If you could take an instant snapshot of the Rapture of the Church… would you see a small streak of a remnant “survivor” church… or, would the digital screen show a thriving “full-bodied” church breaking the cloud cover?

The answer is BOTH… perhaps!    

The Bible assurance of a Rapture ready church cannot be debated.  All true saints lean on God’s promise about the matter.  Plus, God cannot lie!  So it’s a no brainer: the Church WILL survive until Rapture time.  Survive?  Survive what?    

Survive the savage, unrelenting attacks from the dark worlds of hell against the Church, against all righteousness… that is what survival means!  It is almost as if we all were caught by surprise.  The suddenness of the end time storm is frightening.  Almost instantly (pardon the conflicting words) the church finds itself intensely battered by wickedness from above, below and even inside our own ranks.

This, in turn, gives fulfillment to the verse:   "Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Obviously, the answer is yes!!! In conjunction with that line of thought many add the following verse: “…the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things with cannot be shaken may remain.” (Hebrews 12:27). 

These believers see the rapture of a lean-mean, yet small surviving church.  And they can’t really be faulted.  After all, have you ever seen a time of “the great falling away” as we are seeing these days that we are living in?  Even some seasoned saints are leaning the wrong way… away from the altar, even further from the Cross of Christ (as if they have become ashamed of righteous living).    

On the far other end of the spectrum, another well-known group of committed Christ followers can be found.  They of the persuasion that there will be a massive worldwide revival before the Rapture takes place.  They see Joel 2:29 as their banner: “And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”.  They see a massive number of living saints, a thriving, enhanced, “fattened” church.  No lean “survivor” attitude among their ranks!

Which of the two groups are “right”?  In my humble opinion,   neither of the two are fully correct.  The Church WILL NOT leave this world in a whimper… nor can I see an explosive revival to come.  

In reality, it is within the power of each individual Apostolic congregation determine the MIX of two viewpoints!        

If the mindset of both the home Sheppard and his flock are “just to make it in” and no more… Then, the only ultimate result can be a lean, thin “surviving” church.  And considering the tidal waves from hell washing over the bulwarks of their ship, we can only admire the tenacity of those survivors.    

On the other hand, claiming every loose tongue as a sign of worldwide Holy Ghost revival is ludicrous.  Every true Apostolic KNOWS that salvation is MORE than just speaking in tongues!  Get real!

Probably, one of the major impediments against a final world revival is the intense battle waged over every soul pulled into the fold of salvation: nowadays, every soul is birthed into salvation only after long spiritual attrition.  However, that is the area where the surviving Church shines brightest!    

Things are not all that bleak!  Revival IS possible during these dark hours!  Perhaps not on a worldwide scale as some would like, but we, the Church, DO NOT have to leave this world as a mere shadow of former glory!    
How can this be?  Find a BOLD Sheppard with a vision for the lost.  Then find a seasoned SURVIVING (holiness!) church.  Mix the two!  The joined result will propel that whole congregation to step out into a perverted world of lost sinners… rescuing men and women from dark forces; fighting over each soul that Satan has chained near the gates of hell.