1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 AMPC
For this we declare to you by the Lord's [own] word, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall in no way precede [into His presence] or have an advantage at all over those who have previously fallen asleep [in Him in death]. [16] For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first. [17] Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord! [18] Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words.
The news of a new "syndrome" was announced on CNN (an American mainstream news channel) - that of "Rapture anxiety".https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/09/27/us/rapture-anxiety-evangelical-exvangelical-christianity-cec/inde
Apparently some "christians" have been so traumatised by the thought of being left behind at the summons of Jesus, that it takes years of counselling to get over it!
Those who actually believe what the Bible says are portrayed as evangelical extremists who are a threat to people's mental well-being. .
But, as someone said: God didn't warn us to scare us, but to prepare us!
For example, hurricane Ian has just devasted parts of Florida.
Prior to that, people were warned to evacuate their homes and flee to safety.
Some ignored the warnings and lost their lives or found their homes in ruins.
Jesus clearly laid out the facts of the end times. They are not frightening fairytales, they are warnings to get to safety in Him.
In the passage above, we are given the prophecy of "the rapture" in order to comfort and encourage one another.
The only reason to be fearful is when you ignore Jesus' warnings and reject His salvation.
No one needs to be "left behind".
Salvation is available to all who put their trust in Jesus, not just to "perfect Christians" (show me one please!).
If necessary, let's rather "scare" folk into Heaven than lull them into Hell.
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