Well if you are reading this, one of two things has happened. Either the rapture did not happen, or you and I have a lot to worry about. Either way we need to talk.
People have been predicting the end of the world and with it the rapture since the first century. Paul rebukes the people in his letter to the Thessalonians who had literally stopped working so that they could watch for Christ’s return. Paul finally had to tell them to get back to work and tells them that those who do not work should not eat.
Every generation has thought that this is the generation that will see the return of the Lord. With each additional generation there have been people who have claimed to have known the date and the time of the rapture. Each time the date and hour have gone by without seeing the return of the Lord.
Back in the 80’s a former NASA engineer and bible student named Edgar C. Whisenant predicted that the Lord would return in 1988. His book 88 reasons that Jesus will return in 1988 was followed the following year by his book 89 reasons why Jesus will return in 1989 when his predictions failed to materialize. Over the next decade Whisenant would make further predictions for the timing of the rapture each of which never came to pass.
Well here we are in 2011 and the faithful are still waiting for his return. In the past few years we have seen the signs that Paul talked about, we have seen wars and rumors of wars, and we have also seen earthquakes and natural disasters. We have taken Peter’s admonition to heart that,” The Lord is not slow as some count slowness but desires that none should perish.” But for some, we would be happy if His return was today, this very hour even.
Around Dallas the billboards started appearing a couple of months ago announcing that the rapture and Judgment day would be May 21, 2011. Not only was the date stated on the billboards but the very hour of his return was predicted. At 6:00 pm in every one of the time-zones around the world the Faithful would be ruptured. Harold Camping who had previously predicted the return in 1994 broadcast on 55 radio stations and advertised on an additional 6,000 billboards that Jesus would return today May 21, 2011 beginning at sundown in Jerusalem.
So either Mr. Camping was correct and you and I were Left Behind or he was wrong about the return of Jesus. Since we are Bible believing people we will let the Bible have the last word (hopefully the last word) on the subject. According to Mathew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” So according to scripture no one not even Jesus when he was here on Earth in His human form knew when he would return to earth. The only one who knows that date is God the Father.
So where does that leave us? Well if you are a believer it means that we have a little bit of time left and God willing if we live that long there will come a day when we will be raptured, caught up with Him in the clouds. For those who are not believers it means that there is still time. Time to realize that you are a sinner and that you need a savior and without that savior you are lost and will face the wrath of God that the bible foretells. For you there is still time, for the rest of us we will just have to say Maranatha, and today would be nice!
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