Rapture Fever

xvi RAPTURE FEVER
we do not keep His commandments, we are not Christ’s redeemed,
holy people:
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments
(I John 2:3).
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his
commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his
sight (I John 3:22).
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love
God, and keep his commandment (I John 5:2).
So, there we have it: as Christians, we participate in a great
inheritance: the wlm?e earth. We lawfully claim this inheritance in
two ways: (1) by trusting in the perfect obedience of Jesus
Christ, a perfection which is imputed to us judicially by God;
and (2) by working out our salvation in history: “Wherefore, my
beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). In short, we must
h-u.st and obey, jin- there’s no other way. Christians sing this in
church, but do they believe it after they leave church? Does
singing this in church testi~ against their theology?
Gift #2: Our Authority Over Satan and His Kingdom
Satan has a kingdom in history, just as Christ does. Christians
are part of an army - angelic and human - that struggles
against Satan’s army demonic and human. Christians have
been given authority over the troops in Satan’s army both
demonic and human:
And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them
forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits
(Mark 6:7).