RAPTURED IN CHRIST 

As with any of the Word of God it must be revealed to us by the Spirit of God for true understanding and revelations.  My post is intended to open and broaden our minds to analyze and seek the Lord for the truth and the full counsel of God. 

I am not here to debate pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation or post- tribulation.  I am here to share what the Word of God says according to the Spirit of God as it was inspired and written by the Spirit of God.  As for me Heaven is my home and it is where I chose to live, dwell and occupy daily!  Earthly people have a house, but children of God have a dwelling place and home in Christ Jesus.  The spiritual man dwells in Christ.  Elijah was taken by a “whirl wind” (Just as in Acts 2:2) to heaven as Elijah lived and dwelled in the Spirit of God which is in Christ seated in Heaven,  Just as we should dwell in Christ just as Christ dwells in us. 

Psalm 91:1 (NKJV)

Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

1         He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

2             Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

I would suggest you read and meditation on the book of John 15^th chapter which will expound more.  I will post a couple of excerpts here.

John 15:10 (NKJV)

10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

John 14:15 (NKJV)

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

1 John 4:18–20 (NKJV)

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

Obedience by Faith

20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Upon reading some of these scriptures we should all analyze ourselves as the Word and Spirit of God requires.  Why do we fear?  The Word states that if we keep His commandments we will abide in His love and God’s perfect love casts out ALL FEAR.  Do you have total peace in this world? Are you keeping the commandments of God and love God with all of our heart?  Do you love your earthly life or your spiritual life in Christ Jesus?

1 John 2:15 (NKJV)

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Revelation 12:11–12 (NKJV)

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

The Lord has just put on my heart to share another point on a different topic but it will help to bring revelation to help with this topic.  I will start with a question which hopefully will open up our minds to seek revelation.  Where was David when he was inspired to write Psalm 23?  I am not referring to a region, nation but much, much larger! 

David was on the earth and who is the prince and power of the air?  Psalm 23 wasn’t written for the dead it was written for those living in Christ on earth.  The valley of the shadow of death is the earth as we are surrounded by people that are physically alive but spiritually dead as well as surrounded by evil spirits.  Now read Psalm 23 below.

 

Psalm 23 (NKJV)

Psalm 23

The Lord The Shepherd of His People

A Psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

³He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

 It would be good to meditate on this and also remember the fifth line is prophesying of partaking in Christ as in the last supper.  No matter where we are, how much evil we are subjected to or surrounded by, we too can partake in the Bread of Life!  Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord!

It would also be worth noting that Elisha may have followed Elijah but he did not idolize Elijah or praise Elijah but rather called on the God of Elijah to part the water!  Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord God! I say this because there is much idolatry in the church structure and we are told to lift up only one NAME which is Christ Jesus.  We have ONE MEDIATOR, ONE TRUE LIVING GOD and ONE NAME which salvation may be acquired and found.

Acts 4:12 (NKJV)

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

2 Kings 2:14 (NKJV)

14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.

One particular church the Lord sent me to was having a bible study and two pastors were reviewing the book of Revelations with the group.  It was more a reading than a study and I can read the bible myself.  I was hoping for the “meat” and not the “milk” of God’s Word. 

One pastor said we needed to tell people about the book of Revelations and the things that will happen so people will accept Jesus and avoid the tribulation by being raptured.  Nothing of repentance, cleansed by the Blood or the Gospel just save your earthly life mentality.  The other pastor didn’t really comment only just read what the bible stated.  I said to the both of them I was already raptured and according to Matthew 24 THESE THINGS WILL COME TO PASS, THEN THE LORD WILL RETURN.

 

They looked at me like I was a fool but I stood my position.  I said that a born again Christian was seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.  Isn’t Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father, isn’t Jesus our dwelling place according to Psalm 91.  Didn’t Jesus say the world would love us if we were of this world but it hates us because we are no longer of this world.  Didn’t Jesus say that He wished the Father would not remove us from this world but keep us from the evil one of this world. 

John 15:19–21 (NKJV)

19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

John 15:18–19 (NKJV) 

The Relationship of Believers to the World 

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

 

John 17:15–19 (NKJV)

15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Let us read together what the Word of God says.

Ephesians 2 (NKJV)

By Grace Through Faith

2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Brought Near by His Blood

11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

 

Christ Our Peace

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

 

Jesus repeatedly spoke of HIS PEACE and Jesus is the Prince of Peace so why do so many live in fear?  Is Jesus a liar, certainly NOT!  In Jesus you should have perfect peace for Jesus has overcome the World and we are called to dwell in Christ who has overcome the world. 

John 16:33 (NKJV)

33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

 

I pray that the love and peace of God would dwell richly and deeply within you and that the well spring of life bring forth living water to a thirsty and needy world.  Let us walk in the love and peace of Christ Jesus.  May our lives bear true witness of Christ Jesus not just in mere word but in the love, peace, mercy and grace of Christ Jesus bearing witness by the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Shalom my brothers and sister in Christ Jesus.