WHAT HAPPENS AT 11:59

Israel in Egypt

11:59 – Slaves

Midnight – Miraculous Deliverance

Exodus 12:29 (KJV)  And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

Paul and Silas in Prison

11:59 – Jail

Midnight – Worship (and Earthquake!)

Acts 16:25 (KJV)  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Jesus’ Parable of the Ten Virgins

11:59 – Sleep

Midnight – Coming of Bridegroom

Matthew 25:6 (KJV)  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Someday all born-again believers are going to suddenly find themselves caught-up into the heavenly realm to meet the Lord. The only remedy for this shocking event is to be on constant vigilance.

Only God knows how many people are actually ready for the rapture, but even a generous estimate would have just a fraction of the North American population turning up missing as a result. The percentages will be lower in Europe and much of Asia, but many African nations will probably see a much higher percentage. Nations like China are basically an unknown, but the reports are sounding good!

The rapture will obviously come as an immense surprise to everyone remaining behind on earth. The first indication that the rapture has taken place will be people witnessing the disappearance of believers.

One of the most attention-getting consequences of the rapture will be the huge number of automobile accidents that result from the rapture. Because cars are total dependent on human interaction for navigation, the removal of millions of drivers would create chaos on the roads. There is a popular bumper sticker that reads, “In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned.” The sticker is humorous but it also carries a very profound truth.

Whenever a disaster takes place, most people turn to radio, television, and internet news outlets for the latest information. During the unfolding of any major calamities, everyone I’ve heard reflect on these events said they were glued to live news reports.

The rapture will prove to be very challenging for the liberal dominated press to cover. They will have an extremely limited understanding of how this supernatural event relates to the end times. It will probably only take the media a few minutes to become fully aware that something very strange has happened. All news organizations closely monitor emergency radio channels. The reports will quickly mushroom into a confusing chorus of distress calls. The press will instantly have a news event that will be a local, national, and international crisis.

Polls show that over half of the population has a reasonable understanding of the tribulation. After the rapture takes place, it will not take very long for a sizable portion of the population to realize they’ve been left behind. A large number of people will probably become hysterical with fear. Many of them will falsely think the world is going to shortly end. In reality, the earth will not see any major judgments until the midpoint of the tribulation.

People will find themselves forced to appraise their spiritual condition. This interest in spiritual things will be broad, but it will be very shallow. When God fails to immediately pour out his wrath, people will be open to anyone that can explain what is actually going on.

The Bible tells us strong delusion will eventually follow the rapture. One of the leading sources of deception could be the so-called Christian leaders that are left behind. They will be doing their very best to contradict biblical truth. It’s pointless to try to guess what they will say to rationalize the rapture, but I’m sure they will have a number of explanations that will all seem logical and soothing to people’s troubled minds.