Countdown Craziness

I’ve gotten away from my daily rapture countdown not because I wanted to ignore but because I just didn’t feel like doing sarcasm while I was reporting on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. It just didn’t feel right so I put it aside. But now that the news surrounding his death is moving into the legal phase I think I can get back to telling everyone that we’re only 5 days from the Rapture happening at least according to some people. Even a young person from our church had a dream about it happening which could make us wonder if these prophetic voices are onto something. I still hold to the imminency doctrine and have no intention of changing my mind, however Jesus could rapture His church at any time including on September 23rd or 24th of this year. My intent isn’t to make fun of those who are espousing these dates but to just point out that if it is accurate we should be doing everything we can to reach as many people as we can for Christ. And you know what? We should be doing that anyway. Sadly many people who say that the Rapture is 5 days away aren’t necessarily being hyper evangelistic at all. I’ve heard of some who are maxing out their credit cards, leaving their jobs all because they think that is the proper response to knowing the day of His coming in the clouds. Well, folks, this is what happens when you set dates on the Blessed Hope and history shows us that it actually hurts bringing people to Jesus and not helps them accept Him. We should do better.

We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

If that sounds like a line from a song from the 1960s well that’s because it is. As I write this script I can actually hear the song in my head. And I’m not the only one as this article from

Lest you suppose I always think in terms of old song lyrics, I can tell you that I most often think and speak in Scripture. But sometimes a secular lyric captures a sentiment that the world seems to know just outside its own consciousness. Like an itch that you just can’t scratch, it lies just below the surface of full awareness. But, like a word that is on the tip of your tongue, that semi-awareness points to a spiritual reality far more important than this mere physical world we inhabit.

The author then makes the connection between the song lyrics and the desire to be with Jesus as soon as possible:

In 1965, The Animals recorded a song whose lyrics were even more prescient than they realized:

We gotta get out of this place,
If it’s the last thing we ever do;
We gotta get out of this place,
‘Cause girl, there’s a better life for me and you.

Watching chaos in the Middle East rise to a fever pitch once again these past several weeks, I was reminded that I cannot wait to get out of this place. It will be the last thing followers of Jesus Christ will ever do in this mortal life, and He indeed has a better life waiting for those who have trusted in Him.

Whether it is by the Rapture or the grave, the desire is there. But the Apostle Paul who knew a thing or two about living here or being with Jesus when he wrote these verses to the Philippian church:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. (Phil 1:21-24, ESV)

Paul Speaks To Us Now

The author of the article, Tim Moore, tells us we need to concentrate on working here more:

But while we tarry here, He also has work for us to do on His behalf.

That is exactly what we should be doing as opposed to listening to more and more videos about date setting, the Feast of Trumpets and on and on. I do like how the article ends, but one of the comments actually makes my point even better:

On October 4, 2019 I had an accident that rendered me unconscious. I left my body, rose above it, and saw it floating face down under the surface of the ocean. I was instantly transported to the unseen realm. I was immersed in the Presence of God. Jesus spoke to me and said, “You need to make a decision right now.” The decision was to choose life with Him there or return to my pain-wracked body in the ocean. I didn’t want to return because I didn’t know how badly my body was damaged and I feared the worst. (Later medical people told me that I had crushed C-1 and C-2 and torn a vertebral artery. Bad! Very bad!) Jesus then told me, “You can stay here with Me. You have done enough on earth. But I have more for you to do there.” Realizing I had given Him my life 35 years before and had been faithful to His will for my life since then, I said, “I’ll live.” Immediately I was thrust back into my body. I have no paralysis, I did not drown, I was life-flighted to a hospital by helicopter. And now I am still here serving Him until He calls me back home. My friends, know Him, love Him, serve Him. Find and follow His will for your life. You do not know when He will call you home. God bless you all.

This person like Paul was taken to Heaven to see Jesus. Both decided to come back to work more. My advice for those of you listening to this podcast who believe that the Rapture of the Church will happen in 5 days, instead of talking endlessly about it online and debating about who is right and who is wrong, how about we all work to fulfill the Great Commission? Now I get behind that thinking.