Churchwork
08-30-2007, 07:30 PM
Q. I love the insight you have into Revelation you make it so clear.
I have been interested in End Times since I was first saved 33 years ago and I feel that I have a good understanding of it all BUT willing to learn more.
Now.....I have a question which has troubled me since I read it and because you may know the person who wrote it I won't mention his name although you may be able to guess. He says that not all the Christians will be going in the rapture but only the Bride of Christ. The rest will have to face the consequences and go through the tribulation and could be martyred or lost.
Now I find this extremely worrying as my belief is that all those that are born again will go in the rapture even if they are what you would call luke warm Christians. The Bible says...'believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved'. I see that as saved from the wrath to come.
My personal interest in this is that my eldest daughter and granddaughter have given their lives to Jesus and have been water baptized but unfortunately both are married to husbands that are unsaved so they don't go to church and after reading the article they won't be in the rapture either but will have to face the wrath to come and I can't see them being able to do that.
Please give me your answer to this problem I value it and would appreciate if very much.
A. There are a couple of different sources for the notion of a partial rapture. One was developed by church leaders who believe that there needs to be some kind of behavioral qualification to receive such a blessing. It's a combination of grace plus works that has no biblical basis and denies the sufficiency of our Lord's death on the cross.
The other one comes from a major denomination that teaches that only its members are the Bride of Christ. All other Christians are "Friends of the Bridegroom" and are not privy to the blessings of the Bride. This is an equally un-scriptural view. There is but one church and all who accept the Lord's death as payment in full for all their sins belong.
I don't know which of these two applies in your family's case, but the fact is that we are saved by what we believe, not by how we behave, and certainly not by what denomination we've joined. It's true that our behavior as believers can earn heavenly rewards for us, but the Rapture is not such a reward. It's a basic promise to everyone who believes that Jesus died for all of our sins.
A. Separate rapture does not teach that the bride of Christ can be lost, nor does it teach that those Christians, who had to pass through Tribulation and could not be received at first rapture, would not be raptured at the last trumpet resurrection and rapture. Nor does separate rapture say the bride of Christ is only raptured at first rapture, for surely some overcome in the Tribulation period and there are those who overcame in the past 6000 years who would be raptured at the last trumpet who were not martyred-thus, they too are included in the bride of Christ to reign in the 1000 years. I am sure these words are extremely confusing to anyone who reads them unless they know separate rapture. The popular views will dull your mind.
The wrath specifically is the bowls which take place at the 7th trumpet in the last 24 months of the 7 year Tribulation. The last trumpet rapture and resurrection take place before that. There is the wrath of Satan which comes against believers and the wrath of God which does not come against believers in the same time.
Your two daughters if they do not overcometh, they shall pass through the Tribulation, and be grateful, because they are given yet another opportunity to overcometh even as martyrs for Christ in the Tribulation. But it is the hope of the Church to be received at the first rapture if you are accounted worthy for being prayerful (Luke 21.36), watchful (Matt. 24.42) and keeping the Word of His patience (Rev. 3.10). If your daughters are truly saved, then they can never lose eternal life and are promised the new city and new earth, so have no worries, but be filled with joy. However, do understand God requires accountability for Christians; hence, the 1000 year reign of Christ unto rewards for overcomer believers is provided over the nations of earth.
Rev. 19.7 Who is this “wife” of the Lamb? It cannot be the church for the following reasons:
(1) The great multitude spoken of in 19.1 includes the saved among the children of Israel as well as from among the nations. The church is definitely included. Since it is the great multitude who proclaims the words found in 19.7, the church must therefore be included among those who make such a proclamation. And hence the wife must point to someone else.
(2) In the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25.1-13), only the five wise virgins (and therefore not all who are in the church, for notice that all ten are virgins) are privileged to attend the marriage feast.
(3) This wife of the Lamb is different from the bride in Paul’s epistles. For she whom Paul speaks of is clothed with Christ, whereas the wife here is clothed with her own righteousnesses. In Paul’s epistles the church as a whole is viewed as the bride of Christ. In Revelation, the church is considered according to her components, therefore the responsibility of the church before God is stressed. In Paul’s epistles the church is accepted in Christ, but in Revelation the church is accepted in her works. In Paul’s epistles the church in totality belongs to Christ, while in Revelation she is divided into the saved and the overcomers.
This wife of the Lamb is none other than the New Jerusalem (21.9,10). God is now in His holy temple, so that the voices of praise from the great multitude come also from the temple. During the millennial kingdom the overcomers shall be kings in the city and priests in the temple. But the temple shall gradually lose its prominence until it totally disappears, for God and the Lamb will be the temple in New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth.
Of the church, some (for example, the five wise virgins) will attend the marriage feast, while some (for example, the five foolish virgins) will not be able to attend the marriage feast.
Some object that rapture is part of redemption, that since redemption is according to grace, rapture cannot be based on the concept of worthiness. In reply, it needs to be pointed out that while the act of changing (see 1 Cor. 15.51-52) is indeed according to grace, the act of being taken (rapture) is according to works. Otherwise, you have antinomianism, and you can be as lazy and slothful as you like without consequences. Be grateful to God there are consequences for Christians, though we can't lose eternal life.
Since God does not divide the body of Christ by I of Cephas and I of Apollos denominations, any denom that says it is the bride and nobody else is, they are themselves lost and deceived.
There are no rewards in the new city and new earth. Rewards are done away with at that time. Don't think you can have a better eternal life than someone else. Rewards are only for the 1000 year reign of Christ with His overcomer believers, and just as there are first fruits and harbingers and advanced parties in every sphere of life, there are also in the timing of rapture and who shall be raptured when. Enoch was raptured, and Noah went through the flood. Elijah was taken, Elisha was left. Jesus was raptured, the 12 disciples were left. And so too is it true for the first rapture and condition for it. It is because of this firstfruits in rapture that causes Satan to react. The Holy Spirit has put on my heart that those who deny this do so because it allows you to remain in the flesh as though in the spirit to buy their products or live like they do.
I have been interested in End Times since I was first saved 33 years ago and I feel that I have a good understanding of it all BUT willing to learn more.
Now.....I have a question which has troubled me since I read it and because you may know the person who wrote it I won't mention his name although you may be able to guess. He says that not all the Christians will be going in the rapture but only the Bride of Christ. The rest will have to face the consequences and go through the tribulation and could be martyred or lost.
Now I find this extremely worrying as my belief is that all those that are born again will go in the rapture even if they are what you would call luke warm Christians. The Bible says...'believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved'. I see that as saved from the wrath to come.
My personal interest in this is that my eldest daughter and granddaughter have given their lives to Jesus and have been water baptized but unfortunately both are married to husbands that are unsaved so they don't go to church and after reading the article they won't be in the rapture either but will have to face the wrath to come and I can't see them being able to do that.
Please give me your answer to this problem I value it and would appreciate if very much.
A. There are a couple of different sources for the notion of a partial rapture. One was developed by church leaders who believe that there needs to be some kind of behavioral qualification to receive such a blessing. It's a combination of grace plus works that has no biblical basis and denies the sufficiency of our Lord's death on the cross.
The other one comes from a major denomination that teaches that only its members are the Bride of Christ. All other Christians are "Friends of the Bridegroom" and are not privy to the blessings of the Bride. This is an equally un-scriptural view. There is but one church and all who accept the Lord's death as payment in full for all their sins belong.
I don't know which of these two applies in your family's case, but the fact is that we are saved by what we believe, not by how we behave, and certainly not by what denomination we've joined. It's true that our behavior as believers can earn heavenly rewards for us, but the Rapture is not such a reward. It's a basic promise to everyone who believes that Jesus died for all of our sins.
A. Separate rapture does not teach that the bride of Christ can be lost, nor does it teach that those Christians, who had to pass through Tribulation and could not be received at first rapture, would not be raptured at the last trumpet resurrection and rapture. Nor does separate rapture say the bride of Christ is only raptured at first rapture, for surely some overcome in the Tribulation period and there are those who overcame in the past 6000 years who would be raptured at the last trumpet who were not martyred-thus, they too are included in the bride of Christ to reign in the 1000 years. I am sure these words are extremely confusing to anyone who reads them unless they know separate rapture. The popular views will dull your mind.
The wrath specifically is the bowls which take place at the 7th trumpet in the last 24 months of the 7 year Tribulation. The last trumpet rapture and resurrection take place before that. There is the wrath of Satan which comes against believers and the wrath of God which does not come against believers in the same time.
Your two daughters if they do not overcometh, they shall pass through the Tribulation, and be grateful, because they are given yet another opportunity to overcometh even as martyrs for Christ in the Tribulation. But it is the hope of the Church to be received at the first rapture if you are accounted worthy for being prayerful (Luke 21.36), watchful (Matt. 24.42) and keeping the Word of His patience (Rev. 3.10). If your daughters are truly saved, then they can never lose eternal life and are promised the new city and new earth, so have no worries, but be filled with joy. However, do understand God requires accountability for Christians; hence, the 1000 year reign of Christ unto rewards for overcomer believers is provided over the nations of earth.
Rev. 19.7 Who is this “wife” of the Lamb? It cannot be the church for the following reasons:
(1) The great multitude spoken of in 19.1 includes the saved among the children of Israel as well as from among the nations. The church is definitely included. Since it is the great multitude who proclaims the words found in 19.7, the church must therefore be included among those who make such a proclamation. And hence the wife must point to someone else.
(2) In the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25.1-13), only the five wise virgins (and therefore not all who are in the church, for notice that all ten are virgins) are privileged to attend the marriage feast.
(3) This wife of the Lamb is different from the bride in Paul’s epistles. For she whom Paul speaks of is clothed with Christ, whereas the wife here is clothed with her own righteousnesses. In Paul’s epistles the church as a whole is viewed as the bride of Christ. In Revelation, the church is considered according to her components, therefore the responsibility of the church before God is stressed. In Paul’s epistles the church is accepted in Christ, but in Revelation the church is accepted in her works. In Paul’s epistles the church in totality belongs to Christ, while in Revelation she is divided into the saved and the overcomers.
This wife of the Lamb is none other than the New Jerusalem (21.9,10). God is now in His holy temple, so that the voices of praise from the great multitude come also from the temple. During the millennial kingdom the overcomers shall be kings in the city and priests in the temple. But the temple shall gradually lose its prominence until it totally disappears, for God and the Lamb will be the temple in New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth.
Of the church, some (for example, the five wise virgins) will attend the marriage feast, while some (for example, the five foolish virgins) will not be able to attend the marriage feast.
Some object that rapture is part of redemption, that since redemption is according to grace, rapture cannot be based on the concept of worthiness. In reply, it needs to be pointed out that while the act of changing (see 1 Cor. 15.51-52) is indeed according to grace, the act of being taken (rapture) is according to works. Otherwise, you have antinomianism, and you can be as lazy and slothful as you like without consequences. Be grateful to God there are consequences for Christians, though we can't lose eternal life.
Since God does not divide the body of Christ by I of Cephas and I of Apollos denominations, any denom that says it is the bride and nobody else is, they are themselves lost and deceived.
There are no rewards in the new city and new earth. Rewards are done away with at that time. Don't think you can have a better eternal life than someone else. Rewards are only for the 1000 year reign of Christ with His overcomer believers, and just as there are first fruits and harbingers and advanced parties in every sphere of life, there are also in the timing of rapture and who shall be raptured when. Enoch was raptured, and Noah went through the flood. Elijah was taken, Elisha was left. Jesus was raptured, the 12 disciples were left. And so too is it true for the first rapture and condition for it. It is because of this firstfruits in rapture that causes Satan to react. The Holy Spirit has put on my heart that those who deny this do so because it allows you to remain in the flesh as though in the spirit to buy their products or live like they do.