Millions Missing by Oliver B Greene Copied verbatim from the 32 page soul winning booklet WIVES HUSBANS CHILDERN FATHERS MOTHERS BABIES YOUNG MEN YOUNG LADIES SWEETHEARTS GRANDFATHERS GRANDMOTHERS YES- ONE DAY - "...that day and hour knoweth no man..." (Matthew 24:36) MILLIONS of people, of all ages, will leave this earth in a SECOND - "in the twinkling of an eye" (I Corinthians 15:52). The Word of God teaches this truth in WORDS EASY TO UNDERSTAND, and all who want to know the facts about this MOMENTOUS event can find the facts clearly stated in the Scriptures. SCORES of prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus (His birth) are found in the Old Testament. ALL WERE FULFILLED TO THE LETTER; not one prophecy concerning His birth failed to be fulfilled. Since the same prophets prophesied of His second coming also, I expect these prophecies to be fulfilled in every detail-and they will! Jesus told His disciples, "...all things MUST BE FULFILLED, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me" (Luke 24:44).
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A DAY ON EARTH SINCE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD SUCH AS THAT DAY WILL BE. First, Jesus is coming FOR HIS SAINTS (I Thessalonians 4:13-18). Then LATER Jesus will return to this earth with His saints (Jude verse 14). Is this something DREAMED UP by a preacher? Is this some man-made doctrine used to FRIGHTEN people into becoming Christians? Let me answer those questions with the Word of God. DO YOU BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD? If you do, we can find the answer to ALL questions concerning the second coming of Jesus; if you do not believe the Scriptures, NO ONE CAN HELP YOU. Listen to the words of Jesus: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN, and receive you unto myself, that where / am, there ye may be also" (John 14:1-3). This is a promise made by Jesus, and He CANNOT break His promise. When Jesus told His disciples He was going back to His Father in heaven, itdeeply troubled them; but Jesus told them why He was leaving and assured them that He would return for His children and receive them unto Himself: "I am going to the Father's house-i WILL PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU I WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF--THAT WHERE I AM THERE YE MAY BE ALSO." Jesus did GO; He is preparing the PLACE HE PROMISED; He will COME AGAIN for His children. When Jesus was taken up into heaven forty days after His resurrection, the disciples saw Him disappear in a cloud. "And while they looked stedfastlytoward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1: 1 0, 1 1 ). These two passages of Scripture teach us that Jesus is COMING back a second time. There are scores of passages throughout the Word of God that clearly teach us that Jesus will come again, but space will not permit me to give them here. In fact, ONE verse out of every TWENTY-FIVE in the New Testament refers to the second coming of J esus.
It would require a large book to discuss ALL the details of the second coming of Jesus-- the Rapture, the catching away of the saints; the Tribulation (with the Antichrist, the beast, and the false prophet); the Revelation, at which time "every eye shall see Him" (Revelation 1:7); the Millennium, when He will reign hereon earth for one thousand years (Revelation 20:5, 6); and all phases of the second coming of Jesus. Therefore we will, in this booklet, discuss THE NEXT WORLD-SHAKING EVENT- THE RAPTURE- the EVENT described in First Thessalonians, First Corinthians, and The Gospel of Luke, the EVENT that will take MILLIONSout of this earth in ASECOND, "in the twinkling of an eye" (I Corinthians 15:52). In the church in Thessalonica some of the believers had departed to be with the Lord; their loved ones were distressed and discouraged, and the Holy Spirit sent this message to them through Paul: 7 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 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. "Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians4:13-18). Paul is saying here: "I do not want you to be ignorant concerning your departed loved ones. I do not want you to be filled with sorrow like unbelievers who have NO HOPE. If we believe thatjesus died and that Heconquered DEATH AND THE GRAVE, then we have the assurance that our saved loved ones who have died are with Him in Paradise RESTING, and when He comes, He will BRING THEM WITH HIM." ALL WHO HAVE DIED IN THE LORD ARE HAPPY, AND THEY ARE RESTING (Revelation 14:13).
There is NO EXCUSE for ignorance concerning spiritual things. "ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God... For the PROPHECY came not in old time by the will of man: BUT HOLY MEN OF GOD SPAKE AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST... When HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, IS COME, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH... But the ANOINTING (the Holy Spirit) which ye have received of Him abideth in you... THE SAME ANOINTING TEACHETH YOU OF ALL THINGS, AND IS TRUTH, AND IS NO LIE..." (11 Timothy 3:16,17; 11 Peter 1:19-21; John 16: 12-15; 1 John 2:27). THE HOLY SPIRIT gave the WORDS in the Scriptures to holy men, THE SAME SPIRIT abides in the HEART of every born again believer, AND THE SPIRIT IS THE ONLY TEACHER OF THE WORD OF GOD! "Now we have received, NOT THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD, but the spirit which is OF GOD; that we might KNOW the things that are FREELY GIVEN TO US OF GOD" (I Corinthians 2:12). Then Paul gives a CLEAR, understandable account of what BELIEVERS can EXPECT and look forward to concerning not only our departed loved ones who were saved, but also concerning LIVING BELIEVERS WHEN JESUS COMES THE SECOND TIME. ALL who believe that Jesus "died and rose again"-and one must believe this to be saved (Romans 10:9, 10)-should KNOW that ALL who have died in the Lord "will God bring with Him"; that is ' when Jesus comes in the Rapture at the first resurrection. These WORDS, penned down by Paul in I Thessalonians 4:13-18, are THE WORDS OF THE LORD' Notice:- "For this we say unto you BY THE WORD OF THE LORD.... " These are not the words of a man, or men, or angels; IT IS THE WORD OF THE LORD. WE CAN BELIEVE IT! He CANNOT lie (Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2).... we which are ALIVE AND REMAIN unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (hinder, or go before) them which are asleep (resting-revelation 14:13). "For THE LORD HIMSELF shall descend from heaven with a SHOUT, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:.. AND THEN - "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."
HERE IS THE PICTURE:-- INSTANTLY at death the spirit of a believer goes to be with the Lord: "Then shall the DUST (the body) return to the EARTH as it was: and the SPIRIT shall RETURN UNTO GOD who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). ALL believers who have departed this life are now resting in Paradise (Luke 23:42, 43; Revelation 14:13). When Jesus comes in the Rapture, He will bring them with Him (I Thessalonians 4:14). The bodies of departed believers will rise from the graves before LIVING BELIEVERS ARE CHANGED. The spirits of departed believers will UNITE with their resurrected bodies. THEN, ALL BELIEVERS will be CHANGED (I Corinthians 15:51,52), and TOGETHER we will be "CAUGHT UP" to meet Jesus in the air! When Jesus comes in the Rapture, He will not touch this earth; He will descend to the atmospheric (cloud) area and CALL US UP TO MEET HIM THERE. He will stand on the earth at a later time (Zechariah 14:4). THE RAPTURE WILL BE TWOFOLD: 1. The resurrection of the "DEAD IN CHRIST." 2. The translation of the LIVING saints. As I have said, the spirit of the believer goes to be with Jesus IMMEDIATELY at death. Let me give you Scripture for that statement: "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life... "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (11 Corinthians 5:1-8). There is no such thing as "SOUL SLEEP," a doctrine which teaches that when a person dies the WHOLE MAN-soul, spirit, and body-goes to the grave and remains there until the resurrection. This is unscriptural. The body is the HOUSE in which the soul and spirit live. At death the INNER MAN goes to Paradise; THE HOUSE (BODY) goes
back to dust. So the believer is "ABSENT FROM THE BODY, and... PRESENT WITH THE LORD" (verse 8). Paul had a desire to go to be with Jesus. He said: "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better.- Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you" (Philippians 1:23, 24). The only desire Paul had to remain on this earth was to help his fellow believers. It is not wrong or sinful for a Christian to have a desire to go to be with the Lord. The last prayer it-, God's Word is for the SOON COMMING OF JESUS: "He which testifieth these things saith, SURELY I COME, QUICKLY. Amen." (Jesus spoke those words.) John then prayed: "EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS" (Revelation 22:20.). The TWOFOLD character of the Rapture Jesus clearly revealed to Martha when He talked with her just before He raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus said to Martha: "/ am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live (Jesus is speaking of the first-resurrection saints, those who will be raised from the dead when the Rapture occurs): AND WHOSOEVER LIVETH AND BELIEVETH IN ME (ALL BELIEVERS who are alive when the Rapture occurs) SHALL NEVER DIE" (John 1 1:25,26) There will be a HOST-MILLIONS of believers to leave this world without dying. They will never know "THE STING OF DEATH." THEY WILL NOT PASS THROUGH "THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH" (I Corinthians 15:55, 56; Psalm 23:4). 1 would love to be one of those millions-but if I am NOT, I am not afraid of death; I know the Lord Jesus will "WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW" with me! This TWOFOLD character of the Rapture is emphasized by Paul in his immortal chapter on the resurrection. I trust you will read all of the chapter; I will give you seven verses of it here: "Behold, I shew 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. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory;' The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 15: 51-57). Again I say, it is not wrong for believers to desire not to be "UNCLOTHED" BY DEATH, but to be "CLOTHED UPON" by immortality WITHOUT DYING (11 Corinthians 5:4). What a GLORIOUS thing it would be to be INSTANTLY translated into the presence of Jesus WITHOUT DYING! "BEHOLD, I SHEW YOU A MYSTERY "A MYSTERY SHOWN is no longer a mystery: "Behold, I SHEW you a mystery...." God made known to Paul the "BLESSED HOPE... THE GLORIOUS APPEARING of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). God made known to Paul the blessed, comforting HOPE that when Jesus comes the second time, ALL believers who have departed to be with Jesus will return with Him, and their mortal bodies will be RAISED IMMORTAL. The glorified bodies of ALL believers will be just like the glorious resurrection body of Jesus (I John 3:2). God revealed to Paul that not ALL believers will DIE, but ALL will be changed when Jesus comes in the Rapture-and IT WILL ALL TAKE PLACE IN "THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE." The dictionary defines a "twinkle" as: "The time occupied by a single wink of the eye." THAT IS FAST! DID YOU KNOW--while I sit here typing this message, THE RAPTURE COULD OCCUR! DID YOU KNOW THAT? Should the Rapture occur as I type, IT WOULD BE ALL OVER BEFORE I COULD STRIKE ONE KEY!!! Are you saved? Are you ready for the coming of Jesus? If you are not a born again believer, YOU ARE NOT READY. But you can get ready this very moment if you desire to be saved. If you are not saved when Jesus comes, YOU WILL BE LEFT ON EARTH--left to go through the horrible tribulation period when men will "seek death, and shall not find it... DESIRE TO DIE, and DEATH shall flee from them" (Revelation 9:1-6). WINK YOUR EYE, FRIEND--that is how rapidly every born again person will leave this earth! GET READY, IF YOU ARE NOT READY.
Jesus revealed what will take place when He comes In the Rapture: I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Luke 17:34-36). This passage teaches that the Rapture will occur the world over at the same time: Two in bed (while part of the earth is light, part is dark; not all people sleep at the same time). Two women grinding grain to make bread for the day. (The women in Bible lands grind their flour in the morning; this speaks of the dawn, morning.)-and Two men in the field (signifies later in the morning, or in the afternoon). So-when Jesus comes in the Rapture SOME WILL BE IN BED, SOME WILL BE GRINDING, AND SOME WILL BE IN THE FIELD. TO THE UNSAVED, a FRIGHTENING TRUTH is made known here:-in each case ONE is taken and ONE IS LEFT! TWO IN ONE BED- ONE TAKEN, ONE LEFT! Many a husband will wake the next morning after the Rapture and find his wife's nightclothes in the bed beside him--but HIS WIFE WILL BE GONE! The same thing will happen to many wives; their born again husbands will be missing--only their night clothes will be in the bed where the husband was the night before. ALL LITTLE BABY BEDS will be EMPTY! Not ONE baby will be left to suffer in the tribulation that will follow after the Rapt u re. LITTLE CHILDREN will be gone!-- Would you like to live in a world without ONE BABY or ONE INNOCENT CHILD? Unsaved young people will search for THAT GODLY MOTHER who pled with them to be saved, but they laughed and went on their sinful way. THE LAUGHING WILL CEASE IN THAT HOUR WHEN THESE YOUNG PEOPLE REALIZE THAT JESUS HAS COME AND TAKEN THEIR MOTHER BACK TO HEAVEN WITH HIM. TWO AT THE MILL GRINDING,
TWO IN THE FIELD- ONE TAKEN, ONE LEFT! This speaks of working people-people in the stores, shops, plants, and fields. In the GIANT INDUSTRIAL PLANTS, ASSEMBLY LINES WILL RUN WILD when born again workers are taken from their positions and their posts are left unattended. THIS SUDDEN REMOVAL OF MILLIONS FROM THE EARTH will bring about a mysterious world crisis; CONFUSION, CHAOS, AND PANIC such as this world has never known WILL ENGULF THE WHOLE EARTH! Scores of DRIVERLESS cars will rush pell-mell down the highways piling up in horrible wrecks-- BIG TRUCKS carrying tens of thousands of gallons of explosive gasoline and chemicals will wreck and cause fires and explosions that cannot be described in words-- Buses and trains loaded with passengers will pile up-wrecked MANY GIANT AIRLINERS will plunge to the ground when the born again pilots are removed from the controls! DEATH, MISERY, AND CONFUSION WILL BE EVERYWHERE. ARE YOU SAVED? ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE COMING OF JESUS? If you are not, you WOULD be left here on earth--you COULD be a passenger in an automobile, plane, or train YOU COULD BE AN EYEWITNESS TO ALL THIS CHAOS AND CONFUSION! DO NOT TAKE A CHANCE! BE SAVED NOW' While automobiles PILE UP on the highways... airplanes PLUNGE to the ground or FALL into the oceans... trains run wild, JUMP the tracks, roll down mountainsides and CRASH- - HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS who are left will run to the streets, up and down the lanes of the countryside, TERRIFIED AND IN SHOCK, screaming and searching for MISSING LOVED ONES! (Saved husbands, wives, children, parents will be MISSING.) Many will try to use their phones but cannot, because circuits will be JAMMED! Phone and news service will be paralyzed because of FIRES and LINES DESTROYED by wrecked trucks, trains, and automobiles. Tens of thousands of policemen will be taken in the Rapture; therefore CRIME AND LAWLESSNESS will be widespread.
THE RAPTURE WILL BE A SURPRISE There will be no announcements in the newspaper, on radio or television as to when the Rapture will take place. When a hurricane is sweeping across the ocean toward our shore, there is a period of warning by radio, television and the papers. People can prepare' to a degree, for the BIG STORM! We also have advance warning when a TORNADO is sighted in our area BUT- There will be no announcements made by man concerning the COMING OF JESUS IN THE RAPTURE. THE ANNOUNCEMENT HAS ALREADY BEEN MADE! "WATCH THEREFORE... BE YE ALSO READY: for in such an hour as ye think not THE SON OF MAN COMETH" (Matthew 24:42, 44). THE WARNING HAS BEEN GIVEN!!! "BEHOLD, I COME AS A THIEF. Blessed is he that WATCHETH..." (Revelation 16:15). "... THE LORD SO COMETH AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT" (I Thessalonians 5:2). Why is the coming of Jesus in the Rapture compared to the coming of a thief? The reason is easy to understand when we consider HOW and WHY a thief comes, and WHAT he TAKES and WHAT he LEAVES BEHIND. A thief COMES UNANNOUNCED! A thief does not call on the telephone and say, "I am coming over tonight and rob you. " When Jesus comes in the Rapture, He will come UNANNOUNCED. Why does a thief come? He comes to take away things of value-jewels, silver, furs; he leaves the brooms, mops, and dustpan. When Jesus comes in the Rapture, He will come to get His JEWELS, the born again-- "And they shall be mine... IN THAT DAY WHEN I MAKE UP MY JEWELS..." (Malachi 3:17). When a thief comes, he usually leaves more than he takes-much more!
When the Rapture occurs, the children of God (His jewels) will be taken out- but there will be MORE PEOPLE LEFT ON EARTH than there will be taken out to meet Jesus in the clouds in the air. THE MASS of mankind on earth today do not know anything about the second coming of Jesus, and they do not care to know; therefore those of us who DO KNOW and ARE SURE that His coming is VERY NEAR must do everything we can to WARN THE UNSAVED, and we must use every opportunity we have to win them to Jesus, to get them to become Christians, before it is too late. The UNCONCERNED ATTITUDE of the masses is one of the sure signs that His coming is VERY NEAR. WHY DO I SAY HIS COMING IS NEAR? BECAUSE THE SCRIPTURE TEACHES AND POINTS OUT TO US SO CLEARLY THE CONDITIONS THAT WILL EXIST AND THE THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN JUST BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS... "As it was in the days of Noah... As it was in the days of Lot... thus shall it be..." (Luke 17:26-30). In Genesis chapters 4, 5, and 6 we have an account of the days just before the FLOODthe Noah days. In Ezekiel 16:48-50 we find the sins of Lot days named. NOAH DAYS: In the days of Noah, men went away from the presence of God. Check your ball parks, race tracks, sports arenas, highways, lakes, and other places of amusement ONE SUNDAY, and you will see that the masses are not interested in God. Noah days were days of city building. Cain "BUILDED A CITY" and named it after his son Enoch. If you will LOOK AROUND a little, I believe you will agree this is an age of CITY BUILDING! In the days of Noah, for the first time men began to marry TWO WIVES. Check your divorce courts today. Noah days produced the first BUSINESSMEN. They traveled, lived in tents, and went in THE CATTLE BUSINESS. It was an AGE OF MUSIC... they played "THE HARP AND ORGAN." DO WE HAVE MUSIC???
It was an age of EDUCATION; men were taught to PRODUCE AND USE "brass and iron." Noah days were days of MURDER. Read today's newspaper, listen to the news; you have the answer. COURTHOUSES ARE TOO SMALL TO HANDLE THE MURDER CASES. In the days of Noah there was a POPULATIONEXPLOSION! "...MEN BEGAN TO MULTIPLY ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH..." (Genesis 6:1). The population of the world today is growing -by LEAPS and BOUNDS-hundreds of MILLIONS of babies born each yea r. (Read Genesis chapters 4, 5, and 6; especially Genesis 4:16-24.) LOT DAYS: "Behold, THIS WAS THE INIQUITY OF... SODOM (Lot lived in Sodom)--PRIDE, FULNESS OF BREAD, and ABUNDANCE OF IDLENESS... neither did... STRENGTHEN THE HAND OF (or help) THE POOR AND NEEDY. And they were HAUGHTY, and committed ABOMINATION..." (Ezekiel 16:49,50). YOU KNOW, and I KNOW, that America is GUILTY of EVERY SIN committed in the days of Noah and the days of Lot. PERSONALLY, I am convinced in my heart, after almost forty years of studying and preaching the Word of God, that THE RAPTURE IS VERY NEAR!!! do not know THE DAY NOR THE HOUR, and I would not be so foolish as to SET A DATE or name AN HOUR-but I do say without any hesitation There is not ONE VERSE-or even the least PART OF A VERSE-in the Word of God that must be FULFILLED before Jesus comes in the Rapture. ALL HAS BEEN FULFILLED--much in the last few years. AND I WILL SAY IN THE WORDS OF JESUS: "WATCH THEREFORE. for ye know not what HOUR your Lord doth COME!" (Matthew 24:42). DO YOU WANT TO BE SAVED? DO YOU WANT TO GO IN THE RAPTURE SHOULD IT OCCUR TODAY? Then heed God's Word: "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 SA VED.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9, 10). Believe on Jesus NOW. Ask Him to save you NOW-and He WILL! (Read John 3:16; Acts 16:31; and Romans 10:13.) Just say: "I do now confess that / am a sinner, and I now receive Jesus as my Saviour. I pray, Lord Jesus come into my heart, forgive my sin, and save my soul. THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR SAVING ME. Amen.... (Sign your name here.) Send this page to the address below for free literature to help you live for Jesus. The Gospel Hour, Inc. Box 2024, Greenville, S. C. 29602 This booklet is NOT TO BE SOLD by anyone, for any reason, at any price. This booklet is to be distributed FREE by those who receive it from The Gospel Hour, Inc., a nonprofit Christian corporation. Booklets like this are published by The Gospel Hour to win the lost and help believers grow spiritually. They are mailed to individuals who send a gift to help support our radio ministry. Neither individuals nor bookstores have any right to sell them. Gifts received for these booklets are used 100% to finance this on-profit ministry.