Jimmy (10 Aug 2012)
"Food for Thought: Who is Raptured?"


 

I am sure this will get many people hopping mad.   And might I say that every believer needs a good bible teacher, and I believe that I have two.   Les Feldick and Dr. Don Samdahl.   I will use today some of the material from Dr Samdahl.   I might suggest you go his web-site doctrine.org   Also just google Les Feldick Ministries.   We keep seeing the argument "who will go in the rapture"?   The Rapture was a Mystery.   What is a Mystery?   And to quote Dr. Samdahl  "Paul used this term to describe the whole body of doctrine that the Risen, Ascended, Glorified Lord revealed to him and to him alone.   Only God can keep a secret and he had kept these revelations hidden until the appointed time.   Paul called these doctrines "mysteries" or "secrets" because that is exactly what they were.   The Twelve knew nothing of them.   Jesus revealed none of them in his earthly ministry, on the contrary, as the Ascended Lord (and might I say on the back-side of the desert, in a special tutoring session for three years) He revealed them to Paul alone in his capacity as "Apostle to the Gentiles".   There are several mysteries that are given to Paul.   I will just touch on a few.   1. The Body of Christ.   2. The Rapture or Resurrection of the Body of Christ.  3. Mystery of the Grace of God.  4. This is not per say a Mystery, but It is unique to Paul.   Paul wrote only to believers.   Paul speaks about "The Day of Christ" or "The Day of the Lord Jesus Christ" and only in his last epistle does he use the term "that day".   Throughout the entirety of scripture the term "The Day of the Lord" is used over and over.   There are numerous and numerous examples of the Jewish Prophets writing in different terms to express the day of coming judgment, "The Day of the Lord".   I am getting long winded now, and to cut It short.   Paul contrasted mature believers with carnal believers.  Yet he addressed them as believers.   Paul's mystery the Body of Christ, baptized into the Body by One Spirit.   That is the only way in.   "Christ in you the hope of glory"  How is that accomplished?   By believing 1 Corinthians 15:1-4   This is the Grace of God.  I will admit I will not do this subject justice, and there is no way that I can be exhaustive.   There are 5 Catching Away's described in the New Testament.   1.Christ and the First-Fruits, Matt. 27:52   2. Those that are Christ's at his coming, 1 Cor. 15:23 and 1 Thess. 4:13-16   3. 144,000 Jews, Rev. 12:5   4. The Tribulation Saints, Rev. 7:9-17, 15:2-4 and 20:4-6   5. The Two Witnesses, Rev. 11: 3-12   I did not name every scripture reference, and If I am mistaken please correct me?   So looking at these scripture references: It is obvious that one better be in Christ (the Body of Christ) during this Age of Grace, and that It the process the Rapture and Resurrection, were revealed together to Paul.    Only the Resurrection was known before Paul.  All the way from Job to the Sadducees, and as we have discussed the Twelve knew nothing of the Rapture for it was a secret revealed to Paul in due time.  So if you are only a half-hearted believer (Carnal), does this mean you go into the Tribulation Period?   Why then do we the believers stand before the Lord Jesus at the Bema Seat Judgment.   Salvation is not the issue.  He puts fire to our works.  Hay or Stubble or Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones.   As Ole Dr. J. Vernon McGhee use to say many people are going to be walking around Heaven as if they were bought at a Fire Sale.  There will probably be many Babes in Christ, those who never matured.  Summing It up: One must be in Christ, the Body of Christ by believing the Gospel, and at his coming, the Day of Christ, then the dead in Christ and the living are translated. When "the Fullness of the Gentiles be come In" and the Lord then deals with the Jews in Jerusalem and an Unbelieving Gentile world.  I pray this will help someone...Jimmy