I think that God's *unmerited favor* will still be with those who chose Christ. However, the Restrainer, Holy Spirit, will no longer be restraining Satan so I think that the Salvation will be more difficult. I think with the knowledge will come the responsibility of deciding quickly. Those who will have the decision to make will need to make it quickly, firmly, and with no change of heart. Remember the parable of the labors hired in the morning vs. the ones hired late in the afternoon? They wages are identical. Even though this parable is thought to be the age when a person accepts Chirst's death and resurrection was His sacrafice for them, i think it also includes those who come to Him late in history as well. The wages will be the same. They will also be sacraficing their earthly lives, but what is that? Absent from the body, present with the Lord.
Permalink Reply by RoyW on September 25, 2010 at 4:36pm
Rita,
Where do you put the resurrection? Do you believe there is more than one resurrection? The Bible teaches a bodily resurrection. Where do you put that? I don't believe the Bible teaches more than one. You said you believe in the rapture in 1Thes. That catching away is synonymous with the resurrection. You have a conflict in your theology. If those people are saved subsequent to the resurrection, how do we get them resurrected? This is a major conflict in your position.
I think the only way you could believe in salvation after a rapture is that if you believe there is a secret catching away that is not really talked about in the Bible. When I speak of the rapture I am really speaking of the resurrection at which time, of course, some believers will still be alive and will be changed in a moment to their resurrected body.
Roy
The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, gthat you may not grieve as others do hwho have no hope. 14 For isince we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him jthose who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you kby a word from the Lord,4 that lwe who are alive, who are left until mthe coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For nthe Lord himself will descend ofrom heaven pwith a cry of command, with the voice of qan archangel, and rwith the sound of the trumpet of God. And sthe dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be tcaught up together with them uin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so vwe will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. 1 Th 4:18
Christ Jesus was the start of the first resurrection. The Rapture is the first resurrection. Those that died in Christ during the tribulation are the first resurrection.
Next comes the resurrection of nonbelievers
And sthe dead were judged by what was written in the books, taccording to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, uDeath and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, taccording to what they had done.
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. Re 20:13
When the rapture occurs, the we will rise to meet the Lord in the air...this is not the second coming of Christ. He doesn't touch the earth. We rise to meet Him.
Permalink Reply by RoyW on September 26, 2010 at 7:14am
Rita,
I agree wholeheartedly that this verse in Thessalonians is the resurrection. This happens at some point during the tribulation. What I am saying is that this does not happen until all His people are in. Then He comes. We meet Him in the air. This could be just a short while before He comes to the earth. He needs just enough time to have a wedding. Since the bride has made herself ready, there is no need of a lot of time. The dinner, the marriage and then He comes to earth with us. Meanwhile, God is finishing up with things here on earth. The seven bowls of wrath finish His wrath. Now, He is ready to come and establish a new Kingdom upon this earth.
The beast and false prophet are taken and thrown into the lake of fire, Satan is bound for a 1,000 years and the armies are destroyed. The believers become priests and reign with Him that 1,000 years.
What will that Kingdom be like? Now that is a subject where we can let our imaginations go wild. We do know that there will be great changes in government, probably the environment and ecosystem. Once again animals and probably humans will become vegetarians. Animals will no longer eat each other. There will be prosperity upon this earth like it has never been before. Transportation will become very efficient. People who live in different countries can all go to Jerusalem to the house of the Lord. The earth's system will become stable and there will be no natural disasters. I'm not sure how He will water the planet but His people will have the power to rule over it. The planet earth will become one very efficient system. The population of this planet will soar. Within just a few hundred years the remnant could number into the billions. Who knows just how many an efficient earth system could support. Maybe into the trillions - at least it could support into the hundreds of billions. There does appear to be a huge population by the end of the 1,000 years.
There will still be sin, thus the need for Christ and His priests to rule. However, with the teachings of Christ, greed and other sin will be kept under control. And us, well we are the perfect ones to reign with Him. We will have complete understanding and compassion for human's problems since we have been there and done that. We will all be in complete unity. It will be as One rules over the entire world. There will be no more discussions on AAG. We will be too busy. However, we will have plenty of time to spend with our Lord. We are all looking into the future to living in heaven in that beautiful city. However, this 1000 years will go by in a flash. I don't completely understand His purpose for the 1000 years but I believe very strongly in it. We have very little information about what happens after the 1000 years as a lot of prophecy deals with this Kingdom period. I wonder if some points to an eternal Kingdom. Maybe there will be a Kingdom over the universe. Who knows? Of this we can be sure: God has a plan and we are a part of that plan.
How He gets us all there is going to happen just the way He has planned. Would I be surprised if there was a secret catching away of His people? A little, but I would not hang around here and argue about it. I am on the first boat out of here. I am ready to go this minute. My family is also ready. My wife and I spent our lives training them to follow Him. I pray that those my wife and I are partly responsible for in bringing into this world all train their children and their children. I want them all to be there. I don't want one to be lost.
The Bible speaks of a great event that is soon to take place. He is coming back to this earth. I think this is it:
1 Th 4:13-17
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
KJV
I believe this is His second coming. The two events happen at the same time. When He comes for us, the whole world will see Him. We will meet Him in the air.
Roy, I actually tend to believe as you do......When Jesus comes, Time is up, if you have not made your decision to believe in Him. However...what we are talking about here...'is' Jesus Himself. This is 'the guy' who brought forgiveness to us in the first place.
I certainly would not attempt to 'tie Jesus' hands'.......if 'once again 'God repented from destruction'...as He did in Ninevah, as He did when Moses intervened and asked God not to destroy Israel when they made the Golden Calf.
'Are we able'?......to change God's mind? Are we able to intervene in prayer for those who we believe are damned, those who God has every right...to punish?
I think we must also remember....God 'has every right' to punish 'you and me'.... 'We'...are not without sin...and deserve death. Jesus told a parable of a man who was forgiven a great debt, a debt so huge he would never be able to pay...... and then the man who was 'forgiven'....(you and me)....went out and threw another man into prison for a small debt. When 'we' damn others to destruction...are 'we' damning 'our own sellf' to destruction...'by our own pronounced judgement'? Remeber the story of David when he had Joab killed, and David's prophet tricked David into pronouncing his own judgement? Are 'we' doing the same....when we revel in the death of these millions? Or, should we be praying like crazy....and trying to figure out 'why......'we' are not doing our job more effectively, and bringing salvation to these people?
Hi Forgiven,
Call me an "Old Fuddy Duddy" if you like, but I do believe that we owe our eternal salvation to Jesus who is The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, he is not as you say and I quote: "This is 'the guy' who brought forgiveness to us in the first place."
Once you become fully aware of what it cost Him to attain salvation and who He is, you will think of Him as more than just "A Guy".
I say this in Love, and wish that I could have said this to you privately, because I do understand that the younger generation are inclined towards slang, but I could not ignore this and simply walk away.
I trust you will accept this mail with understanding and with the concern for you, in which it was sent.
Permalink Reply by Carla on September 25, 2010 at 10:36pm
I love God's timing..
This devotion came in my email tonight:
Be Patient September 26, 2010
"Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." (James 5:8)
Many of us have been looking for the return of the Lord Jesus for a long time. This writer has kept a simple little plaque on his office wall for over 50 years. It reads: "Perhaps today," and serves as a daily reminder that today might indeed be the day when He comes again. We do long for His appearing, and as things seem to grow worse in the world year by year, it is easy to become impatient--or perhaps even despondent--when He doesn't come.
Yet day by day "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh!" as our text teaches. "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry" (Hebrews 10:36-37).
Even the first-century Christians had to learn patience as they also anxiously were awaiting Christ's return to deliver them out of their tribulations--tribulations which were so great they seemed to fit "end-time prophecies."
"Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13) is His admonition to all who await His second coming. "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing" (Luke 12:43). But rather than hoping the Lord will come quickly to free us from our tribulations, we should "count it all joy when fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of faith worketh patience" (James 1:2-3). We need patience, and "tribulation worketh patience" (Romans 5:3). For God will render "to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life" (Romans 2:7). We should "be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12). "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord" (James 5:7). HMM
Permalink Reply by Carla on September 26, 2010 at 9:45am
Raj,
This is a discussion between fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.. We are all learning, and each one of us needs eachother as the body of Christ, Not one of us has all the answers.
Please be careful of saying such comments as this, as they can easily set up to cause division, which I am sure you are not doing.