How close are we to the rapture?
Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Mark is the gospel to those left behind. I could take two hours to go through the three synoptic gospels comparing them and it would be very clear that Luke and Mark have different agendas written to two different groups. Luke is like the gospel to those who are raptured and like Enoch the book ends with the believers walking with God and they are not. No mention of the rapture. In John Lazarus being raised from the dead typifies the rapture. In Luke Lazarus dies but no mention of him being raised because the rapture is where this book ends. But Mark is to those left behind and for them the gospel begins almost at the rapture. In this book the baptism of Jesus and then being thrust out into the wilderness is their experience of the rapture. So let's look at what happens in the eight verses that precede this.
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
You will see many people as messengers sent before the Lord. You could say this is the entire church age. Or you could point out that the missionary journeys really took off with the British Empire after the King James Bible was published. Or you could point out that it was WW1 when the Gideon's gave out Bibles to all the US servicemen who then went out into the world that shifted worldwide evangelism into second gear. Or you could look at TV, radio and the Gideon's in the last hundred years which have sent out 2.6 billion Bibles worldwide as well as the gospel that shifted this into third gear. But in reality it has been Youtube and the internet that has shifted the message being sent out into fourth gear. This message is preparing the way of the Lord.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
This is a great analogy. It like the US building the transcontinental railway, or the Panama Canal, or the US highway system. You go through the wilderness, cut down trees, blast out the rock, and make a straight path for the gospel message to go worldwide. This blog is simply one tiny example. Close to 500,000 people have read this. I have shared Pdfs of this blog which anyone can download for free, and in turn share with others. Imagine if ten thousand Christians would do the same, that would be 5 billion people being reached. It is not unreasonable to think there are 10,000 Christians who right now are very serious about sharing the word of God, and that all of them have access to the internet. This means we can preach the gospel to the entire world and Satan can't stop us. This tells us he has no choice but to seize control of the internet and impose global censorship, the Antichrist empire.
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
This is what the churches teach. Confess your sins, repent, receive the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins, believe and then be baptized into the triune God. Be immersed, separate from the world, a witness testifying of the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ the Lord of all.
5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
The church is the Jerusalem which is above. The church has gone from a few people two thousand years ago to a worldwide phenomenon, causing people of every nation and tribe to be saved and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
The success of the ministry is not due to having money, or the best image, or the best financing, or the best of anything the world has to offer. Many missionaries are outcasts. Many are "wild men", former felons, former satanists, former sinners.
7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
They also preach the coming of the Lord in glory. This is particularly the case in the last seven years.
8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
This baptism is a reference to the rapture. Yes, the church and evangelists baptize with water, but we also preach that the day is coming when all those who believe will be raised from the dead and caught up to heaven.
9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
The baptism of Jesus here depicts the rapture.
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
This was the beginning of the church age, at the end the dove will ascend with the raptured saints.
11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
That is what the rapture is, those who are indwelt with the Son of God, expressing Jesus, those with whom the Lord is well pleased. Those are the ones who are caught up.
12 And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
And yes, the believers who are left behind are also indwelt with the Son of God, expressing Him, and those whom God loves. During the tribulation immediately following the rapture they will be driven out into the wilderness.
13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
This is a picture of the start of the tribulation for the left behind saints. Now is the time to fast and pray and get into the word that you heard but only considered superficially.