Get ready, Brethren, ’cause we are about to go on the ride
of a lifetime! We are fast approaching the opening of the Seals and the fulfillment
of the Book of Revelation. As I shared in The
Horror of Darkness and The Everlasting Covenant-- Revelation is Genesis
in reverse:
The list in part is:
Genesis
7—Great Upheavals in Nature—Last day cosmic activity
Genesis
6—Signs of the days of Noah—Violence, evil imaginations, corruption (the
Hebrew word for ‘violence’ is hamas!)
Genesis
5—Translation of Enoch—a picture of the Rapture of the Church!
Genesis
4—Cain—a picture of the Antichrist (Cain’s mark parallels mark of the
Beast; Cain punished 7 times parallels 7-year Tribulation)
We see the assurance of a
Pre-Tribulation Rapture in this pattern; however, God has warned through
prophetic voices that certain judgments will occur prior to our great escape.
Also in that article
I share what some of those judgments are--a great earthquake in the United
States and worldwide darkness.
Earthquakes have been used
distinctively by God to highlight some of the most important events of the
Bible. The three main purposes for biblical earthquakes are judgment,
deliverance, and communication. The lesson is obvious—God does not do anything
really big without emphasizing it with an earthquake! icr.org
When these things will occur, I have not been shown; however,
I speculate that it will be this year because the Rapture
Tapestry is revealing a very high probability for a Spring 2020 Heavenly Catching
Away!
Wild Ride
Tim Henderson shared in a video his Rapture Dream Feb.20, 2020 and as I
listened immediately a dream or vision the Lord gave me years ago came to mind.
In Pastor Tim’s dream his wife was holding tight to the car strap because he
was forced to drive fast and wild because many chaotic things were happening
along the way.
My dream entailed Diane Keaton wildly pulling up in a red
convertible to let a man get in the car beside her. The thing is, although she
was in the driver’s seat, it was as though the car was driving itself. Then the
car drove off with Diane waving her hands in the air as she shrieked in
delight! (The reason, I believe, Diane Keaton was in this prophetic dream is
because she is hilarious in a scene where she and her friends make a wild
escape in a window washer’s rig in the movie, The First Wives Club.)
Vehicles represent ministries, so as I considered the dream,
it came into my spirit that in the last days there will be a wild movement of
God where He will allow women to be “in the driver’s seat”. It will be all
God’s doing--HIS ministry so to speak--not specific persons leading such as in
previous revivals. I believe we have entered that time. Foxnews.com in a
September 27, 2019, article
reported that Iran has the world’s fastest-growing church that is mostly led by
women.
Fall of Damascus/Fall of America
Part of our wild ride is this COVID-19 coronavirus. The Call of the Bride blog posted
the following article link:
With the "coronavirus"
outbreak in the news, and questions swirling if the disease is a Bio-Weapon
released accidentally, a well-known speech by Comrade General Chi Haotian,
Vice-Chairman Of China’s Military Commission, December, 2005 gives the world
insight into the truth. Here are some excerpts to prove that the Chinese openly
discussed using biological warfare not only against the US, but on their own
people. . .
So I am wondering if this bioweapon will be one of the main
causes for people to flee the cities--
Another vision came. I saw rioting
with a mob carrying lit torches. [And the Spirit of the Lord said:] Trouble
will come from the cities but with it will come great revival.
What this 2005 article reports lines up with Henry Gruver’s
(and others’) visions of a coming invasion on America. I believe that the Bride
will be raptured before the United States is overrun by enemy troops because
when the missiles come down, we go up!
We see that everything is aligned
for the Ezekiel
38 war and many watchmen believe that the next prophecy to be
fulfilled is Isaiah
17:1—the fall of Damascus. This may be true; however, in my spirit I
believe the fall of America will be closely linked with Damascus’ demise.
Why? Because no one comes
to Israel’s aid when she is attacked by Gog and Magog in the Ezekiel
38 war!
As I shared in the above quoted article, the fall of
Damascus may be linked to the fall of America. Now that the Trump Peace Plan
has been revealed, judgment
on America is soon to follow.
Chaos, Rapture, Wrath
REMEMBER HOW THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD REVEALED THAT CHAOS
would ensue but that this is NOT HIS WRATH:
It is becoming clearer to me that
we will see some catastrophic events due to judgments—decisions God has made to
lift His hand of grace—before the coming of His actual
WRATH. (For a better understanding of “judgment versus wrath” please read
my "New
York, Chicago, L.A." article.)
Because of God’s judgments the
Dragon, Satan, will be allowed to cause chaos. But before you become dismayed
about all this (as I was when I began to put this all together), the Spirit of
the Lord has been revealing to His people a magnificent ending!
In this Age of Grace His will is that those sealed with His
Spirit should "Occupy
til I come" and be about the Father’s business.
My husband Tom called a family meeting in early February and
said he believed the Rapture was just around the corner and that the days leading up to it will be more and more chaotic and that we
needed to spiritually hunker down.
At the end of the video I mentioned above, Tim Henderson
asked the Lord if there was something further he needed to know. The Lord told
him to BE ENCOURAGED and DO NOT FEAR as you see things happening and the days
become more and more chaotic! Just keep doing what I have called you to do!
This is what I believe the Spirit of the Lord is speaking to
His people--Buckle up (Ephesians 6:11) and hold on tight (Psalm 73:28)! And
don’t be afraid (2 Timothy 1:7; Isaiah 41:10) for this wild ride will culminate
in a wild escape!
This strange season we are in now—the intense watching
season—is something no other generation of believers has experienced. Most of
those who read my blog know it is the Season of His Return! We know
by the witness of the Holy Spirit that we are about to come face-to-face with
The Tribulation, Daniel’s 70th Week, and be rescued from its jaws
just in the nick of time! Todd of IT IS FINISHED YTC just put out a video that does an excellent job of
describing the emotions many of us who are watching are feeling. In it Todd
shares his prayers:
“I’ve asked, ‘Are we at the end? What are we facing? Father,
in Jesus’ name please tell me. Amen.”
“The other day, I received, ‘Final approach’—two words—upon
waking.”
A final
approach (also called final leg and final
approach leg[1]) is the last leg in an aircraft's approach to
landing, when the aircraft is lined up with the runway and descending for
landing.[2] In aviation radio terminology, it is often
shortened to "final". wikipedia.org
Todd admits he doesn’t know just how long this final leg
will be. Nor, of course, do I know with certainty. But what if I were to tell
you that God has a Plan—a Plan that would wake up our spiritually sleeping
loved ones? What if The Plan meant you and I would have to erase the line we have drawn
in the sand for a September 2019 Rapture?
There’s always the chance my understanding is not correct, but
please hear me out.
Transition Shaking
Slowly but surely I am getting a better picture of what it
will be like for the Overcoming Man Child as He traverses the darkness
surrounding Him and squeezes through the Narrow Way before being born into
Eternal Light. We have seen signs and prophetic events related to the birthing
of “twins”—the first birth being that of the Revelation
12 Man Child (also foreshadowed in Isaiah
66:7 and Zephaniah
2:1-3) and the second birth being when those who come to believe on Messiah
Jesus will be welcomed into the Millennial Kingdom.
What must it be like for the unborn as his mother trembles
with the throes of the birth process?
Those in the medical field generally agree that birth is not
painful for the infant, but it is likely he will feel the squeeze as he passes
through the birth canal. It will be dark and probably disconcerting
for along with the pressure of contractions will be great shaking
as his mother succumbs to the stage of transition.
To those who identify themselves with the Overcoming Man
Child whose birth and subsequent harpazo to the throne of God is
described in Revelation 12:1-5, I have written that:
I believe the Lord is showing us we
are going to have to experience SHAKING in our birth process. . . When this
shaking occurs, there will be a spiritual backlash against the enemy’s efforts
and a move of God like we’ve never seen before will occur.
. . . When this time of shaking
comes, it is not the Seals of Revelation being opened; it is
the spiritual world entering TRANSITION. The
dropping of HIS shoe
Whose voice then
shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not
the earth only, but also heaven.
And this [word],
Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of
things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. -
Hebrews 12:26-27 KJV
But in the midst of this dark tenuous time the Spirit of God
will cause us to “Arise and shine!” as the Mighty Glory of YHWH manifests
through us! It is the time of Isaiah 60:
Arise, shine; for
thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
For, behold, the
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD
shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. - Isaiah 60:1-2
KJV
As Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary: “Darkness shall
cover the earth; but, though it be gross darkness, darkness that might
be felt, like that of Egypt, that shall overspread the people, yet the church,
like Goshen, shall have light at the same time.” blb/Henry
Commentary
2012
2012 is probably when I received the first inkling of what
God has in store for His Overcoming Church during these last days. This is what
He said:
The days of this Earth as you have known it will pass
away and a great wave of My glory will wash over the world. Just as in the days
of Noah, My wave will engulf the world and there will be those who will enter
the ark of Jesus Christ and be saved and those who will choose not to enter and
will perish. [From The Coming Wave of Glory]
In it I posted a prophetic word by Garris Elkins. Here’s an
excerpt:
Recently in worship the Lord
revealed an image to me. The image was of a person standing on a beach looking
out to sea. There was a sense of longing on his face. The scene changed where I
could now look out through his eyes at the developing image.
Before me was the sloping sand of a shoreline that extended down to the ocean's
edge. In the distant horizon I saw an approaching series of waves making their
way toward the shore. . .
. . . As I looked across the beach
toward the shore, I saw lines
that had been drawn in the sand. These lines looked like marks made by a
stick, something many of us do when we visit a beach. As I pondered the image,
I realized the lines were judgments made because of disappointments,
assumptions, fear and unbelief. . .
. . . As I looked out onto the
ocean I saw the last wave in the set. This wave was huge and I knew immediately
it represented a powerful move of God that was approaching our shores.
When I re-read Brother Garris’ account, it struck me when he
mentioned “the lines drawn in the sand” for I immediately recalled what I and
others had shared regarding the September 2019 "line
in the sand" for the Rapture.
In 2014 I received two dreams about tsunamis:
2014
June 20, 2014--Last night I had a second dream of a great
wave. In this dream I was at home meeting with a couple of workmen who were
hired to paint and prepare the new home (new to us) we had recently purchased.
Although I was at home in the dream, the house did not look like the one we
currently live in.
As we walked and talked, a huge wave came over us. We
were a bit surprised but not panicked and simply held our breath as it passed
over us. Another wave, slightly bigger, was right behind it, so I shouted,
"Hold your breath! There's another..." and whoosh it came before I
could finish what I was saying.
I forgot to record my first 'wave' dream but will record
it now. In that dream I was walking to some friends' house along the beach to
tell them or warn them about something. As I plunged up the sand dune, from my
left I saw a huge wave coming straight for us! I did not make it to the house
and ended up being engulfed by the wave but not drowning. [Above
taken from: The Sea Roaring]
2016
In 2016 I blogged this:
Only recently am I putting two and
two together and realizing that the Lord could have been showing me physical
tsunamis that are to hit America. Of course, this is not the whole world
getting hit by a tsunami; but because of America's standing as a world leader,
it will affect the entire world when these happen. [Also from The Sea
Roaring]
It is not clear to me whether a physical tsunami will take
place at the same time as the Wave of Glory washes over God’s people; but it
is, of course, possible.
Judgments Before Wrath
It may well be that whenever this Wave of Glory comes from
The Most High God it will erase our “September 2019 line in the sand” for the
Resurrection/Rapture. It is
becoming clearer to me that we will see some catastrophic events due to
judgments—decisions God has made to lift His hand of grace—before the coming of His actual WRATH. (For a better understanding of “judgment versus wrath”
please read my "New
York, Chicago, L.A." article.)
Because of God’s judgments the Dragon, Satan, will be
allowed to cause chaos. But before you become dismayed about all this (as I was
when I began to put this all together), the Spirit of the Lord has been
revealing to His people a magnificent ending!
He has shown that His glory will flow through them like
never before! Exactly what this will look like He has not revealed to me.
However, folks like Hope at The Call of the
Bride Blog refer to this change as a ‘transformation’:
Here are
some things I DO believe in - that
some of us will be transformed before the Rapture. There will be three
days of total darkness over the entire world and that those transformed, will
help reap a Harvest of millions of souls BEFORE the Rapture. I believe another
planet/dwarf star will be seen in the sky soon, that is already causing havoc
on our planets. I've written about this on other webpages here because I
feel this is what God wants us to know. I created this website because I
felt led by God to do so, and use it to "call" in the Bride.
There are people that have dreams and visions and hear God, but know
nothing about this soon transformation. I gently share my thoughts and
website with them, and leave it in God's hands. Some come to believe and
understand, some do not. I do not judge but rather leave it with God. . .
thecallofthebride.com/my-beliefs
Those familiar with my blog know I too believe in a planet
or dwarf star God will use to allow destruction in the end days. Also, I
believe there will be a great manifestation of God’s glory through His Beloved
Bride of Christ upon the earth during a Great Shaking that will come before
the Resurrection/Rapture. Hope may be accurate in calling it a ‘transformation’;
however, I prefer to call the change the Overcomer will experience a move ‘from
glory to glory’ before we receive our ultimate transformation at the
Resurrection/Rapture:
But we all, with
open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord. - 2
Corinthians 3:18 KJV
(Actually, Hope recently shared with me in an email that she
prefers using the term ‘from glory to glory’ also 😉)
The ESV or English Standard Version, however, does use the word ‘transformed’
instead of ‘changed’:
And we all, with
unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed
into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes
from the Lord who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18
ESV
The following commentary agrees that the Scripture speaks of
moving from one degree of glory to another which is an earnest of the coming
bodily change promised in Philippians 3:21, 1 Corinthians 15:52, and other
verses:
18. But we all--Christians,
as contrasted with the Jews who have a veil on their hearts, answering to
Moses' veil on his face. . .
with
open face--Translate, "with unveiled face"
(the veil being removed at conversion): contrasted with
"hid" ( 2Cr 4:3 ). as in a glass--in a mirror, namely, the Gospel
which reflects the glory of God and Christ ( 2Cr 4:41Cr
13:12Jam 1:23, 25 ). are changed into the same image--namely, the
image of Christ's glory, spiritually now ( Rom 8:291Jo 3:3 );
an earnest of the bodily change hereafter ( Phl 3:21 ).
However many they be, believers all reflect the same image of
Christ more or less: a proof of the truth of Christianity. from glory to glory--from one degree of glory
to another. As Moses' face caught a reflection of God's glory from being in His
presence, so believers are changed into His image by beholding Him. blb/Faussett
Commentary
A study of the Greek words translated “changed” verifies the
difference between the two:
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, are changed[metamorphoō]
into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord. -
2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV
-versus-
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed[allassō].
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 KJV
My understanding (as finite as it is) of this coming Wave of
Glory, is that it is just that—His people awash in HIS Glory! The best
description I have heard of this season was from Rivkah Ministries.
I am not familiar with Rivkah Ministries, but back in August
2018 they posted a video titled Three
Days of Darkness - Again. Beginning around the 16-minute mark of that video
a Brother in Christ shares a dream that he has had three times. In the dream he
experiences a horrible earthquake then has direct eye contact with Jesus. The
man thought the Rapture would take place, but it didn’t happen! Instead darkness was everywhere and it was the
middle of the day!
He goes on to say how groups of people began to come to him
and he gave them a Bible study. Finally he realized the people kept coming to
him from out of the darkness because he was glowing! That’s when he realized,
in his words, “I had been changed into a higher glory”.
I found it noteworthy that he mentioned his dreams began in
2012—the year the Holy Spirit began to reveal The Wave of Glory to me.
3 Days of Darkness
On the 'Before Nibiru Comes' page of the Call of the Bride blog, Hope shares how Israel and
the time of “Peace and Safety” and the 3 Days of Darkness are
keys to the order of events leading to the Rapture. The order, in summary, is
that in a time of ‘peace and safety’ there will be huge explosions of bombs
either coming from or going into Israel followed by a cosmic event involving
Nibiru that triggers an earthquake and three days of darkness. Somehave prophesied that the Rapture
will then occur 40 days after the three days of darkness.
Both Call of the Bride and
Rivkah Ministries were shown a terrible earthquake along with days of darkness.
I have shared what puzzle pieces the Lord has shown me
including my dream related to 3 Days of
Darkness, so this scenario seems plausible (in my dream I was still on
earth when the darkness came).
Peace and Safety
In Hope’s blog there’s that time of ‘peace and safety’ highlighted
again. Remember this from my previous article?
I had just sat down to seek His
face after singing Him a love song and immediately—and I mean immediately—as
soon as I shut my eyes, I saw a great army in full armor on horseback seemingly
knit together. Darkness surrounded them but great flames radiated from their
heads.
“What am I seeing, Lord?” I asked.
My great end times army is about
to be unleashed. It is a force to be reckoned with.
Father God read the question in my
mind—“When will this army be released?”
It is the time of peace and safety so-called in
which they will be released. Fear not; I am with you, dear daughter. I am with
My people. As the Daystar dawns great darkness will be upon the earth. Fear
not; I am with you.
Manifesting His Supernatural Glory
Like many of my brethren, I have experienced the rapturous
presence of our Lord, felt the brush of angelic wings (not that all angels have wings), and even had fillings in
my teeth changed. However, I have not experienced having His glory emanate visibly
from me (or anyone else for that matter) as was seen on Moses (Exodus 34:29,
30, 35).
The judgment events coming to America sound frightening, but instead of being afraid, we should be excited! We
should be thrilled to be chosen to glorify the true God in the very last hours.
Also, those last hours will go so fast! Remember that in childbirth transition
leads to the shortest time in the birth process, the actual birth of the baby:
As is foretold in Revelation 12:5, the Man Child/True Church will be birthed just before the Dragon can devour him!
Many others have seen this time of
Great Harvest before the Rapture. I present to you here just a sampling of what
I have heard and read and encourage you to seek the Lord earnestly about ALL
these things! If you are like me, you hoped and believed our beautiful
Bridegroom would snatch us away before we saw any greater judgments than we’ve
already witnessed.
As I have shared above, it has taken me this long to see that this is not
His plan. A part of me hopes I am wrong and that I get to be harpazo-ed
into His waiting arms right away! But then our God is much more merciful and
patient than I am. If what I've shared is His plan and it saves my unredeemed loved ones
and your unredeemed loved ones before The Tribulation, then, “I’M IN!” What
about you?
9/21/19--While pondering further on this subject, I remembered this
section of Scripture where at Jesus’ resurrection many of the deceased saints
came out of the graves and went into Jerusalem and appeared to many!!!
Jesus, when he had
cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city,
and appeared unto many. Matthew 27:50-53 KJV
If our Resurrected and Living Lord could do it then, why not
now with the dead and/or living in Christ?
So many of us have expressed how very ready we are for our
Lord to snatch us away! This too is analogous to pregnancy as many know by
experience. Those who have carried a child to full term just want that baby to be born! But do we realize what that means
in terms of Eternity? Are we a Bride that is in love with the idea of her
extravagant wedding day or in love with her Bridegroom? More on that later.
God has been so gracious to warn the world and to show
indicators to those of us who are looking for His Son’s appearing. The timing
and naming of Hurricane Michael is no coincidence. In fact, HOW Michael came in
so quickly and powerfully stunned many. This is how the enemy will feel on that
Day when the mighty Archangel swoops in with the heavenly host and cleanses the
Second Heaven of the Prince of the Power of the Air and his fallen ones.
It is also how those in the world will feel:
Men's hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. - Luke 21:26 KJV
As I’ve shared before this spiritual activity will manifest
in the physical with the appearance of demonic ‘alien’ aircraft in our skies (see
Be Expectant).
Then, almost simultaneously, will come the Resurrection/Rapture of the
Overcoming Church. These spiritual events may cause an EMP-like
effect on the world’s electrical grid and the earth will go dark. I do
not know if this will be the cause for certain, but I do believe electricity
will be unavailable for a duration of time whatever the cause—the rapture,
nuclear war, or cosmic events.
The effects of Hurricane Michael signals this coming
darkness for as ABC News reported Hurricane Michael leaves more than 1
million without power—WITHOUT POWER so in the DARK! Also notice that
on the screen behind the ABC reporter in this video reads, “Hurricane War Zone”.
The Big Squeeze &
Time of Great Trouble
Another prophetic news video was issued by CBS on October 2,
2018--Americans
to receive cellphone alert from president in 1st national test—wherein
it was reported that this alert system “will let any President issue a warning
about a crisis. That could include a missile launched by another country at the
U.S. or a tsunami.”
This know also, that
in the last days perilous [fierce]
times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. . .
Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. - 2 Timothy 3:1-2,
5 KJV
Though the corporate birth or Rapture of the Overcoming
Church occurs before The Tribulation—before travail or labor begins—we are prophetically
experiencing “the big squeeze” much like a baby’s head experiences as the
uterus contracts and pushes the baby down the birth canal.
How much trouble we will see prior to Daniel’s 70th
Week, no one knows except as the Holy Spirit reveals to us. As a woman of God
who happens to live in America, I have been called to be a watchman and to
sound any warnings He shows me.
This calling manifested back in the 90’s when my family and
I lived in the heart of Shenandoah Valley. The Lord poured into me an
intercessory burden for our nation. He did not show me specifics, but I wept
and prayed for I knew in my heart a time of great trouble was to rock this
land.
Just before leaving that basket of mountains in Virginia,
the Spirit of the Lord moved on me to speak to a group of brethren. At first I
fought Him for I had already prophesied earlier during the church meeting, but
the pastor plunked himself down on a chair near me and announced to the
congregation, “I’m not going to speak anymore today. God told me to sit down
and be quiet.”
This was my cue, so I stood up and with my body trembling
all over due to the Spirit infilling me I prophesied, “A time of great trouble
is coming and if you are not close with the Lord you're not going to make it.”
The urgency of the Lord pressed on me and I spoke the message a second time
adding at the end, “Do not forget this day!”
We moved to a city further south and about eight years later
we were led to move yet again. Just before we did, though, the Spirit of the
Lord had me speak the same prophecy to that congregation. This time I took up a
shekere (a shell-covered gourd instrument) and shook it violently as I announced,
“A time of great trouble is coming! Everything that can be shaken will be
shaken! Come to Him in your prayer closets faithfully and do not be afraid.”
Israel Agrees to
Dividing Jerusalem?
Today I came across a video
wherein a sister in Christ shared articles from The Jerusalem Post one of which
claims that Israel not only has agreed to a two-state solution, but also to
dividing Jerusalem—the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8)! IF THIS IS TRUE, the
peace agreement could be announced ANY DAY NOW!
“Why did you not make this the title of your article?”
you may very well shout.
The very nearness of our Lord’s appearing plus warnings not
just to the unsaved but to the brethren leads me to ask—"Are you and I
truly Rapture ready?”
Rapture—Reward or by
Grace?
THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DEBATE as to whether “once saved always
saved” is true or not. Right up front I want to tell you that I am in the camp
that believes once a person has confessed and believed Romans 10:9 from their
heart, they are saved and sealed with
the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (also see Who are the Tribulation Saints?
). But is salvation the only qualification for being worthy to escape
The Tribulation?
Some teach, such as Perry Stone (Accounted Worthy to Escape
by Perry Stone), that the Rapture is a reward only for those who are
faithful. Sandy Armstrong has shared that he
does not believe "once saved always saved". Jaco Prinsloo posted
a riveting video on October 12 that
included Ken Peters’ 2015 prophecy part of which Ken mentions he does not
believe “once saved always saved”. I was
both blessed with tears of joy at parts
of Ken Peters’ prophetic word AND spurred on to understand whether the Rapture
was a reward or given to us as an act of grace.
I believe it comes down to one verse:
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: 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. - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
KJV
Paul writes that those who are “in Christ” will be caught up
or raptured. Is being “in Christ” something we earned or was it given to us by
grace?
The answer can be found in Romans Chapter 8:
And if Christ [be] in
you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of
righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead
dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. - Romans 8:10-11 KJV
It is the Spirit of God within that seals and quickens us the
day Jesus comes for His Bride.
Therefore, those who are born again of incorruptible seed are
“in Christ”. It is by faith by an act of grace (Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8),
not by works. The rapture is NOT an earned reward; it is given to us by grace.
We are not worthy to escape by our works, but we are made worthy “in Christ” (again
I refer you to Who
are the Tribulation Saints? ).
What About the 10
Virgins Parable?
I agree with those who point to the fact that Jesus was
addressing Israel when He spoke of the 10 virgins in Matthew Chapter 25.
First, let’s keep in mind that the Holy Spirit could only be
upon God’s people before the Acts 2 day
of Pentecost. Some teach this segment of Scripture and say that the foolish
virgins did have some oil in their
lamps to begin with. I am not going to argue one way or the other on this, but
if they did have some oil, could this represent the Spirit upon them? Then the wise virgins who, according to these teachers, took
extra oil would represent those of
Israel who went on to accept Christ as their Lord and were filled with the Holy
Spirit.
The foolish virgins outwardly looked righteous—they did
bring their lamps after all. This is comparable to those today, whether Jew or
Gentile, who attend church services but have never made Christ the Lord of
their life! Only those who are filled with the Holy Spirit will be
able to go with the Bridegroom.
ALL WORKS are Judged
Even though I do believe “once saved always saved”, I am not
going to be critical of the brethren who are warning born again Christians who
are not living a holy lifestyle. Most
of us forget that this life reflects on us in eternity! OUR SALVATION WILL NOT BE JUDGED, BUT OUR WORKS WILL BE JUDGED.
We ALL appear before Him at one point or another:
For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath
done, whether [it be] good or bad. .
.
For the love of Christ
constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all
dead: And [that] he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. . .
Now then we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10, 14, 15, 20 KJV
To better understand
this, I went to a Commentary by A. R. FAUSSET:
receive--His reward of grace proportioned to
"the things done," &c. ( 2Cr 9:6-92Jo 1:8 ).
Though salvation be of grace
purely, independent of works, the saved may have a greater or less reward, according
as he lives to, and labors for, Christ more or less. Hence there is
scope for the holy "ambition" (see on JF & B for 2Co 5:9; Hbr 6:10 ).
. . There shall be a searching judgment which shall sever the bad from the
good, according to their respective, deeds, the motive of the deeds being taken into
account. . .
be ye reconciled to God--English Version here
inserts "ye," which is not in the original, and which gives the wrong
impression, as if it were emphatic. . .let this reconciliation then have its designed
effect. Be reconciled to God, that is, let God reconcile you
to Himself ( 2Cr
5:18, 19 ).
We see this separation of what we have done whether good or
bad in 1 Corinthians:
For other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build
upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the
day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall
try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer
loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15
KJV
It is a person’s works that pass through the fire—not the
person themselves. If the works are not of the Holy Spirit, they burn; but the
person does not pass through fire:
As a
builder whose building, not the foundation, is consumed by fire, escapes, but
with the loss of his work [ALFORD] [Excerpt from blb
commentary]
The motives of a person, even with the Holy Spirit residing within
them, will be a determining factor regarding rewards but not their salvation.
“Not everyone who says Lord, Lord”
What about Matthew
7:21-23?
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. - Matthew 7:21-23 KJV
There will be those
who say they did wonderful works in His name. It is possible to perform
miracles by your own faith and not through faith in Jesus Christ--Chris
Blackeby does an excellent teaching on this.
John
Fenn relates that when Jesus replies, “I never
knew you”, it means He NEVER knew them [I would add He never knew them experientially
or intimately in any relationship]. They were NEVER born again.
I humbly submit
this study and welcome any Scriptural correction. My goal was to bless those of
you who are earnestly longing for His appearing and awaken those who have not
made Christ the Lord of their lives; but ultimately my desire in writing this
was to please My God and King!
Even so, come
Christ Jesus, come!
2/24/20 NOTE: Just read an informative article by Gary of Unsealed.org related to the subject of the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Here's an excerpt for your consideration:
While the question of what the oil in the parable represents is certainly meaningful, it may be a less practical pursuit then who the virgins are. What we immediately find in Psalm 45 is that the bride and her virgin companions are separate entities. The bride has already met the bridegroom before her companions do. This would add weight to the position of the late Jack Kelley, who makes a clear case that the virgins have nothing to do with the rapture and everything to do with the Second Advent—those tasked with being faithful as they await Christ's physical return to earth. [From The Prophetic Pre-Trib Psalm of the Church: Parable of the Virgins]
