Excuse me… were you… looking for me?
It’s a fair question… I feel like my life has taken off like a wild horse and I am along for the ride, but it’s hard to hold on. As such, I haven’t posted a new article in a LONG LONG time. No excuses! There just isn’t enough of me. I decided to keep the website up for those who are still looking to gain perspective on some of the things we talk about here. But I was surprised to get a notification that visits to this site doubled on September 23rd and 24th. Sis, I have been so busy, I didn’t question it when my brother contacted me to say that my nephews were getting baptized with such short notice, I wasn’t invited. I simply congratulated the children and kept doing me. It wasn’t until the date arrived that I heard about RaptureTok, and I saw the video where a prophet said definitively that the rapture would occur on September 23rd and 24th.
Would I be a believer if I didn’t feel a shiver of hope at the idea? There are days when my spirit is begging Jesus to come before the next set of bills are due. And not just that- I want to see Him. More and more, I hear myself saying I cannot wait to see him face to face and behold all of His glory. But I knew almost immediately that this prophecy was likely not to be trusted. Before you ask, yes, I saw the mountain of “evidence”, co-relation to the Jewish new year, numbers et cetera. I didn’t really pay close attention. The whole thing felt off to me. I do believe that Jesus is coming again. I believe that Christians indeed have something to glean from the numbers and meaning of the year according to the Hebrew characters. This personal deep dive is meant to help us progress in accomplishing the specific things God created us for that will help expand the kingdom of God. Prophecy is a worthy pursuit- but increasingly, I am cautious about who I am listening to and what they might be doing to access this knowledge. Since the pandemic, I have been careful about what I let into my gates (for example, what sermons I listen to or what music). I spend more time with the classics and systematic theology. I am deeply committed to the church I am preaching at and I want to make myself available to hear from God on their behalf. I haven’t been keeping up to date with this recent phenomenon.
When I finally arrived at RaptureTok, I could only sigh and ask myself why we humans do the same thing again and again. I understand that we are living in hard times- I am feeling it too. Money doesn’t go as far as it used to and life is very expensive. When the pressure is on, picturing eternal life free from this world is a great place to go mentally. But we have to come back! We are needed in this world still. I saw people passionately sharing the gospel and it made me wonder if they did this before there was a rapture watch on the go. There were videos of people selling and giving away everything because they would not be needing earthly possessions anymore. Others judged the people who were not buying in… imagine, shaming people for not being totally sold out! Friends, the truth is, we should be living every day as though Jesus is coming. There are definitely some days when I’m like Lord, don’t come now and find me like this (haha) but for true believers, this is something we have to keep in our minds without allowing it to take over.
I have friends who are very head in clouds kind of Christians. It’s almost as though their way of dealing with reality is just to ignore it and stay focused on heavenly things. But the world is very real. We have to steward this beautiful planet we have been given. It is the creation of God’s hands, and it was created also for us. To check out and go sit and wait for the rapture is not being a good steward. I do understand that with all of the muck we are going through globally and within our own countries, its important to submit yourself to God for the daily renewal of your mind (Remember that scripture? Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove that what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God.”). This is the answer to the question of how to live in this world that is increasingly wicked and perverse.
How about this one? “Submit yourself unto God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-10). This passage gives me peace every day. I know that we all have different spiritual gifts and different levels of maturity when it comes to spiritual things, but even the newest believer can hear from God if s/he prays, reads the word and spends time with mature believers. Those are the three things that nourish your spiritual walk. If God talks to me directly, I am less likely to be swayed by predictions of when He will return and what He will do next.
Of course it’s nice to know! I would have loved to know who my husband would be. But this is not the role of prophecy even if some people are given that revelation. Prophecy should encourage the body of Christ and lift up the faith of the people. The older I get, the more I appreciate how the apostle Paul presented the element of the unknown as a mystery (1 Corinthians 2:7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory”). Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard what the Lord has in store. We know not the day or time of the fulfillment of this mystery and still… we believe.
I know there will be some people who commit themselves to end times prophecy and developing the theological branch of knowledge that ultimately helps us to navigate the end times. This is good work. But it’s not for me. It’s not for most people. And it’s not for TikTok. I hope sincerely that you have not been discouraged or damaged in preparing for the proposed end on September 23-24. I am praying that this does not turn you away from God, but rather, it encourages you to press in and know Him for yourself. There are lots of little articles on this site to help you make practical some of the things that are said in church but not explained. And you are welcome to comment below and let me know what I can post about to help you. Maranatha! Jesus is coming soon!