“Everyone wants to go to Heaven but no one wants to die.”
The common belief is that you can't go to Heaven until you die. Does this mean that most Christians don't believe they have eternal life? No, because it is widely taught that Christ said, “he that believes in me shall never die.”
John 11:26
“And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
So, how does popular teaching reconcile the idea that you have eternal life the moment you believe and the fact that we still die? They “spiritualize” immortality. They teach that eternal life is for “the soul” and not the body. This is not, however, what we find in the scriptures of the Bible.
For example, 1 Corinthians 15 makes it clear eternal life and the resurrection are for our bodies as well.
There were those in Corinth who had reasoned that since their souls are now “immortal” because of the faith they have in Christ, there was no reason to raise their bodies in the resurrection. They began to teach that our bodies don't even rise from the dead, only our souls. Paul spoke out about this teaching, attempting to reason with them. As it just so
happens, incidentally, those same people also had a practice of “being baptized for the dead” and Paul points out how illogical it is to believe there is no physical resurrection, yet then be baptized for the dead.
1 Corinthians 15: 29
“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?”
It makes no sense to say that believers are “already risen” when they die, but then get baptized for the dead believers (who died without having an opportunity to be baptized).
Clearly, Paul makes it clear that it's not just our “souls” that have eternal life promised to us, but our bodies as well and states, “otherwise Christ's body did not rise.” If we don't rise bodily when we inherit eternal life then the Apostles are all false witnesses, according to Paul.
The believer, through faith, purges his or her body of sin (through the Holy Spirit) daily. Then, at the sounding of the trumpet, at Christ's return, we shall inherit eternal life and become immortal (whether we have died physically before that or not)!
So the resurrection is not just for the dead. According to Paul not all of us will physically die (sleep) in order to see this immortality in our bodies. He concedes that our body must “die” in order to be resurrected, but then points out that the living believer is “dead” in Christ and “dies daily” when he walks in the Spirit rather than in his own flesh.
There is a resurrection of the saints and not all of us will by “sleeping” (physically dead) when this resurrection to immortality occurs.
I have news for the writer of the country song, you don't have to die to go to Heaven. In fact, we can go there right now! Today. You can be with Christ "where he is" right now! That is why the rapture is now.
Many claim that they are saved, that they already have eternal life, yet they are self admittedly going to sin until the day they die! They preach they cannot STOP sinning in this
body. They are carnally minded and shall die as a result of it! Romans 8:
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.“
The scriptures say that sin brings nothing but death, not eternal life! They who preach we are going to remain in sinful bodies until the second coming have deluded themselves and if they don't repent they shall in no wise inherit immortality (eternal life). They shall be neither raptured nor saved.
The scriptures do not say that we are "already saved." Quite the contrary Christ said "he that endures to the END the same shall be saved." (Matthew 24: 13) Salvation is eternal life and it's only for the "incorruptible."
I'm not talking about keeping the law here. I'm talking about obeying the Father through the Holy Spirit. Paul said that we obtain “righteousness” which is “of God” by faith, and that he “strove” to “attain” that resurrection.
Phillipians 3: 9-21
9 And be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which comes through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death;
11 If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I don't count myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you.
16 Nevertheless, to those things we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
20 For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to
subdue all things to himself.
Many believe that the above verses are saying that the “change” is our change from “sinful” bodies to “sinless” bodies. That is not true. The change from the sinful body to the sinless body occurs by putting yourself under the Lordship of Christ. Christ “subdues” your body and all the works of your body unto himself by the Holy Spirit. That is what it says...
“...according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.”
The above verses do not imply that we have to wait for the return of the Lord to become “sinless.” It says quite the contrary. It says we “apprehend” it, that we strive to “attain” it. That it is “righteousness that is of God by faith” rather than by “keeping the law.” It says it's
“working” in us NOW. It says to mark those who are NOT “walking” after this “changing” from vile to sinless and use them as an example of the “enemies of Christ.”
Yes, our bodies will be changed to immortal at his second coming, but only because we “walk according to his commandments (in the Holy Spirit)” and because we “follow him.” We are “working” in him to be “conformed” to his image, first by walking in obedience to the Father and then, at the end, our bodies are glorified in the resurrection.
Many twist the above scripture to mean that the believers have no righteousness at all until they either die and are resurrected or until they are raptured at his second coming. They couldn't be more mistaken. Christ made it clear that, at his second coming, every branch in him that bears not good fruit (for a tree is known by its fruit) is “taken away,” broken off and burned.
Matthew 7:
“21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in Heaven.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~ John 15:
“Every branch in me that bears no fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it, that it may bring forth more fruit. “
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Luke 6:
“43 For a good tree brings forth no corrupt fruit; neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For men do not get figs from thorn bushes, neither do they get grapes from a bramble bush.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
46 And why call me, Lord, Lord, if you do not the things which I say?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Galatians 5:
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
This is not “law” we are preaching, it's “righteousness” by obedience in the Spirit. There can be no “corrupt” fruit in a good tree. (This corruption must put on incorruption). The popular teachers are treading on very dangerous ground. They teach that Christ's righteousness is "counted" as theirs even though their bodies retain “sin” until they die or until the Lord comes.
They teach that no one can ever stop sinning in this body or in this life. Which is the same as teaching one cannot be “righteous.” They teach we are righteous because we believe “Jesus is Lord” and they call that “righteousness which comes by faith.”
Yet John said:
"… Don't be deceived he that does righteousness is righteous!" (1 John 3: 7)
Many of them teach that we do not have to do righteousness to be righteous, in complete contradiction to Christ himself who demanded “why call me Lord if you aren't going to do what I say?”
They teach that we are righteous and immortal (saved) already simply because we call him Lord. (Believe in Jesus as your Lord and savior).
Popular teachers are not looking for, nor do they "press toward" the righteousness that comes by faith for they believe they already have it, by proxy through their belief in Jesus! They believe that the blood of Jesus has covered up their sins and his righteousness is counted as theirs even though they don't DO righteousness. John called this deception and said "he that DOES righteousness is righteous."
In Phillipians 9: 12, Paul says that he does not act as though he's already attained the righteousness that is by faith (perfection). He said we press forward to it! We have attained much as we walk and certainly Paul attained more than we all but we have not attained perfection yet. Perfection culminates in eternal life, not just for the soul, not just for the dead, but for they who live in these current bodies.
We “apprehend” this perfection daily and some of us may die physically never having attained. If we do, then shall we be raised at the last trumpet, having “endured to the end.” When we are raised we shall be raised "incorruptible and immortal.”
Yet, not all of us have to see the death of our physical bodies in order to attain
“incorruption” and as a result immortality. An entire generation will put on "incorruption" IN THIS LIFE. Since we know that we “put on immortality” when we are “changed” and since we also know that sin brings death, we know that we who put on “immortality” in this life shall be "incorruptible" when we do this!
Where do so many get the saying; “You can't stop sinning in this life?"
Many are sitting around in their vile bodies waiting for Christ to return and change them when Paul said in Philippians 9: 14 that we "press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Many consider themselves to be "ready" to go to Heaven in the rapture but they are not making themselves ready and don't really understand what that curtails! They are waiting for Christ to make them ready and he pronounced "it is finished!" He's done his part already, by dying, atoning for our sins and sending the Holy Spirit to finish the job of destroying sin in us! Now comes our part, to walk in his Spirit! He's waiting on us, we are not waiting on him!
8: TAKEN
In the rapture teaching, the unbelievers will be left behind and the believers will be "taken away." The teaching makes “taken” and “caught up” synonymous with each other. We must look at the specific scriptures from which they derive this belief.
1 Thessalonians 4: 17
“Then we who 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 forever be with the Lord.”
The above verse is then cross referenced with: Matthew 24: 36- 46
36 But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
The popular rapturist reading of the above text has the believers being “taken” out of the world (verses 40 and 41) just before the flood. This interpretation ignores two critical facts from the text itself.
1. Noah and his family were not “taken” out of the world. They went through the flood, in the safety of the ark.
2. In the example, the flood is doing the “taking” and it is “taking the wicked away. (Verse 39)
In 1986, Dr. J. Vernan Mcgee, a renowned Christian radio preacher denied that Matthew 14: 36-46 was even being used by the rapture teachers in this way. In that same year, on his radio show, so also did Charles Ward "Chuck" Smith. They denied that the Noah parable in the above verses are being applied to the rapture by modern teachers.
They denied this because it is obvious within the text itself that it is the wicked who are taken away- by the flood. It's equally obvious that Noah and his family were not “taken” anywhere but instead entered into the protection of the Ark and were “left behind” after the flood was over.
It was shocking to hear these denials because popular music, books, pamphlets, tracts, and sermons by countless Christians preaching rapture always go to the Noah example as one of their textual proofs of a pre-tribulation rapture. To hear them tell it, the flood is the tribulation, Noah is the church, and they ignore the verse where it says the “flood” takes the
wicked away and make the verses “one was taken and the other left” a reference to the Church being “taken out” of the world just before judgment.
Dr. Mcgee and Smith were apparently unfamiliar with the rapture teaching as it is being taught. Matthew 24: 36- 46 have always been landmark scriptures used by many as evidence of a pre-tribulation rapture.
Take for example, the lyrics of a singular popular song written by Larry Norman during the great “rapture explosion” in the 1970's:
I Wish We'd All Been Ready Larry Norman
V1 “Life was filled with guns and war and everyone got trampled on the floor I wish we'd all been ready
Children died the days grew cold, a piece of bread could buy a bag of gold I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The son has come and you've been left behind.
V2 A man and wife asleep in bed she hears a noise and turns her head He's gone
I wish we'd all been ready
Two men walking up a hill, one disappears and one's left standing still I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The son has come and you've been left behind”
If you do a Google search on Matthew 24: 36-46 you will soon see that these verses are most certainly used to defend the pre-tribulation rapture teaching! Yet, in the example it is the wicked who are "taken" by the flood and it is the righteous who are "left behind" even as Noah and his family were "left behind" after the flood (because they were in the safety of the Ark).
We've already looked at the next scripture but let's look at it again in light of this question: “who are taken away” at the second coming, the righteous or the wicked?
John 15:1- 2
“1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” As in Matthew so we find in the Gospel of John that the wicked, those who do not bear good fruit are taken away and the righteous branches are left! The Father does not remove the tree and leave the barren branches behind!
When a farmer prunes a tree he does not cut the tree down and leave the bad branches planted in the earth. That's comical imagery but it drives the point home.
There are yet more scriptural examples of this principle: Matthew 13: 24-30
“24 He put forth another parable to them, saying, 'we can liken the kingdom of Heaven to a man who planted good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and planted tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, didn't you plant good seed in your field? From whence came the tares?
28 He said to them, an enemy has done this. The servants said to him, do you want us to go and gather them (the tares) up?
29 But he said, No; while you gather up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, gather you together first the tares, and bind them in