure of the real Philadelphia Christians, God will allow the Great Tribulation to begin, and that will devastate the USA).

But the point I wish to address is that of an alleged pre-tribulation rapture to answer the questions: When is the End, What Did Jesus Teach His Followers to Do, and When Does Jesus Come?

Notice what Jesus’ disciples asked Him:

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 NKJV throughout, unless otherwise indicated).

So we see that the disciples had some of the same questions that we have today.

Notice Jesus’ answer:

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you…And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:4,14).

See that Jesus specifically has warned to be careful about deception. Have some been deceived by expecting a pre-tribulation rapture (see also the YouTube video Did Jesus Teach a Pre-tribulation Rapture?)? He also stated that the end would occur after the gospel of the kingdom will be preached into all the world as a witness. Does your church even know what that gospel is? (An article of related interest may be The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church).

Jesus continued with:

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. (Matthew 24:15-21).

It is interesting to note that Jesus was telling Christians that when they see Daniel 11:31/12:11 fulfilled, then Christians need to flee. And that they should pray that this flight will not be on the Sabbath (Saturday) or the winter. Do you pray that?

Why do people flee?

People flee to be protected!

Fleeing does not sound much like being “raptured.”

What happens after Christ’s people flee? Jesus explains:

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).

But are any Christians promised protection from this tribulation?

Yes, notice what Jesus told the Philadelphia Church:

7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write…10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 3:7,10).

It needs to be emphasized that ONLY the Philadelphia portion of the Church of God is promised this protection, other Christians will be affected by the Great Tribulation and the related persecutions (Revelation 12:17).

When does Jesus teach that He will return? Notice that it is right AFTER the tribulation:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:29-31).

When do Christians meet Christ in the air? Well according to what Jesus taught, it is after the tribulation at the last trump. Paul taught:

Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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 thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

Notice carefully that Paul is teaching the above so that they will not think that the dead in Christ have no hope. Also notice that Paul says nothing about the Church fleeing or being protected from the great tribulation above. He simply states that at the sound of a trumpet Jesus will return, raise the dead, and the Christians that remain will be caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus. It is important to understand what Paul did or did not say.

Also notice that this occurs with THE LAST TRUMPET–as there are many trumpets that blow during the last 3 1/2 years before Jesus returns, there is no possible way that the LAST TRUMPET can signal a pre-tribulation rapture.

Unlike the many of the Protestant faiths, the Continuing Church of God (which is NOT Protestant) believes that a portion of the true Church will flee before the tribulation and that Jesus will come in the clouds after the tribulation.

Since that is what the Bible teaches, we do not accept that Greg Laurie’s rapture speculation applies to the USA. Yet, we do believe, that there is a place of safety for the Philadelphians which Jesus promised in Revelation 3.

Items of related interest may include:

Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Does the Church flee or is it taken up just prior to the great tribulation? Who really is left behind?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
This is PETRA! This is a 1962 Good News article by the late Dr. Hoeh.
Might Petra be the Place of Safety? The Bible teaches that a portion of the Christians will be protected in a wilderness area during the Great Tribulation. Might this place be Petra in Jordan? Which places do the show can and cannot be the place of safety? Is the idea of Christians fleeing to an area with caves during the reign of the Beast and Antichrist an old one or a modern invention? Which Christians get this protection and which do not? Will those who do not go be subject to persecution? Do Catholic prophecies warn against this place of protection? This is a sermon-length video.
Did Jesus Teach a Pre-tribulation Rapture? Did the Bible teach that Jesus raptures Christians prior to the start of the Great Tribulation? What did Jesus Himself teach? Do the scriptural passages that Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins point to prove their left behind pre-tribulation rapture assertions? Do all Christians get protected from the Great Tribulation? Who does the Bible teach will get protected? Is the Great Tribulation the ‘wrath to come’ that Christians are promised protection from? This is a video.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2013, 2014, or 2015? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves?
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West?
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.