Left Behind?

I haven't read the Left Behind books or seen the movie, but in case you have or plan to, I'd encourage you to read this brief post entitled, "Will Christians Be Secretly Raptured?" by Jeramie Rinne.

So, what do we believe the Bible teaches about the return of Christ? From our doctrinal statement:

We believe in the blessed hope (Titus 2:13) that at the end of the age Jesus Christ will return to this earth personally (Acts 1:9-11), visibly (Mark 14:61-62), physically (Luke 24:39-43), and suddenly (1Thess 5:2-3), in power and great glory (Luke 21:27); and that he will gather his elect (Matt 24:31), raise the dead (1Thess 4:15-17), judge the nations, and consummate his kingdom. 

We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the just and the unjust—the unjust to everlasting conscious misery in hell (Matt 25:41, 46) and the just to eternal blessedness in the presence of him who sits on the throne and of the Lamb, in the new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness (2Pet 3:13). 

We believe that the end of all things in this age will be the beginning of the never-ending, ever-increasing happiness of the redeemed, as God shows the infinite riches of his glorious grace for the everlasting enjoyment of his people. God will be all in all and his people will be enthralled by the unmediated sight of his ineffable beauty. We therefore eagerly await (Heb 9:28) our Savior’s return (Php 3:20-21), longing for his appearing (2Tim 4:8), living as pilgrims (1Pet 2:11) in this vapor-like life (James 4:13-15) on earth, desiring our better homeland (Heb 11:13-16), where we will see our Savior face to face and be forever with our Lord (1Thess 4:13-17).

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!