Chapter Twenty-One – Those Who Escape
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Faithful Christians will be taken to a specially prepared place of safe protection, and kept from the “hour of trial” to come on the “whole earth.” Their flight will occur just before earth-jarring punishment from God strikes all nations in two more waves.
Many of God’s people will not be protected. Also, like the vast numbers caught unprepared when atomic bombs struck two Japanese cities at the end of World War II, and when millions of Jews lost their lives because they could not believe the Nazis capable of the Holocaust, many today will be unnecessarily swept away into suffering punishment and death when they could have been protected—could have survived!
One central question looms: What is it that God requires of those who escape?
Misreading Events—and Times
One of the most critical warnings Jesus directed to those living at the end of the age was that many would have slipped into the belief that more time remained than God had planned. He summarized this attitude as “My Lord delays His coming” (Matt. 24:3, 48). Jesus knew that circumstances in the world would mesmerize many into assuming they could enjoy their lives a little longer before “things blow up.”
The problem?
When calamity strikes without warning, many will be shocked, thinking, “I thought we had more time.”
A review of Jeremiah and Ezekiel reveals that this thinking reflects how people would incorrectly perceive the speed and seriousness of end-time events between nations. They would not be able to recognize prophecy, and the rate of its advancing fulfillment, playing out before them. Follow closely, because critical understanding is about to unfold.
Recognize that both Jeremiah and Ezekiel foretold a strange interval in world events when, just before the end—even after the death of up to two billion people—religious (and probably some political) leaders, among others, in the nations of Israel and elsewhere, would offer public reassurance to the masses who would be concerned about what they were observing on the domestic and international scene.
We saw the prophet Jeremiah wrote this about the efforts of leaders in latter-day Israel. Let’s read more closely: “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jer 6:14). For emphasis, God inspired Jeremiah to repeat this statement verbatim in chapter 8, Jer 8:11.
Here is how the prophet Ezekiel describes the fruitless efforts of leaders who apply patchwork solutions to huge, impossible problems towering over the world: “Because, even because they [the leaders] have seduced My people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar” (Eze 13:10).
Understand the terms being used here—grasp God’s meaning. “Untempered mortar” allows bricks to come loose under pressure where “walls” were thought to be stronger than they were. These ineffective “solutions” (the untempered political mortar used by world leaders) will involve military, political, economic, social and religious solutions—and will almost surely include the spreading of the counterfeit “Jesus” and his band-aid “kingdom-building” social-improvement “gospel.”
Because the One who became Jesus Christ inspired both the Old and New Testaments, it is not surprising that the problem of misreading events at the end would be a theme referenced by numerous Bible writers. In fact, Jesus Himself spoke more than once of how His Return would arrive without notice, as would a “thief” entering your home late at night when you would be asleep. We saw Peter and Paul were also inspired to speak of events at the end coming “as a thief in the night” (II Pet. 3:10; I Thes. 5:2).
Thieves do not telephone in advance of their coming. They “break and enter” homes or businesses without notice. Truly, the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord will suddenly “break” into world peace and “enter” the course of every nation and every life on Earth!
Not All True Christians Protected
As we have seen, Revelation 6:9-11 symbolically paints a revealing but grim picture of martyred Christians from previous ages awaiting a final time when “their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” Revelation 12:17 identifies who these “fellow servants” are. We have seen that they are described as “the remnant of her [the Church’s] seed”—those that “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” This remnant is directly persecuted by Satan, as he “makes war” with them, eventually causing their death.
Understand! As stated, even some true Christians will not escape the devil’s wrath in the Tribulation! This is serious, and should make the question of how to receive God’s protection much more sobering!
Consider. If even certain genuine servants of God will not be spared from coming martyrdom, because their conduct and beliefs are deficient in various ways from what God expects, then He must have very high standards for those He does select for protection. Recognize that your life hangs in the balance. Quite literally, if you miscalculate or falsely assume, the personal price you pay will be catastrophic.
It is time to wake up to what is at stake!
Grasp this! You have a personal responsibility, and the remainder of this chapter covers basic, vital points that you must know—if you hope to escape what others will not!
Also recognize that, however important, just “keeping the commandments of God” (Rev. 12:17) is not enough to be protected from—to escape—the devil’s angry attack. Although the world rejects this marvelous spiritual law, God requires far more than just basic obedience to escape the coming time of world trial.
You Have a Responsibility
Consider for a moment what may be the worst part of the fictional rapture theory. Merely waiting to be whisked away—mysteriously vacuumed into heaven—produces a largely carefree and careless attitude in those awaiting Christ’s Return. This thinking subtly defeats the need for any personal responsibility—for taking action in a host of vital areas of Christian conduct and behavior. Tragically, millions are in fact now being conditioned to simply “Believe in Christ, and He will take care of everything else.”
This is short-sighted, dangerous thinking! It is also very irresponsible.
Numerous verses demonstrate that true Christianity involves active effort. True conversion does not allow for passive by standing. Of course, just the act of escaping implies effort. But Luke records that one must do at least two other specific things for escape to be possible: “watch…and pray always” (Luke 21:36)!
Certainly not the whole picture, this does further introduce the need for taking action and accepting personal responsibility!
Watch and Pray
Take Jesus’ instruction at face value. There is no room in Luke 21:36 for disinterest, or even passive semi-interest, in the exact sequence of crucial events, as they lead up to the fulfillment of the greatest single prophecy in the Bible—Jesus Christ’s Return. All who wish to truly be God’s servants—and to stand before Christ in His kingdom—will be found carefully watching for many specific trends and events, either occurring now or lying just over the horizon.
The Restored Church of God has prepared many tools to help look ahead to—and carefully watch—big events, soon to EXPLODE on the world scene! Force yourself to develop a burning interest in what will happen and to learn while there is still time. If necessary, read this book again until the weight—the thundering reality!—of future events becomes clear. Determine to grasp, with full understanding, how and in what order they will occur. Nothing less will do.
Luke also said to “pray always.” Obviously, prayer—“effectual [poured out], fervent [intense] prayer” (James. 5:16)—requires real effort. Such prayer is not done automatically or easily, and you must set your hand to learn how to do it and to work at it.
Most people have no idea how to pray, or even that they should regularly talk to God. That is what prayer is—talking to God. Most offer empty, canned, self-righteous platitudes, repeating the same thing over and over, contrary to Jesus’ plain teaching in Matthew 6:7. Others merely pray selfish prayers, reflecting the “gimmes.” Still others seem to confuse thinking “happy thoughts” or “positive thinking” with prayer. Of course, these are good, if correctly based. But they are not prayer!
Understanding the keys to prayer, which come from a simple study of the New Testament on this subject, will forever change the way you view the powerful, personal tool of prayer. This means taking the time to learn how to study God’s Word, and to meditate on what you are reading, sometimes accompanied with fasting. You can understand and master these tools. Done effectively, they will change—and save—your life!