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WILL YOU BE RIGHT WITH
GOD, OR LEFT?
“Behold, I shew you a mystery” 1 Corinthians 15:51a (KJV)
If my understanding of Scripture is correct, the next big event on God’s “calendar” is going to be the total removal of genuine Christians from this “mortal coil” (Shakespeare’s terminology for the disturbances in our lives while on Earth). And please note that I said genuine Christians, because God obviously knows the difference between a “real deal” and a “knock-off”! So in which category do you fit: (1) real deal, (2) knock-off, or (3) say what!?
Category #1—those who have experienced a supernatural spiritual rebirth, know beyond doubt that God is their heavenly Father and coming soon to receive them unto Himself for all eternity.
Category #2—those who are counterfeit believers and will “miss the bus.” (The Bible refers to them as “tares [weeds] among the wheat” and “goats” rather than God’s “sheep”).
Category #3—those who do not have a clue as to what I am talking about and will for the most part be none the wiser after it happens! (But if for some reason you discover you fit the profile for #2 or #3, my suggestion is that you read the Cutting Edge Salvation Page at www.cuttingedge.org/salvation.html And do it soon because time is slipping away!)
The definition of a “mystery” (Gk. mysterion) is simply a secret God had not previously revealed as Scripture. And after Jesus Christ arose from the dead He singled out Saul of Tarsus to become the Apostle Paul and Personally revealed to him the doctrines of the Christian faith—which included several previously unrevealed “mysteries.”
“But when He, Who had chosen and
set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and
blessing), saw fit and was pleased 16 To reveal (unveil,
disclose) His Son within me so that I might proclaim Him among the Gentiles
(the non-Jewish world) as the glad tidings (Gospel), immediately I did not
confer with flesh and blood [did not consult or counsel with any frail human
being or communicate with anyone]” Galatians
1:15-16 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
And one of the most controversial of those mysteries involves what has become known as “The Rapture of the Church”—God removing His people from Earth en masse. But for most of us who believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible the only disagreement revolves around when and not if it will occur.
So if you have questions about this subject, my suggestion is that you read two previous articles, “The Scriptural Basis for a Pre-Tribulational Rapture” and “The Jewish New Year and the Rapture of the Church” (www.cuttingedge.org/articles/p287.htm) and (www.cuttingedge.org/articles/p173.htm) to better understand this discussion.
Simply put, at some point in the future God is going to remove all Christians from Earth in an instant. That blessed event will not only take those who are alive when it happens but will also include all who have died in the past. And one of the most wonderful aspects will be that each individual will receive a glorified body like the one Jesus Christ now has in heaven! (1 Cor.15:35-58). It will be free from sin and perfect in every respect—“without spot or wrinkle” (Eph.5:27, Amplified Bible).
“Now also we would not have you ignorant,
brethren, about those who fall asleep [in death], that you may not grieve [for
them] as the rest do who have no hope [beyond the grave]. 14 For
since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring
with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep [in death]. 15 For
this we declare to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are alive and
remain until the coming of the Lord shall in no way precede [into His presence]
or have any advantage at all over those who have previously fallen
asleep [in Him in death]. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from
heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise
first. 17 Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall
simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the
eternities) we shall be with the Lord! 18 Therefore comfort and
encourage one another with these words” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
“Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret
truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not
all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed) 52 In
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
[sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet
will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and
immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed)” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (Amplified Bible,
emphasis mine).
When that wonderful trumpet from heaven sounds its clarion call, I believe it will coincide with “the last trumpet call” [the Tekiah Gedolah (a very long sound)] being blown all around the world by Jewish rabbis at the conclusion of Rosh Hashanah—the New Year celebration sometimes called the “Feast of Trumpets”—that God commanded them to observe in Leviticus 23:24.
Over the centuries rabbinical teaching has come to view Rosh Hashanah as portraying a time of individual judgment. And it is truly ironic in that the majority of the Children of Israel (not all, because many have become born-again Christians) still refer to themselves corporately as “God’s chosen people” (Deut.7:6). But they, along with billions of unbelieving Gentiles, will be left behind to experience the Tribulation Period—God’s judgment upon the Jews in particular and the rest of the world in general.
So with “clueless” in mind note
the following comments by a Rabbi at www.torah.org
concerning the Mishna—the written
version of the “Oral Torah” by Rabbinic Judaism:
Look to the Future
By Rabbi Shlomo Jarcaig
“In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be
a rest day for you, a remembrance of blowing [shofar blasts], a holy
convocation.” (Vayikra/Leviticus 23:24) This refers to the festival known as
Rosh HaShanah.
The Mishna informs us (Tractate Rosh HaShanah 1:2) that this is
the day of the year on which each individual is judged. As its name -
literally, the head of the year - indicates, it is also the first day of the
Jewish year. It seems peculiar that we are judged on the first day of the
new year; as the judgment is based upon our actions of the previous year, the
judgment would be more appropriate on the last day of the year. Further, the
prayers of the day do not focus on what one would expect for a judgment day.
There is no emphasis on remorse or repentance. Rather, our charge throughout
the day is to declare that G-d is the King of the Universe. More so, if this
is, indeed, the Day of Judgment, why does the Torah itself not make even the
slightest mention of that phenomenon? Reference to a "rest day",
"remembrance of blowing [shofar blasts]" and "a holy
convocation" hardly warn the masses to prepare as they would like to
before they are judged by their Creator [End of quote, all emphasis mine]
As the rabbi’s comments clearly indicate, the event holds no topical symbolism for Jews (i.e. the relevance of blowing trumpets to what rabbinical tradition has erroneously perceived as being “judgment day”). And because of that I am convinced they will at some point in the future literally, but unwittingly, trumpet the home-going of a group of specifically chosen individuals, the Church of Jesus Christ (Eph.1:4) [as opposed to the corporate election of Israel]—as they rise to meet Him in the air!
And the reason I said “erroneously perceived as being judgment day” is because they equate Rosh Hashanah with the day in which God will judge them as individuals. But of course that judgment—the judgment of all Jews and Gentiles who never received Jesus Christ as their Savior—will occur at the “Great White Throne Judgment” (Revelation 20:11) after the thousand year reign of Christ. However, in another sense judgment is in view because after the Church is gone God’s wrath will be unleashed (1 Thess.5:9).
But lest we be perceived as
being too harsh in claiming the Jews do not understand the symbolism behind
Rosh Hashanah, or Feast of Trumpets, it is obvious many Christians have also
failed to “get it”! Concerning the verses which describe that feast (Lev
23:23-25; Num 10:10; and Num 29:1-6), here is what one Bible dictionary has to
say on the subject: “…The special
design of this feast, which is described in these verses, is not known”.—
Well, let’s see now….God gave a
total of seven feasts to
So that brings us back to the title of this article: When that wonderful and awesome trumpet from heaven sounds, will you be right with God, or left? Will you be “in Christ” (Eph.1:4) and depart with the rest of God’s elect ones or left behind to experience the horrors of the Tribulation Period—a seven year span in which the devil will possess a man and become the supreme ruler of the world that the Bible calls the Antichrist (1 John 2:18)?
Strong indicators abound today that the world is hurtling toward the conditions the Bible says will be present during that future time. So with each tick of the clock the odds grow greater that the Church is nearing its “zero hour.”
Could this be the year? (Rosh Hashanah begins September 18th).
If not, my time to fly will just be postponed, but if you do not have a ticket “a gate time” will not do you any good! Please wake up to the lateness of the hour and seek the salvation that can only be obtained through genuine belief in Jesus Christ.
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and
we are not saved” Jeremiah 8:20 (KJV)
If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.
If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.
We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order--Kingdom of Antichrist—in their daily news.
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God bless you.