What If I Miss The Rapture and Get Left Behind In The Tribulation?

Did you just miss The Rapture? If you are confused right now, you’re not alone. Some of your friends and perhaps family members have just disappeared, and the media will be trying to explain where thousands of people have gone without any notice or warning. You are likely to hear explanations that include alien abductions, government imprisonments, FEMA camps, possibly pandemics, and all kinds of bizarre conspiracies trying to account for why so many people disappeared around the world. Do not become a victim of all the propaganda machinery.

The Bible told us that there would be a day when God’s forbearance comes to an end. Such days are called the last days or the “end of times.” In the last days would come a terrible time on earth called the seven-year tribulation (The Tribulation). Just before The Tribulation God would take all those who are saved to Heaven in The Rapture. In other words, on a day and hour unknown, God would rapture his children and literally take them off the earth in the twinkling of an eye and bring them home to Heaven. Then with no Christians left on earth, the seven-year tribulation would commence. God’s judgment on sin and His terrible wrath have all been predicted for over 2,600 years. So we know precisely what will happen.

Right after The Rapture, many left behind will be confused with all the Christians gone, and it will be very hard to accept the reality that there really is a God and a satan, that there is such a thing as good and evil, and that Jesus Christ was exactly who he said he was. It will be very hard to accept the fact that almost everything you have believed your whole life was a lie.

Many who claim to be Christians will also be left behind. Do not be fooled by those who have always touted their Christianity but were not taken to Heaven in The Rapture. They were never genuine Christians or they would not be left behind with all unbelievers. This group of so-called Christians will surprise and confuse people, because some of the biggest names in religion, including most of the biggest churches in America, will be left behind since God never knew them.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that there would be mass deception and lies and manipulation in the last days, and all this would be stepped up dramatically after The Rapture in order to confuse and control people left behind. Satan’s goal is to lead people away from God and toward a one-world global government with satan sitting on the throne in the temple in Jerusalem, which happens three and one-half years into the seven years.

If you’re one of those who did not believe your Christian friends and who refused to believe that there is a God, and if you now find yourself left behind on earth and all the genuine Christians you knew are gone, then these are the steps you need to take right now in order to be saved from eternal condemnation in hell and ultimately the Lake of Fire. God will save many during The Tribulation, but how your soul is saved will be the same as it was before The Rapture.

1. You must repent of your sins, and

2. You must turn to Jesus Christ as your savior, and trust in Christ by faith, believing that he gave his life as a sacrifice on the cross for your salvation, and

3. You must then live for God during The Tribulation. In other words, your repentance and faith in Christ must be genuine, which means you must not worship the beast or satan or the anti-Christ, which would only prove your repentance and faith in Jesus was not genuine.

4. While your salvation is a gift from God and it is by faith, not works, the Bible also tells us faith without works (proof) is dead, and the price you will have to pay during The Tribulation as a new Christian is severe persecution and for many, it will mean death, and

5. Read your Bible, because during The Tribulation the Bible will be the only guaranteed source of truth. Lies, deception, and betrayal will abound, but the Word of God remains true forever.

Where does the Bible talk about The Rapture?

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NASB)

The word “rapture” doesn’t appear in Scripture, but it means to be caught up or seized or carried away.  In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” But if you’ve been left behind, you now know exactly on what day and hour The Rapture actually happened.

Since you missed The Rapture because you did not trust Christ as your savior prior to that moment in time, the critical all-important question you must have now is, “Can I yet be saved during The Tribulation?” The answer is yes, but your procrastination beyond The Rapture of His church, the bride of Christ, comes at a severe cost.

The Tribulation

You still can trust Christ and be saved during The Tribulation, but the consequences of not doing so before The Rapture is that you must live on earth in the worst time in all of human history, and you will see and experience horrendous things beyond your imagination, and you may have to die for your faith because you refuse to worship the anti-christ or the beast who takes the throne in the temple in Jerusalem.

While I don’t want to cause you any more anxiety and fear than you already are experiencing, you need to know what to expect in the months and years ahead. Here’s how the Bible describes The Tribulation you are now living in:

– There will be extreme inflation, poverty, and lack of food as one day’s wages will buy enough food for one day for one person. Rev 6:5-6

When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” (NASB)

– In a very short period of time, one-quarter of the earth’s population will be killed due to wars, famine, pestilence and wild beasts. Rev 6:7-8

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. (NASB)

– There will be a great earthquake, the sun will be blackened, the moon will turn red and all mountains and islands (which are underwater mountains) will be moved. Joel 2:30-32

“I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. “The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. (NASB)

– One-third of the earth, one-third of all of trees and all the green grass will be burned up due to a comet or meteor that hits the earth. Rev 8:7

The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. (NASB)

– A meteor will hit the earth causing the sea to become like blood, killing one-third of all sea creatures and destroying one-third of all shipping. Rev 8:8-9

The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. (NASB)

– A “star” named Wormwood will fall from the sky and poison one-third of the earth’s fresh water killing many people.Rev 8:10-11

The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. (NASB)
Note on one-third
It’s not just a coincidence that one-third shows up repeatedly in God’s judgments. It was one-third of the angeles in Heaven who fell with Lucifer and were cast out of Heaven. God often reveals His sovereign involvement in the affairs of men by reminding us of the beginning, or if you prefer, bringing us full circle to where we began. As is usually the case, God also accomplishes multiple purposes with a single event, and the repeated use of one-third in the unsealing of God’s judgments during The Tribulation point to His sovereign control over everything, even the timing and events of satan and his armies.

– Locust-like demons will be released from underground and will attack people who are not followers of Jesus Christ. These attacks will be very painful but last only 5 months. Rev 9:1-11

Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them. The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. (NASB)

– An army of 200 million horse-like demons will kill one-third of mankind. Rev 9:13-19

Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. (NASB)

– People will be required to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead in order to buy and sell, in other words to transact business. Rev 13:13-18

He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. (NASB)

– The oceans will become like the blood of a dead man and everything in the oceans will die. Rev 16:3

The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. (NASB)

– The rivers and fresh waters will become like blood. Rev 16:4-7

Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” (NASB)

– The sun will scorch the people on earth with fierce heat. Rev 16:8-9

The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. 9 Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. (NASB)

– There will be an earthquake so great that all of the mountains and islands will disappear. There will be hailstones weighing close to 100 pounds that will crush the armies that have gathered. Rev 16:17-21

Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, *came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague *was extremely severe. (NASB)

– Shortly after this great earthquake, Jesus Christ will return with His army to claim the earth as His possession. Zech 14:3-5

Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! (NASB)

We don’t have to guess about any of this, because the Bible told us precisely what will happen during the seven years of tribulation. The first thing to know is that the Holy Spirit has been restraining evil on earth all this time, but the Bible tells us that the “Restrainer,” another name for the Holy Spirit, will no longer restrain evil when The Rapture happens. This means during The Tribulation there will be no restraint whatsoever on the earth for evil, for satan, for his demons. They will be allowed to do any evil they want.

For anyone who reads this before The Rapture and is a genuine Christian, they can say, “Thank God that as believers we will be saved by The Rapture before The Tribulation.” But there will be two categories of people who will miss The Rapture and will suffer and die in The Tribulation—those who are not saved and openly reject God, and those who think they are saved, but are not. 

We are living in a time when millions claim to be Christians. Watered down Christianity is no Christianity at all. When people live for fame and fortune and have made money their God, the God of Salvation is not their God. Their salvation is their money, but that won’t save them from The Tribulation.

When people say the path is wide and there are many ways to come to God, like Ophra Winfrey and Joel Osteen, they are proclaiming a gospel other than the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they will be in The Tribulation. So will millions of their followers who believed them and relied on them instead of the Word of God.

Can you begin to comprehend how bad The Tribulation will be? It will be the worst seven years in the history of the entire world. It will be a time of human slaughter by demons and wicked people. The Holy Spirit will no longer protect you from evil. It will be a time of lawlessness, and there will be no police officers to protect you and your home, and there will be no one to protect your wife and your daughters and sons. There will be a war in which over a billion people die. There will be an earthquake that is worse than any in all of world history, and millions will die. It appears a meteor hits the earth and burns up a third of the world, and a third of all the people die. 200 million demons kill another third of all the people on earth. 

If you find yourself in The Tribulation because The Rapture just happened and all genuine Christians are gone, you must take these steps to avoid eternal condemnation and hell:

1. You must repent of your sins, and

2. You must turn to Jesus Christ as your savior, and trust in Christ by faith, believing that he gave his life as a sacrifice on the cross for your salvation.

Then get your hands on a Bible, preferably a hard copy (since all digital copies will likely be taken off the Internet), and read it from cover to cover. Lead others to salvation and pray constantly, because things will get worse. This is The Tribulation.

Don’t be deceived by thinking that taking the mark of the beast alone damns you to the Lake of Fire. Rev 21:8

But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (NASB)

The Word of God makes it very clear that all those not killed by the horrendous plagues of The Tribulation did not repent of their sins. Rev 9:20-21

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts. (NASB)

What dams men to hell is an unrepentant heart that God will judge for eternity. Once saved, you cannot lose your salvation (a well established major biblical doctrine from cover to cover). You worship and serve and belong to the prince of darkness or to God Almighty–one or the other. That is true before and after The Rapture. The key for you right now, whether you are reading this before The Rapture or during The Tribulation, is to be sure about your own soul. Do not sidetrack the issue of your eternal salvation with disagreements over predestination, the security of the believer, spiritual gifts, or the mark of the beast. Ask yourself one question now, “Am I absolutely certain without any doubt that I am saved by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and that my destiny is Heaven, not hell?” You’d better be able to answer that question correctly, because you’re out of time.

May God have mercy on all who live during The Tribulation.

Read also If Take The Mark of The Beast Will I Lose My Salvation?

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