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A couple of days ago, I posted that 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.

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:

3 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 many of us have had in the 21st century.

Notice Jesus’ answer:

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you…14 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:

21 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.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2015 at 12:01 am and is filed under Prophecy.

• Greg Laurie’s USA rapture comments
• BibleNewsProphecy: Did Jesus teach a pre-tribulation rapture?
• ‘Fundamentalists,’ the Presidential Election, and the Rapture
• ICG Speaks Against the Rapture
• Greg Laurie on the USA being nuked, the Bible, and the Last Days
• PCG: “The Truth About the Secret Rapture”
• Rapture Index
• Greg Laurie claims USA not in last days’ Bible prophecy and then speculates his reasons, including possible nuclear devastation.
• LCG: Rapture or Return from Feast Set for 21 October 2011?
• J. Swank, “There is no pre-tribulation rapture”