James Kraft 74 year old retired pipeline worker

John 3:18 Believers are no longer condemned, but unbelievers are condemned already because they have not believed on the name of the Son of God. John 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that ALL that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 

If you have trusted Jesus alone by faith alone apart from any works, you are saved and will go in the rapture. 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, that whosoever, anybody, believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus said it, we believe it, and that settles it. Jesus can not lie. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace ye are saved, through FAITH, and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Faith is not the gift. Eternal life is the gift when we believe it. Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death, and we all sin, and we all die, but the GIFT of God is eternal life. Jesus paid it all and we paid 0. Romans 11:6 Amazing grace. First Corinthians 15:1-4 The gospel. That Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that He was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures.

First Thessalonians 4:13-18. We are to comfort one another with these words.

June 26 2020 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

To me, the ultimate focus of Christians, even during their earthly life spans (which, no matter how long they may be, are still just the blink of an eye in comparison with the endlessness of eternity), should be on preparing themselves for being forever in God's presence after their deaths.

That is not to say that Christians should not also try to do as much good as they possibly can (with the aid of the Holy Spirit) during those lives -- particularly with regard to bringing as many other people as possible to faith in Christ for the same salvation that they themselves possess.

However, focusing excessively on one's earthly life can contribute to a misordering of priorities -- particularly in cases where Christians are confronted with a flat either/or choice between serving God or conforming to the behavior and choices of a sinful world that does not know or recognize Him.

From that perspective, the possibility of the Rapture (whenever it may happen) occurring during one's earthly lifetime is something that Christians should be sure they are spiritually ready for through the placing of their faith in Christ for their salvation, and then, once they have done so, that they should not only look forward to, but also do so with a mindset of eager anticipation.

To me, excessive attachment to any aspect of one's earthly existence -- and especially an attachment that would rise to a level of preferring to remain on earth, rather than to be taken into God's presence without even having to experience physical death -- is similar to Lot's wife looking back at Sodom when God destroyed it, which the Bible depicts as a misordering of priorities (as well as disobedience to a direct command that she had been given (Genesis 19:17) for which she was turned into a pillar of salt -- an occurrence that Jesus subsequently confirmed and warned His followers to use as an example (Luke 17:32) with regard to not becoming too devoted to any aspect of their earthly lives.

June 26 2020 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Grant Abbott Child of Father, Follower of Son, Student of Spirit

Here is what Jesus says about making life in this world more important than life in his kingdom in Matthew 10:37-39:

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." 

What Jesus is saying is that if we make anything in this life more important than our relationship with him, then we are not worthy to be called Christians. If our family, friends, careers, entertainment, travel, etc. Are more important than the time we spend with him and doing his kingdom work, then we run the risk of being left behind in the rapture.

I am not saying that a Christian can lose their salvation because Jesus is not first place in their life every day. We are all sinners in need of God's grace and forgiveness. But any person who has accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour and is working at making him the Lord of their life, will be doing their best to give Jesus first place in their life. If a person has simply said a sinner's prayer and then carried on doing life as if Jesus never existed, well I would say that faith has not settled in that person's heart, because there is no fruit of a transformed life. 

Life in this world will have its troubles everyday. However, life in the kingdom of God can be abundantly fulfilling and deeply satisfying when we surrender ourselves completely to Jesus Christ, to walk everyday with his Holy Spirit.

Every genuine Christian should be so excited for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Why? Because we get to see him face to face, we get to hear his assessment of our life and receive his rewards for our faithfulness, we get brand new glorious bodies like that of the angels, we get a mansion to live in for eternity in the new earth that Jesus is going to create. Our human life in this world pales to insignificance compared with the eternal life that Jesus has planned for us.

Spend time with Jesus in prayer asking him to strengthen your faith and loosen the grip that the attractions of the world have over your life. Spend time reading and studying the bible so you understand all the amazing promises God has for your eternal life beyond this physical existence.

Faith comes from hearing the word of God. Your faith will grow stronger as you continue to renew your mind with the truth of the bible. That fear of the rapture will be transformed into joyful anticipation.

June 29 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report