I Expect a Selective Rapture

[Feedmysheep]

 

I believe that many Christians will lose some rewards, but they do not lose the Kingdom. There will be a great time of regret and remorse. the Bema Seat will not be a continual happy time like some graduation ceremony, although there will be much joy there as well---especially when it is over! We will cast our crowns before Him, and He will dry our eyes!

  A conditiion for enterning the kingdom is for us to humble ourselves as a little child.

  " ... Truly I say to you, Unless you turn and become like little children, you shall by no menas enter into the kingdom of the heavens." ( See Matt. 18:1-3)

  So we surely need to turn to Christ for He alone has the humility and meekness needed for the kingdom of the heavens.

  But you have to admit that here Jesus is speaking about entering or not entering. So the realm of the kingdom of the heavens in the millennium is something the disciples will enter or not enter. That is how I read it.

  We have to be as a little humble child to enter. Then we have to continue in the same manner. The way we enter is the way we must continue - as a little child. We must still be facing the same direction.

  To enter we must turn to become as a little child. Then to be greatest we must still be as a little child. Then we must continue on as a little child in childlike humbleness.

 May the Lord have mercy on us to be so.

   

[Lively Stone]

 

I believe that many Christians will lose some rewards, but they do not lose the Kingdom. There will be a great time of regret and remorse. the Bema Seat will not be a continual happy time like some graduation ceremony, although there will be much joy there as well---especially when it is over! We will cast our crowns before Him, and He will dry our eyes!

  A conditiion for enterning the kingdom is for us to humble ourselves as a little child.

  " ... Truly I say to you, Unless you turn and become like little children, you shall by no menas enter into the kingdom of the heavens." ( See Matt. 18:1-3)

  So we surely need to turn to Christ for He alone has the humility and meekness needed for the kingdom of the heavens.

  But you have to admit that here Jesus is speaking about entering or not entering. So the realm of the kingdom of the heavens in the millennium is something the disciples will enter or not enter. That is how I read it.

  We have to be as a little humble child to enter. Then we have to continue in the same manner. The way we enter is the way we must continue - as a little child. We must still be facing the same direction.

  To enter we must turn to become as a little child. Then to be greatest we must still be as a little child. Then we must continue on as a little child in childlike humbleness.

 May the Lord have mercy on us to be so.

  

He is talking about having the faith of a little child to enter into the Kingdom---in salvation.

If we have Christ, then we already have the Kingdom! He doesn't want us to stay as children, but to grow up and boldly defeat the enemy, and to bring people to Him. We can do all that and remain in Godly humility. We mustn't fixate on childlikeness and fall into a lifestyle of false humility, but we are warriors for the King and we must take up our calling and go out and enlarge the Kingdom for the Lord---while He goes before us, making the rough places plain and the crooked places smooth.

[Feedmysheep]

 That is very good. But the servant of the Lord who at that time is cast into "the outer darkness" cannot be said to be participating in the manifestation of the kingdom in any meaningful way.

 Unless we think of his being disciplined is also being in the kingdom. It is Christ who gave us that teaching. That is that He has the authority to discipline a servant at that time by casting him into the outer darkness.

 

[Lively Stone]

Those who find themselves cast out of the Kingdom will be those who have never trusted Jesus Christ with their lives, and have never been regenerated. They are not true servants. Many live in fear of a harsh taskmaster, and that keeps them out of the House of Love. How many times did Jesus say, "Fear not"?

The eyes of God can see the difference between a spiritual sheep and a spiritual goat.

We cannot always detect the tares. They are identical to wheat.

[Feedmysheep]

 LivelyStone,

       We have strayed quite a bit away from the subject of Rapture. If you would like me to open up another thread to converse about the subject now being discussed, I can.

       I think the question is "How wide is the scope of reward and punishment to CHRISTIANS after the second coming of Jesus?"  or something like that.

       You see I cannot believe that the servant cast into the outer darkness represents a false believer. That simply doesn't work.

 And the Lord did not deny that He was indeed a strict business master:

 "And his master answered and said to him, Evil and slothful slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not winnow. " (Matt. 25:26)

  We do not see Jesus disagreeing with the slothful servant. We do not see Jesus rebuking him for a misunderstanding of His nature in this regard.

 And take notice of the words "And his master answered and said to him ...". It is difficult to interpret this servant then as a false Christian. As the master was with the other two servants he also is to this slothful one.

  Shall we open up a thread to continue this topic ?

      

[Lively Stone]

 LivelyStone,

       We have strayed quite a bit away from the subject of Rapture. If you would like me to open up another thread to converse about the subject now being discussed, I can.

       I think the question is "How wide is the scope of reward and punishment to CHRISTIANS after the second coming of Jesus?"  or something like that.

       You see I cannot believe that the servant cast into the outer darkness represents a false believer. That simply doesn't work.

 And the Lord did not deny that He was indeed a strict business master:

 "And his master answered and said to him, Evil and slothful slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not winnow. " (Matt. 25:26)

  We do not see Jesus disagreeing with the slothful servant. We do not see Jesus rebuking him for a misunderstanding of His nature in this regard.

 And take notice of the words "And his master answered and said to him ...". It is difficult to interpret this servant then as a false Christian. As the master was with the other two servants he also is to this slothful one.

  Shall we open up a thread to continue this topic ?

      

If you wish.