Martial Law And Hope For The Rapture!

The first thing we have to do is define "martial law." Typically, the imposition of martial law accompanies curfews, the suspension of civil law, civil rights, habeas corpus, and the application or extension of military law or military justice to civilians.  In other words, say goodbye to the United States as you’ve known it and embrace an extremely altered future. 

How would our lives as citizens and as Christians be affected should marshal law be declared here in the US?  Let’s take a look at a few simple examples:

Example #1 (Hint: Start A Daytime Bible Study)

Time for bible study!  You get your bible, you pad of paper and a pen or two.  You might even bring along a dry highlighter and maybe a snack for everyone.  You head outside and look at the twilight sky as you head for your car.  Suddenly, a light shines in your eyes and you hear a loud command to, “Freeze!”  You stop, hoping not to be shot while you try to explain who you are and where you’re going.  You can barely get a word out before you hear, “Back in the house.  No one is allowed on the streets past sunset.”

Surely they’ll make an exception for people who actually have some place to go, especially a bible study, right?  You try to explain that you’re just going to a bible study and weren’t planning on a bank heist when unexpectedly everything is knocked out of your hands, you’re thrown to the ground and you’re cuffed.

Curfew was enacted 24 hours ago, but you assumed it was directed at those who would most likely riot in the streets while destroying property and looting from stores. It couldn’t possibly be for law abiding Christians heading off to bible study. 

You find that you are sorely mistaken as you are taken to jail and thrown in with others who made a similar assumption.  As you all discuss what brought you there, several of your cellmates tell stories of people being shot dead in the streets without as much as a warning.  It’s then that you realize how blessed you were to be taken into custody alive instead of being taken down by a sniper.

The next morning you’re transportation has arrived.  You’re shocked to learn that you are being sent to a FEMA camp for “re-education.”  What about a lawyer?  What about my right to justice under the legal system?  Sorry, habeas corpus no longer applies.  You're off to "Camp FEMA."

Example #2 (Sign: “Highway To Hell Traffic Only”)

It’s morning and you’re excited about participating in a regional conference on end-time eschatology.  You have confirmation of your registration and your list of workshops.  You stop off at the local coffee shop to get a large coffee before heading out.  You pull away from the coffee shop, take a few sips of your coffee and look forward to a three day weekend of fellowship and education.  

As you prepare to take the on-ramp to the highway, you realize that it’s been barricaded with military and police vehicles and both the police and military are waving people past the on-ramp.  You’re curious about what’s going on, but you assume it’s just another DHS exercise and you drive on while your GPS device calculates another route.  You pass several more on-ramps with the same scene, military and police.  Your concern rises when you realize that the highway has been blocked off.  You definitely won’t be able to make it to the conference if you can’t even get on the highway.  

Out of curiosity you decide to pull over to ask them what’s happening.  Immediately they pull their weapons and order you to get back in the car and drive on or they’ll fire.  As you raise you hands in submission and try to explain that you only want to know if there are any on-ramps that aren’t blocked, several shots ring out.  You hit the ground, lifeless.

Certainly there will be justice!  They can't just kill anyone they want to in cold blood!  During martial law, military justice applies, and that includes killing American citizens if they deem it necessary.

Example #3 (Sorry, Church Is Cancelled)

It’s Sunday morning and you head out to church.  Martial law had been enacted a few days ago.  New “laws” seem to be made every day as more and more individual freedoms are taken away.  You’ve heard some horror stories, but you can’t verify whether they are true or not.  You can hardly wait to get to church and hear what the Pastor has to say about all of this and to hear what stories the congregation has to share.  As you approach the church, you observe a disturbance in the parking lot.  Cars are leaving filled with passengers.  Where is everyone going?  You pull into the parking lot and the police stop you.  You roll down your window as an officer approaches.

“Sorry sir, there’s no church today.  Please circle around and leave the parking lot.”

You ask for more information, but the officer just says, “Move along, sir.”

As you circle the parking lot, you see the church secretary.  You stop and roll down your window to ask her what’s happening.

Graphic: brentwoodbaptist.com/

“Church has been cancelled until further notice.”

“What?  Why?” 

“Martial law.  It seems that Christians who go to full-gospel churches and who believe in a literal return of Jesus are considered possible terrorists and we’re not allowed to meet in groups of more than 3 unless it’s sanctioned by the ‘state’, so there’s no way we can have church.”

You can’t believe your ears.  “Terrorists!  That’s ridiculous!  How can they do this?”

“I don’t know,” she says, “Some churches are able to remain open, but we’re not one of them.  I think they’re afraid we’ll get together and form a plan to overthrow the government or something.”

You see an officer approaching your car.  You say goodbye to the church secretary who also notices the officer and scoots by the front of your car as she heads to hers.  You feel the vibration and hear the sound of the officer banging on the top of your trunk with his flashlight. “I said move along, sir!”  You smile and wave and drive around the parking lot.  As you approach the exit, you see others being redirected as well.  Unfortunately, one individual seems to have given the police a hard time and he’s being handcuffed and dragged off.  You recognize him as the deacon of the church.  His car door is still open and his engine was running.  You see his wife emerging from the car screaming and crying.  You exit the parking lot, and as you drive home, you come to the reality that something has gone terribly wrong.

Can they really stop Christians from having church?  Yes, they can.  As you read in this account, born again believers in Christ who believe that the bible is the inspired word of God, who believe in a literal rapture of the church and who believe in the second coming of Christ are already considered by the government to be possible terrorists.

Example #4 (Filling Up On Food and Fuel)

An economic collapse has occurred.  Most people lost every penny they had in the bank, including businesses and state agencies. Your community has been under marshal law for the past couple of weeks.  Transportation has been curtailed, all privately owned grocery stores, convenience stores and gas stations have been closed.  Due to the restriction of highway travel, no food or fuel was able to be delivered to local area supermarkets, convenience stores or gas stations.  This caused a riot-like run on food left nothing on the shelves.  Even the church food bank is empty.  Gas station tanks ran dry after just 24 hours.  Because of the declining economy in previous years, a lot of people were forced to seek help.  This help included financial assistance and food stamp assistance.  Since these forms of assistance utilized EBT cards, the transition to a new digital monetary system was almost seamless.  They just had to substitute one card for another.  The same was true for those who used debit cards.  They were useless now, and the switch to a card that accessed a new form of digital money seemed like a solution they could live with.  As long as everyone had food on the table and fuel in their cars, they were satisfied… for now.

The military along with local law enforcement agencies opened government operated gas stations and food distribution sites in a few areas of the city.  They’ve become the community “saviors” in this time of need.  Unfortunately, if you are a gun owner, you are required to surrender all your firearms, ammo and clips before you can purchase any food or fuel.  You also have to submit to a home search.  If they find out you’ve deceived them and that you still possess firearms, the penalty is internment in a regional FEMA camp.

Graphic: patdollard.com

Taking all firearms away from citizens is the goal of the majority of those serving in the federal and state government at this point in time.  During a time of martial law, expect that to be their main focus and their main reason for the terrible crimes against humanity that will result in their attempt to disarm American citizens.

Example #5 (What’s On TV?)

Once martial law was enacted, television began changing.  Entertainment television was being axed in favor of a more news oriented form of entertainment.  Sponsors were no longer making money, so they couldn’t afford to pay for advertisements.  That hit the entertainment industry hard and almost all television entertainment ended within a few short weeks.  Hit even harder were religious broadcasts.  They were taken off the air immediately after martial law began. 

Since there wasn’t much to keep their attention, many people listened to the state-run news outlets and read local newsprint that continued to push forth the idea that everything would be okay and that the government was there for them.  They were told of this country’s past hardships and were encouraged to endure until we came through these hard times.    

Some people began complaining about propaganda television, but most people just laughed at those comments.  After all, every single news outlet couldn’t possibly be lying, and the president was there for them as well, making sure that no one went hungry or went without medical care.  Every new mandatory directive was for everyone’s safety.  Citizens were ready to make sacrifices for their president and for the country in order to make it through this difficult time and emerge a stronger and more cohesive nation.

Every time a personal liberty was taken from them, they were told it was for their own safety, and they believed it.  Of course, there were stories of people being shot in the streets or sent to detention centers, but they were the troublemakers; they were the ones the government was trying to protect everyone from; they were the bad guys.  What they didn’t know is that a lot of them were born again believers in Christ who refused to be forced to do anything that went against the word of God, even if it meant their death. 

It's not just television, radio and newspapers that will be under the control of government.  Other forms of information will be under their control as well, including magazines, the internet, post office, etc...  Any information you receive will be under the tight control of the government. 

Epilogue

These are just a few examples of what awaits us when our economy implodes in the near future.  It could only be a few weeks or a few months away.  How much of what I described will we have to endure before the Lord returns?  We just don’t know.  Martial law doesn’t even compare to what’s ahead for those who will go through the seven-year tribulation.  It’s just the beginning of a world system that will encompass everyone, whether they are slaves to Satan or slaves to Christ.  

During the Tribulation, the Christian believer has one hope, and that hope is in Jesus Christ.  The believer has the hope of salvation through the blood of Jesus, a hope sealed by the Holy Spirit, a hope to be realized by our physical death or by the glorious appearance of Jesus Christ at the end of the tribulation period.  As this end-time scenario plays out, prepare for the worst but hope for the best.  Prepare for martial law, but hope for the Rapture! 

God bless and may the peace that passes all understanding fill your heart as we wait for the return of the Bridegroom!

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