Column by Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: Principles for coping in these last days before the Rapture

Thank you so much for taking time today with this part of the ministry at the Open Bible Baptist Church. It is a privilege to minister to your heart today. I want to bring this subject that is pertinent to the day in which we live by asking this question, "How Does the Christian Cope in These Last Days?"

My Scripture text is found in Luke 21:25-28, where we see, "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (KJV)

My Scripture portion from Luke's gospel is part of the Lord's preaching in what is known as the "Olivet Discourse" and is truly prophetic in nature. This discourse is primarily to the Jew, but we can draw some secondary applications from it for our hearts today. Let me say, "What a time to be alive!" We are living in days of prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes and also in days when we fully anticipate the return of Jesus Christ for his Church!

There is also another view of these days in which we live because fear is at epic proportions in our society, the homes of many are suffering from fragile marriage relationships, and the moral standards that used to be so prominent in our nation are at an all-time low. Israel was given these words to challenge them to look for their Messiah as He comes in the Revelation (Rev. 19). But we are seeing these conditions prevail on this Earth right now, and it tells me that the Rapture of the True Church must be close at hand!

So, how do we as Christian cope in these days just before the Rapture? First, we pay attention to the escalating conditions that keep pointing us to the time when we will hear the sound of the trumpet and will be caught away. This is no time to quit church and quit being faithful to God. Next, we should seize the opportunities that we are given to minister to others and reach the unsaved with the gospel of Christ, because when the rapture takes place, those who do not know Jesus as Savior will be left behind to face the Tribulation Period. Third, we need to be diligent and devoted to God in our life of worship, reading and studying our Bible and spending quality time with our Savior in prayer daily. Fourth, we need to be faithful to love one another as our Lord and Savior has loved us because we need the support of brothers and sisters in Christ for encouragement and strength in these last days. When do we need to begin applying these principles for coping? The time is now!

Dr. Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.