Salt of the Earth, the days of Noah, the example of Lot & the Rapture

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wretched

New member
Aug 18, 2019
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0
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#1
Our Lord made several comparisons of true believers to salt, the salt of the earth: Salt has always served two purposes: To season and to preserve.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

In Luke, chap 14 our Lord had just finished discussing "counting the costs" of belief in Him. Counting the costs is why many will not accept the Lord, they know that it will transform their lives and they do not want to lose this life here. “Christian” Were you aware of this when you “believed”?

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Our belief is what seasons the earth to maintain God’s interest in it.

Our belief is what preserves the rest of the earth from God’s Wrath.

Our Lord made specific comparisons of how life on earth would be like just prior to the catching away of the "remnant" of true believers. God says of the rapture that “as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the Coming of the Son of Man”. The context of Matt 24 continues

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left....

You see, our Lord directly compares the rescue from the flood to the Catching Away of the Church or "rapture" prior to His Wrath being poured out over the whole unbelieving world.

Rewind back to Adam and the generations that followed him and Eve. The early generations were taught of God by Adam & Eve and their subsequent offspring. However, as the centuries marched on leading to the flood the generations gradually forgot God and did what was right in their own eyes. Sounds very similar to the world right now. Right has become wrong, up has become down, good has become bad. False "gospels" abound all over the world especially the western cultures. Since our Lord made stark comparison between the flood and the catching away of the church it is reasonable to say that in Noah's time the world drifted far away from the Lord and His true servants became fewer and fewer...hence the flood. This is the same trend that we are seeing now. The Great Falling away from true faith occurred then just as it is occurring now.

As then as it is now, the world forgot God

As then as it is now, the true believers became fewer and fewer

Please look at the Bible from a strategic standpoint with me for a moment:

The trend of "winding down" faith resulting in God’s Wrath is definitively present in the Bible. The Flood is the first example I will expand on in a moment. Another example is Sodom and Lot.

Read full article: Salt of the Earth?
 

TheDivineWatermark

Well-known member
Aug 3, 2018
10,645
2,049
113
#2
There are some of us [pre-tribbers, not sure "who" exactly on this site] who do not see the examples given regarding "Noah" and "Lot" to be speaking of "our Rapture," but of His Second Coming to the earth... where the "one taken" was "taken away in judgment" and the "one left" was "left on the earth" (in the case of the future, "left on the earth" in mortal bodies, capable of bearing children/reproducing/'filling the earth'--just as in Noah's day [comp. Gen9:1 with Dan2:35, for example (actively 'fill/filled the [whole] earth')]). The phrase "and destroyed them all" (2x in Lk17:27,29) is not what takes place following "our Rapture"...
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
25,986
13,712
113
#3
Our belief is what preserves the rest of the earth from God’s Wrath.
God holds back His wrath and judgment as long as the Church is on the earth. But after the fulness of the Gentiles has come into the Church, it will be removed from the earth (along with the Holy Spirit, who is "taken out of thee way"). And that is the only way that Satan and the Antichrist may be able to take full control of this world and its inhabitants for 3 1/2 years (during which the Mark of the Beast will be administered) (Revelation 13).

Noah's Ark is a type of Christ and the Rapture. Lot and his family were removed from Sodom just before judgment came. Enoch was raptured just before the Flood. These are all indications of how God will separate His saints from the rest of the world before He pours out His judgments. But as of now, the whole world could be saved, if all would repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As Peter said, God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
 

TheDivineWatermark

Well-known member
Aug 3, 2018
10,645
2,049
113
#4
Just popping back on here to say, "Welcome!" :) (I just now noticed you're a new member. Glad to meet you, and hope to see you around the boards)
 
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7seasrekeyed

Guest
#5
who wrote the article?

there is only an email address at the bottom of it as far as I could see