“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8).
Soon and very soon, our Husband Jesus Christ will rescue His bride, the church, from the terrible time that is coming upon the earth. That being said, it isn’t the time to hunker down or become apathetic about co-laboring with Jesus Christ for souls, the assignments He’s called us to, etc.
And praise God, since by GRACE we have been saved through FAITH, and NOT of ourselves, it is a gift of God, lest anyone should boast, no one who is truly born again will be left behind.
The partial rapture is a false doctrine based on works. For how can anyone IN Christ be more righteous than the VERY righteousness of God? A righteousness incapable of dimming despite ourselves. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
How would one be able to measure their own worthiness whether they are taken up with our Lord or left behind? It’s an unquantifiable thing. For even a teeny tiny infraction against the Lord is a great evil compared to His Holiness, but fear not, we are fully justified by Jesus Christ, and rapture ready in Him alone.
“God is not the author of confusion, but of peace,” (1 Corinthians 14:33):
“Oops, I’m going. Oops, I messed up today, I might get left behind.” As if we have the power to keep ourselves in righteous standing any way!
We must guard our hearts and take care not to become self-righteous and compare ourselves to others in Christ, wrongly rendering some unworthy of being rescued by our Husband.
It shouldn’t trouble our hearts that those in Christ who barely did anything to serve the Lord while they were saved still get to come to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
We are not measuring ourselves against each other but as we are IN Christ – fully and utterly the righteous of God from the moment we were born again.
We should rejoice with and for everyone seated at the wedding feast even if their earthly walk with the Lord was a total dud.
***This song reminds me of the rapture.***
Matthew 20:1-16 – The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’
8 “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
Luke 15:11-31 – The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
Sword and Spirit Writer 