Rapture Watch Who will go and who will be left? We recently received this inquiry concerning the rapture. " I would like to know your view on who gets raptured. Is it "selected" Christians who are very careful at adhering to God's Word? Or will it be all Christians which include those who are being deceived by false teachers or greedy tv evangelists who don't know any better, or those who are under some formatted belief which includes "post-trib" rapture but still have their faith in Jesus? I'm getting so many mixed statements and I just don't understand. I've heard that the rapture is not about salvation from the tribulation, but a reward for those looking and waiting for His coming and obeying the Word. So that would mean that other Christians who are not quite in that format are still going to go through the trib. I personally think that the rapture is quite a part of the plan of salvation and that every Christian will experience this. But the parable of the 10 virgins has me wondering. What do you think?" Reply: In I Corinthians 15:51, the Apostle Paul did not use the words "most" or "some", when revealing which believers will be changed at the rapture, but instead with perfect clarity proclaimed by God that: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--." The Scriptures fully support your understanding that the rapture is part of salvation, and that it is Christ which has obtained this promise for believers, and not the wholly inadequate efforts of men, as can be seen in such passages as II Corinthians 5:1-5 and Ephesians 2:19-22. The Holy Spirit indwelt Church is the restrainer of the Anti-Christ in II Thessalonians 2:6-7. The entire Church must be removed as the restrainer, not just a portion of it. Christian failings are to be judged at the Bema Seat of Christ, which is the appointed judgement for believers within the Church. This judgement is to take place immediately after the Lord's meeting with believers in the air - it is not accomplished by leaving the Church upon the earth to experience the wrath of God (II Corinthians 5:9-11, I Thessalonians 5:9-11 and I Thessalonians 4:14-8). Since II Corinthians 5:10, states that "all" believers must "appear" before the judgement seat of Christ, then according to partial rapture teachings there must be some unscriptural second Bema Seat judgement for Christians after the Church is judged during the tribulation period. We could call this judicial process on behalf of partial rapture proponents..."Purgatorial Double Jeopardy." First believers must suffer for their sins, during the time Christ judges the earth--then they are to be judged again! If Christ's blood sacrifice is not sufficient enough to cover the sins of living believers at His coming, then His blood is not sufficient to cover the sins of the dead either; that is unless those teaching the partial rapture want to add to Christ's atonement by saying that believer's deaths are now required along with Christ's in order to receive the full promise of redemption. According to Romans 3:22-26, 8:10, 11, 18-23, Colossians 1:12-14, Ephesians 1:3-14 and 4:30, every believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that they will inherit the full redemption of their body, soul and spirit. They are to be blessed with this guarantee to receive "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" through their "faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Concerning the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1: The very first word in this parable is the word "then". This refers back to the previous subject matter revealed in Chapter 24, which is the second coming of Christ at the close of the seven year tribulation period. Notice that the "bride" is conspicuously absent from this parable. The bridegroom was not coming to marry ten brides as some teach, but the ten virgins are what we call bridesmaids. According to the Pulpit Commentary, an ancient custom was that the selected individuals would light ten lamps ahead of the bride, when she came forth from her father's house on her journey to join the groom at where he was residing. To have the honor of being chosen as one worthy to be a bridesmaid and to light the way was a guarantee of admittance to the wedding feast. To have not come prepared to fulfill the obligation was a grave insult.he parable is straightforward for a specific event, but has application to every dispensrtion. The bride is absent because she (that is the Church) has been caught up to heaven seven years earlier at the rapture and is at her Father's house in heaven (John 3:29, Ephesians 5:25, 32, I Thessalonians 4:15-18 and John 1:1-3). At the end of the seven years, the bride will come forth from her Father's house in heaven to reside with the groom (Jesus Christ) at His dwelling on the earth (Revelation 19:7, 8, 11-16). Upon the earth at the end of the tribulation period, there will be many who will be awaiting the return of the Saviour Jesus Christ and His Church. There will be others, who will try to obtain salvation during the final moments of His arrival. These two groups are those represented by the five wise and five foolish virgins. In our message 'The Fate of Nations and Men' at: http://www.rapturewatch.com/christ-like/fatofnatandm.html, we wrote regarding those who will make a calculated attempt to be found worthy to attend the Lord's glorious wedding feast. Christ will not be fooled by ineffectual last minute conversions (Luke 14:16-24 and Revelation 19:9). The proof that the foolish virgins were never true believers is found in verses 11 and 12 of Matthew 25, where the Lord declares to them: "Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you." Jesus has perfect knowledge about the spirits of those who contrive to conceal their hearts by paying Him lip service and kissing Him upon the cheek (Galatians 6:7, Matthew 7:21-23 and Luke 22:47-48). To know if one will be found worthy by Christ to take part in the rapture, we only need to heed the words found in II Corinthians 13:4- 6: "...For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified." Believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all your sins this very moment and He will confess to the angels of God in heaven that He knows you (Luke 12:8- 9). Your Brother and friend in Christ, Jamma (Web site address: www.rapturewatch.com)

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