To begin the discussion about the rapture, I want to simplify one thing: what are we waiting for next on God’s “end times” calendar?

For all intents and purposes, we really only have two choices: 1) the rise of the anti-christ, or 2) the rapture. Throughout the span of the church, people have been waiting for both. They thought Hitler was the Anti-Christ and they thought that the rapture would happen in 1988. Why? I don’t remember – get the book.

Anyway, we at Lake Center are kind of waiting for both. We believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. That mumbo-jumbo simply means that God will make our bodies and souls disappear in an instant to meet Christ in the air and take us to heaven for a period of time. That period of time is the tribulation, or the Day of the Lord. The tribulation is supposed to last 7 years (Daniel 9:24-27). The first 3 1/2 years is going to be peaceful because some world leader will rise up and take over the world, and the world will love it. We believe the rapture will be the key thing this person needs in order to take over the world because all of the pesky Christians are out of the way. The rapture will create world-wide chaos and they will need someone to settle their hearts (much like Adolf did in Germany – hence the thought he was the Anti-Christ).

The anti-christ will sign a peace treaty with Israel and everything will be hunky dory (where did that phrase come from?). Then, he will do a lot of bad things (Daniel 9), break the treaty with Israel, and then God will break the earth by unleashing his wrath in the last 3 1/2 years (Revelation 6-19). So it is kind of a simultaneous thing. We are kind of waiting to see what person could possibly be powerful enough to unite the entire world because he will have to already be pretty powerful in order to assume power right after the rapture. That’s why you heard all of the spastic Christians declare our current president is the the Anti-Christ in light of his charisma, his name, and his ability to sway people. Too bad his approval ratings are so low.

So we are waiting for both. Next: will the rapture occur before or after he takes over the world?