It is possible to be a professing Christian and not actually be in the faith. Paul said, “Examine yourselves, seeing whether you are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5a). Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21-23).
If you are reading this after the rapture has occurred, it’s because you weren’t ready. Jesus said in Matthew 25:10 that “those who were ready went in … And the door was shut.”
Let me give you 20 pieces of counsel to survive this terrible time if you miss God’s first roundup, the rapture.
1. Do not believe the explanations given by the secular media.
Christians have not been beamed to some interplanetary spaceship to be reprogrammed. We have not been taken by aliens, and we’re not in Buenos Aires, Togo or Europe. We have left the earth on a cloud of glory to be with Jesus forever.
2. Get rid of your cell phone.
If you do not agree with the government of the final shabua and the charming world leader, you will be hunted. Your cell phone can be tracked. Throw it in a river or lake far from where you are going to be.
3. Do not kill yourself.
Whenever there’s social disorder and confusion, people tend to think suicide is the only way out. It’s not. You probably feel hopeless, but there is still hope. The Holy Spirit will still be working during the final shabua. Pray and ask Him to guide you, give you strength and dwell in you.
4. Repent immediately and make your peace with God.
If you’re reading this after the rapture, you’ve already witnessed many of the events we described. Now is the time to repent. Jesus Christ is the only Savior and only way to heaven (John 14:6). Pray, “Lord Jesus, be merciful to me. I have sinned against you. Save me now. I receive you as my personal Savior.” For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).
5. Make sure you have a printed Bible.
You will not want any electronic tablets during the Tribulation. God’s Word and promises will still work after the rapture because Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Matt. 24:35). Keep your Bible in a safe place because when the Antichrist’s government takes over, he will eventually try to destroy all the Bibles.
Read the Ten Commandments and follow them (Ex. 20:1-17). God’s grace is still available, but after the church is gone, the age of grace has concluded, and everything reverts to something like Old Testament times.
Make sure you read Daniel 2-12. Chapter 12 will give you the general time Jesus is coming the second time. Read Matthew 24, Mark 13, 1 Thessalonians 5, 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation. Everything will begin to make sense to you.
6. Leave your home and get away from the cities, especially the big cities.
You’re going to be tempted to wait and see what happens, but if you do, it will be a fatal mistake, just as it was for the Jews who waited too long during the holocaust years. Go to some remote area. Learn to live off the land. Don’t take your cell phone because you can be tracked down. Disconnect the transponder on your vehicle, or ditch the vehicle altogether.
Make sure your family is safe and in agreement with your decision to leave. Take them if they will come. If not, you must go alone.
7. Pray for God to help you and give you strength.
It’s going to be difficult to survive, but God will still hear you, and He’ll still help you. It won’t be easy, but Jesus said, “He who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13). You’re going to need His strength as you’ve never needed it before.
8. Don’t go to church.
That’s right—don’t go to church or join the world conglomerate religion because it will be under the control of the false prophet (Rev. 13). All true, godly ministers have left the earth in the rapture. Do not believe the lies of the ministers who are left behind. Even if you see miracles and apparent wonders, do not believe them. They are lying wonders (Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22; Luke 21; 2 Thess. 2:9). Deception will be the order of the day. Delusion will be everywhere, especially in “churches.”
If possible, try to find others who may have accepted Christ after the rapture. You will be able to find ways to support and encourage one another.
9. Get a small, self-powered radio.
If you can’t get the kind you crank by hand, get a battery-operated radio and a good supply of batteries, because you’re going to need to listen. Don’t believe the propaganda, but believe when they tell you about certain events relating to wars and geophysical calamities. You’ll be able to know what will happen next by reading Revelation 6-19.
10. Keep praying for your loved ones who are unbelievers.
God will still answer prayers during the Tribulation. Your prayers may be the key to seeing your loved ones again after this period of supreme agony is over.
11. Leave copies of this list for as many people as you can.
Perhaps this will help others survive and come to Christ. Be discerning, however, in giving out books like this if the rapture has already occurred. Jesus said in Luke 21:16-17 that people will be betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and some of them will cause you to be put to death. He was talking about the period you are living in right now if you missed the rapture. {eoa}
Stay tuned for part 2.
Dr. Dave Williams served for over 30 years as pastor of Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan, with over 500 outreach ministries around the world. During his tenure, Mount Hope Church gave over $40,000,000 to world and local missions. His leadership training course, The Art of Pacesetting Leadership, is credited with catapulting one church from 226 to over 4,000. Another church went from 8 to over 1,000. His all-time best-selling book, The New Life: The Start of Something Wonderful, is a practical, step-by-step guide to help new believers become established in their Christian walk and has sold over 2.5 million copies. On May 2, 2017, Charisma House will release his latest book, Hope in the Last Days. Dave now focuses on helping young ministers whenever he has an opportunity.
