Believers in Jesus, in these last days, who are aware of the soon coming Rapture of the Church, but who still struggle at times with the fear of being left behind, may want to read this brief, but informative blog. One of the tricks of the devil is to get Christians to believe that they are not saved. He does this by accusing us of our past (and sometimes current) sins. (Revelation 12:10) It’s a cheap shot from the enemy of our soul to get us off our center when it comes to the security of our salvation through our faith in Jesus.
Truth be told, how you feel about the timing of the Rapture in conjunction to the seven-year tribulation is just as important as your security in knowing that you’re going with the rest of the Church when the Master returns. It all stems from how you view your relationship with Jesus. If you have invited Jesus to be the Lord of your life and you are in a right relationship with Him, reading the Word, praying, fellowshipping with other believers, witnessing, going to church, doing ministry, and all of the other things that reflect a well-rounded relationship with Jesus; then you’re good to go. This is not about work’s righteousness, rather, it’s about a love relationship with the Lord that is reflected in the fruit of your repentance.
When John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness, just prior to Christ’ baptism, he chastised the Pharisees and Sadducees for their religious and self-righteous demeanor.
Both Matthew and Luke recorded it this way, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” – Matthew 3:7-9; Luke 3:7,8
- While I could blog for pages on this passage, suffice it to say that being religious, spiritual, affiliated with a particular church or religious group, or just being a good person doesn’t save you; only Jesus can save. People who are self-righteous, but who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, are in a bad place. They think that their works have saved them; but in reality, they are lost and don’t even know it.
When John tells his audience to ‘bear fruits worthy of repentance,’ he in telling them that if we truly believe in Jesus, our life and what comes out of it, will reflect our faith. We’ll know that we’re saved by the byproduct (fruits) of our love for the Lord. The problem comes in when certain people, who deem themselves to be ‘spiritual’ (whatever that means) and really ‘Pharisaical.’
I love my wife and I have a relationship with her. It’s work and it takes work. We have been married for over 35 years with all of the ups and downs that marriage offers such holdouts like us. Our love for each other is represented in our faithfulness and commitment to each other; and everything that goes with it. So it is with our walk and relationship with Jesus. We love Him because He first loved us. We saw ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior and He offered us salvation though His shed blood. We received His forgiveness by faith and He saved us, redeemed us, and promised us that He will return again to receive us to our heavenly home. If this statement best reflects your experience with Jesus, then you too are truly saved and ready to be raptured.
The problem comes in when we superimpose our relationship with people, parents, spouses, children, and other people in our lives, with our relationship with Jesus. Our relationship with people can be flawed, abusive, traumatic, and even depressing at times. People who are supposed to love us and support us don’t always. This perversion of what true love is supposed to look like can taint our understanding and appreciation for the Lord and His love for us. This can lead to emotional trauma that is expressed in a variety of dysfunctional ways.
Trauma, in of itself, can be defined as any emotional and psychological response to a negative event that’s destressing, disturbing, or painful. To place a fear of being left behind on top of that behavior can only exasperate the feeling, which I like to call ‘FoBLoB’ (pronounced ‘fo-blob’).
FoBLoB is basically abandonment trauma, where some folks perceive any type of abandonment that may have occurred to them in their past, or potentially will occur to them in their future; that will inflict pain, neglect, lack of personal safety/provision, and the general feeling of being left behind. This is the fear that many uninformed or immature Christians feel when the devil attacks them with the lie that they will be left behind because they are not really saved.
Listen up! Your salvation was established at the cross. If you invited Jesus to be the Lord of your life, than you are saved and ‘sealed for the day of redemption;’ which is the Rapture/resurrection; depending on which side of the grave you are at when the Lord returns.
The Apostle Paul remind us, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification (building up), that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor (loud quarreling), and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” – Ephesians 4:29,30
- In essence, we are save by God’s grace and sealed by His Holy Spirit, but the fruit of our repentance still needs to reflect that decision and experience.
For believers who may struggle with their flesh at times (which we all do), the devil will accuse you of your short comings and tell you that you are not saved and therefore, not going in the Rapture. This creates a fear in some believers (FoBLoB) and thus, they question their own faith and salvation.
The next time the devil tries to remind you of your past, which was forgiven at the cross, and he accuse you of your current struggles, you remind him of his future.
“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where (also) the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” – Revelation 20:10
More importantly, remember the words of Jesus, as recorded by the Hebrew writer, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5
Matthew recorded the Lord’s words this way, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” – Matthew 28:19,20
- Jesus knows that we may struggle with abandonment issues at times; this is why He tells us that ‘He will never leave or forsake us.’ He wants us to have faith in Him and truly know that He is with us, for us, and in us, if we are in Him and walking in a right relationship with Him.
What I have found in my experience is that people who are not concerned about missing the Rapture, should be; and those who are concerned, shouldn’t be. It’s an oxymoron that reflects a person’s position and understanding of how much Jesus really does love them. This same issue is extended to everyone who refutes a pre-tribulation Rapture. To think, for even a minute, that the Lord will allow His bride to endure any part or the entire seven-year tribulation is a reflection on how that person views God’s love (or lack) for them. Jesus loves you and if you are in Him, ‘He will never leave you or forsake you.’
There is no need to fear being left behind because if you are in Christ, you are hidden in Him; safe, secure, and ready for His return. The fear of being left behind is a lie from the devil and when you feel that fear, you need to rebuke it and confess that Jesus is your Lord and Savior; then thank Him for His promise that ‘He will never leave you or forsake you.’
One final thought; Jesus will not leave you behind because He promised the faithful church that He would not leave them behind to endure the seven-year tribulation.
Jesus said it this way, “Because you (faithful Christian) have kept My command (the word of My patience) to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” – Revelation 3:10
- This promise is for every true believer in Jesus who has placed their faith and trust in Jesus. The ‘hour of trial’ is the seven-year tribulation, ‘which shall come upon the whole world.’ This tells us that the tribulation will be a global event, just like the flood of Noah.
Those who ‘dwell on the earth’ are those who are not saved and who have made this world, and all that’s in it, their home. While it’s true that many people will be saved during the tribulation, it’s equally true that those who are saved on this side of the Rapture will be caught up before the seven-year tribulation begins.
Be encouraged my brother (sister) in Christ. If you are saved, you will NOT be left behind. If you are reading this, even on the other side of the Rapture, it’s still not to late for you to be saved. You can receive Jesus by confessing Him as your Lord and Savior and asking Him to forgive you of your sin and cleanse you from your unrighteousness. That simple prayer of faith will bring you into a true relationship with Jesus.
Maranatha!
Encouragemen is a blog written by Pastor Rob Lee, recently relocated to Northern Missouri. He lives with his wife of 35-years, near their three adult children, their spouses, and children (their grandchildren). Pastor Rob is an Ordained Assemblies of God minister, a former Lead Pastor (25 years), police chaplain, and community advocate. He continues to serve, consult, and disciple men of God, including those who are in the ministry.
Encourage Men 