Some in pretrib understand the prewrath view to be saying that the Church needs to undergo discipline to become worthy to dwell with God and that is one reason why the prewrath view has the Church going through the great tribulation. If that were the case, it would make our salvation based on something other than the atoning work of Christ on the cross and all those who have died in Christ without going through great tribulation are not fit for His kingdom.
Paul says in Colossians 2:10: “…and in Him you have been made complete…” (Paul doesn’t say that in tribulation or persecution we have been made complete. He does tell Timothy that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 2 Tim. 3:12)
Paul goes on to say in Colossians 2:13,14, “And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
The cross took care of all of our transgressions. (There’s that 100% word!)
And I’m sure you know these very familiar words of Paul to the Ephesians in chapter two, verses eight and nine…”For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works (or going through tribulation!), that no one should boast.”
Prewrath understands Scripture to teach that the Church will go through the great tribulation because Paul says the Church is resurrected and raptured at the event of the Lord’s coming and the Lord says the event of His coming cuts short the great tribulation against the elect.
When I first realized Scripture was saying that the Church was going to go through the great tribulation a twenty pound knot settled into the pit of my stomach. I grew up with the understanding that I would be raptured before the final seven years. Perhaps you are thinking, “Why would the Lord allow this to happen to His faithful and to those who love Him?”
We must remember what He says His faithful are willing to do. Luke 9:23,24: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”
My prewrath email friend (introduced in an earlier post) reminded me recently that we are not being lead by the Shepherd into the great tribulation unprepared. He’s given us a roadmap to follow, signs to look for, and instructions on how to survive. (See Matthew 24.) She too grew up with the understanding that the Church would be raptured before the final seven years. She told me that as she grew in her understanding of end times, the less frightening it became. She offered these wise words: “There is fear in ignorance, but with knowledge comes peace.”
This has been the case for me as well. The twenty pound knot in my stomach vanished a long time ago. The Lord has replaced it with a peace and desire to plant seeds of preparation. Preparing and looking for His return doesn’t mean running around looking at the sky. It means watching for the signs and then as Peter said in 2 Peter 3:14: “Be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.” When Christ returns we should be living a life of obedience.
Paul says in Colossians 3:1-4: “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
The great tribulation is not to make us more fit for the
1 Peter 1:3-7: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
7 comments:
God desires us in heaven - he wants us there! The Bible speaks of that over & over agin. We have the free will, and we have the choice to choose Him on our own. There is much to understand & apply and God has a plan for all of us as his children. All we need is faith like a child.
I don't see you mentioning anything about the different levels of heaven. We certainly do not all get the same rewards in heaven- the person who surrenders on their deathbed won't be on the same level as a preacher! Point being, God isn't going to refine us and see who is "really" a Christian.
I for one grew up in a strong Christian/Bible Believing home. I chose to turn away for many years, and it wasn't until my late 20's that I really understood WHO God was, and now many years later, I really get it.
What if you're wrong? What if? Just like the Nichole Nordeman song, that just played in my head as I read your post.
Anonymous,
The point of my post was to show that the great tribulation is not to make believers more fit for heaven. I posted Scripture showing that it is Christ’s work alone that makes us fit for heaven. I’m not sure why you brought up free will. You say we have the choice to choose Him on our own. Paul says in Eph. 2:1 that we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Let me ask you a question. Can a dead person respond to anything? If you saw a body floating in a pool and you threw a life preserver to that body, would they reach out for it if they were dead? The answer is obviously no. It’s the same with spiritual deadness. Spiritually dead people cannot respond either. A spiritually dead person cannot choose on their own to come alive. Eph. 2:4,5: “But God, being rich in mercy (I love that, He is rich in mercy!) because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.” In verse eight Paul says even faith is a gift. Salvation is utterly and completely a work of God alone, even the faith part. Jesus own words in John 15:16: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you…”
You say that in your 20’s you really understood who God was and now many years later you really get it.
What do you mean by that?
Mornin'
"You say that in your 20’s you really understood who God was and now many years later you really get it. You say that in your 20’s you really understood who God was and now many years later you really get it. What do you mean by that?"
What I am saying is that I was brought up in a Christian home, asked Jesus into my heart as a young child, knew all the teachings & Bible stories, but didn't really "understand or get it" until I was older, married with kids of my own. I know that the Holy Spirit has been with me since I asked Jesus to forgive me and come into my heart as a young age. If I had died during my drug fueled rebellious years, I would have gone to heaven. When I turned my back on all things good, I would have gone to heaven. Jesus never left me - and I continue to seek and find and understand and gain wisdom. Was I "less" of a Christian back in those druggie days? YES, but I was still God's child. He never left me. Will I continue to screw up the rest of my life and sin? Yep, probably every single day. But Jesus intervenes on my part should I die today - that is the whole purpose of the cross!
The Bible is full of hundreds of parables such as the Wedding Feast; http://www.gotquestions.org/parable-wedding-feast.html
and
I’m glad you now desire to live for Him. I’d like to throw out some more thoughts to you on the sovereign will of God in man’s salvation. Check out Romans 9 (especially verse 16). I encourage you to read that chapter and summarize what they are teaching to us. Remember Paul on the road to Damascus? He was a walking, spiritually dead corpse. Was Paul given a choice? Was Paul searching for Christ? Did he choose to give his life to God or did God choose him? At the opening of every letter contained in his greeting are these words…”Paul, chosen by God” or “a bondservant of God.” Bondservants were indebted to God, not of their choice. What about Abraham’s call? It was not a question do you want to go but a command – GO. And Mary’s call? She wasn’t asked if she wanted to be the mother of the Messiah. She heard this statement – You are going to have a baby. Even the call to the disciples – Follow me, a statement, not a question. Look at Hosea. Go marry a prostitute! Scripture teaches that God has a plan and He puts us into His plan – even when we run the other way (Jonah), He still wins! Read the beautiful prayer of Hannah when the Lord opens her womb and gives her Samuel. (1 Sam. 2:6-10) According to her prayer, who is in control? Is God truly sovereign? Does anything happen outside of His choice? His sovereignty is everywhere. BUT, there is personal responsibility. Free will comes into play AFTER salvation. He chooses us and then we have the choice of what kind of child we want to be. Are we going to be obedient and walk close with Him and experience the joy that brings or are we going to be a disobedient child, one who experiences the hand of discipline of our loving Father – constantly!
You asked, “What if I’m wrong?” If I am wrong I’ll be gathered with the Church before the time of great trouble begins and my preparations will remain here on earth. If I am right, there will be many who will enter the worst time of persecution the world has ever seen, unprepared. God has given us specific instructions of what to look for and what to do about it. I pray my preparations will be considered as faithfulness by God.
I’d like to point you to an excellent book by Randy Alcorn titled “Heaven”.
Thank Him, serve Him, love Him, with your whole heart and be blessed with tremendous joy!
"If I had died during my drug fueled rebellious years, I would have gone to heaven. When I turned my back on all things good, I would have gone to heaven. Jesus never left me -"
Kathy,
I didn't see that you answered that question. I'm led to think that if we died during a state of rebellion we would be a lost sheep. And lost sheep are lost (hell bound) until they are brought back to the fold. (Then heaven rejoices!) Whether they "believe" in God or not. In a state of rebellion you are rejecting him.
What's your thougt?
Hi Lisa,
I understand Scripture to teach that salvation is entirely a work of God and that He chooses us and even gives us the faith to believe. I do not believe we can lose our salvation or even walk away from it. Did you read the posts by Kristen and myself to Jim where you’d posted your other questions? If you did you’ll see more of my view. Do we sin and sometimes rebel after salvation? Yes. If we continue in sin after salvation we cannot have assurance of our salvation and we also set ourselves up for God’s discipline. We know that sometimes God’s discipline can even involve an early death because of what happened to the Corinthians. Only God knows if the individual who made the statement above was saved during his rebellious years. Once God saves us I see then that we have choices that come into play. We can choose to be obedient and have joy and blessing in our lives, or we can choose to live for ourselves (like Jonah) and God will deal with that. The best place to be is in the will of God! How do we know what His will is? By being in the Word, by letting it dwell richly in us. Then our lives will bear fruit and we will bring glory to God and we will have assurance that we belong to Him! That is the best way to live, wouldn’t you agree?
And from John 15:2 we learn that even fruit bearing branches are pruned so they will bear even more fruit!
Post a Comment