Those who base their opposition to eternal security on the assumption that only the fear of loss will make us behave are missing the point. Besides, while it was our behavior that caused our sin problem, it’s the Lord’s behavior that cured us. All that’s left for us is to believe and receive it.
No, what this did for me was to produce a knee-buckling realization that I could never be worthy of such a gift and created a determination in me to spend the rest of my life trying to live up to what I had already attained (Phil 3:20). In God’s eyes, I was now perfect (Hebr. 10:14), a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). I had been adopted into His family (Gal 4:4-5) and guaranteed a place in His Kingdom (Ephes. 1:13-14). I wanted to make sure He didn’t regret doing all that.
This guarantee of salvation is based entirely on our belief that Colossians 2:13-15 is true. It was such a radical departure from what God’s enemies had come to expect of Him that they were caught totally off guard. Before the cross, forgiveness only covered past sins. As soon as a person sinned again after the Day of Atonement, he was right back in debt and Satan had a brand new claim to him. To set aside the penalty for his sins, innocent animals had to die in his place, but that didn’t free him. It only gave him a temporary stay of execution (Hebr. 10:3).
But when Satan saw the lifelong lists of our sins being nailed to the cross right before his eyes, and heard Jesus say “Paid in full!” (John 19:30) he knew that what he thought was going to be his final victory had become his ultimate defeat.
Although with 20-20 hindsight we can look back into the Old Testament and see hints of what God was going to do in the Church, no one before the cross saw this. Not the Jews, certainly not the Gentiles, not even Satan. And instead of a nice orderly transition from Law to Grace, the clock for the Age of Law abruptly stopped seven years short of its previously announced duration (Daniel 9:24-27). Religious ceremonies the Jews had viewed as mandatory suddenly became meaningless. A culture steeped in religious law and practice was made obsolete, and would soon be dispersed. For the first and only time in history, the gates of heaven had been flung open to whosoever would enter, conditioned only on their belief that Jesus died for their sins and rose again (Romans 10:9).
God’s secret wisdom will be the way the Church is taken out of the world. At a time no one will be able to determine in advance, and without any prior warning, the Church will simply disappear off the face of the Earth forever, leaving the unbelieving world in utter chaos. Because the birth of the Church took Satan by surprise, the details surrounding the Church’s departure have to be even more obscure. He’s a quick study, after all, and has had 2000 years to review what little the Bible has to say about the Rapture. He wouldn’t be so easily taken by surprise a second time.
Being a student of prophecy, He knows at least as much as we do about the End Times. (Please remember this. It isn’t that Satan doesn’t know God’s plan, it’s that he believes he can defeat God’s plan.) He knows the rapture will precede the End Times judgments, will take place when the church reaches its full number, and that only God knows the number. But that’s about it, so his only hope is to prevent the Church from reaching that number for as long as possible. Because he doesn’t know what the number is, he’s effectively kept off balance. If he knew when the church was leaving, he could plan some a counter attack. But since he doesn’t, he’s forced to remain reactive, unable to relax, never knowing when the whistle will blow and the game will be over. I think that’s God’s real purpose in keeping the rapture secret.
When God does take the Church out of the world, there will be another abrupt change as the Age of Law returns for its last seven years. Once again the focus will be on Israel. There will be a Temple with sacrifices and all the other associated ceremonies. Except for all the missing people, it will be as if the Church Age never happened. And please understand, even when the New Covenant comes to Israel, it won’t be like it is in the Church. A Temple, animal sacrifice, required Holy days, and a Levitical Priesthood will continue into and throughout the Kingdom Age, or Millennium.
You see, it’s clear that the Church Age was not intended to be the next step in the progression of God’s plan, to supersede that which came before, and perhaps to be superseded by what comes after. It was a complete and radical departure from the norm and once completed it will never be repeated. Having known nothing but the Church Age, we don’t appreciate how unique we are. But as Paul wrote, people in ages yet to come will study the Church to learn the extent of the incomparable riches of God’s grace (Ephes. 2:7).
No, what this did for me was to produce a knee-buckling realization that I could never be worthy of such a gift and created a determination in me to spend the rest of my life trying to live up to what I had already attained (Phil 3:20). In God’s eyes, I was now perfect (Hebr. 10:14), a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). I had been adopted into His family (Gal 4:4-5) and guaranteed a place in His Kingdom (Ephes. 1:13-14). I wanted to make sure He didn’t regret doing all that.
This guarantee of salvation is based entirely on our belief that Colossians 2:13-15 is true. It was such a radical departure from what God’s enemies had come to expect of Him that they were caught totally off guard. Before the cross, forgiveness only covered past sins. As soon as a person sinned again after the Day of Atonement, he was right back in debt and Satan had a brand new claim to him. To set aside the penalty for his sins, innocent animals had to die in his place, but that didn’t free him. It only gave him a temporary stay of execution (Hebr. 10:3).
But when Satan saw the lifelong lists of our sins being nailed to the cross right before his eyes, and heard Jesus say “Paid in full!” (John 19:30) he knew that what he thought was going to be his final victory had become his ultimate defeat.
Although with 20-20 hindsight we can look back into the Old Testament and see hints of what God was going to do in the Church, no one before the cross saw this. Not the Jews, certainly not the Gentiles, not even Satan. And instead of a nice orderly transition from Law to Grace, the clock for the Age of Law abruptly stopped seven years short of its previously announced duration (Daniel 9:24-27). Religious ceremonies the Jews had viewed as mandatory suddenly became meaningless. A culture steeped in religious law and practice was made obsolete, and would soon be dispersed. For the first and only time in history, the gates of heaven had been flung open to whosoever would enter, conditioned only on their belief that Jesus died for their sins and rose again (Romans 10:9).
God’s secret wisdom will be the way the Church is taken out of the world. At a time no one will be able to determine in advance, and without any prior warning, the Church will simply disappear off the face of the Earth forever, leaving the unbelieving world in utter chaos. Because the birth of the Church took Satan by surprise, the details surrounding the Church’s departure have to be even more obscure. He’s a quick study, after all, and has had 2000 years to review what little the Bible has to say about the Rapture. He wouldn’t be so easily taken by surprise a second time.
Being a student of prophecy, He knows at least as much as we do about the End Times. (Please remember this. It isn’t that Satan doesn’t know God’s plan, it’s that he believes he can defeat God’s plan.) He knows the rapture will precede the End Times judgments, will take place when the church reaches its full number, and that only God knows the number. But that’s about it, so his only hope is to prevent the Church from reaching that number for as long as possible. Because he doesn’t know what the number is, he’s effectively kept off balance. If he knew when the church was leaving, he could plan some a counter attack. But since he doesn’t, he’s forced to remain reactive, unable to relax, never knowing when the whistle will blow and the game will be over. I think that’s God’s real purpose in keeping the rapture secret.
When God does take the Church out of the world, there will be another abrupt change as the Age of Law returns for its last seven years. Once again the focus will be on Israel. There will be a Temple with sacrifices and all the other associated ceremonies. Except for all the missing people, it will be as if the Church Age never happened. And please understand, even when the New Covenant comes to Israel, it won’t be like it is in the Church. A Temple, animal sacrifice, required Holy days, and a Levitical Priesthood will continue into and throughout the Kingdom Age, or Millennium.
You see, it’s clear that the Church Age was not intended to be the next step in the progression of God’s plan, to supersede that which came before, and perhaps to be superseded by what comes after. It was a complete and radical departure from the norm and once completed it will never be repeated. Having known nothing but the Church Age, we don’t appreciate how unique we are. But as Paul wrote, people in ages yet to come will study the Church to learn the extent of the incomparable riches of God’s grace (Ephes. 2:7).
