It is a false teaching that leads people to believe once they make a profession of Christ they have been fully reconciled to God. It is by coming out from the world and being separate, and touching not the works of Satan, that we make ourselves eligible to be received by the Lord.

No individual who is leading an unholy life ever will see the Lord or have fellowship with the Lord. It is the pure in heart who see God.

Many "Christian" people of today are sinners. They are hypocrites because they attend church and act as though they are living in God's blessing and favor.

Will they be "raptured" to meet the Lord in the air anyway because of their profession of faith?

Never!

Sinning believers will never be caught up in a "rapture."

If you know of anyone who is in such deception, believing that he or she can lead a careless Christian life and participate in the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of God's kings and priests, it might be well to warn him or her. The Spirit seems to be testifying that the time is short.

The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14)

Zion refers to the heavenly Jerusalem, the "church of the firstborn" of which every Christian saint is a member (Hebrews 12:22-24).

In the Day of Christ the sinning members of the Church will be terrified. The Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, is walking among the lampstands (churches) today. He is observing each believer.

Christ' eyes are furnaces of fire. He is examining every motive, every action, every word. If we would "ever be with the Lord" we must pass the test of fire.

The question has been raised: "Who shall dwell with the devouring fire?"

What is the answer, the only answer?

He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; (Isaiah 33:15)

The above verse sets forth the requirements for fellowship with Christ. Not one of these requirements can be waived.

The grace of God is not a substitute for righteous behavior. The grace of God in Christ is the means by which we are enabled to obtain help from the Throne of God—Divine help that empowers us to walk righteously, to speak uprightly, to despise the gain of oppression, to shake our hands from holding of bribes, to stop our ears from hearing of blood, to shut our eyes from beholding evil.

It may be true that there is no greater error in Christian teaching than that which suggests the grace of God in Christ is an alternate route to fellowship with God; that we can have fellowship with God on the basis of a profession of faith in Christ rather than on the basis of righteous, holy, and obedient behavior.

The teaching that "grace" is an alternative to godly character has produced multitudes of spiritual "babies" who understand little or nothing of what it means to walk with God.

To be continued.