Left Behind

Today's Daily Encounter
Left Behind
"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with
a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and
with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first. After that, we who are still alive
and are left will be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will
be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each
other with these words."1
Recently I went into a small local museum and asked if
I could go into the back yard to take some photos of
the San Clemente pier. The people at the front desk
gave me the OK but told me to make sure I was back at
the entry by their closing time at 5 pm. I made sure I
was back several minutes before closing time and to my
horror, all the staff had gone home and locked up shop
for the night, and I was locked inside. I sure got a
fright. Fortunately I was able to find a back exit and
set the door to lock behind me when I exited the
building. Big relief!
Mike Benson tells about a woman in Brooklyn who was
locked overnight in a dental clinic. She was given an
anesthetic prior to getting her wisdom teeth
extracted, but when she came to, she still had her
wisdom teeth and discovered that all the staff had
left the clinic and she was locked inside. She
panicked. When she calmed down somewhat, she called
911 and was rescued.2
But can you imagine the absolute terror of being
locked in down on Earth, with no way of escape when
Jesus Christ takes all of his true followers to be
with him in heaven forever? Tragically, this will be a
reality for the millions who have never received God's
gift of forgiveness for all their sins by accepting
Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
If you have trouble believing this, take note that
Jesus Christ's first coming to earth to die on the
cross to pay the penalty for all our sins is an
indisputable fact of history. Note, too, that every
prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ's first coming
was fulfilled in detail, so we can be just as certain
that every prophecy in the Bible regarding Christ's
second coming will also be fulfilled in detail.
Furthermore, Jesus Christ himself promised that he
would return for his followers.3
Whatever you do be absolutely certain that you are
ready for when Jesus comes again so, as today's
scripture announces, you will be "caught up to meet
the Lord in the air. . ." and not be left behind. To
make absolute sure you are ready for Christ's return
be sure to read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a
Real Christian" at: http://www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you not only for
Jesus Christ's first coming to earth to die in my
place on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins,
but also that Jesus promised he would return for all
who have accepted him as their Savior and have
received your forgiveness. Please help me to be
absolutely certain that I am ready for when Jesus
comes again. Thank you for hearing and answering my
prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
1. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NIV).
2. Mike Benson in KneEmail,
http://www.forthright.net/kneemail
3. See John 14:1-3. Read also, "Will Jesus Christ
Return to Earth?" at: http://tinyurl.com/jesus-return
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