Max Lucado
There’s Good News
“He will cause deceit to prosper,…When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power” (Daniel 8:25 NIV).
Chapters 6 through 19 of Revelation describe in detail what will happen during the oppression by the Antichrist: famine, death, cosmic disturbances. The Jewish remnant will feel the full force of his anti-Semitic ire. Deception will be standard fare. I’m describing the darkest chapter of human history.
But I’ve not yet told you the good news. The tribulation? It’s going to happen. Satan’s henchman? He will be worse than anyone can imagine. But the wonderful news? If you are in Christ, you won’t have to face him. For by the time he arrives, you will be long gone in Paradise.
The Last Trumpet
Christians, upon the signal of Christ, will be transported into the presence of Christ. This rescue will be activated by the conclusion of the church age. Or, as the apostle Paul wrote, when “the full number of the Gentiles come in“ (Romans 11:25 RSV). The Lord will come with a loud command. At his side will be the sole figure identified in the Bible as an archangel—Michael—the great foe of Satan.
We will hear a trumpet at the rapture. Roman soldiers learned to respond to three types of trumpets. The first prompted them to rise and strike their tents. The second announced it was time to fall into line. The last trumpet was the signal to march away. Christ will signal for us to march away—either out of the grave or off the earth—and “we will be with the Lord forever.”
