In our November issue, we saw the Rapture is a biblical future event at which time the genuine born again believers will be called up to meet Jesus in the air. Moments prior to this, the born again believers who have died in Christ will be raised from the dead to meet the Lord in the air with the living. Both will receive new, incorruptible bodies and forever live and be with the Lord. We also saw that God deals with sin in two ways, either by grace or wrath.
We learned all can be saved freely today by calling on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:9-10
Isaiah 26:19-21 19Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. 20Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Isaiah 13:9-11 9Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
While there are countless arguments about the timing of the rapture, the question I'd like to suggest is: why is there a rapture in the first place? The answer was in Verse 11.
Isaiah 24:5-6 5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
When the day of the Lord comes, mankind and the earth will be subject to the righteous judgment of God.
Genesis 6:5-8 5And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Hebrew word signifieth not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires} {continually- every day. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD…
God deals with sin by grace or wrath.
Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
God does not destroy the righteous with the wicked. Let's consider another record.
Genesis 18:20-23 20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Genesis 19:15-24 15And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity (punishment) of the city. 16And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 19Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: 20Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 21And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
Once again you see grace v.19 and wrath v. 24.
God, in keeping with His mercy and justice delivered Lot because he was righteous.
No judgment could fall upon Sodom and Gomorrah until Lot and his family were removed.
2 Peter 2:4-8 4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 7And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;). Consider Deuteronomy 25. Deuteronomy 25:1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment,, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.
Look at Solomon's prayer of dedication at the temple.
1 Kings 8:31-32 31If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house: 32Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. Job 4:7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Psalm 1:5-6 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The reason for the Day of the LORD in the book of Revelation is that the earth and mankind must atone for their sins. The day of the LORD is a day, when vengeance is mine saith the LORD.
Isaiah 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Why would God ask the church to atone for something they were already given in Christ?
Romans 5:8 - 11 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
We already received the atonement.
In order for God to judge the earth and mankind, the righteous of the land must first be removed. This gift of grace and mercy is freely given to the church in this day and time by the life of Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Why a Rapture? Because we have a loving Heavenly Father.
God, in keeping with his grace and judgement, must remove His righteous ones of the church of grace before he can reveal His wrath on mankind and the earth for their transgressions.
God will provide for His people in the book of Revelation in various ways.
However, today we are born again of incorruptible seed and already have received the atonement and have been saved from the wrath to come.
May God richly bless you this holiday season for we are saved from the wrath to come!
To be continued… ÿ