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Post by PrisonerOfHope on Jan 19, 2012 17:42:38 GMT -5
after the rapture?
I've seen arguments for both sides; some (like Joe Chambers) believe that if someone has heard the gospel before the rapture and rejected it, they've sealed their fate and won't have a second chance. Others believe that since it's God's will that all be saved and be brought to repentance, He'll give them every opportunity possible to be saved. even if it's during the Tribulation.
What do you all say?
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Post by shann0 on Jan 19, 2012 17:47:18 GMT -5
I would go with the second option... However I think that it will be very difficult to become saved in the tribulation, delusion may prevent some people who now think they have time to wait to get saved...
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Post by PrisonerOfHope on Jan 19, 2012 22:21:21 GMT -5
I tend to go along with this, which is from a Liberty Gospel tract:
There is not "another chance" for people to be saved after the Rapture, but a "first chance." That is, those who hear the gospel and reject it right now (the Church Age) will not have another chance to be saved after the Rapture takes place. The Bible says in II Thessalonians 2:6-12, "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
The Bible is very clear there that all who have heard the Gospel, and rejected it, will believe the lie, and will never get saved.
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Post by wateredseeds on Jan 20, 2012 2:17:46 GMT -5
The problem i think with the thought that you cannot be saved after the rapture once you've heard the gospel....is that it ignores the power of God to draw people to Him at His will...and for His good purpose. If someone hears the gospel, and rejects it as a young person.....but then turns to God as an old person....is that a true conversion? They had more than one chance to believe. I think that it is God's personal knowledge and wisdom that will display the good news when it will best be heard by a person. There is absolutely no provision in the gospel for saying that someone cannot believe in Jesus after the rapture, if they had heard the gospel before. And some people of course will harden their hearts and reject him...but others will COME ALIVE and realize that they had a chance and missed it...and they will REPENT! I truly believe this is true.
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Post by baydoll on Jan 20, 2012 11:03:36 GMT -5
Excellent question, POH. From GotQuestions.org (I know, I cheated!): Question: "Will there be a second chance for salvation after the Rapture?" Answer: Some Bible interpreters believe that there will be no second chance for salvation after the Rapture. However, there is no place in the Bible which says this or even hints to it. There will be many people who come to Christ during the Tribulation. The 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Revelation 7:4) are Jewish believers. If no one can come to Christ during the Tribulation, then why are people being beheaded for their faith (Revelation 20:4)? No passage of Scripture argues against people having a second chance after the Rapture. Many passages indicate the opposite. A variation of this argument is that those who have heard the Gospel and rejected it before the Rapture cannot be saved, but those who had not heard the Gospel before the rapture can be saved. There is also no biblical justification for this view. Granted, most who were hard-hearted toward the Gospel before the Rapture are likely to remain so. The Antichrist will deceive many (Matthew 24:5). Many will believe the lies (2 Thessalonians 2:11). At the same time, there is no scriptural evidence that those who rejected the Gospel before the Rapture have no opportunity for salvation after the Rapture. In fact, there is ample evidence of the opposite. The fifth seal judgment of Revelation 6:9-11 describes the souls of those martyred during the Tribulation “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained.” They will correctly interpret what they see going on around them during the Tribulation, calling on people to repent and believe the Gospel. The Antichrist and his followers will not tolerate this and will kill them. These are people who must have been alive before the Rapture, but who were not believers until afterward. Therefore, there will be opportunity to come to Christ after the Rapture. www.gotquestions.org/second-chance-rapture.html
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Post by baydoll on Jan 20, 2012 11:27:39 GMT -5
The problem i think with the thought that you cannot be saved after the rapture once you've heard the gospel....is that it ignores the power of God to draw people to Him at His will...and for His good purpose. If someone hears the gospel, and rejects it as a young person.....but then turns to God as an old person....is that a true conversion? They had more than one chance to believe. I think that it is God's personal knowledge and wisdom that will display the good news when it will best be heard by a person. There is absolutely no provision in the gospel for saying that someone cannot believe in Jesus after the rapture, if they had heard the gospel before. And some people of course will harden their hearts and reject him...but others will COME ALIVE and realize that they had a chance and missed it...and they will REPENT! I truly believe this is true. Amen!! I agree! I think they'll be a LOT of people who will change their minds when they see the Church disappear off the face of this earth and then are left behind to survive the horror of the Tribulation. There will be two types of people in that time: those who will be saved (Jews and Gentile alike) and those who won't be (Jews and Gentiles alike).
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Post by maeday5 on Jan 20, 2012 12:16:15 GMT -5
Grew up with the teaching of if you'd heard the gospel, you couldn't be saved during the tribulation. However, was also taught that only applied if the person hearing the gospel came under conviction (like Agrippa in Acts) but resisted God's grace. I don't think it applies to those people who might have seen a tract, or heard a few words of a preacher and never thought upon the gospel . I do think IF they come to full conviction and respond to God's grace through faith, they will be saved.
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