AN END-TIME SCENARIO

Life on earth will be totally evil when Jesus returns.  He described it as being like it was in the days of Noah (Lk. 17:26).  Describing the world at that time, Moses wrote, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5).

As bad as things are today, it cannot be said that "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."  Even though the Church has a great many "tares," much "leaven," and loads of "unwanted fish" (Mt. 13:30, 33, 48), there still remains a "remnant" of faithful believers living today.  Yes, as bad as the world is, it could be a lot worse. 

Luke later quoted Jesus as saying in Luke 18:8, "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?"  So what has to happen before the Lord's statement here, and in Luke 17:26 will be true?  The faithful believers will have to be removed!   

Jesus promised He would remove His Church prior to the pouring out of God's wrath upon the world; He told the Church of Philadelphia (represents faithful believers), "Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev. 3:10).  Notice that there will still be a church operating when the believers are removed, but it will be a Christ-less church (Rev. 3:14-22)!

The removal of His faithful Church will occur prior to the Tribulation (Mt. 24:3-29; Rev. 6 - 18; also known as Daniel's Seventieth Week - Dan. 9:27; and the Time of Jacob's Trouble - Jer. 30:7).  Jesus will catch faithful believers up into the clouds prior to the destruction below, pictured in what He did for Noah (Gen. 7:17), and for Lot (Gen. 19:17).  The "removal" is known as the Rapture of the Church, and is described in John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; and Revelation 4:1.  Notice that the Church is not mentioned one time during the Tribulation, as it is described in Revelation 6-18.

There is one alternative theory as to why there are no believers left on earth at Christ's Second Coming, and based upon how many Christians are being slaughtered around the world today, I must agree that is seems quite likely to be true.  However, there is one giant flaw to the theory:  how could 1 Thessalonians 4:17 be true?  It reads, "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."  It cannot!  Praise God!

True believers cannot wait until they are transformed into Christ's likeness (1 Jn. 3:2)!