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[The Whyman]

The Nature Of Post-Church Salvation
by Jack Kelley

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matt 24:12-13)
In the debate over the timing of the Rapture, one point is often overlooked. And that is that the terms and conditions of salvation during the Great Tribulation are vastly different from those during the Church Age, and therefore couldn't be meant for the same group. In both cases salvation is by faith alone, but that's where the similarity ends. This presents another argument for Church Age believers being taken before the Great Tribulation begins.
Here's the bottom line on the nature of salvation during the Church Age. Ephesians 1:13-14 says "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. Note the word "guaranteeing". Before we had the chance to do anything, good or bad, our destiny was sealed. We're saved by what we believe, not by how we behave.
John 6:39 says "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day." Note the word "none".
John 10:27-30 says "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." Note the words "no one."
Romans 8: 38-39 says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Note the words "nor anything in all creation."
These passages all promise that we who are saved during the Church Age will never have to wonder about the security of our standing with the Lord. There are other verses that support this. These are simply some of the clearest.
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May the Father bless and protect you, guiding you into all truth by the power and influence of the Holy Spirit for His glory in Jesus' name.

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[The Whyman]

According to 2 Thes. 2:7, the anti-Christ, AKA the man of lawlessness or son of perdition, can't be revealed to begin the Great Tribulation until the "restrainer" is taken out of the way, or literally out of the midst. Several identities have been proposed for this restrainer; the Roman State, the Jewish State, the principle of Law and Government, and others stemming largely from man's recognized need for certain behavioral standards in organized societies. But to many scholars the best case can be made for the view that it's really the Holy Spirit as contained in the Church who's restraining evil in the world.

"Take the restrainer and you have to take the container" as the popular saying goes. When the Church disappears, the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit is removed from the world and the anti-Christ will be revealed to do his worst. There's historical precedent for removing the Holy Spirit before a great judgment. You can interpret Genesis 6:3 to show that God removed His Spirit's influence from among men before the Great Flood as well. Interestingly, He removed Enoch, a fascinating type of the Church, before the Flood too, (Genesis 5: 24) but that's a different story.

The point here is that the promise of an indwelling Holy Spirit that guarantees our eternal destiny is uniquely given to the Church. No Old Testament believer enjoyed such a relationship. Even King David, a man after God's own heart, prayed that God would not take the Holy Spirit from him following his sin with Bathsheba. (Psalm 51:11) Old Testament believers were not promised that the Spirit of God would be sealed within them as a guarantee of their destiny. Nor can I find a single verse that makes such a promise to Tribulation believers. It seems that Eternal Security begins and ends with the Church.
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May the Father bless and protect you, guiding you into all truth by the power and influence of the Holy Spirit for His glory in Jesus' name.

WHY? Outreach

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[The Whyman]

What I do find for Tribulation believers are verses like this. Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go (word banned and be shamefully exposed. (Rev. 16:15)

If you're familiar with the symbolic reference to clothing, you know what this verse means. If not, let's review it. Isaiah 61:10 says, I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Just as clothing provides physical covering, righteousness provides spiritual covering. God has clothed us in garments of salvation and a robe of righteousness.

Look at Zechariah 3:3-4. In Zechariah's vision, Joshua, the High Priest is standing before the angel of the Lord, obviously Jesus. Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you." Removing his filthy clothes symbolized taking away his sin. Putting rich garments on him made him righteous.

Rev 19:8 tells us that the Bride was given garments of fine linen bright and clean to wear and that the fine linen stands for her righteousness. But again, the clothing isn't hers. It was given to her.
This symbolic use of clothing is the whole issue in the parable of the wedding banquet (Matt 22:1-14) The King (God) prepared a wedding banquet (Kingdom Age) for his son (Jesus) and sent his servants (prophets) to inform the invited guests (Israel) that all was ready. After first ignoring the invitation, they finally set upon the servants he sent and killed them.

Enraged, the King sent his armies and burned their city (Jerusalem). Then he sent his servants to find anyone they could and invite them to the banquet. The servants gathered up everybody they could find (gentiles) and the banquet was begun. When the King came in he noticed a man not dressed in wedding clothes. When the man had no excuse for his improper attire, he was thrown out into the darkness.
In the context of the parable the wedding clothes represent the righteousness with which God clothes us when we accept His invitation into His kingdom (2 Cor. 5:21) The guest trying to gain admittance wearing his own clothes (in his own righteousness) was found unworthy and excluded.
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May the Father bless and protect you, guiding you into all truth by the power and influence of the Holy Spirit for His glory in Jesus' name.

WHY? Outreach

http://www.thewhyman.jesusanswers.com