How Could Anyone Be Left Behind?

 In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.  Here’s this week’s question:  Dear Mr. Hunt and Mr. McMahon, I notice that the latest episode of the Left Behind series reached the number one spot of the New York Times best seller list.  I’ve read all of them and found them to be very entertaining, but there is something that puzzles me.  Among evangelicals who believe in the Rapture of the church before the Great Tribulation, there has been a zeal to produce all kinds of things, from tracts to film productions to let the world know that when millions of people disappear from the earth those left behind will know those raptured went to be with the Lord.  The idea is, the Left Behind type tracts, books, videos and so on will explain the mass disappearance.  It seems like the current popularity of rapture explanations will help a great number of those to come—there has been a zeal to produce, what do you think?

Tom:

Well, I  haven’t read the Left Behind series, I haven’t read any of the books, but what I have heard about it they sound like they are pretty good.

Dave:

I have not read them either, Tom.

Tom:

So why are we talking about it?

Dave:

I’m waiting for my good friend Tim to give me some free copies.  No, that’s not the issue, I just haven’t had time.

Tom:

But what about this idea, Dave?

Dave:

I understand the question this person is asking, and I’ve had some people say that it bothered them, but you would get the idea by reading the series that, well, we’re not sure whether Jesus Christ is the Savior or not, and we’re not sure about, you know, whether the Bible is true, but if these people suddenly disappear they will know it’s all true and then we’ll come to Christ.  Now again, I haven’t read them so I don’t know, but I’m assuming these people are telling me if that is the impression it gives, I think it’s dangerous.

Tom:

Are you referring to 2 Thessalonians 2?

Dave:

Right.  I can’t be dogmatic, but it does seem to indicate that if you have heard the gospel, I mean only the Lord knows, but it does say that those who refuse to receive the love of the truth will be given a strong delusion to believe the lie, 2 Thessalonians 2: 8, 9, 10, well, from 10 on, that they all might be damned who had pleasure in unrighteousness.  I think it would be very dangerous for anyone to say well, I’m going to wait and see, and if the rapture occurs, then I’ll believe.  I think you would be given a strong delusion to believe the lie.  On the other hand—

Tom:

Which comes from God himself, the scripture says.

Dave:

Exactly.

Tom:

So we’re not talking about just somebody’s thoughts or ideas, I mean, they will be compelled because of their own heart, the delusion of their own heart to believe this couldn’t have happened even if they had one of Tim’s books in their hands.

Dave:

Right.  Tom, I’ve often told audiences, and again I can’t be dogmatic because the Lord knows the heart of each individual, but I’ve often said you know if suddenly we all disappeared and you were the only one left here in this church sitting here alone, I don’t think you would believe it was the Rapture.  You would have some other explanation, you would be given a strong delusion to believe the lie, and there are a number of lies, you know, explanations, and the popularity of UFO’s and the space Odysseys and so forth, “beam me up, Scotty.”  I think that would probably be the most rational explanation for most people who are left behind.

Tom:

In addition the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist, he’s going to be a compelling figure to seduce the world.  So it won’t just be an idea they had about where these people may have gone.  He will supply some information in that regard.

Dave:

There will be people, millions perhaps who will come to faith in Christ because the Bible talks about the great—

Tom:

After the Rapture.

Dave:

After the Rapture—a great multitude and they pay for their faith with their lives.  If you don’t take the mark of the beast you can’t buy or sell.  You don’t bow down and worship is image, you are killed.  It’s that simple, it’s going to be enforced because of the necessity, I presume, and you can see it coming now to unite the world and we can’t have people who are coming up with contrary theories and ideas that bring about disunity.  Everyone has to think the same; they will all worship the Antichrist for the good of mankind, of course.  If I were an unsaved person I would not want to take a chance.  I think you would be tempting God, I think furthermore that the gospel is true, we have the evidence.  Each person knows in his own heart that he is a sinner, that he needs salvation, he needs forgiveness from God, and he needs to be saved from the penalty of God’s wrath because of sin, and if that is not enough to convict them and to bring them to Christ, then I don’t think they are going to believe afterwards.

Tom:

Dave, Tim LaHaye has taken some hits on this because people are saying, as they have said to us, Well, this is an idea; this Rapture idea came out of the 1800’s.  Again, the name of the program is Search the Scriptures Daily, isn’t there a scriptural basis?  We do have a little time here but is there scriptural basis for this idea of the Rapture?

Dave:

Of course.  In John 14, Jesus said, I am going to go away and prepare a place for you; I’ll come again and receive you unto myself.  He says he is going to the Father’s house, sounds like he is going to take us to the Father’s house.  Now 1^st Thessalonians 4, you know, says “the dead in Christ will rise first; we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.”  And in the Latin Bible you have the Word of Rapture—

Tom:

In the Vulgate, right.

Dave:

—rapture there.  So definitely the Bible says we are going to be taken away from this earth.  At the Rapture Christ doesn’t even, his feet don’t touch the Mount of Olives; we are caught up to meet him in the air.  It’s only at the second coming that he comes to this earth to rescue Israel in the midst of Armageddon.  So, the Rapture is not an idea that we get from some writing of men, it comes from the Bible.