Once Saved, Always Saved" -- Really"

For over five years, I have been doing apologetic writing on the Religion Forum of our home town newspaper, the TimesDaily. I initially joined this forum because it was inundated and basically controlled by a handful of atheists, in alliance with a small number of other non-believers.

My purpose in joining the Religion Forum was two fold: First, to refute their non-Christian teachings. And, second, to make sure that readers (currently 11,000 plus loosely registered members -- and an untold number of folks who only come to the forum to read) get to read the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

On the TimesDaily Forums, there are ten forums of differing interests. So, I will have to extrapolate to say that, on the Religion Forum, this being Alabama (belt buckle of the Bible Belt), we must get our share of readers.

One of the hot-button issues which immediately draws the ire and stones from my non-believing Forum Friends -- is my contention that salvation is by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ -- plus nothing else.

Another "ire and stone attraction" is my belief that once a person has sincerely invited Jesus Christ into his/her heart, i.e., has become a true Christian believer -- that person has the personal promise of Jesus Christ that he/she HAS eternal life in Christ. In other words, the sincerely confessed believer HAS eternal security in Jesus Christ -- and will never lose that salvation. On most platforms this is loosely referred to as "once saved, always saved" -- or, on the Religion Forum, OSAS.

My non-believing Friends on the Religion Forum continue to challenge me to prove these beliefs. And, when I do offer Biblical foundation for my beliefs -- they refuse to hear it, they deny it, and they keep asking me, "Bill, you are always preaching OSAS. Prove it!"

Wee, gee whiz, fellows and gals -- I have shown you practically every Scripture verse in the Bible -- supported by commentary writings from many very knowledgeable pastors, theologians, and Bible scholars. Yet, you still demand, "Prove it!"

Of course, we all know that, "There is no so blind -- as he who will not see!"

Today, on the Hope Bible Institute Facebook page (a ministry of the Church of Hope, Laguna Woods, California, pastored by my long time Friend, Pastor Freddy Cortez) -- I viewed an amazing video about Free Grace Theology and what this means.

The video is from the Free Grace Alliance and the speaker is Dr. Charlie Bing -- one of the best speakers I have heard in a long time. Dr. Bing, Founder, Director, and past President of Free Grace Alliance, earned his Th.M. and Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary. He pastored Burleson Bible Church in Texas for 19 years before transitioning to GraceLife full-time in 2005. He has served as Adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies for LeTourneau University since 1992. He is active as a speaker for churches and conferences in the United States and abroad and has published a number of books and articles on the gospel, salvation, evangelism, and discipleship

In this video, Dr. Bing gives one of the best explanations of Free Grace and Salvation Through Faith Alone, plus giving Biblical support for Eternal Assurance in Jesus Christ, that I have heard. Immediately, I realized that I want to share this video, this eternally important message -- with all my Friends. The video is about 48 minutes long; so, get a cup of coffee, kick back, and grow in your faith and assurance of eternal life in Christ.

Intro to Free Grace: Dr. Charlie Bing
From Free Grace Alliance
http://vimeo.com/2919716

And, visiting Dr. Bing's ministry web site, GraceLife Ministries http://www.gracelife.org/aboutus.asp I find that his Statement of Faith aligns perfectly with my own Statement of Beliefs and, what I have been writing for the past twenty years -- what I have presented during the past twelve years in my Friends Ministry enewsletters -- what I shared on The Conservative Voice for three years -- and the message I have shared for over five years on the TimesDaily Religion forum.

GraceLife Statement of Faith:

We believe that there is one God eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We believe that the Bible is God's authoritative written revelation to man. We believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the Scriptures and that they are without error in the original manuscripts. Scripture should be interpreted according to its historical, grammatical, and normal sense.

We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, that he also took on humanity at His virgin birth, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross to provide for the redemption of all people, bodily rose from the grave, ascended into heaven, and presently is making intercession for us.

We believe in the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit, that He performs the miracle of new birth in an unbeliever and indwells believers enabling them to live a godly life.

We believe that man was created in the image of God, but because of sin was alienated from God.

We believe in the Gospel of Grace, that by simply and only believing in Jesus Christ alone for the eternal salvation made possible by His death and resurrection that our alienation can be removed and eternal life received.

We believe that once saved, the believer can never lose that salvation, and that it is therefore the privilege of everyone who believes to have assurance of salvation, which is not based on works but on the promises of God's Word.

We believe that we are not only saved from the penalty of sin by grace through faith, but we believe that we are also empowered by the Holy Spirit for daily living and victory over sin by grace through faith.

We believe in the Premillennial Return of Jesus Christ to earth in power and glory when He will establish the kingdom.

We believe in the Imminent Pretribulational Rapture of the church. We believe that following the rapture of the church, all believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ where believers will appear to give an account for how their lives were lived as believers. We believe that faithfulness will be rewarded by Christ Himself and that special privileges in the millennial kingdom and eternity will be given to those believers who have lived their lives faithfully while loss of reward will be accorded to those who have not.

We believe those who reject Christ's offer of salvation will suffer eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire with the devil and his angels.

Do yourself a favor and view this complete video. As I said, get a cup of coffee, you may want to also have your Bible handy, sit back, relax, and truly listen to the message presented by Dr. Charlie Bing. His message is powerful.

Why should you take my word for this -- what are my credentials? I am only a born-again believer who opened the door of my heart to allow Jesus Christ to enter in 1987. Shortly after that, I began to do Christian writing -- in my own snail-mail newsletter "The Good News" -- writing tracts and church bulletin inserts -- and sharing wherever God presented the opportunity.

Twelve years ago, I began to study and write full time, sharing messages of Christian encouragement and being pulled more and more into apologetic writings. At the time, I did not consider myself an apologetic writer; only that I was responding to comments and questions sent to me by Friends.

My Friend, Pastor Ed Dacio, told me one day, "Brother Bill, you are an apologetic writer." Hmmm, I had never given any thought to a label of any sort -- just that when a Friend had a comment or question which needed an answer -- God had made it possible for me to have the time and resources to probe, research, study, contemplate, and seek an appropriate response.

Have I ever been wrong? You betcha! But, when I have found that my response was, in any way, erroneous or misleading -- I have sought to find the correct answer and submit that to my Friends.

I will say this. There have been times when I have been wrong in my interpretation of Biblical passages -- and, I pray that when this has happened, I have been, or am, able to correct that and move on. However, I do not believe I am wrong in my Doctrinal Beliefs, or my Statement of Beliefs -- which, as I said earlier, align very well with those shown above.

So, I pray that you will get as much from Dr. Bing's video message as I did -- and, that you have a better understanding of why I feel called to share such resources, along with my writings, to all my Friends.

If you find this useful, please feel free to share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing God's Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world -- until He returns.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Bible Translations - Which One?

On the TimesDaily Religion Forum, I began a discussion by asking the question, "Should We Interpret The Bible?" And, my Forum Friend, Tigrtrek replied, "Of course people should read the Bible and decide for themselves. (Does) 'Study to show thyself approved rightly dividing the word of truth' ring a bell? Don't let someone -- me, Bill, the Pope, Pat Robertson, or anyone tell you what it (the Bible) says. Read it yourself. And don't limit yourself to any one translation. I spent too many years blinded by a KJV-only bias."

Tigr, I agree with you completely that we should not limit ourselves to one specific Bible translation. Personally, my main Bible is the NASB; but, when doing an indepth study of a passage I will use the NASB, the NKJV, and sometimes the KJV. These are word for word translations and tend to be better for such studies. In my writings, I will sometimes use the NIV when it better expresses the thought I am trying to convey.

I stay away from all paraphrase Bibles, such as Peterson's "The Message." The paraphrase Bibles tend to be more just the author's interpretation and not a translation, i.e., it is closer to a commentary than a Bible translation. Another paraphrase Bible is "The Living Bible." On the title page, in the subtitle, it reads "Paraphrased, A Thought-for-Thought Translation." No, a Bible cannot be a "paraphrase" and, at the same time, be a "translation." Another paraphrase Bibles is the "Good News for Modern Man" -- also called Today's English Version.

The "New Living Translation" began as a redo of "The Living Bible" and would fall more into the category of the NIV.

In a discussion of the New Living Translation, we read at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Living_Translation :

"It has been suggested that this "thought-for-thought" methodology, while making the translation easier to understand, is less accurate than a literal (formal equivalence) method, and thus the New Living Translation may not be suitable for those wishing to undertake detailed study of the Bible."

I also stay away from the Amplified Bible for a similar reason -- the amplification tends to put it more into a commentary status. And, I tend to stay away from the "gender neutral" translations such as the TNIV. In my thinking, if God had intended the Bible to be gender neutral -- He would have authored it that way.

A very good Bible web site is the Blue Letter Bible: http://www.blueletterbible.org/index.cfm

The Blue Letter Bible web site has 12 English translations as well as Spanish, Latin Vulgate, Greek, and Hebrew. You can choose to view a verse in side by side translations for comparison -- or view a chapter in any of the available translations. The site offers Strong's Concordance for word studies, commentaries, Bible dictionary aids, and other great information to help in your Bible study.

Like you, Tigr, I am a wee bit uneasy when someone tells me that we must use only the KJV Bible. And, I agree with you that we must never allow anyone, myself included, to dictate to us what a Scripture verse or passage means, i.e., that their interpretation is the absolute and only correct interpretation.

Yet, on the other hand, I will suggest to anyone who is a new believer, who is not yet mature in Biblical knowledge -- that you find someone who is mature and can mentor you. And, get involved in a good Bible study group -- and do not miss your church's Sunday School classes. I know that, in the church I attend, our Sunday School classes have always tended to be as interactive, challenging, and exciting as our Bible studies. This is an environment where we all can grow more mature in our personal knowledge of God's Word.

I recall my own situation the first few years I was a believer. My Bible knowledge was more on the "Kindergarten" level. In early 1991, during the "Operation Desert Storm" Gulf War, when Iraq set all the oil fields on fire and the scene was looking like Armageddon -- our Bible study leader, Tom Fletcher, began to talk about the Rapture, the Tribulation, etc.

And, I had no idea what he was talking about. Of course, I was not going to ask and show my Bible ignorance -- so, I just smiled and pretended to know what he meant. And, then, I began my own quest to understand End Times eschatology.

But, my point is that we all, when we are new Christian believers, need someone more mature in the Word to mentor us. I began reading Dr. J. Vernon McGee and other Bible teachers, listening as much as possible to KWVE Christian Radio, as well as attending Bible studies and Sunday School classes. I have attended Eschatology Conferences -- and, yes, I read the full set of "Left Behind" series books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins -- and many other good books on eschatology.

I found mentors and learned from them. Some I soon outgrew, i.e., wanted more meat in my Biblical diet -- so, I moved on to other mentors. And, today, I am still learning -- and have built quite a nice personal library.

However, with all that said -- I have never met, heard, or read a Bible teacher, scholar, or theologian with whom I agree 100% of the time. I do as the apostle Paul tells us in Acts 17:11 -- I read, listen, etc., to my teachers -- consider what they have taught me -- and then, compare it with what I find in Scripture. And, from this -- I settle on what I believe this Scripture passage is teaching me.

Doing this, I feel that I am fairly well grounded in my theology and that I stand on a pretty solid theological foundation. Could I be wrong on some things? You bet! But, I will keep studying and learning until the day I breath my last breath in this mortal body or He comes to rapture me.

And, then, my real education will begin. Can you imagine having an eternity, all that time -- to continue learning? Do you doubt this is true? Consider this point. Only God knows everything and cannot learn.

If we could ever get to a point where we know everything and there is nothing more we can learn -- we would be Gods. Since we know this will never happen (Lucifer is good proof of this) -- then, we must keep learning even after we are in the eternal presence of God. Isn't that exciting? All of these issues which we are debating today, we will know -- and much more. Yes, exciting! I can hardly wait to begin working on my Advanced Degree!

If you have found this useful, please feel free to share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's all study to grow more mature in our knowledge of God's Word -- and then use that knowledge to share the Gospel with all the world -- until He returns.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

A Forum Friend AccusesPastor Chuck Smith Of Heresy!

With the "information explosion" we have witnessed on the internet over the past 10 to 15 years -- we must also keep in mind that, jut because it is written on the internet -- does not make it true. It is not the Gospel -- unless you are reading the Bible online.

Much of what we read online is the opinion of another person -- and could true or it could be based upon false statements and a desire to get even with someone, or to best another, or it could be written by someone who does not have full knowledge of the subject or the issue. So, with all we read on the internet -- the best advise is to remember that just because it is published online does NOT make it true.

The dialogue below is a great example of that. Someone wanting to defame Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa has, it appears, purposely twisted what Pastor Chuck wrote in a book -- actually changing words -- to make his writing appear to say something different.

And, my Forum Friend, Beter, because I often quote Pastor Chuck's commentaries -- has tried to use this same false writing on the internet to declare Pastor Chuck a heretic. I suppose Beter feels that, if he can prove Pastor Chuck (my frequent reference source on Biblical issues) a heretic -- that, in turn, makes everything I write heretical.

Whenever we are sharing the Word of God with the unbelieving world, we will always have such burdens. We just have to look past the ones throwing stones -- to those standing behind who may read and who may be ready to allow seeds of salvation to be planted in fertile soil.

We stand on the words of our Lord and Savior, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18). So, the rocks they throw are not bullets of destruction -- but, rather, they are Badges of Honor.

Grab your Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) and join in the battle! Start by sharing this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- until He returns.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

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In the discussion titled "The Holy Way" -- our Friend, Beter, takes a broadside swipe at Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, California. And, this from a person whose tells us he/she is "Better Than You" -- i.e., the posting name BeternU. Personally, I do not think I am better than anyone else. I may be more blessed because I am a Christian believer -- but, I certainly am not "better than you." Only Jesus Christ can claim that title -- for He, indeed, is better than any of us.

Beter wrote, "Bill Gray -- I got yer Pastor Chuck Smith/Calvary Temple right heah! The man is a flaming false prophet. Per Wickipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary_Chapel:

Return of Christ in 1981: During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Chuck Smith wrote and published a prophetic timeline that predicted the Rapture would occur in 1981"

Beter, my Friend, normally, this is something I would not say to another Forum member -- but, my Friend, what you have written is a complete lie. And, the Wikipedia source you show states this disclaimer: "The neutrality of this article is disputed."

While that article does not disclose the name of the author; it could be one or more of a number of different people who have been asked to leave Calvary Chapel. An example is John Wimber who began to turn heavily toward Pentecostalism and got involved in such heretical teachings as Holy Laughter and other non-Biblical teachings. Pastor Chuck asked him to leave Calvary Chapel and Wimber started the Vineyard Churches, some of which are extreme Pentecostal.

Calvary Chapel has over 1100 churches worldwide, it is non-denominational, and calls itself a "movement" and not a denomination. Yet, if one of the churches which wears the Calvary Chapel name begins to teach beliefs other than those held by Calvary Chapel -- they will be asked to leave, just as was John Wimber. Last year, in their Annual Pastor's Conference, Pastor Chuck presented a White Paper in which he denounced the Emergent Church movement.

He asked all Calvary Chapel churches that choose to continue to follow the teachings of the Emergent Church movement to please remove Calvary Chapel from their name and to leave the Calvary Chapel movement. I applaud Pastor Chuck for this move to protect the integrity of Calvary Chapel and to assure that the teachings of all Calvary Chapel churches adhere to the previously established Statement of Faith of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.

By the way, I have absolutely no problem with the Statement of Beliefs of Calvary Chapel -- which mirrors my own personal Statement of Beliefs.

Yes, in leading a church movement for 45 years, a man will upset some and will make enemies. Obviously the person, or persons, who wrote this anonymous Wikipedia article is among that group. As I have always said -- if a pastor is not making some people uncomfortable with his messages and with his teachings -- he is obviously teaching a watered down, "feel good" Gospel. Pastor Chuck teaches the Gospel as it should be taught -- and, if that makes you uncomfortable -- you best look within yourself.

Now, Beter, let's look at the source of the statement you copy/pasted about Pastor Chuck Smith. This is the source, taken from a book written by Pastor Chuck Smith, that the anonymous author(s) used to write this untrue accusation:

This is from the References given for the Wikipedia article:

End Times: A Report on Future Survival, Chuck Smith, 1978 Smith, Chuck (1978). End Times: A Report on Future Survival. Maranatha House Publishers. pp. 35. ISBN 0-89337-011-8. "Jesus taught us that the generation which sees the 'budding of the fig tree,' the birth of the nation israel, will be the generation that sees the Lord's return. I believe that the generation of 1948 is the last generation. Since a generation of judgment is forty years and the Tribulation period lasts seven years, I believe the Lord could come back for His Church any time before the Tribulation starts, which would mean anytime before 1981. (1948+40+7=1981)"

In this article footnote you can see that Pastor Chuck has clearly written, "I believe the Lord could come back for His Church. . ." Notice that his says, "COULD come back" -- NOT "WOULD come back" -- as the anonymous writer(s) accused.

Beter, the statement you copy/pasted states: During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Chuck Smith wrote and published a prophetic timeline that predicted the Rapture would occur in 1981 Obviously the author of this article ignored his own footnote and changed "could" to "would." Are you willing to believe anything else this person will write?

Could Jesus Christ return and Rapture His church today? Absolutely! The return of Jesus Christ to rapture His church is imminent, meaning that it could happen at any moment -- or it may not happen for many years. We are told in Matthew 24:36-37, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah."

And, we are warned, in Matthew 24:44 and in Luke 12:40 to be ready, "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will."

So, yes, Jesus Christ could come today. He could come before I have a chance to post this writing. If you get to read this writing on the Religion Forum; then He has not come back yet. The Rapture has not occurred.

Or, He may not come in my lifetime. All I can do is to be ready to greet Him when He does come for all believers at the Rapture.

What Pastor Chuck Smith wrote in 1978, that He could come before 1981 -- was absolutely correct. The main prophecy gating His return is the nation of Israel being reestablished as a nation in their homeland -- which occurred in 1948. Like Pastor Chuck, I, too, believe the time may be near.

I have heard him refute people who teach a specific time for the return of Christ to Rapture His church. But, at no time have I ever heard him predict or give a date for the Rapture. That would be anathema to Pastor Chuck -- for he believes the Bible.

Pastor Chuck has and will say that many of the signs for the return are evident today -- starting with the return of the nation Israel to their homeland. He will quote many prophecies which show signs of the coming Rapture. But, he has never played the "this is the day" game.

I have never attended Calvary Chapel; but, I have followed the teachings of Pastor Chuck Smith for the last 23 years -- and I have NEVER heard him teach anything such as you, or these writers, have accused him. There have been times when I have disagreed with his teaching; but, that does not mean that he is a heretical teacher as you would have people believe. As a matter of fact, I do not know any pastor or Bible teacher that I have not disagreed with at one time or another. That does not make them or me wrong -- it just makes us good Bereans.

Beter, I am not sure what hang-up you have; but, this time, my Friend, you have written and copy/pasted an accusation which is totally false. I am just curious. You come on the Religion Forum and blast the writings of everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ -- are you a Christian believer? If so, what church (not the specific church, but the denomination, affiliation, etc.) do you attend? What Bible teacher do YOU trust to teach the truth?

Let's talk about Calvary Chapel and Pastor Chuck Smith. Pastor Chuck came to Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa in 1965. At that time they had only about 20 members. Since then, Calvary Chapel has grown to over 1100 churches worldwide; many of them large enough in membership to be called megachurches. Why has Calvary Chapel had such phenomenal growth?

From the beginning, Pastor Chuck has always used expository Bible teaching, i.e., teaching through the Bible starting from Genesis 1:1 and teaching, verse by verse, all the way to Revelation 22:21. And, then, he starts all over again -- teaching through the Bible. Occasionally, he will take a break for a topical message -- but, the normal messages are expository. In this way, their teachings, and their theology, builds upon the complete Bible; not just chosen verses or passages.

As a comparison, Dr. Robert Schuller started the Garden Grove Community Church (now the Crystal Cathedral) the same year, 1965. What has he built? A huge glass cathedral dedicated to the memory of Robert Schuller? Since 1965, to the best of my knowledge, Robert Schuller's church has planted only two other churches, one for his son and one for his close associate, Dr. Leetsma -- both in affluent Orange County.

While in the same time period Pastor Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel has planted over 1100 churches worldwide. And, most of the Calvary Chapels have Christian schools for the K-12 level -- and, many have Bible Colleges for the adult believers and those preparing for a life of ministry.

Why the great difference between these two ministries, both begun in adjacent Orange County communities, the same year, 1965 -- but, with drastically different results?

My personal belief is that it is because Robert Schuller is Reform, i.e., Calvinist -- and apparently their approach is to build bigger and prettier cathedrals, but, with no emphasis on evangelism. I spent several years in Schuller's church and never, not even once, did I hear or see an altar call being given. Why? Because the Calvinists teach that God chose, before the Creation, who will be saved and who will be lost to hell. Thus, no real reason for an altar call or evangelism, and, no real growth except among the affluent of Orange County who want to hear "feel good" sermons. Three churches in 45 years!

On the other hand, Pastor Chuck Smith's whole ministry is built upon evangelism -- sharing the Word of God with the unsaved and the unchurched of the world. He truly follows the teachings of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15) to take the Gospel to the whole world. And, Calvary Chapel has seen extraordinary spiritual and numerical growth over the years. Over 1100 churches in 45 years!

Calvary Chapel has spawned other church groups, i.e., Horizon Christian Fellowship out of San Diego which has over 100 churches in its group -- and Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. We are all familiar with the Harvest Crusades which happen in cities all over America where millions have heard the Gospel taught by Pastor Greg Laurie. All of this started from the ministry of Pastor Chuck Smith who came to a church of 20 people in 1965. I would say that this man is indeed doing the work of God in sharing the Gospel to the world.

To learn more about Calvary Chapel and what they teach, visit this web site: http://www.calvarychapelcostamesa.com/

Visit Pastor Chuck's personal ministry web site: The Word For Today - http://www.twft.com/

Or, visit the web site of KWVE Christian Radio (107.9 FM): http://www.kwve.com/ You can listen to live broadcasts. I believe you will find the Pastor's Perspective Radio Talk Show very interesting. It is on from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, California time -- and you can call in on an 800 number to ask questions of Pastor Chuck and other pastors.

And, if you would like to find a Calvary Chapel near you, visit this web site: http://www.calvarychapel.com/

Beter, my Friend, you might do yourself a big favor if you will listen more closely to what Calvary Chapel and Pastor Chuck Smith teach. It could make an eternal difference in your life.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

What Happens When A Believer Dies?

Have you ever had to explain to others, believers or non-believers, the Biblical teaching of what happens when a Christian believer dies? While many Christian believers do not share my belief in a PreTribulation Rapture; others will also argue that the believer goes to a temporary place, or that believers stay in the grave until Christ resurrects us just before taking all believers into eternity. Surprisingly, even among Christian believers -- there is great disagreement about this very important issue: What happens when the believer dies?

My Religion Forum Friend, B50, recently told us that she is a New Age/Christian/Wiccan -- so, it is not surprising that she is confused. The New Age and Wiccan world religions are polar opposites of Christianity. A person accepting the teachings of these world religions most likely will not be mature in Biblical knowledge. Otherwise, he/she could not be lured into those religions.

However, her question has given me an opportunity to explain Biblically what happens at death -- and the difference between a believer dying now and a believer who lives to see the Rapture occur.

If you find this useful, please feel free to share this dialogue with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the Gospel with the world -- and by sharing, help all of us grow spiritually and, daily, become more mature in our knowledge of God's Word. Until He returns; share the Gospel.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

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Hi to my Forum Friends,

In an earlier discussion titled "VPLee123....Thank you!" -- I wrote, "We believe, from the Bible, that when a believer dies -- he/she is immediately in the presence of Jesus Christ and God the Father."

And, B50 asks me, "I thought you had to wait for the Rapture, Bill. So heaven immediately or not?"

Good question! Glad you asked. True, for all Christian believers, upon death, the next moment they are alive in the presence of Jesus Christ -- more alive than ever before. Our mortal bodies are in the grave; but, our spirit, the true essence of all people -- will have a great "Home Coming" celebration -- and all Christ believing loved ones and friends who have gone on before -- will be standing with Jesus Christ -- to greet us -- to welcome us home!

Yes, Jesus Christ is coming one day, a day no one knows. This is why we call it imminent, for it could happen at any moment -- or it might not happen for many years. We just have to be ready (Luke 12:40). His coming will be in the air, in the clouds, and He will call all Christian believers, His church, His Bride, to join Him in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). This is the Rapture.

For all believers who have died in Christ, i.e, died being believers in Jesus Christ -- their mortal bodies will be in the grave; but their spirits are with the Lord. For all non-believers, their mortal bodies are in the grave; but, their spirits are in the Torment side of Hades -- where they will stay until they are resurrected to stand before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment.

These Christian believers whose bodies are in the grave will rise, be resurrected, first. Then, a split second later, we who are still alive will join them in the air to meet our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. At this time, we all will receive our immortal bodies and will be like Him -- not divine, but in our immortal bodies (1 John 3:2).

Now this is a point where many people, believers and non-believers, will ask, "Bill, that works for those who died and were buried. But, what about people who were cremated? What about people who were eaten by animals, by sharks, etc. -- their bodies no longer exist. Their bodies are ashes or part of animal or fish waste. How can they be raised from the grave to be Raptured?"

That is a very valid question. Yet, we are told in Luke 12:6-7, "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."

God created us; God knows every hair on our head (for some, just a memory); God knows every cell which makes up our bodies -- for He created those cells, those bodies -- so, I have no doubt that, in His omniscience, in His omnipotence -- He will have no trouble bringing together all the required elements to create our immortals bodies.

Jesus, when He ascended into heaven, was in His immortal body with the nail scars and the sword scar still evident. After His resurrection, but, before His ascension -- he was in His immortal body which closely resembled His older mortal body. This is why He could eat with His apostles after His resurrection (John 21:12-15). We believers will have such an immortal body also at the Rapture (1 John 3:2).

So, to clarify: For believers who have already died, their bodies are in the grave -- but, their essence, their spirit, is in heaven. When Christ returns to Rapture His church -- their bodies will rise from the grave, or wherever, and will become immortal bodies, once again reunited with their essence, their spirit.

Then, a brief moment later, we believers who are still alive when Christ returns in the air to Rapture His church will rise -- we will not taste death -- but, will go to meet Him in the air to gain our immortal bodies.

Is this described in the Bible? Yes, in 1 Corinthians 15:49-54 we learn that we, our bodies, will be changed in the twinkling of an eye -- pretty quick -- from mortal to immortal, i.e., our glorified bodies. We we be in our glorified bodies just like Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:49-54, "Just as we have borne the image of the earthy (mortal), we will also bear the image of the heavenly (immortal). Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory."

And, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, we are told that we believers who are still alive, will be CAUGHT UP to meet Christ, our Lord, in the air. In the Greek language, the English phrase "will be caught up" is the word "harpazo" meaning: "to snatch out or away."

When the Pope commissioned Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin, the language favored by the Roman Catholic church, the Greek word "harpazo" became the Latin word "rapiemur" -- from which we get the English transliteration RAPTURE. So, yes, the word "Rapture" -- the prophecy of the Rapture -- and the description of the Rapture -- are all in the Bible.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."

Yes, B50, we have His, Jesus Christ's, promises of eternal life for all who believe (Matthew 19:29, John 3:15, John 3:16, John 3:36, John 4:14, John 5:24, John 6:40, John 6:47, John 6:54, John 10:28).

And, the apostle John writes to us in John 20:30-31, "Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."

So, yes, eternal life in Christ is assured, by Jesus Christ Himself, for ALL who, by grace, through faith, believe in Him and receive His "free gift" of eternal life. Based upon His promises, we have eternal security in Him -- and whether we die before He comes to Rapture His church, or whether we are still alive -- ALL believers will be Raptured to be with Him forever.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Prophecy And The Rest Of The Bible

Earlier, I wrote an article titled "When Is The Bible Literal And When Is it Symbolic?" and posted it on the TimesDaily Religion Forum. As you might expect, I have had a few responses -- from believers and from my atheist Friends. The one below seemed to be a good segue into talking about prophecy.

If you find this useful, please feel free to share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing His Gospel with the world -- and looking forward to His imminent return.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

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Hi Tigrtrek,

You tell us, "Making a determination of what's literal and what's symbolic is part of what is called rightly dividing the word of truth. When the Bible says that Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected it does not literally mean he is a rock. This is easy to pick out, but prophecy, which is largely symbolic, is more open to interpretation.

Many people dedicate their lives to studying prophecy and still don't have all the answers. I prefer to focus on the Gospels, the Epistles and the Old Testament. Whatever the future holds God will work out."

That is a good example of Biblical allegory -- Jesus the Rock. Thank you.

Like you, I enjoy the Gospels, Epistles, and the Old Testament. However, since about 30% of the Bible is prophecy -- how can we not focus on this? True, many people spend their lives studying prophecy -- but, that does not mean that we lay people should not also study it.

Often times, the Holy Spirit will give us a special insight when studying His Word. I remember, about twenty years ago, when I first began to study the End Times prophecies -- I was totally confused about who would be in the Millennial Kingdom and where would Satan, who had been locked in the abyss for one thousand years, raise his large army of non-believers to do battle against Jesus Christ and the holy city, Jerusalem.

One afternoon, as I was driving home from work, I was sitting at a traffic light. My mind was on the traffic light and getting home; not on the book of Revelation or even the Bible. Yet, all of a sudden, a thought came into my mind: When Jesus Christ returns at the end of the seven year Tribulation -- even though many, many people will have been killed by the Antichrist -- there will be many people who have survived the horrible Tribulation. This group will consist of both believers and non-believers.

These people will stand in judgment before Jesus Christ -- the Sheep and Goat Judgment found in Matthew 25:31-46 for the Gentile nations, and the Judgment of Israel found in Ezekiel 20:32-38 for the Jews. Those who are not believers will "go away into eternal punishment" (Matthew 25:46). To those who are believers, He will say, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. . ." (Matthew 25:34). That kingdom is His Millennial Kingdom -- and, later, the eternal kingdom.

And, to the Jews, He will say, "'And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,' declares the Lord GOD. 'I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant'" (Ezekiel
20:35-37)

This will be the remnant of Israel, His chosen people, who, with the believers from the Sheep and Goat Judgment, will enter the Millennial Kingdom, God's Kingdom on earth, in their mortal bodies.

So, the inhabitants of the Millennial Kingdom, ruled by Jesus Christ from the throne of David in Jerusalem, will consist of the Raptured church and the Old Testament saints in our immortal bodies -- and the believers who survive the Tribulation, both Jew and Gentile, in their mortal bodies. Those in their mortal bodies will continue to marry and bear children.

During the Millennial Kingdom, Satan will be locked in the abyss, so his demonic temptations will not exist on earth for that one thousand years. Those who enter the Millennial Kingdom will be believers. Yet, they and those born during the Millennial Kingdom will still bear the sin curse of Adam, they will have the Adamic sin nature curse. Only death or the Rapture can remove this curse.

And, having this sin nature -- the only way to have eternal salvation is still through Jesus Christ. Keep in mind -- He is the ONLY Way to God the Father. So, the people born during the Millennial Kingdom will still have to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to be saved.

Even though the Satanic influence has been removed for one thousand years; there will still be people born during this time who will, for whatever reason, not invite Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior. These people will not be causing death and destruction as we have on earth today -- for Jesus Christ will be the ruler of this world. Yet, some will choose not to follow Him and will not receive His imputed righteousness.

When Satan is released from the abyss after one thousand years; these people who have not made a commitment to Jesus Christ will be easy prey for him, as he lures them into his army. This is the army which will come against Jesus Christ and the holy city at the end of the Millennial Kingdom -- and they will all be supernaturally destroyed (Revelation 20:7-10).

Now, did the Holy Spirit reveal all this to me that day as I sat at the traffic light? No. He revealed to me about the people, the Tribulation survivors, who will enter the Millennial Kingdom in their mortal bodies. This so piqued my interest that I began my study of the End Times and Revelation in earnest.

And, over the years, layer after layer has been peeled back, as the Holy Spirit revealed to me more and more knowledge of the End Times. You might say that, although I had already been studying End Times prophecy -- that traffic light revelation birthed my desire to really understand End Time prophecy.

Another example of the Holy Spirit leading as we study Scripture: For years I had tried to read the book of Job -- and could not get past chapter one. One evening I was sitting on my patio studying the book of John. A cross reference sent me to Job 42:10, "The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold."

Once again, my interest was piqued -- and I began to read Job. For whatever reason, that night reading Job was as easy as reading an interesting novel -- it just flowed. That night I read and had a fairly good understanding of the book of Job -- and have since led a Bible study on it. Who or what led me to Job 42:10 that night? The Holy Spirit, of course.

John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."

Tigr, no part of the Bible is insignificant; but, most especially not God's revelations which He sends to us through His prophecies. Do not neglect 30% of His Written Word.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

When Is The Bible LiteralAnd When Is it Symbolic?

This is a question we often hear: When do we read the Bible literally and when as symbolism? Actually, it is not an either/or situation. Most often, we read the Bible literally. But, how do we handle it when it cannot be read literally?

My Friend, VP, is in a church which reads the entire Bible as symbolism and allegory. So, his question is meant to be a "trick question" -- a "gotcha!" But, this is a very valid question and, I am sure is often confusing to Christian believers -- and, even more so, to new Christians and to new seekers only beginning their Biblical journey.

I pray that this dialogue will be a wee bit of help to you. If so, please feel free to share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all we meet -- until He returns.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

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Hi to my Forum Friends,

In the discussion which I began titled "An Open Letter From The Son Of Madalyn Murray O'Hair" -- my Friend, VP, tells me, "But I would really like an answer to the question -- WHO decides which parts of the 'literal' word of God is symbolic? When there is no mention of symbolism in the text. I am really trying to follow your logic. Help me understand."

Thank you, VP. That is a valid question -- and a very good question. Since we know the Bible is the Holy Spirit inspired (authored by God), inerrant (authored by God, and God does not make mistakes), literal (God says what He means, and means what He says) Written Word of God -- there must be a way to know when to read the Bible literally and when to apply symbolism and allegory to our interpretation. Yes, there is, my Friend.

When studying the Bible, first, as you begin your study, you interpret the Scripture passage or verse you are reading literally. If this fits, and, you can tell if it makes sense -- that is the proper interpretation. If not, then look at that same passage under the lens of symbolism or allegory. If symbolism is used; you will be able to find the meaning for that symbolism in other parts of the Bible. This may require some dedicated study -- but, then, you are studying God's Word to gain more knowledge from it; so, what's a wee bit more work -- when the rewards are so great?

An example: In Revelation 1:16 we read, "In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength."

And, this symbolism is explained in Revelation 1:20, "As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

Another example is found in Ezekiel 37:1-10 when the prophet Ezekiel is given a prophetic vision by God.

Ezekiel 37:1-3, "The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know.'"

And, in Ezekiel 37:11 we find, "Then He said to me, "'on of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel;. . .'"

This passage is symbolic and allegorical -- and, at the same time, it is prophetic. It is prophesying about the future return of the nation so Israel -- which we have seen fulfilled in 1948, when the nation Israel returned to its homeland, the promised land given to Israel by God in the days of Moses and Joshua.

And, then we move on with Israel to the End Times, the seven year Tribulation, which is decreed by God as the time of refining for His chosen people, Israel. In the Tribulation, a remnant of Israel will come to faith in their Messiah, Jesus Christ -- and God will bring them through the times of trial, Jacob's Trouble, the Tribulation.

In Isaiah 10:20-23, we find, "Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them (the Antichrist), but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness. For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord GOD of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land."

This passage, while, at first, seeming to be symbolic, is truly to be read literally. God is going to put the nation Israel, and with them the Gentile nations, through a time of Tribulation. And, in this horrible seven year Tribulation, only a remnant of Israel will accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah and be saved. Although the Tribulation is not for the Gentile nations; many Gentiles will also be saved during the Tribulation. All others will perish with the Antichrist.

In Daniel 9:27, we read, "And he (the Antichrist) will make a firm covenant with the many (Israel) for one week (seven years), but in the middle of the week (3 1/2 years) he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

This passage uses symbolic language and is verified by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24.

In Matthew 24:15, we are told by Jesus Christ, "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand)." Here, Jesus Christ is referring to Daniel 9:27, the "abominations will come one who makes desolate."

This passage should be read literally; the Temple will be made desolate by the Antichrist at the midpoint of the seven year Tribulation.

The seven year Tribulation, the Time of Jacob's Trouble, will begin when the Antichrist signs a peace covenant with the nation Israel (Daniel 9:27). This will occur after the church has been raptured out of the world (1 Corinthians 15:50-53, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

During the first 3 1/2 years there will be an unusual peace, or seeming peace, throughout the world. The Antichrist will somehow be able to bring the Jews and the Muslims together in an agreement which will allow the Jewish Temple to be rebuilt on the Temple Mount, where the large Islamic mosque now stands. It most likely will not replace the mosque; but, will share the Temple Mount with the mosque.

But, Israel will have her Temple once more and will be offering sacrifices to God in the newly rebuilt temple. However, in the middle of the seven years, after 42 months, the Antichrist will begin to show his true evil personality. It is my belief that this is the time when Satan actually enters and possesses the body of the Antichrist and all his evil is brought to the surface.

At this time, he will enter the Temple and declare himself to be God and demand worship. This is the "abomination of desolation" -- the "abominations will come one who makes desolate" spoken of in Daniel and by Jesus Christ.

This is the beginning of the Great Tribulation, the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. From that midpoint on, the Antichrist will do everything in his power to completely destroy the nation Israel.

VP, do you see that so much of the Bible can be read literally -- and when He does use symbolism, He will give us an interpretation. He is not a God of confusion; He is not trying to hide His plan of salvation from us. He has given us His complete plan for our salvation and He has given us the Complete Christian User's Manual for living the Christian life. Believe me, there are no "trick questions" in the Bible. God says what He means -- and He means what He says!

And, that is the truth.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Who Is "Left Behind"?

While none of us gain, or fail to gain, salvation because of our beliefs about End Time prophecies - how we view Biblical prophecies can, and does, affect the peace of mind of Christian believers.  How can a person have peace in God when he/she does not believe what is written in the Bible authored by God?

The difference between the PreTribulation Rapture / PreMillennial Second Coming believer and the PostMillennial and Amillennial believers - is their view of Bible prophecies.  A PreTrib/PreMillennial believer views the Bible prophecies through the lense of literal interpretation, i.e., hermeneutics.  The Amillennialist does not believe there will be a literal Millennial Kingdom of God on earth and views Biblical prophecies as allegories and symbolism only.  And the PostMillennial believer is somewhere in between.

The PreTrib/PreMillianial believer interprets the complete Bible as the inspired, inerrant, literal Written Word of God - and that includes His prophecies.  Do we see every word of the Bible as being literal?  No, there are often times in Scripture where metaphors, allegories, and symbolism are used.  However, our approach is to first look at the passage as literal - and if the shoe fits, wear it.  If not, look for a figurative meaning.

Most PostMillennialist and Amillennialist view the Bible as literal - except for prophecies. These they spiritualize and allegorize.

So Amillenial believers will say that we are living in the Millennium now.  And as things get better and better - one day Jesus Christ will return, pass judgement, and immediately send non-believers to the Lake of Fire and take believers into eternity with God.  No Rapture, no Tribulation, no Millennial Kingdom - just keep doing what we are doing until He comes. And then the judgment. They view the Great White Throne Judgment as including all believers and non-believers.  One general judgment - and then eternity, heaven or hell.

And PostMillennial believers say there will be a Tribulation and a Millennial Kingdom - but, no Rapture.  Christ will stay in heaven.  The church will stay on earth during the Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom periods with Christ ruling from heaven. Then, at the end of the Millennium, He will return, pass judgement at the Great White Throne Judgment - and immediately send non-believers to the Lake of Fire and take believers into eternity with God.

The big problem is that neither of these beliefs is Biblical.  And, in the dialogue below I will be honest - for a while I have been having dialogues with my TimesDaily Forum Friend, Beter - and I have no idea whether he is an Amillennial believer, or just entrenched in a legalistic church, or just wants to argue.  Many times I have suspected the latter.  However, his questions and comments today lead to a good discussion of the End Times judgments  which I feel could be a catalyst in bringing others deeper into their own personal Bible study.

So I feel the dialogue below which we had on the TimesDaily Religion Forum is worthwhile.


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Hi Beter,

In my earlier post, I wrote, "At the end of the Millennial Kingdom - those who died not believing in Jesus Christ will be resurrected and will face Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment - a judgment of punishment for rejecting Him all their lives. They will then join the Antichrist and all other non-believers in the Lake of Fire, hell."

And, you tell me, "Bill, the judgment you call the 'Great White Throne Judgment' is the same as the judgment described in Matthew 25.  There, 'all nations' shall be judged (v.32).  The righteous and the unrighteous shall be judged (v. 46).  Jesus, in describing the judgment in Matthew 25, neither says, nor implies, anything remotely to suggest that this is anything other than THE judgment, the ONLY judgment.  According to your theology, the judgment of Matthew 25 could only be a 'post-Tribulation' judgment and the only persons being condemned in that judgment will be those who survived the Tribulation."

Matthew 25:31-46 is describing the Sheep and Goat Judgment.  When Jesus Christ returns, His Second Coming after the Tribulation, there will be those who survived the Tribulation. Although most who become believers during the Tribulation will have been martyred by the Antichrist - there will be a large number of believers still alive at the end of the Tribulation.  And there will be many non-believers, those who took the Mark of the Beast and continued to deny Christ.

His main purpose in the Second Coming is to put an end to the Tribulation, the time of refining for His chosen people, Israel - and to establish His Millennial Kingdom, the Kingdom of God on earth.  When Adam disobeyed God; he gave a "Quit Claim Deed" for earth to Satan.  Jesus will come to redeem the Title Deed to earth - and to send Satan into the abyss, his jail, for one thousand years.

At the judgment described in the parable of Matthew 25:31-46, there will be two things asked: First, what did you do with My Son, Jesus Christ?  Did you receive Him as your Lord and Savior - or did you reject Him?  Second, what did you do with your fellow man?  Did you display the fruit found only in the salvation of a Christ Follower and tend His sheep, the people for whom He gave His life - or did you care only for your own worldly pleasures and desires?

The first, those who received Him as Lord and Savior, His sheep, He will stand at His right hand.  Those who denied Him, the goats, He will stand at His left hand.  And, Matthew 25:46 tells us, "And these (the goats) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous (His sheep) into eternal life."

But first, those on His right, His sheep, will go into the Millennial Kingdom of God, Christ's Millennial Reign on earth, in their mortal bodies.  For one thousand years they will be marrying and having children.  Yet they and their children will still have the sin nature inherited from Adam's disobedience.  The sin nature can and will only be removed through death or the Rapture.  All mortals going into the Millennial Kingdom will be saved, yet they will still have their sin nature - just at we believers today, before the Rapture, still have our sin nature.

Those who enter the Millennial Kingdom after the Tribulation are saved, they are Christian believers and have eternal life in Christ.  However, those born during the Millennial Kingdom still having their sin nature and will still need to invite Jesus Christ into their hearts
(Revelation 3:20) to have eternal life.

During the Millennial Kingdom, Satan is locked in the abyss - so his temptation which has led so many down the wrong path during the Church Era (from the Day of Pentecost to the Rapture) and even through the seven year Tribulation - will be missing.  However, even though the temptation of Satan is absent; those born during the Millennial Reign of Christ must still, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ - believe and receive His "free gift" of salvation.

Surprisingly, there will be a great number who will not, for whatever reason, apathy, etc., do this.  These are the recruits Satan will find when he is released from the abyss after one thousand years.  And from this group he will recruit his army of billions who will come against the Holy City and Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:7-10) where they will be supernaturally destroyed.  This is the last battle of the End Times.

The Great White Throne Judgment is still pending at this point.  It will happen after the Final Battle and after Satan has been thrown into the Lake of Fire where the Antichrist and his False Prophet await their leader.  The Great White Throne Judgment is God's final act in dealing with all non-believers.

From that point on -- it is the New Heaven, the New Earth, the New Jerusalem -- and eternal life with Jesus Christ, in the eternal presence of God the Father.

Then, you tell me, "Bill, your interpretation of the 'Rapture' is based on 1 Thess. 4. That passage teaches that both the righteous living and the 'dead in Christ' will be 'caught up together...in the clouds' and will 'ever be with the Lord.'"

That is almost true. We read in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."

This tells us that those who died in Christ, i.e., those Christian believers who have preceded us in death -- their bodies are still in the grave, but, upon death, their spirits went directly to be with the Lord -- will be raised first in the Rapture. Then, those of us who are still alive will follow them in being Raptured. However, we are talking about a very brief time between the two events; say, like the time it takes for a blink of the eye. So, technically, those dead in Christ rise first -- but, in reality, it will all happen so quickly that who can notice the time difference?

Next, you ask a good question -- and, you have answered your own question, "Who does that leave behind for the 'Tribulation'? The only answer to that is that only the unrighteous will be left. That being the case, one has to wonder just who John was writing about in Revelation 7:14: 'And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'"

As we are told in Jeremiah 30:7, the seven year Tribulation is the "Time of Jacob's Trouble or Distress." It is God's time to bring His chosen people, Israel, through the Refiner's Fire -- to separate out the remnant of His people who will believe and receive their Messiah, Jesus Christ. While the Tribulation is primarily for the sake of Israel; many Gentiles in the nations will also believe and receive His "free gift" of salvation.

Who is left after the Rapture? You answered correctly; only the unrighteous, only those who have not received and believed in Jesus Christ. However, there will be two great Revivals happening during the seven year Tribulation. First, there will be those who had knowledge of Jesus Christ, many who actually taught about Jesus Christ -- pastors, priest, Bible teachers, Sunday School teachers, deacons, deaconesses, elders, and many other supposedly mature Christians.

And, still, they never truly believed what they themselves were teaching. Yet, from what they have been teaching, they have knowledge of the Rapture, whether they believed it or not -- and when the Rapture does occur -- they will become instant believers. They will recognize the fallacy of the theology they have been following and teaching -- and, they will repent and become true Christ Followers. This will be the First Great Tribulation Revival.

The second will come from the 144,000 new Jewish Billy Grahams we find in Revelation 7:4, "And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel."

These 144,000 zealous evangelists, 12,000 from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel -- will bring in a harvest of souls during the Tribulation unlike any that has ever occurred before this. We are told of this in Revelation 7:9, "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands."

This "great multitude" is comprised of those who were saved in the initial First Great Tribulation Revival and those who heard and responded to the teaching of the 144,000 Jewish Billy Grahams. And, can you imagine -- a great multitude, the number so large, that one could not count them? That, my Friend, is one great Soul Harvest.

But, the reason they are standing before the throne of the Lamb, clothed in white robes -- is because, as fast as the 144,000 evangelist could bring them to belief in Jesus Christ -- the Antichrist was killing them, making them Christian martyrs.

These are the same martyrs we find in Revelation 6:9-11, "When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also."

Keep in mind that the book of Revelation does not read chronologically from time A to time Z. This is one of the reasons many folks get confused in studying Revelation. Yet, here, there is some continuity. First, in Revelation 6:9-11 we read of those slain, martyred, for their faith -- and then, in Revelation 7:9-17 we read of them standing before the Lord washed in the blood of the Lamb and clothed in His white robe of righteousness.

These were Left Behind -- but, now are saved and have eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Then, you tell me, "If only the unrighteous dead and the unrighteous living were left behind at the 'Rapture' (as you believe), and and if, as you say, 'At the end of the seven year Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to earth, His Second Coming, where he will judge the nations, the survivors of the Tribulation: non-believers will go to the Lake of Fire, hell -- and believers will go into His Millennial Kingdom in their mortal bodies' -- then how did those allegedly unrighteousun-Raptured survivors of the 'Tribulation' somehow become righteous during the Tribulation?

Would they not, by your reckoning, have received a second chance? They were 'left behind' because they were unrighteous, and presumably in a lost state. Then, after the Tribulation, you assert that some of them were saved. But you also say: 'And, you are also correct that NO ONE gets a second chance. I have stated that so many times that I have lost count.'

Count this: One chance to be saved before the 'Rapture.' Another chance to be saved after the 'Tribulation.' I count two chances."

Once again, a good question which will help us clear up any misunderstandings. When we speak of "not having a second chance" to repent and receive His "free gift" of salvation -- this is referring only to this mortal life. In this life, one has until his last breath to repent and be saved. If, however, that person dies, breathes his last breath in this mortal life, without believing and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord, Master, and Savior -- there is no second chance. This person's eternal fate is sealed.

However, those who are Left Behind at the Rapture have not died, they have not breathed their last breath -- so, just as folks do now, they still have the rest of their mortal life to repent and be saved.

Yet, leaving repentance and salvation until the last moment, until just before that last breath -- is rather like trying to walk up an ice covered hillside wearing leather soled shoes. It is a mighty precarious position in which you could find yourself -- a mighty slippery slope. One never knows when that last breath will come.

That is true for us now. Can you imagine how much worse it will be during the seven year Tribulation -- when folks are being killed left and right -- for no other reason than it pleases the Antichrist? That will be a very precarious time in which to live -- and a very unwise time to put off your repentance and salvation until the last moment.

Beter, my Friend, I pray this clears up any misunderstandings we have about the End Times -- and that it encourages many of our Forum Friends to test what we write by comparing it with Scripture (Acts 17:11). And, I pray that our dialogues will be the catalyst which will bring many more to their own personal study of God's Word.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill