We don’t often hear much about this, but as I was connecting some dots, as I often do, this new revelation just seemed to fall right into my lap. This post will introduce new details relating to the rapture as well as provide more scriptural evidence in support of the different rewards (cold, hot & lukewarm) believers will receive when Christ returns. It also serves as confirmation for my new rapture theory that isn’t very well known at this early stage, but hopefully that will change as we draw nearer to the time of the end. For those who have never heard of my new rapture theory, here’s the link to part one: https://ruready.blog/2018/03/01/the-readiness-rapture-its-not-just-another-rapture-theory/
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For those who are familiar with my new theory, you’re aware that the biggest difference between my theory and all others is my discovery of the three (3) rewards that cold, hot & lukewarm believers will receive when the Lord returns, as He said He will be bringing our rewards with Him when He comes, and that these rewards will be based upon our works.
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Revelation 22:12 – “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me to give to each one according to his work.“
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2 Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.“
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Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man shall come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay every man according to his works.“
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It’s important to understand that believer’s who receive these rewards, whether cold, hot or lukewarm, they must have previously received salvation in Christ, and also that not all believer’s rewards will be the same. I say this because many often get confused between our salvation, which is not based on works, and our rewards which are based on our works or deeds, just as the scriptures I cited above say. Salvation (God’s grace) is a free gift (not earned) that begins the moment we receive Christ as Lord and savior. But on the other hand, our rewards won’t be known or come until the Lord returns, and only then will He render our rewards, based on the things we’ve done while in the body of Christ. As true believers, our sins have already been forgiven, so they will not be judged when He returns. Instead, only our works will be judged and He will render our individual rewards when He comes, just as He promised.
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2 Peter 4:17-18 – “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, and if it begins first with us, what shall the end be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
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Now please allow me to refresh your memory about the three rewards (cold, hot & lukewarm) in my new theory. If you remember, Jesus said the cold will fall away (depart the faith) long before the Lord appears to judge the house of God. What do you suppose would cause many believers to fall away, just before the Lord returns? That remains to be seen, but I believe it will be a severe persecution coming from a new global religion that is already forming under the leadership of Pope Francis. This global religion will accept all world religions, but in the end, they will not accept Christians who believe that Christ is the only way, the truth and the life, as this will likely become hate speech. Christ warned the time will come when we will be hated by all nations for His name’s sake, and this will be the cause for the falling away of the cold.
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Matthew 24:9-12 – “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 Then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will rise and will deceive many. 12 Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold. .“
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2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 – “Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For that Day will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself as God.“
Have you ever noticed that people often mention the lukewarm in a negative light, but no one ever mentions the cold? The cold seem to go unnoticed until the Lord briefly mentions them when He addressed the lukewarm in the passage below. The cold will actually disqualify themselves, therefore, they won’t even be included in the judgment seat of Christ. Instead, their judgment will be delayed until the Lord returns to judge the nations (second coming), when He separates the sheep from the goats. And since the cold will already be out of the picture, this will leave only the hot and lukewarm to be judged/rewarded when Christ appears (rapture).
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Revelation 3:15-16 – “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
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The judgment of the house of God begins with the sign of the Son of man and the gathering together of His elect (Matt. 24:29-31). This is when He will come like a thief and break-up the house, cutting it in sunder (in two)…Two will be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding in the mill, one shall be taken and the other left…Those who are ready, faithful servants (hot) will be taken (rapture), while He spits the lukewarm out of His mouth, as they will be left. This also gives us another view of the ten virgins, five were wise and five were foolish. I won’t distract you by going too deep into what happens to them here again, but instead I now want to focus on the two different classes in the kingdom of heaven (the greatest and the least), as I’ll share biblical evidence for both classes. I’ll address the greatest first in the passage below.
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Mark 10:35-45 – “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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So there it is, as Christ said the great in His kingdom will be servants, and whoever wants to be first will be slave of all. So it should be obvious that His faithful servants will be among those who are ready as He gathers together His elect, and they will be rewarded immediately when He comes. Again, two will be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left…This is also precisely when He spits the lukewarm out of His mouth, which will be evident when they are left. Lukewarm servants are not always faithful, as they are double-minded and need to be purified, which will occur during the hour of trial (Rev. 3:10-11, 15-18). Unfortunately for them, this is when they will also be overcome by the beast (Rev. 13:7-8) as they will become martyrs when they refuse the mark of the beast. They will be rewarded as soon as they are martyred, as their deeds follow them (Rev. 14:13). So His faithful servants (hot) are taken (rapture), while both the cold and lukewarm remain on the earth with the unbelievers’. Now let’s turn our focus to what happens to the cold and lukewarm after the rapture, as both groups will be left behind for not being ready when He suddenly appears.
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Luke 12:45-48 – “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
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Since this is a parable, I doubt His servants will be literally beaten, but we can clearly see there is punishment involved. I didn’t include verses 42-44 in the passage above, because it refers to those who will be ready when He comes. But as we can see in verse 46 above, those servants that are not ready will be left with the unbelievers. In verses 47 and 48, the rewards for the cold and lukewarm are actually two punishments, and one is more severe than the other. Those who fall away (cold) will receive many stripes (vs. 47). They will forfeit their positions in the kingdom, and they will not be counted or judged among those in the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17-18), but will instead be judged among the nations afterward, which is a very harsh penalty. On the other hand, the lukewarm will receive a few stripes for not being ready (vs. 48), but they will be purified during the hour of trial and re-enter the kingdom as martyrs (Rev. 3:15-18, 6:9-11, 13:7-8, 14:13, 20:4). It’s not very difficult to see that not all saints will be raptured as other theories claim.
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Daniel 12:8-10 – “Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.”
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At that point (after the rapture), it would be much better to surrender your head, rather than trying to survive to the end, as the cold (sheep) will end up doing. The sheep won’t have enough faith to go through with it, but the lukewarm will. And as a result, the sheep (cold) will witness God’s wrath, but He will protect them through it. In fact, after the martyrs have been killed, God’s wrath will be so harsh that they will also want to die, but death will flee from them (Rev. 9:6). They are weak, but God is strong! He will protect them through it, but after they fall away they will lose their positions in His kingdom and become subjects in the millennial kingdom, after they have been separated from the goats (unbelievers) during the judgment of the nations. Don’t be fooled by those popular “Left Behind” books and movies. It will be much better to be subjects during the hour of trial (martyrs), than to be subjects during the millennial kingdom. At least the martyrs will return to reign with Christ, but the (cold/sheep) will remain mortals in the millennium. As I said earlier, this is the more severe punishment.
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Pre-tribulation rapture scholars also claim that the saints that are overcome (killed) by the beast are the people that will get saved after the rapture occurs. To be sure, there is no scriptural support for this assumption whatsoever. Scripture tells us today is the day of salvation, before He returns. The righteous shall live by faith, not by sight. If someone comes to believe only after seeing Christ return, that is not faith at all. Pre-tribbers are totally missing the point here. It is the lukewarm who were already saved that will be killed by the beast. They will be left when Christ spits the lukewarm out of His mouth when He returns to gather His elect (rapture), and they will be killed ((purified) during the hour of trial (Rev. 13:10). There are no scriptures to support people getting saved after the rapture occurs, none whatsoever.
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Matthew 25:31-46 – “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
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The sheep (cold) or those believers who fall away before Christ appears will be the mortals that will be ruled over by Christ and the saints that return with Him (second coming). These returning saints will include both the hot that will be taken (rapture), and the lukewarm that will be left (martyrs). If we pay close attention, we can see the least of His brethren are briefly mentioned in the bold print in the parable above, which, again, is the judgment of the nations (sheep & goats). Many assume the least of His brethren is referring to the poor, but it has nothing to do with our wealth or finances.
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According to this parable, the sheep will be allowed entrance into His millennial kingdom because they had in some way ministered unto or with the least of His brethren (martyrs) who were not ready when He came (as both the cold and lukewarm were left). If He actually meant “poor” instead of least, that would be referring to both the sheep and goats. But the fact that He calls them the least of His “brethren” signifies they are saints (believers). Now let’s take a look at a passage that mentions both the great and the least in the kingdom of heaven.
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Matthew 5:19 – “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
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John 14:21 – “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (His appearing). – [emphasis added]
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Ah yes, now we’re beginning to see what it really means to be ready when He comes. Not only is He coming for His faithful servants, but they must also do and abide by His commands as well. No wonder we are told to be doers of the Word, and not just hearers or believers only. It certainly appears to me that being ready will require both faith and obedience, just as it was required of the old covenant saints as well. God never changes, but since the new covenant was built upon better promises, giving us more liberty, we new covenant saints need to make sure that we don’t take this freedom for granted. Unfortunately, many are using God’s grace as a license to sin. I didn’t mention it in the passage above, when I discussed the two punishments (Luke 12:46-48), but verse 48 says, For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required. What could that mean? And why does no one ever seem to talk about this?
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Could it be that because we new covenant believers were given more, that more will be required or expected of us? I believe so. What would that mean for new covenant saints? Just think about all that we’ve been given. We’ve been set free from the bondage of sin and death. We’ve been given more liberty and a new covenant built upon better promises. We’ve been given spiritual gifts, and best of all – we’ve been given the Holy Spirit to dwell inside us and guide us into all truth. We are also told that we must produce fruit. We hold God’s Word in our hands, so we will all be without excuse. The old covenant saints had none of these luxuries, and only God’s ancient prophets had the Holy Spirit in them.
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I believe those who think they’ve been given a license to sin are heading for a very rude awakening someday and many will not be ready. Many of the old covenant saints who weren’t given nearly as much will have outperformed them by a country mile, and I suspect the cold and lukewarm will likely be very disappointed and even ashamed when the Lord comes to reward His servants, which will also include the old covenant saints as well. However, much less will be required of the old covenant saints. This should be very sobering. Now let’s take a look at what Jesus said to a Gentile about the wedding supper, which only those who are ready will be attending.
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Matthew 8:5-13 – “When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.”
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Yes, many of the old covenant saints will be at the wedding supper of the Lamb. They sacrificed a lamb every year on the Day of Atonement so that Israel’s sins would be forgiven for that year. Each household would have to sacrifice a lamb on the Passover feast, and put its blood on their door-posts as a memorial for what God did in their exodus from Egypt. In keeping these annual feasts, they were looking forward to the future promises that would ultimately be fulfilled by Christ, the Lamb of God; but we Gentiles believers’ are now looking back at the cross, where Christ died once, for all, which includes the old covenant saints who are also in Christ. He fulfilled the promises the old covenant saints were looking forward to by faith, when He fulfilled the spring feasts, which are the Lord’s appointed times. And when He returns He will likewise fulfill the fall feasts as well. Israel wasn’t ready when He came the first time and very few were able to recognize and receive Him, but He has warned us to be ready next time, and we will be without excuse. With more being required of us today, this is very sobering, indeed!
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Now I want to share a new revelation relating to something Paul said, as he gave an intriguing clue regarding our rewards, which all of the other theories fail to mention. The other theories teach that the Lord will simply rapture the entire Church, as if everyone is going to be ready when He comes suddenly and unexpectedly. Many assume the saints who are overcome by the beast are those who get saved after the rapture. But they have completely overlooked this golden nugget. This is a very powerful clue that should not go unnoticed. Paul said he once knew a man who was caught up to the third heaven, where he saw inexpressible things, things that are unlawful for a man to tell.
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2 Corinthians 12:1-4 – “Doubtless it is not profitable for me to boast. So I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I knew a man in Christ over fourteen years ago—whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew that such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell, God knows— 4 was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words not permitted for a man to say.”
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It’s time we go deeper. I strongly believe that what I’m about to share is a very strong clue about one of the things he saw in heaven, which he was not permitted to tell, so he gave us this clue about it instead. If you remember, earlier I said that only the hot or His faithful servants will be ready when He suddenly appears, and the cold and lukewarm will both be left. I also said that the lukewarm would be purified afterward during the hour of trial, and that they would re-enter the kingdom of heaven once they finally surrendered all. Better late than never. This means that two of the three groups (hot & lukewarm) will ultimately be the saints that return with Him at His second coming, even though only the hot will be ready when He comes, and they will rule over the cold or those believers who fall away before He appears.
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1 Corinthians 3:8-15 – “Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
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Now notice very carefully the rewards Paul illustrated above, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw. Now if we categorize them into each ones likeness, we see that these actually form three separate groups. I will classify them in a list form below, while also putting them in the proper order, according to the value of each category, beginning with the most valuable first.
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THREE REWARDS
(1) Precious stones (shine) – great
(2) Gold and silver (shine) – least
(3) Wood, hay and straw (burn) – poor in spirit
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Notice the three distinct classes of rewards: (1) Gems; (2) precious metals; and (3) wood, hay & straw. This is very fascinating, especially when we compare them to what the scriptures say about our rewards. Notice also, that two of these shine (great & least), which I believe represents the saints that will be returning with glorified bodies to reign with Christ on the earth during the millennium (1000 years).
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Hot = Christ said He would come like a thief, and would break up the house, cutting it in sunder (in two). It’s also very interesting when you consider that a gem or precious stone displays a brilliant shine immediately as soon as it is cut. The precious stones seem to represent those who will be ready for the rapture.
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Lukewarm = Precious metals don’t normally shine right away, because they must first be purified or refined in the fire, to burn off the dross or impurities. Christ spit the lukewarm out and counseled them to buy from Him gold refined in the fire (Rev. 3:15-18). The precious metals seem to represent the hour of trial (martyrs).
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Cold = Wood, hay and straw cannot endure the fire. They will suffer loss of reward as these are things that will burn up. The wood, hay and straw are things we find in a barn, which is outside of the house (outer darkness). The sheep will be separated from the goats and enter the millennium. Sheep are kept outside, while the goats will burn. The parable of the wheat and tares is very similar as the angels will first gather the tares to be burned. Then they will gather the remaining wheat and put it in the barn. The wood, hay and straw seem to represent the (sheep) in the judgment of the nations.
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2 Timothy 2:19-21 – “But the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who calls on the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 20 In a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; some are for honor, and some for dishonor. 21 One who cleanses himself from these things will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, fit for the Master’s use, and prepared for every good work.”
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The “Once saved-always saved” debate is no longer an issue once we understand the three rewards Christ has for those who received Him. We no longer have to assume the saints that are overcome by the beast are believers who get saved after the rapture. There’s no longer any wonder what, “unto whom much is given, much will be required” means. We no longer have to wonder or guess who those people are who will want to die, but death will flee from them (Rev. 9:6). We won’t have to assume the least of His brethren are the poor anymore, and we will also no longer have to assume that Daniel’s increase of knowledge is modern technology. But who would want to give up all these controversial debates with all of the misconceptions, assumptions and myths? Most people probably won’t be able to see it, but I believe my new Readiness Rapture theory is revolutionary, as it goes deeper and fills in many holes left by the other theories. But I certainly hope they’re ready when He comes. May the good Lord bless you richly as you study His Word in search of His truth, the whole truth and nothing but.
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The Readiness Rapture theory originates from my book, “Who Will Be Ready When The Trumpet Sounds?,” which is no longer in print, since my publisher is no longer in business. However, there is a new digital eBook available on kindle: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=who+will+be+ready+when+the+trumpet+sounds
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Thank you for visiting my blog. Feel free to share this with friends and your comments are welcome below as well. My mission is to prepare as many as possible for the soon return of our Lord and Savior. To God be the glory.
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The Readiness Rapture – Part 2 (rewards for cold, hot & lukewarm believers)
We don’t often hear much about this, but as I was connecting some dots, as I often do, this new revelation just seemed to fall right into my lap. This post will introduce new details relating to the rapture as well as provide more scriptural evidence in support of the different rewards (cold, hot & lukewarm) believers will receive when Christ returns. It also serves as confirmation for my new rapture theory that isn’t very well known at this early stage, but hopefully that will change as we draw nearer to the time of the end. For those who have never heard of my new rapture theory, here’s the link to part one: https://ruready.blog/2018/03/01/the-readiness-rapture-its-not-just-another-rapture-theory/
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For those who are familiar with my new theory, you’re aware that the biggest difference between my theory and all others is my discovery of the three (3) rewards that cold, hot & lukewarm believers will receive when the Lord returns, as He said He will be bringing our rewards with Him when He comes, and that these rewards will be based upon our works.
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Revelation 22:12 – “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me to give to each one according to his work.“
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2 Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.“
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Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man shall come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay every man according to his works.“
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It’s important to understand that believer’s who receive these rewards, whether cold, hot or lukewarm, they must have previously received salvation in Christ, and also that not all believer’s rewards will be the same. I say this because many often get confused between our salvation, which is not based on works, and our rewards which are based on our works or deeds, just as the scriptures I cited above say. Salvation (God’s grace) is a free gift (not earned) that begins the moment we receive Christ as Lord and savior. But on the other hand, our rewards won’t be known or come until the Lord returns, and only then will He render our rewards, based on the things we’ve done while in the body of Christ. As true believers, our sins have already been forgiven, so they will not be judged when He returns. Instead, only our works will be judged and He will render our individual rewards when He comes, just as He promised.
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2 Peter 4:17-18 – “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, and if it begins first with us, what shall the end be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
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Now please allow me to refresh your memory about the three rewards (cold, hot & lukewarm) in my new theory. If you remember, Jesus said the cold will fall away (depart the faith) long before the Lord appears to judge the house of God. What do you suppose would cause many believers to fall away, just before the Lord returns? That remains to be seen, but I believe it will be a severe persecution coming from a new global religion that is already forming under the leadership of Pope Francis. This global religion will accept all world religions, but in the end, they will not accept Christians who believe that Christ is the only way, the truth and the life, as this will likely become hate speech. Christ warned the time will come when we will be hated by all nations for His name’s sake, and this will be the cause for the falling away of the cold.
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Matthew 24:9-12 – “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 Then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will rise and will deceive many. 12 Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold. .“
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2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 – “Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For that Day will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself as God.“
Have you ever noticed that people often mention the lukewarm in a negative light, but no one ever mentions the cold? The cold seem to go unnoticed until the Lord briefly mentions them when He addressed the lukewarm in the passage below. The cold will actually disqualify themselves, therefore, they won’t even be included in the judgment seat of Christ. Instead, their judgment will be delayed until the Lord returns to judge the nations (second coming), when He separates the sheep from the goats. And since the cold will already be out of the picture, this will leave only the hot and lukewarm to be judged/rewarded when Christ appears (rapture).
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Revelation 3:15-16 – “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
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The judgment of the house of God begins with the sign of the Son of man and the gathering together of His elect (Matt. 24:29-31). This is when He will come like a thief and break-up the house, cutting it in sunder (in two)…Two will be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding in the mill, one shall be taken and the other left…Those who are ready, faithful servants (hot) will be taken (rapture), while He spits the lukewarm out of His mouth, as they will be left. This also gives us another view of the ten virgins, five were wise and five were foolish. I won’t distract you by going too deep into what happens to them here again, but instead I now want to focus on the two different classes in the kingdom of heaven (the greatest and the least), as I’ll share biblical evidence for both classes. I’ll address the greatest first in the passage below.
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Mark 10:35-45 – “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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So there it is, as Christ said the great in His kingdom will be servants, and whoever wants to be first will be slave of all. So it should be obvious that His faithful servants will be among those who are ready as He gathers together His elect, and they will be rewarded immediately when He comes. Again, two will be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left…This is also precisely when He spits the lukewarm out of His mouth, which will be evident when they are left. Lukewarm servants are not always faithful, as they are double-minded and need to be purified, which will occur during the hour of trial (Rev. 3:10-11, 15-18). Unfortunately for them, this is when they will also be overcome by the beast (Rev. 13:7-8) as they will become martyrs when they refuse the mark of the beast. They will be rewarded as soon as they are martyred, as their deeds follow them (Rev. 14:13). So His faithful servants (hot) are taken (rapture), while both the cold and lukewarm remain on the earth with the unbelievers’. Now let’s turn our focus to what happens to the cold and lukewarm after the rapture, as both groups will be left behind for not being ready when He suddenly appears.
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Luke 12:45-48 – “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
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Since this is a parable, I doubt His servants will be literally beaten, but we can clearly see there is punishment involved. I didn’t include verses 42-44 in the passage above, because it refers to those who will be ready when He comes. But as we can see in verse 46 above, those servants that are not ready will be left with the unbelievers. In verses 47 and 48, the rewards for the cold and lukewarm are actually two punishments, and one is more severe than the other. Those who fall away (cold) will receive many stripes (vs. 47). They will forfeit their positions in the kingdom, and they will not be counted or judged among those in the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17-18), but will instead be judged among the nations afterward, which is a very harsh penalty. On the other hand, the lukewarm will receive a few stripes for not being ready (vs. 48), but they will be purified during the hour of trial and re-enter the kingdom as martyrs (Rev. 3:15-18, 6:9-11, 13:7-8, 14:13, 20:4). It’s not very difficult to see that not all saints will be raptured as other theories claim.
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Daniel 12:8-10 – “Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.”
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At that point (after the rapture), it would be much better to surrender your head, rather than trying to survive to the end, as the cold (sheep) will end up doing. The sheep won’t have enough faith to go through with it, but the lukewarm will. And as a result, the sheep (cold) will witness God’s wrath, but He will protect them through it. In fact, after the martyrs have been killed, God’s wrath will be so harsh that they will also want to die, but death will flee from them (Rev. 9:6). They are weak, but God is strong! He will protect them through it, but after they fall away they will lose their positions in His kingdom and become subjects in the millennial kingdom, after they have been separated from the goats (unbelievers) during the judgment of the nations. Don’t be fooled by those popular “Left Behind” books and movies. It will be much better to be subjects during the hour of trial (martyrs), than to be subjects during the millennial kingdom. At least the martyrs will return to reign with Christ, but the (cold/sheep) will remain mortals in the millennium. As I said earlier, this is the more severe punishment.
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Pre-tribulation rapture scholars also claim that the saints that are overcome (killed) by the beast are the people that will get saved after the rapture occurs. To be sure, there is no scriptural support for this assumption whatsoever. Scripture tells us today is the day of salvation, before He returns. The righteous shall live by faith, not by sight. If someone comes to believe only after seeing Christ return, that is not faith at all. Pre-tribbers are totally missing the point here. It is the lukewarm who were already saved that will be killed by the beast. They will be left when Christ spits the lukewarm out of His mouth when He returns to gather His elect (rapture), and they will be killed ((purified) during the hour of trial (Rev. 13:10). There are no scriptures to support people getting saved after the rapture occurs, none whatsoever.
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Matthew 25:31-46 – “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
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The sheep (cold) or those believers who fall away before Christ appears will be the mortals that will be ruled over by Christ and the saints that return with Him (second coming). These returning saints will include both the hot that will be taken (rapture), and the lukewarm that will be left (martyrs). If we pay close attention, we can see the least of His brethren are briefly mentioned in the bold print in the parable above, which, again, is the judgment of the nations (sheep & goats). Many assume the least of His brethren is referring to the poor, but it has nothing to do with our wealth or finances.
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According to this parable, the sheep will be allowed entrance into His millennial kingdom because they had in some way ministered unto or with the least of His brethren (martyrs) who were not ready when He came (as both the cold and lukewarm were left). If He actually meant “poor” instead of least, that would be referring to both the sheep and goats. But the fact that He calls them the least of His “brethren” signifies they are saints (believers). Now let’s take a look at a passage that mentions both the great and the least in the kingdom of heaven.
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Matthew 5:19 – “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
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John 14:21 – “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (His appearing). – [emphasis added]
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Ah yes, now we’re beginning to see what it really means to be ready when He comes. Not only is He coming for His faithful servants, but they must also do and abide by His commands as well. No wonder we are told to be doers of the Word, and not just hearers or believers only. It certainly appears to me that being ready will require both faith and obedience, just as it was required of the old covenant saints as well. God never changes, but since the new covenant was built upon better promises, giving us more liberty, we new covenant saints need to make sure that we don’t take this freedom for granted. Unfortunately, many are using God’s grace as a license to sin. I didn’t mention it in the passage above, when I discussed the two punishments (Luke 12:46-48), but verse 48 says, For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required. What could that mean? And why does no one ever seem to talk about this?
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Could it be that because we new covenant believers were given more, that more will be required or expected of us? I believe so. What would that mean for new covenant saints? Just think about all that we’ve been given. We’ve been set free from the bondage of sin and death. We’ve been given more liberty and a new covenant built upon better promises. We’ve been given spiritual gifts, and best of all – we’ve been given the Holy Spirit to dwell inside us and guide us into all truth. We are also told that we must produce fruit. We hold God’s Word in our hands, so we will all be without excuse. The old covenant saints had none of these luxuries, and only God’s ancient prophets had the Holy Spirit in them.
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I believe those who think they’ve been given a license to sin are heading for a very rude awakening someday and many will not be ready. Many of the old covenant saints who weren’t given nearly as much will have outperformed them by a country mile, and I suspect the cold and lukewarm will likely be very disappointed and even ashamed when the Lord comes to reward His servants, which will also include the old covenant saints as well. However, much less will be required of the old covenant saints. This should be very sobering. Now let’s take a look at what Jesus said to a Gentile about the wedding supper, which only those who are ready will be attending.
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Matthew 8:5-13 – “When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.”
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Yes, many of the old covenant saints will be at the wedding supper of the Lamb. They sacrificed a lamb every year on the Day of Atonement so that Israel’s sins would be forgiven for that year. Each household would have to sacrifice a lamb on the Passover feast, and put its blood on their door-posts as a memorial for what God did in their exodus from Egypt. In keeping these annual feasts, they were looking forward to the future promises that would ultimately be fulfilled by Christ, the Lamb of God; but we Gentiles believers’ are now looking back at the cross, where Christ died once, for all, which includes the old covenant saints who are also in Christ. He fulfilled the promises the old covenant saints were looking forward to by faith, when He fulfilled the spring feasts, which are the Lord’s appointed times. And when He returns He will likewise fulfill the fall feasts as well. Israel wasn’t ready when He came the first time and very few were able to recognize and receive Him, but He has warned us to be ready next time, and we will be without excuse. With more being required of us today, this is very sobering, indeed!
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Now I want to share a new revelation relating to something Paul said, as he gave an intriguing clue regarding our rewards, which all of the other theories fail to mention. The other theories teach that the Lord will simply rapture the entire Church, as if everyone is going to be ready when He comes suddenly and unexpectedly. Many assume the saints who are overcome by the beast are those who get saved after the rapture. But they have completely overlooked this golden nugget. This is a very powerful clue that should not go unnoticed. Paul said he once knew a man who was caught up to the third heaven, where he saw inexpressible things, things that are unlawful for a man to tell.
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2 Corinthians 12:1-4 – “Doubtless it is not profitable for me to boast. So I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I knew a man in Christ over fourteen years ago—whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew that such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell, God knows— 4 was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words not permitted for a man to say.”
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It’s time we go deeper. I strongly believe that what I’m about to share is a very strong clue about one of the things he saw in heaven, which he was not permitted to tell, so he gave us this clue about it instead. If you remember, earlier I said that only the hot or His faithful servants will be ready when He suddenly appears, and the cold and lukewarm will both be left. I also said that the lukewarm would be purified afterward during the hour of trial, and that they would re-enter the kingdom of heaven once they finally surrendered all. Better late than never. This means that two of the three groups (hot & lukewarm) will ultimately be the saints that return with Him at His second coming, even though only the hot will be ready when He comes, and they will rule over the cold or those believers who fall away before He appears.
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1 Corinthians 3:8-15 – “Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
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Now notice very carefully the rewards Paul illustrated above, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw. Now if we categorize them into each ones likeness, we see that these actually form three separate groups. I will classify them in a list form below, while also putting them in the proper order, according to the value of each category, beginning with the most valuable first.
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THREE REWARDS
(1) Precious stones (shine) – great
(2) Gold and silver (shine) – least
(3) Wood, hay and straw (burn) – poor in spirit
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Notice the three distinct classes of rewards: (1) Gems; (2) precious metals; and (3) wood, hay & straw. This is very fascinating, especially when we compare them to what the scriptures say about our rewards. Notice also, that two of these shine (great & least), which I believe represents the saints that will be returning with glorified bodies to reign with Christ on the earth during the millennium (1000 years).
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Hot = Christ said He would come like a thief, and would break up the house, cutting it in sunder (in two). It’s also very interesting when you consider that a gem or precious stone displays a brilliant shine immediately as soon as it is cut. The precious stones seem to represent those who will be ready for the rapture.
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Lukewarm = Precious metals don’t normally shine right away, because they must first be purified or refined in the fire, to burn off the dross or impurities. Christ spit the lukewarm out and counseled them to buy from Him gold refined in the fire (Rev. 3:15-18). The precious metals seem to represent the hour of trial (martyrs).
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Cold = Wood, hay and straw cannot endure the fire. They will suffer loss of reward as these are things that will burn up. The wood, hay and straw are things we find in a barn, which is outside of the house (outer darkness). The sheep will be separated from the goats and enter the millennium. Sheep are kept outside, while the goats will burn. The parable of the wheat and tares is very similar as the angels will first gather the tares to be burned. Then they will gather the remaining wheat and put it in the barn. The wood, hay and straw seem to represent the (sheep) in the judgment of the nations.
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2 Timothy 2:19-21 – “But the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who calls on the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 20 In a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; some are for honor, and some for dishonor. 21 One who cleanses himself from these things will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, fit for the Master’s use, and prepared for every good work.”
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The “Once saved-always saved” debate is no longer an issue once we understand the three rewards Christ has for those who received Him. We no longer have to assume the saints that are overcome by the beast are believers who get saved after the rapture. There’s no longer any wonder what, “unto whom much is given, much will be required” means. We no longer have to wonder or guess who those people are who will want to die, but death will flee from them (Rev. 9:6). We won’t have to assume the least of His brethren are the poor anymore, and we will also no longer have to assume that Daniel’s increase of knowledge is modern technology. But who would want to give up all these controversial debates with all of the misconceptions, assumptions and myths? Most people probably won’t be able to see it, but I believe my new Readiness Rapture theory is revolutionary, as it goes deeper and fills in many holes left by the other theories. But I certainly hope they’re ready when He comes. May the good Lord bless you richly as you study His Word in search of His truth, the whole truth and nothing but.
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The Readiness Rapture theory originates from my book, “Who Will Be Ready When The Trumpet Sounds?,” which is no longer in print, since my publisher is no longer in business. However, there is a new digital eBook available on kindle: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=who+will+be+ready+when+the+trumpet+sounds
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Thank you for visiting my blog. Feel free to share this with friends and your comments are welcome below as well. My mission is to prepare as many as possible for the soon return of our Lord and Savior. To God be the glory.
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