Hi there,
So just to bring you up to speed a little more: the role of the Devil, in relation to the Rapture and the Tribulation, is quite relevant. The Bible tells us that the Devil is the accuser of the Brethren (letters, from memory). What does he accuse the Brethren of? For one thing, believing in a Rapture that is not fulfilled or followed. What does it mean not to fulfil or follow the Rapture? It means you have a relationship to God that you haven't declared, to the World (that is the relationship is unfulfilled); further to this relationship you haven't raised the standard of prayer (that is, the relationship has not lead to an action of faith on the basis of the fulfilment). In reality this sounds more complicated than it is: all you have to do is acknowledge God before others and pray. In this sense, your relationship to the Rapture is at least implied, that is, you are ready to be focused on God and you are ready for that focus to take on the meaning that is appropriate.
My point here, is that if you are able to do these two things - acknowledge and pray - then you are free of the Devil, but knowing that you are free of the Devil, you ought to develop some maturity and be explicit about your faith in the Rapture. If the Devil does not believe you have fulfilled or followed the Rapture, why not resist the Devil and pray for the Rapture all the more? I mean if you know you have prayed for the Rapture and you have trusted the command to pray "that you escape the things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man", then the Devil's work will not merely be slowed, they will be stopped altogether. The Devil cannot produce a substitute for the Rapture. The Devil can only make you doubt, that the Rapture means to you what it does. If you're praying for the Rapture, how can the Devil cause you to doubt?
The difficulty is that the Devil doesn't just stop at you doubting your Rapture: the Devil provokes men to fear for their lives. The Devil does this, by stirring up rancour concerning the Tribulation. If men fear the Tribulation as the Bible says men will do "saying 'mountains fall on us, hills cover us'" then the Devil is able to cause them to panic! Panicking men, make poor decisions for their Salvation (selah). We ought to understand this, because as the story of the wise and foolish virgins goes, we may assume that men will want us to panic with them (to give up some of our peace). The remedy to this, is once again prayer. If you are praying that the Tribulation be minimal, you have no reason to doubt that God wants you to keep your peace! This is the shield of faith, at work! You have been told the Tribulation is coming, even if you don't see it on Earth in your life, Jesus promises that you will face trial "everyone will be tested with fire, every sacrifice seasoned with salt" (gospels, from memory). Can you see that your prayers are needed now?
I hope this has been of some encouragement to you.
God bless.
So just to bring you up to speed a little more: the role of the Devil, in relation to the Rapture and the Tribulation, is quite relevant. The Bible tells us that the Devil is the accuser of the Brethren (letters, from memory). What does he accuse the Brethren of? For one thing, believing in a Rapture that is not fulfilled or followed. What does it mean not to fulfil or follow the Rapture? It means you have a relationship to God that you haven't declared, to the World (that is the relationship is unfulfilled); further to this relationship you haven't raised the standard of prayer (that is, the relationship has not lead to an action of faith on the basis of the fulfilment). In reality this sounds more complicated than it is: all you have to do is acknowledge God before others and pray. In this sense, your relationship to the Rapture is at least implied, that is, you are ready to be focused on God and you are ready for that focus to take on the meaning that is appropriate.
My point here, is that if you are able to do these two things - acknowledge and pray - then you are free of the Devil, but knowing that you are free of the Devil, you ought to develop some maturity and be explicit about your faith in the Rapture. If the Devil does not believe you have fulfilled or followed the Rapture, why not resist the Devil and pray for the Rapture all the more? I mean if you know you have prayed for the Rapture and you have trusted the command to pray "that you escape the things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man", then the Devil's work will not merely be slowed, they will be stopped altogether. The Devil cannot produce a substitute for the Rapture. The Devil can only make you doubt, that the Rapture means to you what it does. If you're praying for the Rapture, how can the Devil cause you to doubt?
The difficulty is that the Devil doesn't just stop at you doubting your Rapture: the Devil provokes men to fear for their lives. The Devil does this, by stirring up rancour concerning the Tribulation. If men fear the Tribulation as the Bible says men will do "saying 'mountains fall on us, hills cover us'" then the Devil is able to cause them to panic! Panicking men, make poor decisions for their Salvation (selah). We ought to understand this, because as the story of the wise and foolish virgins goes, we may assume that men will want us to panic with them (to give up some of our peace). The remedy to this, is once again prayer. If you are praying that the Tribulation be minimal, you have no reason to doubt that God wants you to keep your peace! This is the shield of faith, at work! You have been told the Tribulation is coming, even if you don't see it on Earth in your life, Jesus promises that you will face trial "everyone will be tested with fire, every sacrifice seasoned with salt" (gospels, from memory). Can you see that your prayers are needed now?
I hope this has been of some encouragement to you.
God bless.