Rapture – Valerie Cullers

“Confirmation bias is the human tendency to seek, interpret and favor information that confirms or supports one’s preexisting beliefs or values. This cognitive shortcut leads people to overlook or dismiss information that contradicts their views, reinforcing what they already believe to be true.” Google

We all have a tendency to listen to information that confirms what we believe. If you don’t think so, think about the news station you watch. Does it have newscasters that support the political views you already hold? Whether you are on the left or the right, it is easy to find a news source that will reinforce your own particular bias.

While confirmation bias keeps us from opening our minds to information that doesn’t match our political views, my biggest concern is for those who are in the church who hold rigid views on upcoming prophetic events. Many of us have our favorite teachers who expound on the subject…I do too. But if we only listen to those who believe the way we do, we may end up disappointed or worse, losing our faith if future events don’t play out the way we are expecting them to.

The subject that concerns me the most is that of the rapture. So many people in the church believe in a pretribulation rapture. There is nothing wrong with this as long as you know that many legitimate scholars hold different views. In other words, some very learned men (and women) in the church believe in a mid-trib or pre-wrath rapture. Still others favor the view that Christ will only come one time for his church and that will happen at the end of the tribulation.

You see, no one really knows for sure how prophetic events will play out. We all hope that the church will be raptured (taken to heaven to be with Christ) before the seven-year tribulation occurs, but what if it doesn’t? Are you one who is so entrenched in your view that you won’t consider another alternative? If you are, how will you react if the rapture doesn’t happen when you think it should? Will you be in shock, dismayed, and disillusioned? Will you fall away from the faith because events didn’t happen the way you believed they would?

We need to ask ourselves serious questions and be prepared for prophetic events however they play out. Remember, the religious scholars of the day couldn’t accept Jesus because he didn’t come in a way they believed he would. They were so sure He would look a certain way that they missed Him when he was standing right in front of them.

We can take comfort in the fact that Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” We must remember that he is faithful and will be with us. He will help us navigate whatever circumstances we find ourselves in the future. What is important is that we live in a way that prepares us to be ready to meet him whenever he comes.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

“Resilience – the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness.” Oxford Languages

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were listening to a man who had been on the History Channel’s Alone series. He had made it 43 days alone out in the forests of British Columbia. He talked about how he made it, and he stressed that most of all, it depended on a person’s mental outlook. He said that resilience was the most important quality a person could have in that kind of a difficult situation.

He also talked about how he had planned what he was going to do when he was dropped off in the woods alone. Then came the shock after he was dropped off. Nothing was like he thought it would be. That’s when the resilience kicked in. He had to get over his shock and quickly adapt to his surroundings.

I thought about what he said a lot. I thought about many believers who are convinced that there will be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. I have been in groups where people are talking about what might happen in the future, and they say, “I don’t have to worry about anything, I won’t be here.” They are so convinced that they have a handle on what their future will be like that they won’t entertain any other possibilities.

To quote Joel Richardson, “I find that to be a problem pastorally.” If perhaps the Rapture doesn’t happen at the time they think it will, what will they do? Will they be in shock and have a difficult time adjusting to their new reality? Will they think they have been duped by the teachers who have taught them this belief without giving them the caveat that perhaps it could happen a different way?

I have been concerned about this for a long time. No one knows the day or hour of Christ’s return for His church. We should all be ready at any time. But we must not be so foolish as to think that we may never go through any difficulty or persecution before He comes back. Only those in the American church are so cavalier as to believe such nonsense. When you speak to Christians in other countries, especially those in the 10/40 window, they are concerned about sharing the gospel and living for Christ today. They already face persecution and many difficulties, unlike we in the West do. Let us not live with a false sense of security. We need to be resilient and tough regarding the future, for no one knows for sure when the Rapture will take place.

Photo by Svklimkin. Courtesy of Pixabay.