John
12: 42. Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him;
but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should
be put out of the synagogue:
43. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Are
these kind of "believers" saved? Would they go in the rapture? They
believe on Jesus, which according to what I think David and Donna are
saying, is
all that is required for salvation and that no "works" of any kind can
be "added" to the belief in order to be saved. What is meant by
"confess" in the above example? Is it a "work" to confess Jesus or is it
a part of the faith equation required for salvation and inclusion in
the rapture?
Paul
tells us that every believer's works will be tried by fire at the
judgment seat of Christ to see what sort it is and the choices are gold,
silver, precious stones or wood, hay, stubble. The first kind receives a
reward because the fire does not burn it but the second
kind does not receive a reward because it is burned up. These people
are still saved yet so as by fire. What does this mean?
In
Daniel 3 we read of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being cast into a
fiery furnace because they refused to worship the king's idol. The
furnace was heated to 7 times hotter than normal (not three and a half).
They were cast in bound and yet were seen walking in the midst of the
fire so we know that the only thing that burned in the fire was their
bonds. What does this tell us?
When
telling us about the Bema Seat or judgment seat of Christ, Paul says
that the day shall declare it which I believe is significant against the
claim of many such as Chuck Missler who say that the Bema Seat judgment
takes place after the rapture in heaven and includes all believers at
once. If the Bema Seat judgment is in heaven, then Paul could not have
said the day shall declare what sort of works we have, could he? Because
once we are raptured, we are outside of time and in eternity and there
is no more "day" which brings us to the way it says in Hebrews "Today if
you hear His voice," and
"While it is called today" etc.
I
believe that just like Israel in the wilderness was tested by God to
see if they believed Him or not, likewise, God will test us while we are
still in this world and the rapture day is that test. If our works are
truly wrought by faith in God and His voice to us, we will have gold,
silver, precious stones and will be able to enter in at the rapture. But
if our works are wood, hay, stubble and they burn up at the command to
go out to meet the Bridegroom, that means those Christians will still be
saved yet so as by fire of
the tribulation period. That's what the suffer loss is, to miss the
rapture. The tribulation will be very effective in "burning away" the
bonds of this world and traditions of men that were hindering the true
gold tried in the fire from becoming part of these saint's lives and
they will now be made ready for the kingdom but at cost of their lives.