Apocalypse 2 What is a Christian?

Suddenly there was a strange light in the sky. One of the men saw it through the entrance of
the tent.
"What's that? Look at that." He pointed. A large number of people gathered at the entrance of
the tent to have a look. Rupert came with them. There was a huge white ball descending
through the clouds.
"Is it you Lord?" Rupert asked out loud.
"What are you talking about?" the man asked. There was a loud noise like a rumble of
thunder.
"My life's work is done. Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit."
"Rupert's gone mad. He's talking rubbish." At that moment Rupert disappeared. He vanished
into thin air. So did quite a number of people all over the tent.
"Oh no, what's happening?" asked Matty.
"What do you think is happening?" asked Stan.
"The big light in the sky. The noise like thunder. Oh no, is God angry with us?" Nobody in the
tent now seemed to be taking any notice of the food. They were in a state of shock.
"I think Jesus just came back," said Pauline.
"Is that what would happen?" asked Matty.
"It's in the Bible. 'He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his
elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other.' "
"Who are the elect?"
"The elect are the Christians."
"Then why were we left behind? We're Christians too."
"It's one thing to listen to Christian songs, it's another thing to be a Christian."
"Is it? I always thought I was a Christian. I always listened to preachers on my headphones
saying, 'God's not mad with you, he's mad about you,' and how I'm a lovely person and
God's going to make all my dreams come true."
"Have you ever given your life to Christ?" asked Terry, Pauline's boyfriend.
"Why, have you?" Pauline laughed.
"Yes," said Matty, "I have let Jesus into my life. One of the evangelists used to sing the song,
'Who's that knocking at the door, who's that ringing at the bell, do us a favour, open the door
and let 'em in,' and he used to have a big painting of Jesus knocking on the door of your
heart. Well, that was what I did. I said the prayer to become a Christian."
"What kind of prayer did you say?" asked Terry.
"Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins. Now I want you to be my Saviour. Amen."
"Was that it?" asked Pauline.
"Well, what else is there?"
"You can say all of that and mean nothing. You can pray like that and live like the devil," said
Terry.
"I didn't live like the devil. I lived a good life. I tried to help people."
"You can't earn your way to Heaven just by being good. You have to repent of your sin," said
Pauline.
"Sin? Sin is selfishness. Sin is making your own plans instead of letting God make the
decisions in your life."
"Matty," said Terry, "do you not think that a certain amount of God's providence is in
everybody's life? Things that seem to have happened by chance sometimes aren't quite as
bad as you thought they would be, as if God was in control. God is Lord of the universe, he's
often in control."
"He's Lord of the universe and he's Lord of my life too."
"Is he?" asked Pauline. "Is he really? Matty, what's the most important thing in your life?"
"My job. Money. The hope that God is going to give me a beautiful house one day. And
helping people."
"Jesus is not important. What would you do if you broke one of his commands?"
"What should I do?"
"Get down on your knees and pray for forgiveness," said Terry.
"Would I have to do that?"
"Yes," said Pauline. "That's Lordship of Christ as a Christian understands it."
"Excuse me saying this," said Stan, "but if you know all this, why were you left behind? Why
didn't you repent of your sins? Why didn't you make Jesus lord of your life?"
"It's one thing to have all that knowledge," said Terry, "and it's a different thing entirely to
actually do it. I couldn't repent of my sexual desires. I enjoyed them too much. I couldn't
repent of my drinking either."
"There's nothing wrong with having a drink," said Stan. "People don't always get blind drunk,
they're just being sociable. If you've been drinking for a long time you can have three or four
pints and be reasonably all right."
"It is wrong to drink the way I drink. I drink far too much, far too often, and I know it's wrong.
When I couldn't get drunk on three or four pints anymore, I tried nine or ten. I used to drink a
big bottle of cider before I went out. If I don't get stoned, I haven't had a good night out."
"Yes, and you used to muck around with other women when you were in that condition, didn't
you?"
"Pauline, you were my main woman. They were just casual acquaintances. And anyway, you
can't talk. You're here as well."
"You pulled me down with you. I was a Christian girl before I met you, not totally committed
or anything, but definitely on the way. I would have been all right if I hadn't gone out with you."
"Will we go to Hell?" asked Matty.
"There is a way," said Pauline. "It is still possible to be saved. We could become tribulation
saints."
"Tribu - what?" asked Stan.
"Tribulation saints. Christians who will be in the world during the Great Tribulation."
"What's the Great Tribulation?" asked Matty.
"The terrible time of suffering that will come on the world after Jesus comes again."
"What sort of suffering?"
"Is it like all those American films about the end of the world?" asked Terry. "Extinction Level
Event, Asteroid X52, stuff like that?"
"Yes," said Pauline, "except it's worse. It's like all of those nightmare scenarios happening at
the same time."
"I'll become a tribulation saint," said Matty. "In a terrible time like this I need God."
"Matty, I should warn you that a tribulation saint has a very high risk of being a martyr," said
Pauline.
"None of us are going to live very long, anyway," said Stan. "I think I really need God tonight."
"I'm having a prayer meeting in my caravan," said Matty. "Anybody care to join me?"
"I will," said Stan.
"I will," said Pauline.
"What about you Terry?"
"I'm going to the pub tonight. Have a drink, forget about it. Hell or nothing, fifty fifty chance.
At least I'll be able to die happy."

Terry went down to the pub. The television hung on the wall and looked like an oil painting.
A reporter was standing in a big tent.
"Here at the Keswick Convention," he said, "thousands of people have suddenly vanished."
The picture changed to show a teenage boy who had witnessed the event.
"The preacher was reading from his Bible when suddenly he wasn't there anymore, neither
were Mam and Dad and neither was Grandma. Half the congregation had suddenly just
vanished into thin air." The scene changed back to the presenter in the studio.
"We go over now live to Downing Street for an announcement from the Prime Minister." The
Prime Minister was sitting behind his desk.
"People of Britain," he said, "you are probably wondering what has happened tonight, what
are all these strange lights in the sky, why are so many people disappearing? Many of you
will have seen science fiction stories in which there are teleports that can transport people
from one place to another. The Americans have developed a device which is like a teleport.
Your friends and family members are not dead, they have not been destroyed, they have
been taken to a special place to be re-educated. There are people in our society who do not
enjoy our society, they do not fit in to our society. They need to be taught more about the
values of our society. When their re-education is complete, they will be brought back."
"Those religious people up there think there's some sort of disaster coming on the world,"
Terry said to his friend, laughing and taking another large mouthful of beer. "There's no
disaster at all. They're being re-educated."

Meanwhile in her caravan, Matty was praying passionately.
"Dear God, we're so sorry. We assumed that everything was all right, we assumed that you
loved everybody anyway. We haven't turned from our sins, we haven't sought your pardon
and forgiveness. But Lord, we do now."
"Yes," said Pauline.
"We really do come to you in repentance now, we really do want you to be the most
important thing in our lives now, we really do want you to cleanse and heal us now."
"Yes," said Stan. "Forgive me God. I have done bad things. I have evil thoughts sometimes.
I say awful words sometimes. I want to live for you. I want to follow you."
"Forgive me, Lord, for all the wasted years," said Pauline.