A Letter To Those I Leave Behind

    I am writing this to you in hopes that, if you are reading this, I can help you figure out what has happened and what to do now. You cannot know how sorry I am that you are reading this but it is my prayer and deepest desire that this letter will help you prepare for what's coming.

    At the time of this writing it is near the end of February in the year 2002. I am 31 years old.

You are probably wondering what is going on since recently a lot of people vanished from the face of the earth. I'm writing this because I'm one of those who disappeared, and I want you to know why. I'm sure you are wondering what happened? You're reading this because you were not one of those that disappeared - you are one of the people remaining on the earth.
    My heart breaks because you have to read this. I promise you that it is the truth.  It may be hard to accept, some truth always seems to be. Our disappearance is a proof of what you are reading. Not only that, but it may surprise you to know that what happened has been planned from the very beginning and prophesied for thousands of years. I want to let you know what happened, why it happened, and what's coming next. It's my hope that you read this with an open mind, know I wrote it because I love you and I don’t want you to be deceived.

 I will say right away, that whatever the media or world leaders are saying is not true. Most likely their explanations do not point to the power of the one true God of heaven and earth. The reason I am gone is the long awaited "rapture" of the true church of Jesus Christ. Look around for a moment. Everyone missing was a true Christian. Not a churchgoer or just a good person, but only those who believed in Jesus Christ and His blood alone being the payment for our sins.

 I Corinthians 15:51-53 states; "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality." Again, I Thessalonians 4:14-17 says; "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Now you know the truth about where we are, let me tell you a little about what is coming up for you.

    Life for you is going to get a lot worse. The next seven years are going to be the most difficult the world has ever seen. Many of you will die in the next few years and I pray that you will not die without coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. It is NOT too late.  I wish that you didn’t have to go through what is coming but I’m afraid that is not possible. The only comfort I can offer is to assure you that Jesus loves you and wants none of you to perish, but have eternal life with Him in heaven. I don’t know what kind of life you have had up to this point but I’m sure there have been some hard times. Perhaps you have been short on faith. Or maybe you never really "bought into" all that stuff about Jesus and the Bible.  I have talked to many of you before about this. You have to admit that this mass disappearance has gotten the attention of the whole world.

You may be wondering, "Wasn't Jesus supposed to come back when this happened?" Yes, he did. He met us in the clouds, but He is coming again to put His feet back on this earth again! The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is imminent in about seven years.

    You may have heard several theories as to why so many of us are missing. Let me tell you now in 2002, that we weren’t abducted by aliens. We didn’t become gods; there is only one God. Also we didn’t have our atoms swirl away, we have not been taken to be judged, nor are we being re-educated. We are not coming back for 7 years and when we do we’ll be coming with Jesus Christ. It’s doubtful that you will even live for the next 7 years. Lots of really horrible things are coming. I hate to think of my relatives starving most of all, but I know this will happen. Please, keep reading this. There is hope! God loves you and you still have time to accept Him and live in Heaven for eternity!

 Before I continue, it's important that you know more about Jesus. He is the most important part of this.

 I have told you about Him, but maybe have no clue as to who He really is.
    Quite simply, Jesus is the Son of God; God in the form of a man.  He was born of a virgin over two thousand years ago, He lived a perfect life and God sent Him to earth to die for everyone's sins. He is the Messiah that many Jews are still looking for today. Unfortunately they missed Him the first time, as did you. The good news is that you all have a second chance.
You need to understand something. Even though you were left behind, God loves you. God loves you as much as He loves those He took to Heaven. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
God loves the world... everybody. So God loves you, but that still doesn't really answer the question of why you were left behind. Why weren't you raptured? Well, quite simply, God sent Jesus to die for your sins, but you didn't believe in Him, and trust in Him as your Lord and Savior. Let me tell you why you need to do this!

You're A Sinner -
    The Bible says: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
I sinned, you sinned. Everyone has sinned, except for Jesus. He was, is, and always will be God. We aren't God, so we fall short of Him.

Because You're A Sinner, You Deserve To Die -
    "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
Because we have all sinned we all deserve to die, but God sent Jesus as a free gift. He took our place on that cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says "For He (God) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin;..."

Because Jesus was sinless, perfect, He didn't deserve to die. However, we did. But He died for us so we don't have to. God can't permit sin into Heaven, so for us to be able to spend be with God in Heaven, a way needed to be provided so we might be made righteous. The second half of that verse, 2 Corinthians 5:21: "... that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Since Jesus took the place of our sin, we are made righteous; therefore we can be with God. That's a free gift of eternal life. So why the gift?

God Loves You -
    "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
We didn't deserve it, but God loves us so much that even though we are sinners, even though we live 2000 years after Christ died, He still died for us. No matter who you are and no matter what you've done, God loves you. That's ultimate, unconditional love.

Confess And Believe -
    "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9;
    "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
You've got to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, that God sent Him to die in your place. You have to earnestly receive Him as your Lord and Savior, and confess it with your mouth. You can't be ashamed of it. Part of really believing it is making it known. Remember, Jesus is the only way - "...I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father but by me." John 14:6

This is some of the stuff I have already been telling you and the same stuff that I go over when people come forward in our church to confess Christ.

    No matter what anyone else might tell you, the Word of God is clear. There is no other way to Heaven, no other way to experience eternal life with God. Jesus is the answer... the only answer. If you want to become a Christian, I'm going to give you the chance right now. Maybe you don't even need to read the rest. Maybe you're already convinced that Jesus is for real. Perhaps you knew people who were Christians that are gone. Well, if you want to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you can do it right now. Pray this prayer with all your heart.

"Lord, I am a sinner. I confess to you that I am not worthy of the gift you've given me. I believe that you sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins. I don't deserve that, but I recognize that You love me and that Jesus is the only way. Thank you for that gift. I also believe that You have power over death. I believe that You can give me eternal life because I believe that You raised Jesus from the dead. I recognize that You are the one and only God. I commit my life to You. I repent of my sin and turn to you. Please be my Lord and Savior. I know now that You love me. I love You, too, Lord. Thank You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

    If you prayed that and meant it, you are a Christian. I congratulate you and am excited for you. I will be seeing you soon! We WILL meet again in Heaven! The Bible says that angels rejoice when someone invites Jesus Christ into their life, so rest assured that if you did pray that prayer there's a party going on in Heaven. If you didn't pray that prayer, spend some time thinking about it.  Not too much time though. Rest assured, everyone will make a decision about Christ, either to accept Him or reject Him, but I pray you make the right one. The rest of this will not be easy to read, whether you are a Christian or not. However, rest assured that if you are a Christian, this thing has a happy ending.

    You may be thinking, "How can a God that loves so much leave people behind?" Well, God is not only loving, but He is also just. He is the one true God, and He will not tolerate sin. He loves you, but you have to make the choice to love Him and serve Him. The rapture was not only meant to gather up Christians into Heaven, but it was also meant to get the world's attention.  Don’t be fooled.. the first 42 months may seem peaceful… but watch for the signs I am going to tell you about and you will see!

    The sad thing is, if you were left behind, is that chances are you will not survive the next seven years or so. They will be, by far, the most chaotic years in the history of the planet. You may think, "Well it certainly sounds like God is out to get me." That's not the case at all. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." To repent means to turn away, in this case turn away from sin. This is your chance to do just that. The remainder of your time on the earth as we know it will not be easy. This is God's way of getting across His message to those who didn't believe in Him before the rapture.

So what happens next?
    I'm not going to dance around the truth. To put it bluntly, you're going to be experience seven years of hell on earth. Many extraordinary things are going to happen soon, or are perhaps already happening. Before we really get into that, lets go over some of what Jesus Himself said about the end times. Turn your Bible, if you have one, to Matthew 24. If you don't have a Bible, I strongly recommend that you get one, as you will need it to see what is coming up and plan for it.

Wars and rumors of war (verse 6):

    As I write this in the spring of 2002, I go to the major news web sites every day and hear about skirmishes in India and Pakistan, the war on Terrorism by the United States, impending war between Israel and the Palestinians.

Nation will rise against nation, kingdom will rise against

kingdom (verse 7):

Famines and earthquakes (verse 7):

    Over my lifetime I heard a lot about famines in Africa. There always seems to be Earthquakes in the news.

Christians will be hated, even killed (verse 9):

    Christians aren't killed in the U.S. like they are in some other parts of the world. They are hated though. Christians are killed frequently in the Middle East, Africa and China.

Many will fall away, hate and betray one another (verse 10):

    There is a lot of division in the Church, even as I write this. I can only imagine how much worse it has gotten. Many have abandoned their Bible-based beliefs in the name of tolerance. Many have abandoned their Christian beliefs in the liberal belief that all truths and faiths are relative and equal. Christians are hated, looked at as dogmatic, intolerant exclusivists.

Many false prophets will arise (verse 11):

Beware of what these “evangelists” are saying… I am telling you the truth from the word of God. I love you. Do not be fooled!!!

Excessive lawlessness, the love of most will grow cold (verse 12):

    Crime is rampant The political weather is right for a major government shake-up. Perhaps this is already happening to some extent, depending on how long after the disappearances you read this, but the entire world is about to be united under one government. And you need to be on the lookout for a dynamic new leader who the world will look at as perfect, the man to solve the world's problems. The Bible calls this man Antichrist, The Antichrist will rise to power quickly, so fast you may not have heard of him before it happens. He will be immensely popular. He will continue to make waves as his new one-world government signs some sort of seven-year pact with the nation of Israel. The only real specific concerning the details of this agreement is that Israel is promised peace. Look for this! IT will be your sign.

    The signing of this seven-year agreement will signify the beginning of this period I've talked about.  In the bible it is called the Tribulation, the last 42 months of the 7 years are called the Great Tribulation.

These will be the most horrific years in the history of the planet. 7/12 of the population that did not disappear will die before the end of the tribulation. This period will not be easy, but since you did not receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior before the rapture, you have to go through this. You may not live through it. In fact, if you are a Christian now, the chances of you living through it are even slimmer. But before I really get into what will happen during this seven years, let me tell you what will happen at the end of it.
    When the seven years is over, this will happen: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He who sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war... And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written: 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'" (Revelation 19:11,16)

    Any time you see the word "He" capitalized it's referring to God... Jesus. This is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When the seven-year tribulation is over Jesus will return physically to earth to set up a kingdom. He will rid the world of Satan and Antichrist during that time. You may have heard about the millennial kingdom. That's what this is. This period of history, the greatest ever on earth, will last for one thousand years, before Satan is gone for good.

        So what happens during the tribulation? Well, I've already pointed out that the Antichrist will rise to power and be the leader of a new world government. Revelation is the last book of the New Testament, the last book of the Bible. A man named John, who was also one of Jesus' twelve apostles, wrote it. The book is a written account of a vision of the future given to John by the Lord Himself back in the late first century A.D.
    In the first verse of chapter four, John sees a door open up in heaven, and a voice tells him to "Come up here." I believe this is symbolic of the rapture. Others might disagree with my assessment of this verse, but since you are only reading this if I was right, and the rapture occurred before the time of tribulation, I think it's symbolic of God removing His people, the Church, the true believers, in this case symbolized by John, from the earth before the tribulation begins.
    The tribulation is divided into three separate sets of seven judgments: (1) the 7 seal judgments, (2) the 7 trumpet judgments, and (3) the 7 bowl (or vial) judgments. These judgments get progressively worse over the course of the seven years.

The Seal Judgments

The white horse (Revelation 6:1-2) -
    This is the Antichrist. He comes with a bow but no arrows, and he wears a crown. I think this signifies that the Antichrist will be the "king of the world," the leader of the one-world government. That he comes with a bow but no arrows signifies that he will not use military force to attain his position. It will be diplomacy. You may have already witnessed his coming to power.

The red horse (Revelation 6:3-4) -War.

There will be peace at the beginning of the tribulation. The Antichrist will gain the support of the large majority through seemingly miraculous diplomacy. There will be worldwide peace, but it will not last. There will be an uprising against Antichrist, creating a world war. Many will die. With today's weaponry, there is reason to believe that mass destruction and bloodshed could occur in a short time. This war may only last a matter of weeks or months.

The black horse (Revelation 6:5-6) -
    After a war like that, famine will occur and inflation will rise. You will not be able to get food enough for yourself, let alone your family. Things will be expensive and you will become poor.

The pale horse (Revelation 6:7-8) -
    This horse is named Death, and Hades follows with him. Authority is given to this horse to kill a fourth of the population. It's logical to believe that a war such as the one predicted with the red horse, and the famine of the black horse could wipe out a billion or more people.

Martyrdom of Tribulation Saints (Revelation 6:9-11) -
    The Bible calls those who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior after the rapture tribulation saints. When this seal is broken, many of them are killed. If you have received Christ after the rapture, the hard truth is that you may be killed for your belief in Jesus.

The Wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:12-17) -
    God pours out His wrath over the killing of many of His people with a great earthquake. The sky will turn dark, the moon will look like blood, and the stars will disappear. Mountains and islands will be moved from where they sit. Verse 16 talks about men trying to hide from Him who sits on the throne. I think this means that many people will be convinced about the truth of who Jesus Christ is after this earthquake, if they survive. This will be the worst earthquake in history, and it will be worldwide. By the time of the earthquake, there will be many Jews coming to believe in Jesus. Revelation 7:4 talks about 144,000 Jewish witnesses. These witnesses, new tribulation saints, will be protected supernaturally from the judgments to come. The previous verse talks about being sealed on their foreheads, probably some supernatural way of believers being able to tell one another apart. This may sound like science-fiction, but remember that these are the last days! God will be using his power.

    In Revelation 7:9, John sees in his vision a multitude that no one could number coming to receive Jesus Christ.

Issuing in the Trumpet Judgments (Revelation 8:1-2) -
    The seventh seal issues in the next series of judgments. Those judgments are so severe that the Bible says "When He (Jesus) opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." Heaven is normally portrayed as a place of great joy. Imagine how bad it will get that Heaven goes silent!     

The Trumpet Judgments

Storm of Hail, Fire, and Blood (Revelation 8:7) -
    One-third of the earth's trees and all of the grass will be scorched when hail, fire, and blood rain down from the sky. The ecological effects will be devastating.

The Mountain of Fire (Revelation 8:8-9) -
    Following the disaster from the first trumpet, there will be a "great mountain burning with fire." This, perhaps, will be a giant meteor. It will land in the ocean and turned a third of the water to blood. A third of all the creatures of the sea will die, a third of the ships will sink.

Wormwood (Revelation 8:10-11) -
    Many men will die when another meteor-type object falls into the rivers of the earth. The water will become bitter and poisonous.

One-Third of the Sun Is Struck (Revelation 8:12) -
    God will do something only He is capable of doing when He somehow reduces the amount of energy and light the sun, moon, and stars radiate by a third. The earth will turn cold. We can also imagine from "a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night," that an extra third of the day that is now daylight will be dark. In other words, if there are twelve hours of daylight there will only be eight.  16 hour days.

    Before the last three trumpets are blown, there is an ominous warning in the book of Revelation. "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!" (Revelation 8:13)

Apollyon the Destroyer (Revelation 9:1-11) -
    This passage of Scripture talks about an angel unlocking a "bottomless pit." From the pit smoke will fill the air, along with locust-type creatures that will torment those who have not received Jesus as their Lord and Savior for five months. Those who are tormented will want to die, but according to Scripture "death will flee from them." It's hard to imagine the kind of carnage that will result from this. People will want to die. They'll try to kill themselves, however, they want to be able to. The Bible says these locusts had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. In Hebrew the name of that angel (or demon, as it were) is Abaddon. In Greek the name is Apollyon. The name means "destroyer".

200,000,000 Horsemen (Revelation 9:13-19) -
    The second of the three "woes" is unleashed. There will be an army of 200 million horsemen who will kill a third of mankind, all unbelievers, those who don't have the seal of God on their foreheads. They will be supernatural beings. Many people believe that tribulation saints will be able to see them, but unbelievers will not. They will be frightening to even look at. They will sting with their mouth and their tails.

Ushering In The Great Tribulation (Revelation 11:15-19) -
    Just as the seventh seal judgment ushered in the trumpet judgments, this seventh trumpet judgment ushers in the bowl judgments. The Bible says that heaven will rejoice because they will know that Christ's ultimate victory, His return, is coming soon.

    The Two Witnesses
    "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days (twelve hundred and sixty days), clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have the power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will." (Revelation 11:3-6)
    These two witnesses, two men, will provide hope to those who receive Christ after the rapture. They will be a thorn in the Antichrist's side, so to speak, because they will be invincible for the first three-and-a-half years of the tribulation. They will proclaim the name of Jesus and many will come to believe through them. People who come against them will die.
    So who are these men? Many believe they are two of the following: Elijah, Enoch, and Moses. Enoch was a godly man who never died. (Genesis 5:24) Elijah was a great Hebrew prophet who also never died (2 Kings 2:11-12). Moses is the only one of the three that did die. The truth is.. we don’t know!    When their three-and-a-half years of invincibility are complete, at the midpoint of the tribulation, they will be murdered by the Antichrist, and the unbelievers in the world will love it. They will not be buried, instead their bodies will be left to rot. People will be so happy they will exchange gifts. However, their celebration will turn sour three-and-a-half days later. God will raise these two men from the dead, then brings them to heaven. At that time in Jerusalem there will be an earthquake. Seven thousand people will die and a tenth of the city will fall. Many will come to believe in Jesus as a result of this.

The Murder of the Antichrist
    The Antichrist will also be murdered (Revelation 13:3). However, Satan being a poor imitation of the one true God, will himself possess the Antichrist. He will "miraculously" rise from the dead. The world will be amazed. Furthermore, the Bible says that the temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt, and that Satan, possessing the Antichrist, will declare himself to be god in the temple. The Bible calls this the "abomination of desolation." Since Satan will then possess the Antichrist, the next three-and-a-half years will be called The Great Tribulation. They will be even worse the first half.

The Great Tribulation

The Mark of the Beast
    During the Great Tribulation the Antichrist will require all people to bear a special mark, either on the forehead or on the hand. It will not be forced on anyone, but you will not be able to buy or sell without it. Technology already exists to put a system like this into place. Those who take it will not enter heaven. Christians will have to survive somehow without it. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT TAKE THE MARK!!!

The Bowl Judgments (Revelation 16)

Painful Sores -
    Those who take the mark of the beast, worshipping Antichrist, will develop painful boil-like sores. This judgment will not affect tribulation saints.

Seas Turn To Blood -
    Quite simply, the oceans and seas will turn to blood, and every living creature in them will die. Can you imagine the results? The fishing industry would be destroyed and the dead animals would rise to the surface. 

Rivers and Springs Become Blood -
    The rest of the world's water sources will be turned to blood, creating havoc. Can you imagine a world without a water supply? Well, it's going to happen.

Scorching Heat -
    The same way God took away one-third of the sun, moon, and stars in the fourth trumpet judgment, turning the earth cold, this time the sun will be scorched. Immense heat will be the result. It will be the worst heat wave in history.

The World Goes Dark -
    Revelation 16:10-11 says that the kingdom of Antichrist (the world) will be plunged into darkness, i.e. the entire world will go dark. Jesus foretold of this judgment in Mark 13:24. What will a world without light be like

Euphrates River Dries Up -
    Arguably the most important river in the history of the world, the Euphrates will dry up. However, that's not all, because Revelation 16:12 says that the drying up of the river will make way for the "kings of the east" to participate in what is widely known as the Battle of Armageddon. Who are the kings of the east? It is thought that this refers to the far east (or the Orient). Because of all these calamities happening to the earth, it's possible some sort of alliance of Oriental nations will oppose Antichrist. However, because the Antichrist will be a great deceiver, these nations will probably align with him to fight their real enemy, Jesus.

Babylon Destroyed -
    Revelation 16:17-21 describes the seventh bowl judgment. There will be an earthquake so great that the topography of the earth will be altered. Islands and mountains will be gone. "The great city" is probably a reference to Antichrist's kingdom. It will be destroyed.

THE GLORIOUS APPEARING: THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST

    It's all been leading up to this. When the seven years are complete, Jesus Christ will return to earth. Every eye will see Him. The Antichrist and his armies will try to make war with Christ. At that time all those who have failed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior will perish. The Antichrist and a False Prophet who will be at his side will be thrown into the lake of fire. Satan will be bound up for one thousand years.
    The one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ will be the most glorious era in the history of this world. At the end of that time, Satan will be released for the abyss for a short time. Then he will deceive many and try one last time to overthrow God. However, Satan will then be thrown into the lake of fire, and everyone will then be judged by whether or not they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Those who have not will join Satan in the lake of fire

    Those who have will be with the Lord for eternity.
    So where do you stand? The rapture has already taken place. This is really the end. I am no expert on Biblical prophecy, but I have studied it and these are the basics. The message is clear.
    But most of all make a decision concerning Jesus. He loves you and He wants you to be with Him for eternity. You were left behind once. Don't be deceived. Make a decision today. I love you and I hope to see you soon!

Tonnia

PS Someone please take care of our pets. Have them euthanized so they don’t suffer. You will not be able to care for yourselves, much less them. Please do as we wish.