Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:44 KJV

"The Rapture's Call"

by Dr. Ken Taylor From the book: "Finding Mercy in a Hard Place"

Preview audio:

storyj.mp/acvaqgyde639

Let’s meet Cameron Lopez, age 16, student of Jefferson Gardens High School, Topeka, Kansas.

We find Cameron sitting on the side of the busy highway, Route 263; he is searching frantically for the Bible somewhere in the back seat of his new car. Ah, the new car, a 2016 red V-8 Mustang G.T. that he had dreamed about for years. He had been saving his money for 3 years and with the help of his dad and mom, he finally had the wheels of his dreams. Cameron gets his cell phone out again trying to find someone in his family who had not disappeared.

Driving along the freeway Cameron witnessed several vehicle crashes on the side of the road and in the median. The drivers were no where in sight. The thing that really shook up Cameron was the car in front of him was a car driven by an elderly couple with a sticker on the bumper that read "Prepare to meet thy God”. One moment they were there and the next they disappeared into thin air. Their car veered off to the side of the road and struck a guard rail and stopped. Cameron pulled in behind the car to see if he could help but no one was there. “This is weird”, says Cameron.

Finally, he gets through to his Uncle Joe Lopez in Las Vegas, Nevada. His uncle is an alcoholic and professional gambler. Uncle Joe answers the phone abruptly; “who the blankety-blank is this?”

Cameron stutters a moment and says it is me Uncle Joe, Cameron Lopez your nephew. His Uncle Joe curses and tells Cameron “don’t call me again; I’ve got my own problems” and abruptly hangs up on Cameron. Tears start trickling down Cameron’s face, his dad was a preacher, a downtown mission preacher. He was always ready to help anyone in need. Cameron’s mom was a housewife and the secretary at the downtown mission. She also sang in the small choir at the mission. Cameron has twin sisters, Misty and Melinda, age 5. As the tears keep streaming down his face, Cameron could still hear his dad’s words ringing in his ears from the message Wednesday night at the mission.

His dad called out clearly and loudly John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Cameron was always embarrassed to reveal to his friends that his dad was a preacher he just told them he was a doctor. He didn’t think lying was a big deal; he always lied to make himself look good around his friends. But now Cameron remembers the old town drunk who sat behind him last Wednesday night at the mission. The old man smelled awful and had not shaved for several weeks.

His clothes were worn, tattered, and torn, and he was holding an old worn out brown hat with several holes in it. Cameron almost laughed out loud because of the old man’s hat it had a patch on it that said; I LOVE JESUS inside a red heart. When Cameron’s dad gave the invitation that night, he called out; “Please don’t put Jesus off, come down and get saved before it is eternally too late.” Cameron knew he was a sinner, and the Holy Spirit convicted his heart telling him to go down and trust Jesus, but Cameron was enjoying too much fun; a new car, a good job, a new girl friend, lots of friends, and he was extremely popular. He says " I’m too young; I’ve got plenty of time to get saved.”

Oh, if only he could back to that Wednesday night, he would get saved, why, even the old town drunk went down to the altar that night. Cameron remembers watching the old man limp down to the altar with his injured leg. Cameron said to himself; as he heard the old man cry out down at the altar; “Thank you Lord Jesus for mercy,” that he would never make a fool of himself like that old man. Cameron understands now that what the old man did was right.

Cameron fights off more tears as he shouts; “Dad, you were right, Dad, you always told me, “Cameron, you better trust Jesus, and because you know a man always reaps what he sows”. Cameron all of a sudden remembers where his Bible is, it is under the seat where he kicked it, so his friends would not see it. He runs to the door, frantically sliding back the seat, there it is, the Bible his dad gave him on his 16th birthday. In about the middle of the Bible, he finds a verse highlighted in yellow, Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what day may bring forth.”

All of a sudden a big red 18 wheeler blast by Cameron’s car and the wind from it blows dirt and paper all along the side of the road. Just then Cameron can’t believe his eyes; an old brown hat blows along the asphalt. Cameron recognizes it immediately,” it’s the old man’s hat," he cries. “The old man was right he was right” yells Cameron as the hat lands upright, and there is the patch in clear view it reads:
I LOVE JESUS!