The Idol of Escape
The Idol of Escape
Prologue
Brother Josiah was a man of singular purpose. His deep baritone voice resonated through crowded assemblies, small home gatherings, and the ever-expanding corners of the internet. Josiah believed fervently in the pre-tribulation rapture—the moment when Christ would gather His church before the Great Tribulation. To Josiah, this promise wasn’t merely a hope; it was an urgent reality that needed to be hastened.
“Brethren,” he declared to his thousands of followers during a live broadcast, holding up his well-worn King James Bible, “the fullness of the Gentiles must come in! There are souls out there, unsaved, that delay our blessed hope! We must reach them, or we remain here, trapped in this sinful world!”
His eyes burned with zeal as he quoted Romans 11:25:
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Josiah saw it as his mission to ensure the gospel was preached to every Gentile who might yet repent. “We must press forward. The hour is late,” he urged. His followers, emboldened by his passion, took to the streets, workplaces, and even public transportation, preaching fervently. Some carried banners proclaiming “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Others passed out tracts to anyone who would take one.
But not everyone welcomed their efforts. Police were called when evangelists entered private businesses, refusing to leave until they’d shared their message. Others were shouted down by angry crowds. A few followers were fined, arrested, or physically assaulted. Josiah, far from being dissuaded, saw their hardships as evidence they were on the right path. “Satan knows his time is short,” he said, “and he’ll do anything to stop us.”
Yet not all of Josiah’s followers were so fervent. Some felt the pressure was too much, that the world’s hostility was overwhelming. When they quietly stopped joining the street outreaches, Josiah turned his fire on them. “Those who are not with us are against us!” he thundered from the pulpit one Sunday morning. “They are workers of Satan, hindering the gospel and delaying the rapture! Woe unto them!”
He made it his mission to stir the complacent. “If you’re not preaching the gospel, you’re an enemy of God’s plan!” he proclaimed in every sermon, video, and post. But the harder he pushed, the more disillusioned some became. They started questioning his motives, whispering that perhaps Josiah cared more about escaping the world than truly saving souls.
One evening, as Josiah sat alone in his dimly lit study, a heaviness filled the room. He had been praying—no, demanding—that God send the rapture soon. Suddenly, a still, small voice pierced the silence:
“Josiah, why persecutest thou me?”
Josiah froze, his heart pounding. The voice continued, gentle yet firm: “Why dost thou weary my children with burdens I have not given them? Why dost thou strive for a day that shall not come? There will be no pre-tribulation rapture.”
The words hit him like a lightning bolt. “No,” he whispered, trembling. “That can’t be true. Lord, have I not studied Your Word? Have I not labored for Your kingdom?”
The voice replied, “Thy zeal is not according to knowledge. Thou hast made an idol of escape, rather than trusting in my plan. The Great Tribulation shall come, and my children must face it. Stop persecuting those who follow me in spirit and truth.”
The room grew silent, but the words lingered. Josiah fell to his knees, weeping. His entire mission, his fervent efforts, suddenly seemed hollow. He had not been preparing people for the trials to come; he had been trying to avoid them altogether.
The Tribulation Unfolds
The weeks and months that followed proved the voice’s words true. A global financial collapse set the stage for a centralized digital currency tied to biometric identification. Governments rolled out a system requiring compliance to participate in commerce. Those who refused were cut off—unable to buy food, access healthcare, or even travel. Many recognized it as the mark of the beast.
Josiah’s once-thriving ministry dwindled as fear gripped the hearts of many. Some of his followers, desperate to survive, embraced the new system. Others fled into the wilderness, seeking refuge. Josiah, now humbled, turned his focus to reminding the believers of the simple gospel.
“Brethren,” he said during one of his final broadcasts, “we were wrong to think we could escape what is coming. But God has not forsaken us. Revelation 13:10 says, ‘Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.’ We must be ready to not love our lives unto death.”
Josiah no longer sought to hasten the end. Instead, he devoted himself to strengthening those who remained, teaching them to cling to Christ during persecution. He still longed for the Lord’s return, but now he prayed for courage and that the believers would not love their lives unto death, knowing that the hardest days were yet to come.