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Will the lost get another chance?


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If you continually preach to your family members about salvation and quote from the Bible the appropriate verses but still do not accept Jesus Christ as savior...will they have another chance during the Tribulation? Say the Rapture happens next week, will my family members (if I've faithfully witnessed to them) have another chance at salvation? Or will their heart be hardended and they'll believe lies?

Please provide scripture so I can study it on my own as well, thanks in advance.

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2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 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:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

My understanding, at Jesus' coming for His own, all of those who are left behind, that are lost, those who have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, understood it, yet rejected Jesus as Savior, during the tribulations they cannot be saved. Thoes who have not heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who have not understood it, has not rejected Jesus as Savior, they can be saved during the tribulations.

One thing to remember, during the tribulations its going to be a difficult time for a person to be saved, for the persecution is going to be great. There will be great pressure on father's and mothers to take the mark of the beast and serve the antichrist in order to have food for their selves and their children

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I hold the view that those who hear a clear presentation of the gospel and reject it before the rapture will not have another opportunity during the tribulation. Those "left behind" who had no opportunity to make a decision on the gospel will get that opportunity during the tribulation.

2 Thess. 2
Rev. 7
Rev. 9

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Rev. 7:9-14, "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white rOBes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white rOBes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their rOBes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

We do know that there are a TON of people that do get saved in the tribulation, according to the above reference.

II Thess. 2:3-4, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

The context of the verses that speak of the strong delusion is the middle of the tribulation. The time when the antichrist goes from being the man of sin to the son of perdition and is revealed to be that wicked one is not in the beginning, it's in the middle. With that in mind, I believe the strong delusion comes into play in the middle of the tribulation. In other words, if you've rejected the gospel in the first half, you're going to accept the antichrist.

I tell people if they go into the tribulation they'll be lucky if they survive the first day, let alone the first couple of years.

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What I am about to say will be disputed, but that is ok.

There is absolutely no Scriptural evidence that people who have heard the Gospel prior to the Rapture cannot be saved during the Tribulation. The verses used to show that there will be a "strong dilusion" are not dealing with the Rapture, they are dealing with the midpoint of the Tribulation. What we do know is that many are saved in the 1st half of the Tribulation and that anyone who takes the mark of the beast at the mid-point of the tribulation can never be saved.

The reality is though that if they will not get saved now, they will prOBably not get saved during the tribulation. Revelation speaks of the people on the Earth actually getting mad at God during the Tribulation, much like Pharaoh did during the plagues in Egypt.

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Pastorj, in all the Bible studies and conferences on Revelation I've attended over the years, I've never heard that explanation until a couple of months ago. Not saying you're wrong, but something I may need to study out a little further. What I do know is that I won't be here either way, and I need to give others that same opportunity to not worry about it either.

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Other than the context of the "strong delusion" verses being mid trib, I lean towards people getting that second chance for a few other reasons too:

1. God, by His very nature, is extremely merciful and gracious.
2. How many "second chances" did we get?
3. The tribulation is not exactly a "walk by faith not by SIGHT" dispensation.
4. There are a TON of people that get saved in the first half of the tribulation; it would make sense that a portion of them heard the message during the church age.
5. God has always used life events to bring people to Him, that rule doesn't change from dispensation to dispensation.
6. It's the condition of the person's heart (i.e. Pharaoh) that dictates whether or not they are able/willing to accept Christ. In other words, a hardening process takes place in a man's heart the more he rejects God - dispensation notwithstanding.

While it may make "good preaching" to preach that a lost man can't get saved in trib if he rejects now, I don't think it's accurate doctrine.

Edited by Rick Schworer
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2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 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:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Here is the passage in question.
Verse 3 - Tells us that the son of perdition has to be revealed. Who is the son of perdition? The Devil. When is he revealed? At the mid-point of the tribulation.
Verse 4 - When does this event happen? At the midpoint of the tribulation when the anti-Christ desecrates the temple, sets up a image and requires everyone to worship him.

As you can see the events in this passage are dealing with the midpoint of the tribulation. Another event at the midpoint is the taking of the Mark of the Beast. It is these individuals that God will send a strong delusion to.

Those who hold to this being a Rapture passage are taking it out of context. It makes good preaching to scare people into believing that there are no second chances. However, God has given many an individual a second chance.

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What I am about to say will be disputed, but that is ok.

There is absolutely no Scriptural evidence that people who have heard the Gospel prior to the Rapture cannot be saved during the Tribulation. The verses used to show that there will be a "strong dilusion" are not dealing with the Rapture, they are dealing with the midpoint of the Tribulation. What we do know is that many are saved in the 1st half of the Tribulation and that anyone who takes the mark of the beast at the mid-point of the tribulation can never be saved.

The reality is though that if they will not get saved now, they will prOBably not get saved during the tribulation. Revelation speaks of the people on the Earth actually getting mad at God during the Tribulation, much like Pharaoh did during the plagues in Egypt.

The following article reflects PastorJ's view of 2 Thess 2:1-12:

If a Person Rejects Christ Before the Rapture, Can He Be Saved After the Rapture?



There are some who teach that those who have heard the gospel and do not get saved prior to the Rapture have no hope of being saved after the Rapture. This view is based upon a misunderstanding of 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12: "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: (12) That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." They understand this passage to mean that if a person rejects the truth prior to the Rapture, he will be deluded and unable to believe following the Rapture. Who then will be saved during the Tribulation? They teach that those saved during the Tribulation will be only those who never heard the Gospel prior to the Rapture.

What does the passage really teach? These verses in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 are not talking about people who reject the truth before the Rapture. They are referring to people who reject the truth during the Tribulation. These are people who willfully decide to follow the devil's man (see the context of 2 Thess. 2:3-9). These are people who reject the truth and receive the LIE that the man of sin is to be honored as God and worshiped. These are those who deliberately choose to take the mark of the beast and worship this evil man. According to Revelation 14:9-11, those who take the mark cannot be saved. Their destiny is Hell. Thus, during the Tribulation, those who willfully identify with the devil's man are doomed and damned (2 Thess. 2:12). In that day the issue will be very clear: worship God (Rev. 14:6-7) or worship the devil's man (Rev. 14:9-11). One's choice will determine one's eternal destiny.

If a person refuses to believe on Christ prior to the Rapture, there is still hope that he will trust Christ after the Rapture. His earlier rejection was not final and not fatal. God still reaches out to men in grace during the Tribulation. However, it is always dangerous to reject the truth, no matter when you live. The time to be saved is today, not tomorrow. If a person refuses to be saved today, what guarantee does he have that he will be willing to be saved in the future?

If a person refuses to trust Christ today when it is easy (for many, little or no persecution), why should this person be willing to trust Christ tomorrow when it will be very difficult (great persecution for believers during the Tribulation). Those who reject the Gospel today are in danger of rejecting the Gospel tomorrow. The person who rejects the Gospel before the Rapture could very well be one of those who will worship the man of sin during the Tribulation. Those who are unbelievers today will prOBably be unbelievers tomorrow.

God can certainly save a person who at one time strongly rejected the truth. Remember Saul of Tarsus. Remember how you yourself once rejected the truth before you were saved! During the Tribulation, God will be willing and able to save all those who will turn to Him. The same is true today: "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25).

The time to believe is now. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). It is never safe to delay such a decision. The time to be saved is now, prior to the Rapture.

Isaiah summed up the duty of man regardless of what dispensation he lives in: "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon Him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7).

The Rapture and 2 Thess. 2

I have been a firm believer that those who rejected Christ before the Rapture were the ones to whom God would send a "strong delusion", but after reading this article about 3 times and studying the Scriptures, I'm beginning to see the other position of all this occurring during the tribulation. I never studied it in light of Revelation 14:9-11. The only prOBlem I would have is the time frame of verses 6-7:

2 Thessalonians 2:6 (KJV) And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 (KJV) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

I'm assuming before the Rapture because I believe that "he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way" is the Holy Spirit indwelling the body of believers/the Church.

Edited by LindaR
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Is the Holy Spirit removed from earth at the Rapture?? Does II Thess 2:7 refer to the Holy Spirit?


Seems right to me because all of the saved people have left (which is where the Holy Spirit dwells). Once more people get saved after the Rapture won't the Holy Spirit return to dwell in them?
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The following article reflects PastorJ's view of 2 Thess 2:1-12:

If a Person Rejects Christ Before the Rapture, Can He Be Saved After the Rapture?



There are some who teach that those who have heard the gospel and do not get saved prior to the Rapture have no hope of being saved after the Rapture. This view is based upon a misunderstanding of 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12: "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: (12) That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." They understand this passage to mean that if a person rejects the truth prior to the Rapture, he will be deluded and unable to believe following the Rapture. Who then will be saved during the Tribulation? They teach that those saved during the Tribulation will be only those who never heard the Gospel prior to the Rapture.

What does the passage really teach? These verses in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 are not talking about people who reject the truth before the Rapture. They are referring to people who reject the truth during the Tribulation. These are people who willfully decide to follow the devil's man (see the context of 2 Thess. 2:3-9). These are people who reject the truth and receive the LIE that the man of sin is to be honored as God and worshiped. These are those who deliberately choose to take the mark of the beast and worship this evil man. According to Revelation 14:9-11, those who take the mark cannot be saved. Their destiny is Hell. Thus, during the Tribulation, those who willfully identify with the devil's man are doomed and damned (2 Thess. 2:12). In that day the issue will be very clear: worship God (Rev. 14:6-7) or worship the devil's man (Rev. 14:9-11). One's choice will determine one's eternal destiny.

If a person refuses to believe on Christ prior to the Rapture, there is still hope that he will trust Christ after the Rapture. His earlier rejection was not final and not fatal. God still reaches out to men in grace during the Tribulation. However, it is always dangerous to reject the truth, no matter when you live. The time to be saved is today, not tomorrow. If a person refuses to be saved today, what guarantee does he have that he will be willing to be saved in the future?

If a person refuses to trust Christ today when it is easy (for many, little or no persecution), why should this person be willing to trust Christ tomorrow when it will be very difficult (great persecution for believers during the Tribulation). Those who reject the Gospel today are in danger of rejecting the Gospel tomorrow. The person who rejects the Gospel before the Rapture could very well be one of those who will worship the man of sin during the Tribulation. Those who are unbelievers today will prOBably be unbelievers tomorrow.

God can certainly save a person who at one time strongly rejected the truth. Remember Saul of Tarsus. Remember how you yourself once rejected the truth before you were saved! During the Tribulation, God will be willing and able to save all those who will turn to Him. The same is true today: "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25).

The time to believe is now. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). It is never safe to delay such a decision. The time to be saved is now, prior to the Rapture.

Isaiah summed up the duty of man regardless of what dispensation he lives in: "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon Him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7).

The Rapture and 2 Thess. 2

I have been a firm believer that those who rejected Christ before the Rapture were the ones to whom God would send a "strong delusion", but after reading this article about 3 times and studying the Scriptures, I'm beginning to see the other position of all this occurring during the tribulation. I never studied it in light of Revelation 14:9-11. The only prOBlem I would have is the time frame of verses 6-7:

2 Thessalonians 2:6 (KJV) And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 (KJV) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

I'm assuming before the Rapture because I believe that "he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way" is the Holy Spirit indwelling the body of believers/the Church.



Do you know what Bible that article is using?
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