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No Saint Left Behind - By Jonathan Brentner -
https://www.raptureready.com/2019/12/20/no-saint-left-behind-jonathan-brentner/ When Jesus comes for His church, will He leave any true believer behind on the earth to endure the horrors of the tribulation? Some say yes. They claim Jesus will only catch up believers who are watching for His appearing or those walking with Him at the time. In other words, the Lord will leave behind saints lacking in some way. This teaching contradicts both the Gospel and God's Word. Let me first clarify my assertion; I am referring to those who are truly in Christ and already in possession of eternal life (see 1 John 5:11-12). All those truly redeemed by the blood of the Lamb will meet Jesus in the air when He appears to take his church back to His Father's house in heaven, no exceptions! Professing Christians who do not truly know Jesus as their Savior will miss out on the rapture. Many rely on things such as good works, church attendance, the sinner's prayer, or some other achievement, things that by themselves do not constitute saving faith. Because they are not in Christ and thereby do not possess eternal life, they will miss out on the rapture. Let me explain my key objections to the teaching of a partial rapture. The Partial Rapture Contradicts the Gospel My first objection is this: the partial rapture teaching contradicts the saving message of the Gospel. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." We receive eternal life by grace through faith, not as a result of our works or faithfulness. The Lord regenerates us and gives the faith to believe. From start to finish, our salvation is all about Jesus and the Spirit's saving and preserving work inside us (Titus 3:4-7). L. Moody once said, "It takes the same grace to keep us saved as it does to save us." From start to finish, our salvation is all about grace; works play no part whatsoever in our initial salvation or in our final glorification. Our reception of glorified bodies at the time of the rapture is no more dependent upon our good behavior than at the initial moment of our salvation. From beginning to end, God allows no room for anyone to claim credit for ourselves. No one has a cause for boasting because of good works. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." The basis of our salvation is the righteousness of Jesus. As believers we are already "holy and blameless before" God simply because of our position in Christ (Eph. 1:3-4). We add nothing to our salvation from start to finish. The claim that any believer needs further purification insults God's work on our behalf and implies that Jesus' righteousness applied to our account leaves us lacking to enjoy the final redemption of our bodies (Rom. 8:23-25). The partial rapture teaching insults the work of Jesus on our behalf. The Partial Rapture Contradicts Paul's Promise in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 Another reason to oppose the teaching of a partial rapture is its blatant contradiction of God's Word. For the purposes of this article, I will just cite one passage from Scripture that contradicts the doctrine of a partial rapture. In 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, Paul writes, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him." The wrath in this text belongs to the day of the Lord or what we refer to as the tribulation. In these verses we have the Lord's promise that He will come for His church before the wrath of this day begins, which I believe solidifies our belief in the pretribulation rapture. When Jesus returns, He delivers both those who are "awake or asleep" from God's wrath that is coming upon the world. Since Paul just wrote about the rapture including both living saints and the "dead in Christ" (1 Thess. 4:16-17), many carry that same meaning to 5:10 thinking it refers to both dead and living saints. While it's true the rapture will include both living and dead saints, that is not what Paul refers to in 1 Thessalonians 5:10. The Greek verb Paul uses for "awake" in this verse is gregoreo, which denotes alertness. In 5:6, Paul uses the word along with that of being "sober" to portray the idea of temperance in our walk with the Lord versus that of drunkenness or carelessness. Jesus used gregoreo in Matthew 24:42 and Mark 13:35 to command our watchfulness for His return. It's the sense of watchfulness and sober living that the apostle characterizes as being "awake" in 1 Thessalonians 5:10 rather than the sense of being physically alive. Paul is referring back to the immediate context. What about those whom Paul characterizes as being "asleep?" Who are these people? The word Paul uses for sleep in in 5:10 is katheudo. This word can refer to someone who is physically asleep, but it's rarely used of someone who had died. Of the 22 times this word appears in the New Testament, there is only one time when it seems to apply to someone who had died. Earlier in 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul uses katheudo with definite moral implications applying the word to believers who are not walking with the Lord or watching for His return (v. 6). It's the opposite of someone not careful about how he or she behaves as a believer. This is not the same word Paul uses in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16 "asleep" in regard to a believer who has died. Paul's choice of a different word in 5:10 further indicates to us that the contrast in this verse is not between living and dead saints, but rather with those who are watching for Jesus' return versus those who are not careful about their walk with the Lord. The sense of 1 Thessalonians 5:10 is that both those who are alert spiritually as well as those who are not will be included in the rapture; Jesus will not leave any true saint behind whether they remain watchful for His appearing or not. I know this might be hard for some, but what Paul is saying in this verse is that all true believers will participate in the rapture regardless of the closeness of their walk with the Lord or watchfulness at the time it occurs. Why Walk with the Lord? At this point you might be wondering why you should walk with the Lord. If Jesus will whisk all those who know Him to heaven when He appears, what difference does it make if I walk with Him? It makes a huge difference. The New Testament teaches that all believers will give an account of their lives to Jesus (Rom. 14:12; 1 Cor. 3:10-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 4:12-13). Faithful service will be rewarded (1 Cor. 15:58); saints who neglect their spiritual gifts and opportunities to serve the Lord with those provisions will suffer loss at the judgment seat of Christ, but they will not lose their salvation or miss out on the rapture. In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul writes of a special reward for "all who have loved his appearing." Even though the apostle died long before Jesus' return, the Lord will reward Paul for remaining watchful for His appearing. A special reward awaits those who remain alert to the Lord's imminent return. Another factor consists of the changes God makes in the lives of those who belong to Him. We become a "new creation" according to 2 Corinthians 5:17. The Holy Spirit regenerates those of us at the moment of our salvation and afterward acts as a force within us, motivating us to serve the Lord. This does not mean we do not sin, but that we feel uncomfortable remaining in that state for a lengthy amount of time. Our identity as holy and blameless children of God (Eph. 1:3-14) also enables us to resist sin and motivates us to serve the Lord. The bottom line is this: no matter where true saints of the Lord are at in their walk with Him, they will receive glorified bodies when Jesus comes for His church. Regardless of their watchfulness at the time of Jesus' return or the closeness of their walk with Him when He appears, they will participate in the rapture. I do not have all the answers, but I know two things for sure. First, God's justification of the sinner is permanent and leads to glorification (Rom. 8:30-39). Nothing can break that chain. We are secure in Christ. Second, Jesus will not leave behind any saint who possesses His righteousness as a result of God's irreversible verdict in justifying us when we were sinners. No true believer will miss out in the rapture. Jonathan Brentner Website: Our Journey Home Please consider signing up for my newsletter on my website. Thanks! E-mail: [email protected] Turkey's Turn To The Dark Side - A Very Big Concern For 2020 - By Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3720 While NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, celebrated its 70th anniversary on December 4, these days it is sitting on a different paradigm than it did since its birth in Washington DC in 1949. Three years later, in 1952, Turkey, along with its Aegean rival Greece, became a member. In the 67 years since its membership, Turkey has moved from being a staunch ally defending Europe's southeast flank in the Cold War to being NATO's unresolved burden. In nice, Kodak-moment speeches, optimists cite Turkey's unique geography, its airbases, it warehoused American nuclear weapons, its past in the alliance, its strategic presence in the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, its leverage on Muslim countries, a growing need to "keep the family together" and fear of losing Turkey -- especially to Russia. Turkey has NATO's second-biggest army, and largest navy (relative to Russia's) without whose presence the Black Sea would be a Russian lake (Romania and Bulgaria, members since 2004, have small navies and air forces.) "One must acknowledge that Turkey is an important ally," NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the German weekly Bild am Sonntag. "In the fight against ISIL, Turkey has made crucial contributions for physically destroying the so-called caliphate. Furthermore: No other ally is hosting so many Syrian refugees, 3.6 million in total. And no other NATO ally has suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkey." "Turkey has been an important ally of that alliance since the mid-1950s," said another optimist, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach of Britain's Royal Air Force, who heads the NATO Military Committee. "That situation has not changed. The geostrategic reasons for Turkey's membership have not changed ... and [it] plays a full role in the NATO command structure." And according to General David Petraeus, former CIA director, "Turkey is a very, very important country to NATO, it is very geo-strategically important in its positioning and a variety of different ways. It played an important role as a base for our aircraft and other assets in the region, so again I hope this can be resolved." Then, sadly, there are the realities. Turkey in 2010 became the first NATO country to have air exercises with China. In 2013 it selected (then cancelled) a Chinese company to build its first air and anti-missile defense architecture. This year, it replaced the Chinese option with the Russian S-400 batteries. Ankara says it will activate the Russian system in April despite U.S. demands that it not unpack it. In addition Turkey is in talks with Russia to purchase a second batch of the S-400 system, including co-production and technology transfer options. If the S-400 system is operated in Turkey, Moscow could find a built-in cyber backdoor to spy on NATO assets. Deeply marginalized member Turkey once again angered its NATO allies, including the United States, when it launched a military offensive into northern Syria on October 9, with most Western countries announcing arms embargoes on Ankara. On October 11, U.S. troops who had not yet cleared out of northeastern Syria came under Turkish artillery fire, and U.S. officers said the assault was no accident. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told the North Atlantic Council chamber that Turkey's operation was "unwarranted" and the latest sign that the Ankara was heading in the wrong direction. Allies seriously need to defend the free world against the threat of ballistic missiles from rogue regimes such as Iran and North Korea. Turkey has a different take here, too. Halkbank, a Turkish government lender, is facing multi-billion dollar U.S. sanctions for evading sanctions on Iran. In addition, Turkey's Islamist strongman, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said in September that it was unacceptable for Turkey not to have its own nuclear weapons - although Turkey is a signatory to both the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. NATO, though, is not only about a security alliance. Members, notes the preamble to the NATO Treaty, "are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law." In these political criteria, Turkey fails as an ally, as well. "Constitutional changes adopted in 2017 concentrated power in the hands of the president, and worsening electoral conditions have made it increasingly difficult for opposition parties to challenge Erdoğan's control," according to the report, "Freedom in the World 2019," which pronounced Turkey's status "not free." Turks have a confused mind over their membership in NATO - as do many in the West. According to another report, "Research on Public Perceptions on Turkish Foreign Policy," released by Istanbul's Kadir Has University, 60.8% of Turks favor membership in NATO. The same research found out nevertheless that 81.3% of Turks believe that the biggest (security) threat to Turkey is the United States. In other words, Turks favor Turkish membership in NATO but think NATO's biggest member is also the biggest threat to their country. In 2016, Erdoğan said that Turkey did not need to join the European Union "at all costs" and could instead become part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a security bloc dominated by China, Russia and Central Asian nations. In 2018, Erdoğan said that if the U.S. continues to "disrespect" Turkey, Ankara will seek "new friends and allies." Erdoğan thinks that he can forever benefit from the East-West divide by officially belonging to West but more-than-courting the East. He seems to love playing the Russia card to Americans and the America card to Russians. He should be led to understand that he cannot play this carpet trading game forever. The question is: Would Turkey, with its unambiguous incompatibility, be admitted as a NATO member today? Israel's Military Chief: We're Going it Alone in War Against Iran - By David Sidman - www.breakingisraelnews.com I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws, and lead you out with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them clothed in splendor, a vast assembly, all of them with bucklers and shields, wielding swords. Among them shall be Persia, Nubia, and Put, everyone with shield and helmet Ezekiel 38:4-5 (The Israel Bible™) Head of the IDF, Aviv Kochavi leveled with the Israeli people on Wednesday explaining that Israel will be fighting against Iran implying his disappointment with both the US and Sunni Gulf states who are also at odd with Tehran saying: "It would be better if we weren't the only ones responding to them [militarily]" reports TOI. The statements were made at a conference at the Interdisciplinary Center in Hertzliya. top General also admitted that the IDF was operating openly, covertly and clandestinely - in an effort to thwart Iran and its proxies from attacking Israel "even at the risk of war." Kochavi also warned Israeli civilians to "mentally prepare" for heavy fire will be directed against our home front" saying "I'm looking people in the eye, and saying, there will be heavy fire. We have to recognize this and we have to prepare for this... We have to prepare for this militarily; the civil hierarchies have to prepare for this; and we have to prepare for this mentally." Kochavi seemed to have drawn his conclusions from the attack on Saudi oil fields from Iranian proxies in Yemen saying that following such attacks: "there's no response, there's no retaliation, there are no reprisals." Hinting at a massive all-out-war with Iran, Kochavi concluded: "War is always the last choice, but in cases where all other paths have been exhausted, war is a solution, a military operation is a solution," he said. Nearing Midnight: The British Election: A Rare Moment of Good News - Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The world is so rapidly descending into madness, it was a rarity to find any news that would be seen as positive for an end-time believer. I am grateful to be able to avoid the general gloom for at least one week by reporting on the results of the British election. Faced with a deadlocked Parliament over the issue of Brexit, Conservative leader Boris Johnson found himself forced to call for a new election. The gamble worked as voters vented their frustration at the lack of action by giving Conservatives a huge majority. Johnson's Tories won 365 seats in Parliament's lower chamber, with Labour picking up just 203. The Conservatives have been handed their biggest majority since the days of Margaret Thatcher and marks the worst showing for Labour since the 1930s. The left-wing party was left shell-shocked after a night that saw once-safe seats in working-class areas turn Tory, with enormous swings that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn announced that he would eventually step down, promising not to lead the party in another general election, but saying that would come after a "period of reflection." He quickly tried to set the narrative that it was questions over Brexit, not his brand of hard-left policies, that had ultimately doomed the party. If Corbyn had won, it would have been a huge victory for Jew-haters. Britain's most senior rabbi put it kindly when he suggested anti-Semitism was a "new poison" within the party, which had been "sanctioned from the very top." Anti-Semitism has flourished in the Labour party under Corbyn's stewardship. In 2014 he laid a wreath for Palestinian terrorists on a trip to Tunisia. Corbyn failed to dampen the row during a television interview with the BBC, sidestepping repeated chances to apologize to Britain's Jewish community. I was looking up Jeremy Corbyn's name on Google News, and I found a Dec 7 news story by the Muslim site aljazeera.com that said he has an "impressive track record of supporting Britain's Jewish community and standing against anti-Semitism." If Al Jazeera was around in the 1930's, it would probably say Hitler loves everybody and he hates invading countries. We can only hope that same train wreck that just occurred in Britain takes place next year in our general election. Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan warned that Democrats should be careful about picking someone too far on the fringes. He noted that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren both share Jeremy Corbyn's socialist agenda and both appear to be as popular as him on Twitter. I think the Democrats are so crazy, they will likely conclude that Corbyn lost because he wasn't promising enough socialism. Morgan made another good point in drawing a comparison between the British Left's effort to thwart Brexit and the Democratic push to impeach Trump, rather than beat him at the ballot box: "Those who voted for Brexit and Trump don't take kindly to their democratic vote being abused in this way, and their retribution comes at the ballot box," he said. "If people think Boris Johnson's earthquake was big, just wait until the Senate acquits President Trump and he uses that victory to storm to re-election." My best hope for the coming election is that Nancy Pelosi continues to say she is praying for Donald Trump. When you have one of the most evil women in America intercede for you, the results can only be positive. If she is asking God to give Trump cancer or cause Air Force one to crash, I think the Almighty is going to be on Trump's side. My best guess is that Pelosi doesn't pray for the President, which could still anger God enough to ensure a Trump victory. As delighted as I am about the Conservative victory in Great Britain, I know it will only be a temporary respite. The foes on the left have become so insane with satanic rage, they are incapable of accepting defeat. Like demonic, mindless zombies, they will press on until God returns and wipes them out. "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 24:11-13). Daily Jot: The memories we make this time of year - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Another oldie but goodie Christmas Story. Hope you enjoy! Growing up on the farm on the fringe of the snow belt in Northeastern Ohio left many memories of snowy Christmas seasons. Christmas time was always special at our house because Christmas Eve also was my father's birthday. He often said that when he was young, it didn't seem fair that he only got a present one time a year. Back in the early 1900s, they didn't go all out for Christmas like they do now-he would get an orange in a stocking hung by the fireplace, maybe some extra candy or a fruitcake if it was a good year. Things were different then. They were even different from today when I was little. We lived out in the country on a working farm that had been in the family nearly 200 years. It was real different. Usually, on Christmas Eve we would get the livestock in early. We wintered about eight brood cows and up to 16 horses. Feeding time was done quickly because of the wind and cold lake effect coming off Lake Erie about 50 miles away. We would start by going up in the hay mow and throwing down some bales. Putting the hay in the mangers and the feed in the feedboxes. Then we would let out a yodel and the animals would start coming. Cows in their stanchions, each horse knew their own stall. The barn would start to warm up and we would begin putting water in the buckets for the horses. If the pump was froze up, I would take a bucket and an axe out to the pond some 100 yards away and carry water a bucket at a time. One particular snowy Christmas Eve, Dad quit working earlier than normal. There was about eight inches of snow on the ground and it was pretty cold. We put the livestock in early and Dad asked if I wanted to play in the snow a bit. He had an idea in mind. I was game for anything he wanted to do. He saddled up Hollywood, his champion palomino quarter horse stallion, got a long rope, tied it to the handle of a scoop shovel. The idea was that he would ride Hollywood along the field at a gallop pulling the shovel. I would sit on the shovel, holding onto the handle as we glided through the snow. Great idea. Sounds like fun. But in practice it was more difficult than imagined. After a few disastrous bumps and flies, probably caused by the corn stalk stubs, I got the hang of it and it was-how did we say it back then-"swell!" There was always a party after Christmas Eve services at our house. People would come from all around with birthday wishes for Dad. One such couple, Betty and Gene Flynn, often arrived a little later than others because they lived farther away. And every time Betty walked in the door on Christmas Eve, a fuse would blow. This happened for about five years straight (until we replaced the fuse box with breakers). Dad would get a flashlight and precariously make his way down the crude steps to the back of the cellar and replace the fuse while the guest waited for the lights to come on. Psalm 104:17 says, "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children." These memories, to the Lord's mercy, are everlasting. I'm thankful for them. Make some this year. Daily Devotion: The Overflow of a Life with Jesus - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.-Romans 4:5 If you were to press most Christians today about whether good works get them into Heaven, they would quickly say, "No, it's by God's grace." But by the way they live, you would think they believe that good works somehow earn God's favor. Their lives seem to say, "I expect God to keep me out of trouble and answer all my prayers if I do my duty as a Christian. I get up every morning and have my devotions. Then I spend time in prayer. Maybe I share the gospel. I've done my duty. Now I expect God to bless me." In a way, they're trying to earn God's favor instead of understanding they have God's favor. I am not suggesting that you neglect starting your day with the Word of God and prayer. Nor am I suggesting that you don't share the gospel. But you shouldn't do those things to find God's favor. Rather, do them because you've found it already. Let them be the overflow of a life with Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote, "Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God's way. For the Scriptures tell us, 'Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith'" (Romans 4:1-3 NLT). Paul was pointing out to religious Jews that God credited Abraham as being righteous, even before circumcision existed. In the same way, being raised in a Christian home doesn't make us Christians. Water baptism doesn't save us. We can cling to these things as though they do. But they're actually the outward showing of what God has already done, because salvation is a gift. FROM THE HEART
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