Continued from The Gospel of God’s Grace Part 1….

The Gospel of God's Grace Part 2 delves into the multifaceted purposes of the Rapture, the distinct phases of gospel proclamation in the Church Age versus the Tribulation, and the individual believer's role in Christ's church.

Part 2 emphasizes that salvation, transformation, church-building, and end-times harvest are entirely God's work, executed through Christ, by the Spirit, with angels and yielded believers playing their part. I highlight that only Jesus is worthy to open the sealed scroll, controlling ALL end-times events and timing.

PART 12: THE RAPTURE - MORE THAN "BEING TAKEN UP"

The Multi-Faceted Purpose of the Rapture

Most Christians focus only on the "being taken up" aspect of the Rapture. But Scripture reveals the Rapture serves multiple divine purposes:

1. Removing the Bride to Be With Christ

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord."

John 14:2-3 - "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

Purpose: Fulfilling Christ's promise to receive His bride to Himself

2. Removing the Restrainer

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 - "And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming."

Interpretation:

- "He who restrains" is widely understood to be the Holy Spirit working through the Church

- The Church is removed (Raptured)

- The Holy Spirit's restraining function changes (not His saving function)

- Church governance (the restrainer) through FAITH is gone

- This allows the Antichrist to be revealed

- The Spirit continues to work during tribulation (tribulation saints are saved)

- But the restraint on evil is lifted

Purpose: Allowing the "man of lawlessness" to be revealed and the tribulation to begin

3. Revealing Jesus and God's Goodness

The Rapture as Revelation:

- Sudden, supernatural disappearance of millions worldwide

- Undeniable miracle

- Cannot be explained away by naturalism

- Forces acknowledgment of the supernatural

- Demonstrates God's power and faithfulness to His promises

- Shows God rescuing His own before judgment (like Noah, like Lot)

- Reveals God's absolute goodness - He keeps His word

1 Thessalonians 1:10 - "And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus who rescues us from the wrath to come."

1 Thessalonians 5:9 - "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Purpose: Manifesting Christ's glory and God's protective love

4. Provoking Israel to Jealousy

This is a CRUCIAL purpose often overlooked:

Romans 11:11-14 - "I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them."

God's Strategy:

- Gentile salvation is designed to provoke Jewish jealousy

- When Gentiles are blessed, Israel becomes aware of what they're missing

- This is God's method for bringing Israel back to Himself

Romans 11:25-26 - "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, 'The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.'"

Timing:

- Hardening on Israel UNTIL...

- The fullness of the Gentiles comes in

- THEN all Israel will be saved

The Rapture as the Ultimate Jealousy-Provoking Event:

When the church (predominantly Gentile at this point) suddenly vanishes:

1. Undeniable supernatural event - can't be explained away

2. Gentiles blessed and taken - ultimate jealousy-provoking moment

3. Israel left behind initially - facing tribulation

4. Awareness of God's reality - the Rapture PROVES God is real, Jesus is real

5. Recognition of Messiah - "Who did this? Who has this power? JESUS, the One we rejected!"

This explains:

- Why 144,000 JEWISH witnesses are sealed (Revelation 7:1-8)

- Why they're "firstfruits" (Revelation 14:4) - first of many Jewish believers in tribulation

- Why "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26)

- Why Zechariah 12:10 describes Israel "looking on Him whom they pierced" and mourning

- Why the Two Witnesses minister in Jerusalem

- Why tribulation is called "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7)

Zechariah 12:10 - "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn."

This describes Israel's future recognition of Messiah - provoked by the Rapture's revelation

5. Preparing the Stage for End-Times Witness

The Rapture sets up the unique collaboration of Heaven and Earth:

- Church removed - no longer the primary witnesses

- 144,000 Jewish witnesses sealed - Israel's calling restored

- Two Witnesses appear - prophetic ministry in Jerusalem

- Angel with eternal gospel - heavenly proclamation

- Holy Spirit still working - saving tribulation saints

- Angels executing God's plan - heavenly army involved

Purpose: Transitioning from Church Age witness to Tribulation Age witness

Summary: The Rapture is MUCH Bigger Than "Being Taken Up"

The Rapture Simultaneously:

1. Rescues the Bride (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

2. Removes the Restrainer (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

3. Reveals Jesus' power and God's goodness (demonstration of faithfulness)

4. Provokes Israel to jealousy (Romans 11:11) - ULTIMATE fulfillment

5. Demonstrates God keeps His promises (rescue before judgment)

6. Sets the stage for end-times witness (Heaven-Earth collaboration)

7. Marks transition from Church Age to Tribulation

8. Begins countdown to Christ's Second Coming

9. Fulfills "fullness of the Gentiles" (Romans 11:25)

10. Initiates Israel's restoration process

The focus on "being taken up" misses the COSMIC significance of what God is accomplishing.

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PART 13: GOSPEL PROCLAMATION - CHURCH AGE VS. TRIBULATION

The Core Question

Does Scripture require the Church to preach the gospel to all nations BEFORE the end comes? Or does Scripture show that after the Rapture, Heaven and Earth collaborate in unprecedented witness?

Key Passages on Gospel Proclamation

Matthew 24:14 - "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."

Context:

- Jesus answering "what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" (24:3)

- This is in the Olivet Discourse, describing tribulation events

- Question: Is this referring to the church age OR the tribulation period itself?

Matthew 28:18-20 - The Great Commission:

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Key Points:

- Given to the disciples/church

- Promise of Christ's presence "to the end of the age"

- Question: Does "end of the age" mean the Rapture or the Second Coming?

Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

Assignment:

- To the apostles and, by extension, the church

- Empowered by the Holy Spirit

- Geographic expansion

Romans 10:13-15 - "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?"

Paul's Logic:

- Salvation requires hearing

- Hearing requires a preacher

- Question: Must the "preacher" be human, or could this include angelic proclamation?

Evidence of Tribulation Gospel Proclamation

Revelation 7:9-14 - The Great Multitude:

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands... Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, 'These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?' I said to him, 'My lord, you know.' And he said to me, 'These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'"

Critical Observations:

- MASSIVE salvation during the tribulation

- From EVERY nation, tribe, people, tongue (universal scope)

- "No one could count" (innumerable)

- This indicates successful global gospel witness DURING the tribulation

- They "come out of" the tribulation (saved during, not before)

Revelation 14:6-7 - The Angel with the Eternal Gospel:
"And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, 'Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.'"

Unprecedented Detail:

- An ANGEL preaching the gospel (not human)

- Directly to earth-dwellers

- Universal scope: every nation, tribe, tongue, people (same language as the great multitude)

- This is DURING the tribulation (context: follows 144,000, precedes harvest)

Revelation 11:3-13 - The Two Witnesses:

- Prophesy for 1,260 days (3½ years)

- Perform miraculous signs

- Their death and resurrection is witnessed globally: "those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies" (11:9)

- Result: "The rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven" (11:13) - conversions

Revelation 7:1-8 & 14:1-5 - The 144,000:

- Sealed servants of God from the 12 tribes of Israel

- "Firstfruits to God and to the Lamb" (14:4) - suggesting many more Jewish believers follow

- Follow the Lamb wherever He goes

- Standing with Him on Mount Zion

- While the text doesn't explicitly call them "evangelists," their designation as "firstfruits" and their sealing/protection strongly suggests a witnessing role

The Pattern That Emerges

Pre-Rapture (Church Age):

- Church commissioned (Matthew 28:19-20)

- Empowered by Spirit (Acts 1:8)

- Gospel goes "to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16)

- Paul's ministry to Gentiles

- Goal: Reaching nations, but perhaps not every individual

Post-Rapture (Tribulation):

- 144,000 Jewish witnesses - sealed, protected, firstfruits

- Two Witnesses - prophesying with power for 3½ years

- Angel with eternal gospel - flying in midheaven, proclaiming to every
nation/tribe/tongue/people

- Holy Spirit still working - tribulation saints are saved

- Result: Great multitude from every nation saved (Revelation 7:9-14)

Critical Distinction

Some scholars distinguish between:

- Gospel of grace (Church Age) - Salvation by faith in Christ's finished work, emphasis on grace, church as body

- Gospel of the kingdom (Tribulation) - Christ's imminent return to establish His kingdom, emphasis on endurance, Israel restored

Matthew 24:14 specifically says "this gospel of the kingdom" - which may indicate the tribulation proclamation.

The Question of "All Nations"

How complete must "all nations" preaching be?

- Does "all nations" mean every political entity?

- Every ethnic group (panta ta ethne)?

- Every individual?

The angel in Revelation 14:6 reaches "those who dwell on earth" - suggesting individual reach beyond what human church could accomplish.

Conclusion on Gospel Proclamation

The evidence supports a collaborative, sequential witness:

Phase 1 (Church Age):

- Church preaches globally

- Many nations reached

- "Fullness of the Gentiles" coming in (Romans 11:25)

- Bride prepared

Phase 2 (Rapture):

- Church removed

- Restrainer removed

- Israel provoked to jealousy

- Stage set for tribulation witness

Phase 3 (Tribulation):

- Heaven and Earth collaborate in unprecedented ways

- Angelic proclamation (Revelation 14:6-7) - perhaps explaining Rapture and giving final warning

- Jewish witnesses (144,000) - Israel's role restored

- Prophetic witnesses (Two Witnesses) - with supernatural authentication

- Holy Spirit saving (tribulation saints)

- Result: Global harvest from every people group

This fulfills:

- Israel's calling as "a light to the nations" (Isaiah 49:6)

- The church's completion and glorification

- God's promise that gospel reaches "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people"

- The timing: "and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14)

The Church doesn't need to reach every individual before the Rapture. God will complete the task through His divinely orchestrated end-times witness involving both Heaven (angels) and Earth (144,000, Two Witnesses).

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PART 14: THE INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER'S ROLE IN BUILDING CHRIST'S CHURCH

The Question Restated

Based on the Bible and Grace theology, how much do we—the individual follower of Jesus Christ—have to do with building His Church?

The Answer: Categorically

1. INITIATION: Zero

We don't initiate our salvation:

- Ephesians 1:4 - God chose us before the foundation

- John 6:44 - No one comes unless the Father draws

- John 6:37 - The Father gives us to the Son

- James 1:18 - By His will He brought us forth

2. TRANSFORMATION: Zero (in terms of causing it)

We don't transform ourselves:

- 1 Corinthians 3:7 - God causes the growth (not us)

- John 15:5 - Apart from Christ we can do nothing

- Galatians 2:20 - Christ lives in us, producing fruit

- Philippians 2:13 - God works both the willing and the working

3. PERSEVERANCE: Zero (in our strength)

We don't keep ourselves saved:

- Philippians 1:6 - He who began will complete

- John 6:39 - Jesus will lose none

- 1 Peter 1:5 - Kept by God's power

- Romans 8:38-39 - Nothing can separate us

4. HARVEST: Zero

We don't harvest souls:

- Matthew 13:39 - The reapers are angels (not us)

- Matthew 13:41 - Jesus sends them (not us)

- Revelation 5:5 - Only Jesus opens the scroll (not us)

- Revelation 14:6-7 - Angel preaches the gospel (not just us)

What IS Our Role Then?

A. BELIEVE AND RECEIVE (Exactly as you said!)

- Mark 1:15 - "Repent and believe in the gospel"

- John 1:12 - "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of
God"

- John 15:4 - "Abide in Me, and I in you"

- Colossians 2:6 - "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him"

We RECEIVE what He's already done. We don't achieve; we receive.

B. BEAR WITNESS (Testimony, not conversion)

- Acts 1:8 - "You shall be My witnesses" (testifiers, not converters)

- 1 John 1:3 - "What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also"

- 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 - "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth"

We speak; God gives the increase. We testify to what we've experienced; God convicts and converts.

C. BE FAITHFUL STEWARDS

- Luke 19:13 - "Do business with this until I come back" (occupy till He comes)

- Matthew 25:21 - "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things"

- 1 Peter 4:10 - "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God"

Be faithful with what He's given. Use gifts He's supplied. Steward resources He's entrusted.

D. LOVE

- John 13:35 - "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another"

- Galatians 5:22 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love..." (even love is produced BY Him)

- 1 John 4:19 - "We love, because He first loved us"

Love flows from Him through us. It's His love we're sharing.

E. YIELD AND SURRENDER

- Romans 12:1 - "Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice"

- Romans 6:13 - "Present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead"

- Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me"

We present, He transforms. We yield, He works.

Summary Answer to the Core Question

"How much does the individual believer have to do with building Christ's church?"

ZERO in terms of CAUSING it.

EVERYTHING in terms of YIELDING to it.

We are:

- The field, not the farmer (1 Corinthians 3:9)

- The branches, not the vine (John 15:5)

- The vessels, not the potter (Romans 9:21)

- The building, not the builder (Ephesians 2:20-22)

- The bride, not the groom (Ephesians 5:25-27)

- The sheep, not the shepherd (John 10:11)

- The temple, not the architect (1 Corinthians 3:16)

- The workmanship, not the craftsman (Ephesians 2:10)

IT IS WRITTEN:

Matthew 16:18 - "I will build My church."

Not "we will build" but "I WILL BUILD."

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PART 15: THE SCROLL - ONLY JESUS CAN OPEN IT

Revelation 5:1-5 - The Sealed Scroll

"I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?' And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; and one of the elders said to me, 'Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.'"

Critical Observations

Who Can Open the Scroll?

ONLY JESUS

- No one in heaven (not angels, not elders)

- No one on earth (not humans, not the greatest saints)

- No one under the earth (not any created being)

- ONLY the Lion of Judah, the Root of David

- ONLY because He "has overcome" (His victory qualifies Him)

What is in the Scroll?

The scroll contains the title deed to the earth and the unfolding of end-times events.

As Jesus opens each seal (Revelation 6-8), events unfold:

- Seal 1: White horse (Antichrist/conquest)

- Seal 2: Red horse (war)

- Seal 3: Black horse (famine)

- Seal 4: Pale horse (death)

- Seal 5: Martyrs crying out

- Seal 6: Cosmic disturbances

- Seal 7: Seven trumpet judgments

The scroll is History - HIS STORY - written before it unfolds.

Implications for End-Times Harvest

If only Jesus can open the scroll, then:

1. Only Jesus controls the timing of end-times events

2. Only Jesus determines when the harvest occurs

3. Only Jesus orchestrates the witnesses (144,000, Two Witnesses, angel)

4. Only Jesus decides when the Rapture happens

5. Only Jesus manages the tribulation sequence

6. Only Jesus executes the final judgment

The end-time harvest is not dependent on human completion of a task. It's dependent on JESUS opening the scroll according to the Father's timing.

Acts 1:7 - "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority."

The Father has set the times. Jesus opens the scroll. Angels execute the plan. We receive, believe, witness, and yield.

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PART 16: CONCLUSION - THE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED

Summary of Findings

1. Ownership and Sovereignty

- Christ owns all creation (Colossians 1:16)

- Christ sustains all creation (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3)

- Christ is sovereign over all (Ephesians 1:21-22)

- Angels are created beings under Christ's authority

2. The Nature of Grace

- Grace is the Triune love between Father and Son proceeding as the Holy Spirit

- Grace is 100% divine initiative, 0% human contribution

- Grace is received, not achieved

- Grace is the power to live in God's goodness

3. The Bankruptcy of SELF

- No truth in SELF

- No faithfulness in SELF

- No good in SELF

- SELF is a taker, not a source

- SELF-governance is impossible and untrustworthy

4. The Sufficiency of Christ

- He is the source of life

- He is self-giving love

- He is faith, faithful, trustworthy

- He is the author and completer of faith

- He does everything for the Father's glory

5. Who Builds the Church

- Jesus builds His church (Matthew 16:18)

- God causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:7)

- Apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5)

- Individual believers: 0% causing, 100% yielding

6. The Role of Angels

- Massive responsibility in God's kingdom

- Protecting believers

- Fighting spiritual warfare

- Executing judgments

- Gathering the elect

- Proclaiming the gospel (Revelation 14:6-7)

- Harvesting at the end

- Billions of angels serving God's purposes

7. End-Times Witnesses

- 144,000 - Jewish witnesses, sealed, protected, firstfruits

- Two Witnesses - Prophesying with power for 3½ years

- Angel with eternal gospel - Flying in midheaven, proclaiming globally

- Result: Great multitude from every nation saved

8. The Rapture's Multi-Faceted Purpose

- Removes the Bride

- Removes the Restrainer

- Reveals Jesus and God's goodness

- Provokes Israel to jealousy (Romans 11:11)

- Sets stage for end-times witness

- Demonstrates God keeps His promises

9. Gospel Proclamation

- Church Age: Church witnesses, empowered by Spirit

- Tribulation: Heaven and Earth collaborate

- Angels proclaim
- 144,000 witness
- Two Witnesses prophesy
- Holy Spirit saves
- Result: Every nation, tribe, tongue, people reached

10. Only Jesus Opens the Scroll

- No human can open it

- No angel can open it

- Only Jesus is worthy

- He controls all end-times timing and events

- The harvest is His responsibility, executed through His angels

The Core Principle

Salvation, transformation, church-building, and end-times harvest are 100% God's work through Christ, by the Spirit, executed by angels and yielded-to believers.

We RECEIVE. We BELIEVE. We WITNESS. We YIELD.

He INITIATES. He TRANSFORMS. He BUILDS. He HARVESTS.

IT IS WRITTEN:
"I will build My church." - Matthew 16:18

And so He shall.