Because of faith, we are forgiven of sins; because of faith, we follow Christ till today. The website, Follow Christ, provides the latest information about the truth of Christ's return.
On a new day, sitting at her desk, Zhang Qing began her daily spiritual devotions, opening up the Bible and reading Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour knows no man, not the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but My Father only.” She thought to herself: “If no one knows the day of the Lord’s return, then how should we welcome Him? Now is the end of the last day. The disasters are getting greater. The omens of the Lord’s return have basically all been fulfilled. Maybe one day the Lord will come back, but so far I still haven’t known how to welcome His return.” Thinking of this, Zhang Qing couldn’t help standing up and then paced back and forth in her room. At that point, she thought of how, when visiting her the other day, her sister-in-law said that she went out to listen to a few sermons about the Lord’s coming and that there was light in them. So Zhang Qing decided to seek from her.
One day, during my spiritual devotion, I saw the words of the Lord Jesus: “I am come a light into the world, that whoever believes on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:46–48). Pondering over this passage of scripture, I saw that the Lord’s will and demands of us are to have us follow His words in everything and do as He asked. In my mind, since the Lord Jesus has absolved our sins, we have already been saved by grace when accepting His salvation, and will be directly taken into the kingdom of heaven when He returns. But here, why did the Lord say whoever disobeyed His words would be judged in the last days? Why would the Lord judge us? I knew Sister Xiangguang was devout and received scriptures purely. She had just returned home after studying in another place. So I wanted to seek from her.
It is said in the Bible, “For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:10). Many of us therefore believe that by believing in the Lord Jesus, we are already saved and once saved always saved, so when the Lord returns we will automatically be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. However, some brothers and sisters feel perplexed: We commit sins in the day and confess them at night, and often lose our tempers at people; we frequently tell lies and are capable of deceiving people and God, and haven’t become as a little child. God is holy, and absolutely no sinner is permitted to enter the kingdom of heaven. So, will the Lord rapture people like us when He returns?
Peace to you in the Lord! Several months have flown by. How are you recently? I remember when we studied the Bible together, we often read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, which says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Whenever we saw these words, we were very excited and could not help but feel sweet. We would even grin from ear to ear in our dreams. We believed that upon the Lord’s return, we which are alive should be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. What a glorious scene that would be! However, after I came to Japan, through my fellowship with the brothers and sisters here, I understand: These verses are Paul’s words, not the Lord Jesus’ words. Paul’s word isn’t the truth; even more so, it cannot take the place of the truth. Only the Lord Jesus’ word is the truth. We should believe in the Lord according to His word, and cannot take man’s word as the goal of our pursuit. “Being caught up” mentioned in these words isn’t what we think. In the past, we all thought the “being caught up” in scripture meant that the Lord’s return would bring all those who held onto the Lord’s name into the air and then they would live in heaven. Actually, our thinking is wrong. The reason why we think that way is because we don’t understand the true meaning of these verses. Regarding this issue, brothers and sisters have communicated with me about the truth of this aspect, so that I understand what true rapture is. Now I’ll share my experience with you.
Sister Liu fellowshiped with me, “There are verses which can solve this confusion. Genesis 2:7-8 says, ‘And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Jehovah God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.’ From this, we can see that our forefather lived in the Garden of Eden which was on earth, not in heaven. In the beginning, God made mankind with the dust on earth, allowed us to live on earth and manage the rest of His creations, asked us to obey, worship and glorify Him, and ordained that our destination is on earth rather than in heaven. Also, in Matthew 6:10, the Lord’s Prayer that the Lord Jesus taught us says, ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.’ From this verse, we can see that when God’s kingdom comes, we will carry out His will on earth. Besides, His will may be done on earth just as it is in heaven. This proves that the ones left alive after God’s work of the last days finishes, still live on earth, not in heaven. It can be seen that God will establish His kingdom on earth and the kingdoms of this world must become the kingdom of our Christ. After God’s work on earth comes to an end, He will lead man from heaven and man will still live on earth. So God’s kingdom will finally be realized on earth. If we maintain that “being caught up” refers to being taken up to heaven, then won’t these prophecies be in vain? God’s kingdom is on earth; if we still pursue to be raptured into heaven, aren’t we going against His will? In reality, God does His work of saving mankind on earth from beginning to end, and we humans also live on earth. God shall carry out His will on earth, not in heaven. In the end, man’s destination is on earth and it was preordained before the ages. No one can break it, and this is a heavenly law.
“A passage of word says, ‘God entering into rest means that He will no longer carry out His work of humanity’s salvation. Humanity entering into rest means that all of humanity will live within God’s light and under His blessings; there will be none of Satan’s corruption, nor will any unrighteous things occur. Humanity will live normally upon earth, and they will live under God’s care. When God and man enter into rest together, it will mean that humanity has been saved and that Satan has been destroyed, that God’s work among man has finished entirely. God will no longer continue to work among man, and man will no longer live under Satan’s domain. Therefore, God will no longer be busy, and man will no longer rush about; God and man will enter into rest simultaneously. God will return to His original position, and each person will return to his or her respective place. These are the destinations that God and man will respectively reside in after the end of God’s entire management. God has God’s destination, and man has man’s destination. While resting, God will continue to guide all of humanity in their lives upon earth. While in God’s light, man will worship the one true God in heaven. … When humanity enters into rest, it means that man has become a true creation; humanity will worship God from upon the earth and have normal human lives. People will no longer be disobedient to God or resist God; they will return to the original life of Adam and Eve. These are the respective lives and destinations of God and humanity after they enter into rest. Satan’s defeat is an inevitable trend in the war between God and Satan. In this way, God’s entering into rest after the completion of His management work and man’s complete salvation and entrance into rest likewise become inevitable trends. Man’s place of rest is on earth, and God’s place of rest is in heaven. While man rests, he will worship God and also live upon earth, and while God rests, He will lead the remaining portion of humanity; … After God and man enter into rest, Satan will no longer exist, and like Satan, those wicked people will also no longer exist. Before God and man enter into rest, those wicked individuals who once persecuted God upon earth and the enemies who were disobedient to Him upon earth will have already been destroyed; they will have been destroyed by the great disasters of the last days. After those wicked individuals have been completely destroyed, earth will never again know Satan’s harassment. Humanity will obtain complete salvation, and it will only be then that God’s work ends completely. These are the prerequisites for God and man to enter into rest.’ Almighty God’s word has clearly told us that when God’s management work is completed, those wicked people who once persecuted Him and the enemies who were disobedient to Him will have already been destroyed by the great disasters of the last days. Afterward, God and man will enter into rest at the same time. God’s place of rest is in heaven while man’s is on earth just as it is now. That is, man will enjoy a life of heaven on earth. This life is what God prepares for man, and moreover, this is what God will accomplish. We should now understand that we humans lived on earth in the beginning, that God also carries out the work of saving mankind on earth, and that in the end, while man rests, he will still live on earth. Knowing this, will we still pursue to be raptured into heaven? Isn’t this our extravagant desire? Is it in line with the truth? In fact, many verses mention ‘being caught up.’ Let’s look at Acts 8:39-40, ‘And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.’ According to our human ideas, Philip was caught up by the Lord, that is, he was raptured into heaven. But the fact is that ‘Philip was found at Azotus’ (Acts 8:40), and that he continued to preach the gospel of the Lord in all the cities and did the Lord’s will on earth. It’s easy to see that Philip was not raptured into heaven but still lived on earth. The prophecy of Revelation mentions ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever’ (Revelation 11:15). These prophecies are sufficient to prove that when we are truly saved, we will still live on earth, rather than in heaven. We won’t be lifted up into heaven as we think. So rapture doesn’t mean that we will be raptured into the air as we’ve imagined. It only comes out of our imagination, which doesn’t hold water.”
The more I listened to her fellowship, the clearer I was. Only then did I realize that what I thought before was absurd, childish and ridiculous. I thought: “A man can’t even climb up a house without a ladder, let alone ascend to heaven. We humans are mortal beings; how can we ascend to heaven? If it were that way, then wouldn’t all necessities God prepared for man on earth be for naught? Paul said, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). So I formed the imagination of “being raptured into heaven,” thinking God’s return would bring us up to heaven. How absurd my idea of rapture is!” Just then, I felt rapture was not so simple as we might suppose. There has to be truth that we must seek.
A few days later, I sought fellowship with Sister Liu. I said, “Since rapture doesn’t mean that we will be raptured into the air to go meet the Lord as we’ve imagined but actually means that we will still live on earth after being saved by God, then what does it refer to?” She patiently communicated with me, “Concerning the rapture, all believers in the Lord always strive for and aspire to it. In fact, the true rapture refers to us following the Lamb’s footsteps, coming before God and accepting His higher and newer work. As for the mystery of the rapture, let’s read a passage of words and we will know the answer. ‘“Being caught up” is not being taken from a low place to a high place as people imagine. This is a huge mistake. Being caught up is referring to My predetermining and selecting. It is targeted at all those I have preordained and chosen. … This is most incompatible with people’s notions. Anyone who has a share in My house in the future are all people who have been caught up before Me. This is absolutely true, never-changing, and cannot be refuted by anybody. This is the counterattack against Satan. Anyone I preordained shall be caught up before Me.’ From these words we know the true meaning of rapture. Rapture doesn’t mean that our flesh will be raptured into heaven to meet God as we imagine, but means that we recognize God’s voice, come before Him, obey His work and accept the words expressed by Him. This is the true meaning of rapture.
From the words the sister read and her fellowship, I understood what rapture truly is. I also realized that my relying on my thinking and imagination, and understanding of the literal meaning of the Bible to interpret what rapture is is really absurd. I hope what I had gained can also help you. If you have a different understanding or any confusion, please don’t hesitate to write to me, we can discuss and fellowship together.
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
What does it mean to be the pure in heart? Why should we be pure in heart? What should we do to be counted as people who are pure in heart? These questions are all very important to us, because only when we act as people with pure hearts, can we welcome the Lord’s return, see Him and hear His voice in the last days, and thus have the opportunity to be saved by Him.
Now let’s study the Bible together, and see during the period of the Lord Jesus’ work which people accepted the Lord Jesus with a pure heart and which people lost the salvation of the Lord because they didn’t have a pure heart.
The Bible says, “But the end of all things is at hand: be you therefore sober, and watch to prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man has received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:7–10). As servants of the Lord, we should do the church’s work well, help and support brothers and sisters, and finally bring them before God so that they can all obey and worship God—this is what the Lord has entrusted to us. So, how exactly should we support and help brothers and sisters to be in harmony with the Lord’s will? There are three principles that all of us need to enter into.
Now is the end of the last days when the prophecies of the Lord Jesus’ return have all come true, and we expect to be taken into God’s kingdom and obtain eternal life more eagerly, because the Bible says, “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God stays on him” (John 3:36). All these years we have been repenting our sins, preaching the gospel, and bearing fruits, just as the Lord Jesus asked. Thus, we all feel ourselves most approved by God, and that as long as we hold on to the Lord Jesus’ way, we will surely obtain eternal life.
The Lord Jesus said, “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 to myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jhn 14:2-3). The Lord returns in the last days to express the truth, and does the work of judgment that starts from the House of God. We hear God’s voice and receive God’s judgment in order to be brought into Christ’s kingdom. After believing in the Lord for so many years, our hopes are being achieved!
It was a summer afternoon, the blazing sun was beating down. Li Jiayin and several co-workers were sitting in the shadow of an old locust tree. Looking at the old tree, she recollected her childhood, in which she used to sit under the tree with her uncle, hearing him tell Bible stories and the testimonies of experiences of the spiritual seniors. A few years ago, her uncle once reminded her to be watchful. Now, disasters are getting worse and worse, and the four blood moons have appeared. From various signs it can be said with some certainty: The day of the Lord has come; the Lord will come to reap and rapture Christians at any minute. But how to be watchful and wait for the Lord’s return? How to wait to conform to the Lord’s will? What does it mean to be watchful? Jiayin sensed that she was not clear about these questions, and then commenced a discussion with her co-workers.
In recent years, some people testified on the internet that God has already become flesh again and expressed words to do the work of judging and purifying man, which has created no small stir in the religious world. Referring to this, someone posted on the internet: “The four Gospels record clearly: The Lord Jesus appeared to man for forty days in His spiritual body after His resurrection. When He ascended, two angles said to the apostles of the Lord Jesus: ‘This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven’ (Acts 1:11). The Bible says clearly: The Lord Jesus ascended to heaven in His spiritual body, so He will certainly come in spiritual body. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus comes again, He cannot possibly become flesh.”
This question sparked no little web discussion. Some said, “The Lord Jesus will return by becoming flesh.” Some said, “The Lord Jesus cannot return in fleshly form but in a spiritual body.” These two different views sound like reasonable. However, how on earth will the Lord appear and work when He comes again? I was very puzzled: Now, many of the prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled and the last days have arrived. If I don’t know how the Lord will appear and work, I won’t welcome Him. Thinking of these, I was eager to find out the answer. So, I began to explore and seek with some brothers and sisters in the Lord on the internet.
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