Whatever believers do as this New Year rolls on, they must not forget their goal, which is to meet God’s expectations and to be ready for rapture. The word ‘rapture’ means being ‘caught up.’ This describes the glorious event of the dead and living saints ascending to meet the Lord in the air at His coming. The rapture is not for sinners, backsliders, religious people or reprobates. It is the first phase of Christ’s Second Coming. The second phase is when He returns to earth with the saints after the Great Tribulation for His millennial reign. This great, expected event was a mystery to the Old Testament saints.
Some deceivers say the rapture cannot take place now, but Paul refuted that claim in his epistle. His hope and expectation of being raptured with the saints was based on Christ’s unfailing promise that “…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” His words – I will receive you – refers to rapture while “where I am, there ye may be also” – refers to heaven, not the earth as some false preachers erroneously teach. Never allow yourself a moment this year to forget that the Lord can come any time, and that we need to be prayerful, watchful and consistent in holy living to partake in the rapture — the discernible privilege of real sonship in Christ.
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” It is a great privilege to be called a child of God. He provides redemption through Christ and recognises the redeemed as His ‘sons.’” But what He recognises and appreciates, the world denounces. Though we are not discerned or known by the world, we are the children of God. To become His child requires repentance and separation from the practices, pollutions and principles of the world. “God sent forth His Son … to redeem” us; it is only through His Son we can become sons of God. Holy parentage does not transfer or confer the experience of salvation automatically on anyone.
Parents take the decision that leads to natural birth, but the decision for the second birth is personal. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Water baptism or sign of the cross on the forehead cannot bring salvation. Christ affirms: “Ye must be born again.” After salvation, His Spirit will bear witness of this experience in the redeemed and condemnation will be replaced with joy, peace and hope of heaven. The Lord saved us with the purpose of taking us to heaven; therefore, we must not return to ungodly practices that will make us run the Christian race in vain. He tasted death that we should not die eternally in hell; He is willing to take to glory all those who possess the undeniable peculiarity of righteous sons.
• Further reading (King James Version): 1 John 3:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51; John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. 1 John 3:1; 2 Corinthians 6:17,18; Galatians 4:4-6; Romans 9:6-8; John 3:3,5-7; Romans 8:14-16; Philippians 2:14-16; Hebrews 2:9,10. 1 John 3:2; Job 19:25-27; Psalm 17:15; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 5:1,2,6-8. 1 John 3:3; Revelation 21:27; 14:4,5; Mark 7:20-23; Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18,19.
