Golden Nuggets

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http://donfrazier.com

Blessed Are the Ready For They Shall Be Raptured

In previous articles, I referred to The Beatitudes of Christ as “The Spiritual and Psycho-Social Profile of God’s Ultimate Overcomers.” As we focus our attention on these Beatitudes given in Matthew 5:1-12, we will gain an enormous appreciation for the comfort and hope they can instill. They not only cite the problems and perplexities that are common to most of us, but they offer a hope and promise that we will eventually get through what we are presently going through.

Our sixth installment is, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (v.8). I have paraphrased it, “Blessed Are The Ready For They Shall Be Raptured.” In this Beatitude Christ offers hope to those concerned about their mortality and the cataclysmic events that have been foretold that are to take place on the earth. His hearers knew the prophecies of the Old Testament that graphically showed how the judgment of God was going to be visited upon the earth. They also understood that they would not live forever. To combat their fears and dread about the future, Christ told them how they could insure themselves of an eternity spent with God.

The message Christ gave here is a timeless message. The criterion is the same for people everywhere. His admonition was a reminder of what the Prophet Amos had told Israel when he declared, “Prepare to meet thy God.” In the Beatitude Christ echoes the necessity of people getting their heart right with God while they still have the time and opportunity. God’s demand is for purity of heart. He does not tolerate contamination with the evils of the world.

In studying the New Testament epistles it becomes evident that God has prepared a plan of evacuation for His children before the end of the age. While the word “Rapture” does not appear in the English Bible, nevertheless the transliteration of the Latin word from the Vulgate describes the event. The Apostle Paul used the expression “caught up” to tell us how God will remove His saints before the great, end-time tribulation begins. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, he stated, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (“Raptured”) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

There are other Biblical references that support this doctrine of the Rapture. The qualification for eligibility in the Rapture is that one must be “pure in heart.” This means accepting Christ as Savior, and allowing Him to cleanse your heart from all unrighteousness. As one noted pastor stated, “It means get right...or get left!”

***A Personal Word to Our Readers from Dr. Frazier****

You are welcome to join me each month as we discuss these amazing insights from the Master Psychologist. There are great insights to be derived from the study of the Greek or Hebrew Testaments. Each month I will endeavor to share a nugget of truth from the Book of Truth, God’s Eternal Word. These will be concise and should not intrude into your time or opportunity to explore the richness of the vein from which they were extracted. That is for you and the Holy Spirit to excavate together. These nuggets are just to let you know where to begin the digging, if you so desire. They are NOT designed to be an exhaustive commentary providing all the answers on the subject. The Spirit will guide you in how.