Quote Originally Posted by Werner
crosswin,
It's possible to know of God but not place your faith in Him. There are many people going to "local assemblies" that are not part of the Body of Christ, which is the True Church. The local assemblies were real local assemblies and are not in totality limited to the Body of Christ (which is not seven, but is one).
The universal church is indeed one, but local expressions of the church like Ephesus, Smyrna, and Philadelphia are real localities. Rev. 2 & 3 is a calendar of the dispensation of grace in the church age. It shows us the condition of the church periods. We are in the Laodicean church period now, the last one, of "differing opinions" such as believing you will be raptured before the Tribulation no matter how sinful you are. This is not in good conscience to be sure. During the 19th century was the Philadelphia church period when first rapture according to readiness was widely accepted. Those in the church are saved. Those who go to a meeting may not be saved, thus they would not be described as the church. All those who break bread should be saved. The kingdom of heaven includes within it, the outward appearance of of the unsaved tares and the saved wheat. Outside the kingdom of heaven is the dogs, the unsaved who admit they are not even in the kingdom.
You have to take the seven letters in Revelation with the rest of God's Word. John in his letters tells us who the overcomers are, and they are those who are in Christ. The Smyrna and Philadelphia Assemblies are not infested with unbelievers. There are some believers in every assembly, but some have many more than claim to know Christ but do not.
John in his letters says who the overcomers are. He says they are those who are called out of the body of Christ unto rewards. All believers overcome in Christ, but it is a matter of when. Those who are ready at the first rapture are received according to readiness. None of the churches are infested with unbelievers since everyone in the church is saved. Though there are those who hang around in the sphere of the kingdom, they are not all saved. Assembly is not constituted the church. The church is the body of Christ. An assembly is the local church which may have some non-believers in it, but the church as the body of Christ has no unbelievers.
Read Rev. 2 & 3 again to see that in each church there are called out ones who overcome to receive a reward. Such ones would be accounted worthy to be received at the first rapture. All Christians overcome, except not by the time of first rapture. There is still the Tribulation that must pass as well as the rewards in the millennial kingdom for overcomer believers.
Being worthy in Christ means just that. Apart from Him no one will be found worthy. In Him we are all Accepted, Justified and Worthy. If we abuse that Liberty we have in Christ the Father will discipline us, and no one has suggested that God turns a blind eye to what we do because we are in Christ...
Since God does not turn a blind eye, then you shall not be received at the first rapture since you overassume your readiness and lack the humility to be an overcomer believer, considering first rapture according to readiness and abiding in the condition of Rev. 3.10 and Luke 21.36. Moreover it is wrong to accuse Christians of being unsaved who were not ready to be received at the first rapture.
Luke is not talking about the Rapture. I think you are reading that into what he says... There are no signs connected to the Rapture.
IMHO :):
Luke is talking about rapture and the proof was supplied in this thread. The signs connected with rapture were already stated, though you must be able to reason with a clear conscience when reading what has already been given.
Opinion is not necessarily truth. It must be proven. Read it again.