20 May 2024
Destruction Like the Days of Lot?
We are in the middle of the spring storm season here in my state. Having just stayed up half the night and early morning listening to sirens screaming out tornado warnings, I sat thinking about some of the destructive reports from that line of storms. —That, and anticipating another round of severe weather building to our west in Oklahoma, in an area known as “Tornado Alley,” the origination point of the most devastating twisters on the planet.
When that news finished blaring those reports, I then switched to one of my favorite early-morning programs: Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist of Dallas—Pathway to Victory.
He is in a series waxing eloquent on end-times prophecy. As part of the message that aired that particular day, Dr. Jeffress made some thought-provoking comments regarding the Rapture of the Church and what might be the attempted explanation for the millions of people instantaneously disappearing when Christ shouts, “Come up here!”
I have, myself, often waxed not nearly so eloquently on that very topic in sessions at churches and prophecy conferences across the nation and even out of the country. My firm belief, of course, is that we as a generation are in the times like they were in “the days of Lot” in Sodom, as forewarned by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
I have said and written frequently that I believe America might well have been the nation on the Lord’s mind when He gave the prophecy recorded in Luke 17:28–30:
“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”
The United States is the apex nation of history in terms of human achievement and material wealth. This is in keeping with the biblical description of Sodom, where Lot lived. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities of greatest wealth.
Also, like Sodom of Lot’s era, America is perhaps the most wicked geographical area of its time, exporting every sort of vileness, such as pornography, and embracing such evil as the murder of millions of children in their mothers’ wombs. Homosexuality is now at the heart of our nation, with LGBTQ, etc., ruling the roost under a presidential administration and leftist government that allows such Sodom-like behavior to bloom and control.
Thinking on the possible destruction effervescing on the day the thunderstorms were building to our west and listening to Dr. Jeffress talk about the coming destruction following the Rapture and the possible explanations for it, I considered a point I might have missed with regard to Jesus’ words about the days of Lot.
Dr. Jeffress conjectured that when the Rapture occurs, it could possibly be at a time of great catastrophe. That is, the Rapture could coincide with something such as nuclear war erupting at exactly the same moment, with missiles flying. This would provide those trying to explain the millions vanishing. For example, it might be said to be a physiological reaction and interaction within human bodies, with such unprecedented thermodynamics taking place.
I have believed and expressed that, like when Lot and his family were removed from Sodom by the angels, then Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed that very day, America, for example, will suffer great destruction when Christians leave in the Rapture. This scenario certainly seems to fit all things, like the economy, societies, and everything else, crashing at once and bringing a great cry for someone to rescue the world, to bring things back to the way they were before the destruction. This would be a perfect storm, allowing Satan to bring his man of sin onto the stage of history.
Dr. Jeffress’ engendering the thought that the Rapture could take place during a great calamity caused me to consider Paul’s words as recorded in 2 Thessalonians 2. The prophecy tells us that God, Himself, will send “strong delusion” to those left behind after the Rapture. And God does that so all who wouldn’t accept His truth during this Age of Grace, and who will not do so following the great disappearance, will “believe a lie.”
The lie will no doubt include that the people who left were removed for reasons Antichrist and his regime will explain. We’ve examined before that UFOs might have a part in this great lie.
So, sudden destruction, like the sudden destruction of Sodom, certainly might take place at the same time the Church goes to be with Christ in the clouds of Glory.
Many of you might already have concluded this on your own, before my epiphany. But it’s an alteration, of sorts, to my thinking on these last of the last days.
It all fits better than my previous thoughts—that America, as one example, might suffer a more or less slow-motion collapse and eventual crash of the economy and of our national existence following the catching-up of the Church. Regardless, my original contention—that the Rapture will cause the great collapse of America and the world into chaos—remains unchanged. Dr. Jeffress’ TV presentation offers the real possibility, even the probability, that the great disappearance will take place at the same time of national and worldwide collapse in sudden destruction, exactly like in Jesus’ prophecy of Luke 17:28–30.
In any case, you don’t want to be on earth when whatever is going to happen happens. It will bring destruction far greater than any storm of nature one can imagine. Here is how to escape that coming time that will be like the day Lot and his family left Sodom and the city was obliterated. You can be within the safety of Christ’s arms forever, whether you’re entering Heaven through the portal of death or go to Him while you’re still alive at the time of the Rapture.
“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
–Terry
What More Do People Need to See?
This sounds so much like today! I couldn’t get that thought out of my head as I read the John 6 account of Jesus’ interaction with the Jews the day after His feeding of the five thousand.
How did those in the crowd on that day respond to Jesus’ plea that they believe in Him? They asked, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?” (John 6:30).
What more did they need to see?
Jesus had just fed a multitude with “five barley loaves” and “two fish.” The total number of people could easily have been close to fifteen thousand since the number “five thousand” just included the men. Even satisfying the hunger of a few hundred people with such little food would’ve been a significant miracle, but to feed so great a gathering was over-the-top supernatural.
Seeing such a miraculous sign should’ve at least caused the crowd to consider Jesus’ claims on the following day, but most scoffed at His claims and walked away.
The lack of discernment among this hungry throng from so long ago bears a striking resemblance to many Christians today. They see the multitude of signs telling them that they live in the last moments of time before the start of the Tribulation, yet they respond in the same manner as those who witnessed the feeding of the five thousand.
They scoff at our hope of Jesus’ imminent appearing and flock to churches that proclaim an end-of-the-world return of Jesus that happens in the far distant future. They want what Jesus offers but would rather not look for His imminent intervention in their world.
Beginning in the early seventeenth century, many students of Bible prophecy taught that Israel would again become a nation. When this miraculously happened about three hundred years later, it did little to change the minds of those who claimed God had rejected Israel. This major fulfillment of Bible prophecy didn’t alter their errant thinking that the church was God’s kingdom in place of Israel.
In His mercy, the Lord is letting today’s world see multiple precursors pointing to the soon release of the horses of the apocalypse in Revelation 6:1-8. I believe that if it were not for His restraining force, the world would already have experienced the full impact of these judgments. Sometimes I’m amazed that we are still here and these horses remain in their stalls. We are so close, but for God’s mercy.
Never before has there been so much evidence pointing to the nearness of this time of wrath than today. However, never in recent history has there been so much unawareness and disbelief regarding Bible prophecy as we now see in churches.
The same unbelief that caused the crowd to refute Jesus’ claims in John chapter 6 keeps many of today’s Christians oblivious to the fact that their world could radically and suddenly change at any moment. It grieves my heart that despite professing to believe in the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, so many pastors remain sound asleep, mired in unbelief concerning what the Lord revealed in His Word regarding His appearing and the time of His wrath upon this wicked world.
Of course, Jesus attracted many true followers during His time on the earth. Many saw the signs He performed confirming His identity and recognized Him as their Messiah. Notice the response of those in Jerusalem a little while after the feeding of the five thousand:
“Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, ‘When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?’” (John 7:31).
We might ask a similar question to those who tell us we are foolish to look for Jesus’ appearing anytime soon, or even in our lifetime: ‘If the Lord were to warn today’s Christians that the Tribulation period was near, would we see any more signs of its soon arrival than we currently witness?’
I can’t imagine we could see more evidence of the approaching Day of the Lord than what we now witness. I’m aware that those who read the Nearing Midnight column are eagerly awaiting His return, but I write to provide reassurance of the validity of what we see despite living in the midst of naysayers.
Just like those living in the first century AD, we live in biblical times today. Also similar to that day long ago, it’s primarily church leaders who are leading people away from anticipating the Lord’s imminent appearing.
Maranatha!
-Jonathan
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