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Are you Rapture Ready?

What does this actually mean? Can we be born-again and be true believers and still be left behind to go through the Tribulation? While many claim that this is not the case relying on scriptures such as the following:

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”

The above verse refers to the spiritual salvation of the soul as opposed to the judgement leading to spiritual death. It does not infer that a saved soul would not go through a wilderness experience, a time of sifting and purification. I believe that the Old Testament provides the complete explanation of the bride’s wilderness experience.

The Old Testament provides multiple examples of the Elect going through the wilderness experience. As discussed in the previous blog, the Hebrew people which represented a bride, were liberated from slavery in Egypt and then spent 40 years in the desert as their wilderness experience before entering the promised land;

The story of Joseph, representing another bride also went through a wilderness experience where God grew him significantly and placed him where He needed Him to be (in Egypt) so He could save God’s People from a 7-year famine.

Further, after being baptized and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert during which time Satan sought to lead Him astray and that was just the beginning of His tribulation period. Seeing that Jesus was already spiritually pure, I believe He went through the trials and tribulations that we would go through to show us the way and to persevere because He overcame the World by not caving in.

God offers His protection as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death but we must walk through it on our way out of the World. This valley may be more difficult for some than for others and that depends on God’s plans for each particular soul but we should not concern ourselves with that and focus on our own journey.

Have all saved souls gone through a wilderness experience? Perhaps not yet. Have all of them gone through the same level of hardship and persecution than the brides in biblical times or those who have been crossing the valley today for 40 years or more? It’s unlikely. However, as we can see from practical examples in the Bible, God calls different souls to different responsibilities, so it is impossible for us to understand why some “real” believers seem to have an easier life than others – it is a mystery and akin to their respective program of purification and growth provided by God.

What is not a mystery however is the fact that God will not allow a saved soul to go through more hardship than it can withstand. God also promises to be there with the soul and provide a way out. This wilderness experience is an opportunity for the souls to show their faith and loyalty to God and to be grown in the process.

1 Corinthians 10: 13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted (tested) beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

In John 21:22, Jesus tells Peter that everybody has a different role to play and for this reason everybody goes through different trials and tribulations.

John 21:22-23: “Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

Why did Jesus say to Peter, “You must follow me”? Was He showing preferential treatment to John? No, He had already told Peter that He would be persecuted and crucified just like Himself in verses 21:18-19 but that later he would become the rock on which Jesus would build His church:

Matthew 16:18-19 “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed

This aligns with the following passage regarding the Millennium in Revelation 20:

Revelation 20: 1-6 – And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

And also,

1 Corinthians 6:3 – “Don’t you realize that we will judge angels?

These passages indicate that those who go through the Tribulation and persevere will reign with Christ for 1000 years. This is not a judgement on these souls but a recompense. Therefore, when we engage in discussions regarding the Rapture, pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation or at the end of the Tribulation, we should take the above scriptures into consideration and not assume that those “left behind” are doomed. This may simply provide them with an opportunity to excel!

Further, for those souls that have not crossed “any valleys” to be purified, this provides an opportunity for them to prove their faith and grow stronger and also to be “known by God”. Some people know the Word of God and are saved but don’t have a relationship with God yet, God does not know them. Going through a wilderness experience can draw them closer to God and tear down the wall around their soul.

Revelation 14: 11-13 “And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Revelation 7:9-17 The Great Multitude in White Robes

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” […] And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.

The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Sometimes we think that not going through hardship at all is a gift from God but that is not always the case. God grows us through hardship. A soul may not realize that her lack of confidence and joy stems from not overcoming anything for the glory of God. Such a soul could be allowed at the very last second to go beyond its own expectations.

Zechariah 13: 8-9 “In the whole land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

As discussed in the “FROM NAOS TO OIKĒTĒRION – THE ANGELIC GARMENT” blog, it is through the wilderness experience that we are grown to obtain our new body, the wedding garment.

Matthew 22: 30 “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”

What happens if some have gone through a wilderness experience and I haven’t yet?

God is kind and faithful and promises to help any soul to be saved and to grow: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Does the duration of the wilderness experience matter? That I cannot say, it is between God and each individual soul however scripture does provide us with ample information to understand that even if a soul arrives late, if it is sincere and submits to God, it will not be refused. Those called early who suffered much hardship but who fall along the way or who decide to turn on God may also lose their heritage to laggard souls. This does not sound fair but God provides all souls with the opportunity to repent and be saved. There is not shame in changing one’s mind.

God set aside the Nation of Jacob, the Elect, early on because they were the only ones that worshipped Him; He transferred rulership over the Nations to the Rebellious Sons of God (fallen angels) after the Flood and the Tower of Babel incident.

Because the Nation of Jacob was set aside early in the game, they have gone through a long wilderness experience many falling along the way and I suspect because of a lack of understanding of the Word of God by the Nations, they were likely persecuted out of jealousy. People today don’t understand why they are called the Elect but it is simple really, they were the Firstfruits to be after Jesus (the Firstfruits of the harvest) because they worshipped the One Living God who created all life and our souls whereas the Nations worshipped lesser gods (created beings and the creation not the Creator). God knew it would take time for the Nations to see the true nature of their gods before they returned to Him so He concentrated His efforts on His most likely crop which is normal. Collect the low hanging fruit first. Here is a graph to help visualize:

We can see from this typical “Adoption Curve” that the Elect were the first group to worship God and to enter into their wilderness experience. They include those Gentiles who joined them back in the day and were already grafted in (see Caleb).

Then there were the Jews and the Gentiles who joined in when Jesus came and recognized Him as their Messiah.

Then there are those who will join in during the Tribulation. While there is a remnant of the Nation of Jacob that did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, they, along with other adopters during the Tribulation will join in.

It may seem unfair to see people being saved at the last minute because you have gone through much hardship but this is because we forget that the wilderness experience is meant to grow us, it is not a punishment. Further this is between God and each individual soul in Christ, it is a one-to-one relationship. If God promises to save you and grow you through your custom-made program, what difference is it you if someone else’s experience is not as difficult in your opinion, as Jesus said to Peter, “You must follow me”.

This principle is well illustrated in The Parable of the Laborers of the Eleventh Hour:

Matthew 20: 1-16 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.

About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This could apply to the Laggards shown on the graph; they could be truly repentant last minutes converts. Otherwise, they would likely be those mentioned in Revelation 9:20-21 that will continue to choose death.

Revelation 9:20-21 “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

So, if you are left behind do not automatically view this as a judgement. Try to find out what God wants to do with you. If you are an unbeliever, this is your opportunity to grow and change your mind.

Throughout the Tribulation God “calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus” (Revelation 14) and at the Millennium Reign, He also recompenses those who became martyrs during the Tribulation.

You may think that it is contradictory for God to say that His bride is not appointed to wrath and yet His bride throughout His Word is always subjected to a wilderness experience.

The is a fundamental misunderstanding of God’s Word. Satan, the Adversary, asks God to sift some souls more than others. God may allow it for His own reasons but always for good to come of it for that soul even if it is not the intention of the Adversary (it is not his role).

Viewing the wilderness experience as a punishment rather than as a growth opportunity has caused a lot of problems for many people throughout history.

Job was judged severely by his friends when he was persecuted but anyone who knows the story will realize that he was persecuted so much by Satan because God was proud of him as he was a righteous man. Satan wanted to make him fall. Job’s friends thought that he was being punished by God so instead of helping him, they were adding to his misery – and such is the lot of the bride.

Having an easy life is not a sign that we are more loved by God. It may however mean that the World already has control over our soul and that it is not free yet. This is a hint to you to seek Him out quickly.

God provides His protection to His Bride throughout the wilderness experience, He never abandons Her as she is crossing the valley of the shadow of death to find her way out of the World but she must cross it to join the bridegroom in the air and not only within.

Isaiah 54: 15-17 “‘If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you.

See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord.“

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