Blog Archive

Monday, April 25, 2011

Left Behind

This week: thoughts on the return of Christ.


Image source: Dance Your Shoes Off

Yesterday's post featured a video of the Resurrection Sunday Dance celebration of Christians in Budapest, Hungary. The Second Baptist Church (Houston) has posted a similar video, which ends with the above scene: a park filled with brand new shoes, left behind by dancers for donation to the needy.

And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
~ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NKJV)


Some depictions of the rapture show suddenly empty vehicles and airplanes careening out of control when their occupants vanish. It had not occurred to me until I saw the above scene that we will also leave behind our clothes in the moment we leave this world and are clothed from on high.

For many years I have contemplated that our departure will leave the world without our prayers of intercession. What else do you see that our rapture will mean to the world we leave behind?

Dear God, amid the pressures and needs of today, please show us how You might have us prepare our souls for That Day.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

9 comments:

  1. We really need a fresh dose of how immenent that day may be. We live in a time when it seems the bulk of this earth's population lives like they have plenty of time on their hands to make the changes in their lives for the day when we will be called home. Every time I see one of the left behind films it reaches inside of me and I get an urgency to do better but sadly I get pulled back into not thinking as I should and it makes me sad.

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  2. I really thought about this time when I read the Left Behind books. Now I tend to just pray I'm not acting crabby or barking at my kids when He comes in the clouds.
    ~ Wendy

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  3. that's a graphic picture. but the verse raises a question for me. who is the dead in Christ?

    have a video in my files along these lines. a guy sitting at the table with his wife and suddenly she's gone and her wedding band is laying on the table. i used to fear being left behind....but not any more.

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  4. btw...i would think a lot of people would be repenting at the disappearance of so many.

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  5. Odie ~

    Jesus said it would be hard for the rich man to live in the kingdom. Even those of us who are saved have a tendency to live in the world when we're not paupers. It's easy enough to be distracted when we have plenty. When destitution enters—in any arena of life—we remember to be more dependent again, and turn our eyes more toward the eternal than the temporal.

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  6. Wendy ~

    I understand all too well.

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  7. Bud ~

    Fear is a good motivator to make an assent of faith I suppose. But it takes more than fear of Hell to sustain faith and repentance.

    I have a different perspective than the authors of the Left Behind series. I'm inclined to see the rapture occurring as soon as the fullness of the Gentiles has come into the kingdom. After that, I see only Israel being redeemed. (Romans 11:25) There won't be a way to know for sure until after the rapture, and that will be way too late for repentance if I happen to have an accurate perspective.

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  8. Hi Anne,
    How nice to see your beautiful face at my blog!
    What a striking picture. I think there will be a lo of confusion as people attempt to come to grips with the unbelievable. I suppose there will be plenty of Bibles left behind. Hopefully they'd be found and read...

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  9. Julie ~

    In their efforts "to come to grips with the unbelievable," I suspect people will still be susceptible to the devil's lies. Aliens or some other bizzare story will likely get plenty of air time.

    And it's nice to see your face here too! :D

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