seeking the lost

Greetings Neighbor, There is a difference between chastening and wrath. Romans 1 declares the wrath of God that is coming upon the disobedient. This is present tense wrath that will blind eyes and harden hearts. God gives them over to a reprobate mind. This is part of Romans 1: 18-25. 18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Chastening is unto correction, wrath is unto exclusion.

Wrath will come on the disobedient. Those who call themselves Christian but walk in disobedience will experience the wrath of God.

The resurrection leads to all nations tribes and people groups standing to be judged. The sheep will be directed to the right and the goats to the left. So shall we ever be with the LORD.

Yes! You do see the conection betreen the rapture and the resurrection as stated in this text. Seducing spirits will convince people that they can add resurrection and thus raptures at any point they might choose. The resurrection is fixed and cannot be moved at anyones will, that is what they want to see. Adding has consequences.

Paul wrote about the rapture and said that we the living will not precede those who are the dead in Christ. Because the time of the resurrection is clearly stated as being at the end of the thousand years there can be no rapture before that. Adding a resurrection and rapture at will is not wise.

I definitely am not that. I believe that there will be a seven-year tribulation period followed by a period of one thousand years that will conclude on the last day. The last day is when Jesus told us that those who believe in Him will be raised. John 6: 39And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 41The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? 43Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. The rapture follows the resurrection just as Paul said.

How do you define a millennial?

The judgment of Matthew takes place at the time of the resurrection which is stated to be at the end of the thousand years. 4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire 7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. The Final Judgment 11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Matthew 25 can only be at the time of the resurrection at the end of the thousand years. Sheep and goats are brought together before the throne and then separated.

Heaven and earth will pass away.

The Judgement of Matthew 25 does indicate that both righteous and unrighteous will come before Him at the same time. There will be a separation of sheep and goats at that time. The Sheep and the Goats 31When 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: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then 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: 35For 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: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And 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. 41Then 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: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then 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? 45Then 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. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. King James Bible

It is correct to say that there will be no rapture as popularized by books and movies. There will be a rapture on the last day when believers are raised. The popular rapture theories are part of the recreational rapture-finding practice. If they add to the text that which is not there will they not receive the curses written in the book? The first ones taken are the tares the wheat is left behind. Looking forward to being left behind.

There are many last days. There is only one last day. That day is the day after which there are no other days. Peter describes this day in II PETER chapter 3; 10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. The visions do not have time stamps on them. Whatever the vision may indicate there is an absolute stated emphatically we the living shall not precede those who are asleep in Christ. Those who are asleep in Christ are included in the rest of the dead that are raised one thousand years after the first resurrection. That just happens to be the day that the elements melt with fervent heat. The purpose of the rapture is not to avoid wrath but to take those who are alive and remain to the new heaven and the new earth.

Jesus is revealing all these things to John. I could be wrong but I think He knows something about resurrections and raptures. There is a difference between these events. Resurrection would be dead people coming to life. There are many accounts of the dead being brought to life in both the Old Testament and the New. The rapture is the catching away of the living people who are changed on the way up. This will happen only as the dead in Christ are raised. Jesus is very clear exactly when that will happen. Jesus said in the gospel of John 6, "40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. " There cannot be a rapture before the last day. That is when the dead in Christ are raised. Do you believe that Jesus did not know when the last day will be? That is the resurrection at the end of the thousand years which is described as the rest of the dead. The last day resurrection is followed by those who are alive and remain are caught up.

Revelation is a very demanding book. There are consequences to making additions to the text. Rev. 20 beginning in verse 4 describes the first resurrection. Only those mentioned are raised. They do not go up but are raised to reign. The rest of the dead, righteous and unrighteous are not raised until the end of the thousand years. 4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.