Doug L (10 June 2018)
"Not all are His Bride
- Heaven is a guarantee of Salvation - The Rapture is not."
When reading the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation
chapters 2 and 3, Jesus evaluates then both warns and encourages
with both rewards and punishments. Rewards are for those who
obey, return and repent. Correction and punishment for those who
do not obey and repent. Since the beginning of the Church Age
many believers have died who were living in disobedience to
God's will and not ready to meet Him as He would have preferred
them to be. They are saved but will suffer the loss of a
full-reward. Some will be barely saved as if plucked from the
fire. The Rapture is an event which ends The Church Age and like
death will expose who is ready or not. Heaven is a guarantee of
salvation but the Rapture is not. A Bride is taken out from the
Body of Christ - much like Eve was taken out from the body of
Adam. Not all of the members of the Body of Christ are His
Bride. We find this in parables that Jesus taught about - being
ready, faithful service and being placed at The Banquet. Also,
"The Bride makes herself ready" she is worthy to wear the jewels
and the fine linen because of righteous deeds. There are
believers within the Church who are not serving Christ,
disobedient children and unrepentant. They will not be raptured
(or loose their salvation) but must be "made ready" through the
fires of Tribulation to prove that their faith is saving faith.
To preach then, that all who are believers will be taken up in
the Rapture is to not understand both the justice and love of
God. We reap what we sow and God disciplines and corrects all
whom He calls to be His children. Jesus "will choose" for
Himself a Bride those who choose Him first above all, those who
are "filled" with the Holy Spirit, those who have heard and come
out from the world and are "ready" when he calls them to come up
here.