The Daily Word of Righteousness

Coming to the Disciple and Coming to the World, #3

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27,28—NIV)

I think the erroneous teaching of the "pre-tribulation rapture" has proceeded from a misinterpretation of those passages, such as the above, that are speaking of the Lord's coming to His disciples so they may be with Him where He is.

The unscriptural teaching of the "rapture" is the response of the adamic man to passages that are announcing a personal coming to the disciples, a coming not designed to lift their personality into Heaven (which accomplishes nothing whatever in the Kingdom) but to fill them with the fullness of God so they may be able to bear witness in the coming days of distress, and then to appear with Jesus Christ at His historic second coming.

The natural man desires to flee from trouble, danger, and pain. The spiritual man is occupied more with receiving the fullness of God.

May have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:18,19—NIV)

"Filled to the measure of all the fullness of God"!

If I am correct, the Spirit of God is urging us forward. We have left Egypt (salvation through the blood). We have been to Mount Sinai (the baptism with the Holy Spirit). Now it is time to march forward toward our land of promise. Our land of promise is, first of all, the fullness of God; the fullness of resurrection life. After that our inheritance is the possession of all the works of God's hands, especially the earth and its peoples.

We are not there yet. Many wonders lie before us. We have gone around our present experience long enough. It is time to get moving. Do you have a heart to march forward with God?

The Coming to the World

Before we discuss the personal coming to the disciple, let us establish firmly the truth concerning the historic coming of Jesus Christ from Heaven to the earth.

The following verse is the cornerstone of the Book of Revelation and it is not to be tampered with in any manner.

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. (Revelation 1:7—NIV)

The above is the historic coming of the Lord. There shall be no coming in the clouds to receive His elect prior to this one. The doctrine of the pre-advent coming of the Lord, a coming in glory to receive His people prior to His historic second coming to the earth to establish His Kingdom, is in error. Its effect on the Christian churches has not been good. It has left the believers with the notion that at any moment they will be whisked away to Heaven before they can be harmed by the trouble that obviously is at hand.

To be continued.