Rapture in Mableton

   One Sunday morning during a large tent revival service, hundreds were surprised
to see two men enter, both with faces wrapped in white cloth and carrying automatic rifles. One of the men pointed his rifle at the crowd and proclaimed, "Anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ remain where you are."  The assassins' eyes were filled with amazement as the evangelist calmly turned the pages of the Bible and read the following:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of GOD that is in Christ Jesus our LORD."

   Then the evangelist gently set the Bible down and walked toward the assassins with hands outstretched as if to embrace them.

"Stop! Do not come any closer, or I will shoot you!" commanded one of the assassins.

"Dear heavenly Father, please forgive these men for they know not what they are doing," prayed the evangelist gazing upward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!  as bullets went through the evangelist and others in the crowd and tore holes in the tent.  To everyone's amazement, the evangelist continued walking toward the assassins and others in the crowd were uninjured.

"Please stop! Or I will also shoot!" exclaimed the second assassin.

Bang! Bang! ... Bang! Click click click ... as both assassins emptied their clips at the evangelist and the crowd of believers tearing more holes into the tent. Again, miraculously no one was hurt by the barrage of bullets even though the glass of windshields could be heard shattering outside setting off car alarms  in the distance.  Softly at first the crowd broke out in song...

"There's no one like Jehovah

There's no one like Jehovah

There's no one like Jehovah

There's no one like Jehovah

There's no one like Jehovah..."

   Then the assassins' eyes widened in fear as the evangelist reached out and touched them on the shoulders. At that moment, a bright light enveloped the entire tent and everyone vanished and all that remained was the Bible still open to the LORD's promise:

"For those GOD foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be firstborn among many brothers.  And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified."