This question is in regards to the 5 foolish virgins who procrastinated in making a decision to receive Jesus as their personal Savior and then they fell asleep and weren’t ready (had no oil in their lamps) and missed the call from the Bridegroom. Those that heard the Truth and didn’t respond and got left behind .... do you think they still have a chance of becoming tribulation saint believers or will they believe the lie? Just wondering also is this where our prayers for our unsaved loved ones and friends make the big difference .... for the Lord to answer our prayer requests ... drawing them to Himself? While the lost who weren’t prayed for .... will it be they are the ones who will believe the lie? :feedback II Thess 2:8-12 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. I believe the verses you shared, but how and who they will apply to is up to the Lord. I can't help but belief that out of the many left behind, there will be a large ingathering of believers. The key is those that had pleasure in unrighteousness, and those that simply refused to make a decision or did not understand the depth of consequence for not making a decision for Christ. Simply stated, with the expiration of the Age of Grace, the cost of eternal salvation will be made painfully clear! Hell will indeed be filled with good people who simply have not chosen Christ for whatever reason. Likewise Heaven will be filled with sinners who counted the cost and made the choice for Christ! TR Many will be saved as a result of witnessing the rapture. The others will believe the lie....whether that is alien invasion or whatever foolishness people believe. The tribulation saints are those who come to Christ after the rapture yet before His second coming. Geri and all, I have always been taught and believe that there are those who have heard the gospel message and completely reject it and there are those who have heard the gospel message and do not get it, ignore it, and so forth. God’s very nature can not be in contradiction. There are verses that seem to mean God is hateful, hardening the heart.....but our language is limited in a true definition of God’s character. For example, pharaoh determined to not obey a sovereign God, pharaoh saw himself as greater than or equal to the God of the Israeli people. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God in His Mercy will work and do what is necessary to draw all to Him. So, to answer your question, in my humble opinion, I believe the rapture will be a great awakening for those that sat on the fence. Many, thousands literately, will accept Him as Savior and will pay a great price. Those that continue to reject the gospel, will believe the lie, it will be a great deception. God will work, as He did with Paul on the Damascus road, to bring those who are to be saved to repentance. We have an awesome Father, who loves us very much. Just like the “layers” around the parable of the talents, those who came in at the last hour, still received full payment. “And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to naught by the manifestation of his coming; even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thes. 2:8-12 ASV). The key here is they had pleasure in unrighteousness. What will be really interesting is how it’s all going to mesh out after the Millennial reign. But we will be immortal! How cool is that? :yahoo: :prayer-hands: Indeed in the face of so many scriptures reflecting the heart of God, only God can be sovereign! That's why He alone is God! Should any man ever ascend to the full knowledge of God, he would still lack in understanding His heart! TR Jeremiah 12:5 (ESV) "If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? I think there will be many who come to believe after the rapture. However, it will not be easy and might well cost a person his or her physical life. It will be difficult, though not impossible, to overcome the rampant deception. If people can't handle the challenges of living a Christian life now, what will they do under those circumstances? Amen to that David! TR
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
