Why I believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture (Updated)

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

The church is not destined for wrath, we are to encourage one another, not live in fear. Fear is not a virtue of God. 2 Timothy 1:3 Paul writes to Timothy: “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. ⁴As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. ⁵I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. ⁶For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Romans 5:9“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

John 14:3 ““And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴And you know the way to where I am going.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Jesus is preparing a place for us in Heaven.

1 Thessalonians 13 ““But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,^[^d^] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Revelation 19:6 “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,”

““Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
⁷Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
⁸it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.””

⁹And the angel said^[^a^] to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, ““These are the true words of God.”” ¹⁰Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ““You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.”” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Why would God make His bride go through the tribulation period and then welcome us into his kingdom for the marriage supper of the Lamb? God is not a wife beater.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

You think we live in an evil time now, wait until the church is gone, that is when there will be lawlessness.

2 Timothy 3:1 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ²For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ⁶For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, ⁷always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. ⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. ⁹But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

The Lesson of the Fig Tree^: Luke 21:29And he told them a parable: ““Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹So

also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³²Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.””

There is a generation that will now pass away, that will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord.

34“” But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.””

We must pray that we have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, the tribulation period.

Mathew 24:36“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,^[^b^] but the Father only. ³⁷For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴²Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Bible Gateway 2026)

Just like in the days of Noah they were going about their usual business, and they didn’t know that there was going to be a flood or judgement, just like now, in the last days, the unbelievers are not aware that Jesus is coming and separating the light from the darkness. The Bible says two will be out in the field, or two will be griding, and one will be taken. However, we don’t know when Jesus will come back, therefore we must stay ready and keep our lamps full.

Revelation 6:6““And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart^[^a^] of wheat for a denarius,^[^b^] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

“In this verse John writes that he heard what seemed to be a voice coming from the midst of the four living creatures (Revelation 4:6–8). The voice announced that a quart of wheat was selling for a denarius and three quarts of barley cost a denarius. Symbolically, this passage seems to indicate a common experience in real-world crises: war and famine give way to inflation due to supply and demand.

A denarius in the first century was usually equal to a day’s wages, and the amount of grain given here is just enough to keep a person alive. These are also the commodities of the common person: basic staples for living. The implication seems to be that most people in this part of the tribulation are struggling just to meet their basic survival needs. This is the kind of poverty which threatens a person’s life, not merely their lifestyle.

However, the voice from the midst of the four living creatures also commanded, “Do not harm the oil and wine!” Oil and wine, in this context, are less crucial supplies, making them a form of minor luxury. The implication that these are not harmed might suggest that wealthy people would not be hurt by the economic or inflationary catastrophe. According to Revelation 13:16–17, the false prophet in Jerusalem will control commerce during the tribulation, making it extremely difficult for tribulation believers to purchase even basic commodities.” (Bible Ref 2026)

Revelation 24:22 “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

“The biblical account of Noah begins in Genesis 6. Approximately 1,600 years had passed since the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26–27). As the earth’s population exploded in number, it also exploded with evil. Long forgotten was the righteous sacrifice of Abel (Genesis 4:4) as “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Verses 11 and 12 say, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” However, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (verse 8).

When Jesus described the events that will surround His second coming, He said, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26–27). Jesus was pointing out that, although the people of Noah’s day were totally depraved, they were not the least bit concerned about it. They were carrying on the events of their lives without a single thought of the judgment of God. Noah is described as a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), meaning he had spent years warning his friends and neighbors what the Holy God was about to do. No one listened.

The depravity and ungodly lifestyles of the entire world at that time were enough to cause the Lord to “regret that He had made man” (Genesis 6:6). Many scholars believe that part of the need to destroy every human being except Noah and his family was the sin mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4, when “the Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.” As evil reproduced and overtook the world, the most merciful act God could perform was to start over.

It is interesting that God allowed Noah nearly one hundred years to complete the building of the ark. Through all that time, God patiently waited (1 Peter 3:20). Scripture seems to imply that Noah preached to the people of that time about what was coming (Hebrews 11:7). They did not believe Noah and were content with their wickedness and idolatry. Their hearts were hard and their ears dull. No one repented, and no one cared to seek God.

Jesus said that the world will be much the same before He returns to set up His earthly kingdom (Matthew 25:31–33). He warned us to “be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Second Timothy 3:1–4 gives us a clear picture of the state of the world before Jesus comes and most likely also describes the world in the days of Noah. That verse says, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” It is becoming increasingly obvious that, to understand what the world was like in the days of Noah, we only need to watch the evening news.” (Got Questions 2026)

Travel to and Fro throughout the world and an increase in knowledge

Daniel 12:1““At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. ²And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ³And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above;^[^a^] and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. ⁴But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

I believe we are living in the last days being spoken of above. We have artificial intelligence (AI). We have access to endless data. We can look anything up, but this manmade knowledge cannot save us from the wrath of God. A saving grace knowledge comes from the Bible. We carry our phones around with us everywhere we go, but do we tuck away in our hearts the love of Jesus Christ and the saving grace knowledge of God?

These are a few scriptures why I believe in the pre-tribulation rapture and an article from Got Questions.

What if the first words in the Bible proved that the church won’t endure God’s wrath? Genesis 1:4 “And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

It says God separated the light from the darkness, what if God is going to separate the believers or the light from the darkness, the unbelievers?

It’s not the first time that we have seen someone separated or taken. Enoch was taken to Heaven by God. Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not,^[^c^] for God took him.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

And Elijah was taken to Heaven. 2 Kings 2:11“And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Noah was separated from the flood, “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹²And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. ¹³And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,^[^c^] for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. “(Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Abraham and Lot were separated from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:27 “And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. ²⁸And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

God separated Isreal from the plagues Exodus 11:4 “So Moses said, ““Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, ⁵and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. ⁶There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. ⁷But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ ⁸And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.”” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. ⁹Then the Lord said to Moses, ““Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

And God will separate the light from the darkness and save us from the great tribulation period.

And God Separated the Light From the Darkness

It says God separated the light from the darkness, what if God is going to separate the believers or the light from the darkness, the unbelievers?

It’s not the first time that we have seen someone separated or taken. Enoch was taken to heaven by God. Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not,^[^c^] for God took him.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

And Elijah was taken to heaven. 2 Kings 2:11“And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

And God will separate the light from the darkness and save us from the great tribulation period.

What If Brotherhood Devotion

Men, what’s going on? And I don’t mean how’s it going. What’s going on in the world right now? The world is literally on fire, right now. Between Isreal and the US bombing Iran and the storms that we have been having, tornadoes, floods, hurricane in North Carolina. I still don’t think they have recovered from that one last year, riots in LA, No kings’ demonstrations. They don’t want anything to do with a king and we worship our King Jesus.

And don’t think because we live in a small town, we are exempt from the darkness. There was a murder in Mt. Ida not too long ago.

Manuela got back from visiting some friends in Oklahoma on Wednesday and five minutes later there was a bad wreck right by the house in front of Crider’s. And Saturday there was a wreck in front of Walmart.

What if …you didn’t know Jesus? Think about that for a second.

What if…you never prayed to God? Dwell on that for a second.

What if…the only thing I had to look forward to was pleasing myself and my selfish desires in this life on earth? How shallow would that be? What kind of existence would that be? How selfish would that be?

What if…you spent eternity separated from God in darkness? The thought of that should make you have chills.

I pray…that I have the wrong audience here.

Luke 16:19“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.^[^f^] The rich man also died and was buried, ²³and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

He says you had your chance while you were alive to listen and believe and repent. Now it’s too late!

Why do you think the rich man is referred to as the rich man, why doesn’t he have a name? Because you won’t find “Rich Man” in the Book of Life. Lazarus has a name, and his name can be found in the Book of Life. Lazarus is being comforted by Abraham.

Think about your name not being in the Book of Life.

Or Jesus saying, “I never knew you; depart from me you worker of iniquity.” Matthew 7:23 (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

We want Jesus to say “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” Mathew 25:23 (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

There is going to come a time when there are no more do overs, or no more mulligans. (That’s a golf reference.) We are either going to die, or Jesus is coming back. whichever happens first and then it’s, Game Over!

And we are running out of time. We need to have an urgency to ourselves. I’m saying spend time with your loved ones, your kids, your grandkids, and tell people about Jesus every chance you get, live on Mission like Zack says. We are on mission, and we are on a battlefield right here in Mena, Arkansas and people are dying right in front of us, without knowing Jesus.

God Cleans Up Our Mess (God Is Faithful)

Have you ever noticed how God cleans up our messes? (God Is Faithful) We make mistakes every day, but God. There’s those two words again, But God! I have written an article titled But God already. It’s true though, as soon as you think something is impossible, God is there to perform a miracle But God! God is faithful!

In Genesis, the first Book of the Bible, there God is fixing our humanly mistakes. First, we see Abram tell Pharaoh that Sari is his sister. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, technically Sari is Abram’s half-sister, but Abram and Sarai were being deceitful and didn’t want Pharaoh to know that Sarai was his wife, see Bible text below:

Genesis 12:10 “Now there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive and severe. ¹¹And when he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “Listen: I know that you are ^[c]a beautiful woman; ¹²so when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me [to acquire you], but they will let you live. ¹³Please tell them that you are ^[d]my sister so that things will go well for me for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you.” ¹⁴And when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful. ¹⁵Pharaoh’s princes (officials) also saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken [for the purpose of marriage] into Pharaoh’s house (harem). ¹⁶Therefore Pharaoh treated Abram well for her sake; he acquired sheep, oxen, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

¹⁷But the Lord punished Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her and go!” ²⁰So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him on his way, with his wife and all that he had.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Abraham thought that Pharaoh would think Sari was so beautiful that they would harm him to get to Sari, but he should have had faith that God would protect him. God did make a covenant with him promising to make him a great Nation. But God was there to clean up the mess and make it right ensuring that Abram and Sari didn’t do anything to jeopardize God’s redemptive plan to bring the birth of Jesus Christ into fruition.

We see another mess: Sari tells Abram that he should sleep with her maid Hagar, because Sari thinks she isn’t able to give him a child and so Abram and Sari take matters into their own hands and Abram sleeps with Hagar, has a son named Ismael which means God hears. This was not the son that God had in mind when he promised Abram to make him a great nation, see Bible text below:

Genesis 16:1 “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him any children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. ²So Sarai said to Abram, “See here, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. I am asking you to go in to [the bed of] my maid [so that she may bear you a child]; perhaps I will ^[a]obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to Sarai and did as she said. ³After Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian [maid] and gave her to her husband Abram to be his [secondary] wife. ⁴He went in to [the bed of] Hagar, and she conceived; and when she realized that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress [regarding Sarai as insignificant because of her infertility]. ⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, “May [the responsibility for] the wrong done to me [by the arrogant behavior of Hagar] be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, and when she realized that she had conceived, I was despised and looked on with disrespect. May the Lord judge [who has done right] between you and me.” ⁶But Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your maid is entirely in your hands and subject to your authority; do as you please with her.” So, Sarai treated her harshly and humiliated her, and Hagar fled from her.

⁷But ^[b]the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, on the road to [Egypt by way of] Shur. ⁸And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where did you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” ⁹The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress, and submit ^[c]humbly to her authority.” ¹⁰Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” ¹¹The Angel of the Lord continued,

“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears),
Because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering).
¹²
“He (Ishmael) will be a wild donkey of a man;
His hand will be against every man [continually fighting]
And every man’s hand against him;
And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers.”

¹³Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are ^[d]God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after ^[e]seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?” ¹⁴Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi (Well of the Living One Who Sees Me); it is ^[f]between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son; and Abram named his son, to whom Hagar gave birth, ^[g]Ishmael (God hears). ¹⁶Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Again, they should have waited for God’s plan, but they didn’t have enough faith that God was going to come thru with his promise.

Abraham must not have learned from his mistake, because he tells Abimelech that Sarah is his sister not his wife again deceiving him. Is Sarah his sister? Sarah is his half-sister, but they were being deceitful. It seems Abraham’s faith wasn’t strong enough to trust that God would protect them, see Bible verses below:

Genesis 20:1 “Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the Negev (the South country) and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he lived temporarily in Gerar. ²Abraham ^[a]said [again] of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So ^[b]Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took ^[c]Sarah [into his harem]. ³But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night, and said, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken [as your wife], for she is another man’s wife.” ⁴Now Abimelech had not yet come near her; so he said, “Lord, will you kill a people who are righteous and innocent and blameless [regarding Sarah]? ⁵Did Abraham not tell me, ‘She is my sister?’ And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” ⁶Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this in the integrity of your heart, for it was I who kept you back and spared you from sinning against Me; therefore, I did not give you an opportunity to touch her. ⁷So now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her [to him], know that you shall die, you and all who are yours (your household).”

⁸So Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things; and the men were terrified. ⁹Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I offended you that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me what ought not to be done [to anyone].” ¹⁰And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you encountered or seen [in us or our customs], that you have done this [unjust] thing?” ¹¹Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely there is no fear or reverence of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ ¹²Besides, she actually is my [half] sister; she is the daughter of my father [Terah], but not of my mother; and she became my wife. ¹³When God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This kindness and loyalty you can show me: at every place we stop, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” ¹⁴Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him [as God commanded]. ¹⁵So Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.” ¹⁶Then to Sarah he said, “Look, I have given this brother of yours a ^[d]thousand pieces of silver; it is to compensate you [for all that has happened] and to vindicate your honor before all who are with you; before all men you are cleared and compensated.” ¹⁷So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, and they again gave birth to children, ¹⁸for the Lord had securely closed the wombs of all [the women] in Abimelech’s household because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Now the scene changes and we see Ishmael do something that offends Sarah. The Bible says Ishmael mocks Isaac and they throw Hagar and her son, Ishmael out of their camp to fend for themselves in the wilderness, read the Bible verses below:

Genesis 21:9 “Now [as time went on] Sarah saw [Ishmael] the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, ^[b]mocking [Isaac]. ¹⁰Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.” ¹¹The situation ^[c]distressed Abraham greatly because of his son [Ishmael]. ¹²God said to Abraham, “Do not let it distress you because of Ishmael and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her and do what she asks, for your descendants will be named through Isaac. ¹³And I will also make a nation of [Ishmael] the son of the maid, because he is your descendant.” ¹⁴So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her ^[d]away. And she left [but lost her way] and wandered [aimlessly] in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

¹⁵When the water in the skin was all gone, Hagar abandoned the boy under one of the bushes. ¹⁶Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.” And as she sat down opposite him, she raised her voice and wept. ¹⁷God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy from where he is [resting]. ¹⁸Get up, help the boy up, and hold him by the hand, for I will make him a great nation.” ¹⁹Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the [empty] skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰God was with Ishmael, and he grew and developed; and he lived in the wilderness and became an [expert] archer. ²¹He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

What I find very interesting about this is that God provides for Ishmael and Hagar, even promising to make Ishmael a great nation. Again, God is providing and cleaning up our humanly mistakes.

Now we could argue that God knows everything, and he does! And that all these things needed to come to pass. Ishmael being born so he can become a great nation providing lineage and that God would bless all the women and open their wombs allowing Abimelech and his wife and maids to have children.

As humans, we make a lot of mistakes. We can count at least three things that Abraham and Sarah did that could have potentially ruined the plan of Jesus Christ being born, Jesus Christ’s lineage coming from Isaac (Abraham’s son) But GOD made sure that our humanly mistakes didn’t ruin everything.

Has God saved you from yourself? He certainly has saved me from myself.