Lawrence DeMetrius

Lyrics

Lesson 1 of 77
The Second Advent of Christ
{See Lessons 25, 68}
By Lawrence DeMetrius

There is a difference between the rapture experience and the harvest of souls. Rapture is the state of being carried away with overpowering love and joy for someone. We experience rapture when the Holy Ghost reveals to us the reality of Himself, Yahweh and Jesus Christ. While divine rapture is prerequisite to becoming favorably prepared for one’s transition to immortality, it is NOT the event wherein souls ascend to Jesus Christ at His Second Advent. This is called the harvest of souls, which will be a two-fold event. The first period has two parts. The first part of the harvest of souls is when the souls of born-again believers who are asleep in Christ will be awakened to meet Him in the heavens at His Second Advent. Afterwards, in a moment’s time, born-again believers who are alive at Christ’s Second Advent, will undergo a deathless transition to immortality, then will also ascend to Christ as did those who were asleep. Apostle Paul writes,

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so, shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
[I Thes 4:13-18]

The second period of the harvest of souls will occur on The Final Day of Judgment, at which time all souls, both righteous and unrighteous, will be summonsed from their immortal waiting places, to receive the rewards they earned per their innate nature and productivity during their mortal lifetime.


Apostle John writes,

And I saw a great white throne, and HIM that sat on it, from WHOSE FACE the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the Second Death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
[Rev 20:11-15]

All souls are called to salvation. The Lord Jesus said,

Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[Mt 11:28]

In fact, Yahweh wants every soul to live and not die. HE said through Prophet Ezekiel,

Say unto them, As I live, saith the LORD God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel <or any nation>?
[Eze 33:11]

The Lord Jesus said,

For God so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God sent not HIS Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
[St Jn 3:16, 17]

Apostle Paul writes,

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto HIMSELF, not imputing their trespasses unto them…
[II Cor 5:19a]

Apostle Peter writes,

The LORD is not slack concerning HIS promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance.
[II Pet 3:9]

Unfortunately, many will choose to inherit The Second Death, which is the ultimate reward of those who choose not to worship Yahweh. The Lord Jesus said,

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, BECAUSE their deeds were evil.
<Apostle John writes> He that believeth on the Son HATH everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God ABIDETH upon him.
[St Jn 3:19, 36]

Yahweh records the name of every soul born in The Book of Life. HE told Moses long ago, that only those who willingly live and die in sin against HIM will be blotted out of this book. Enoch writes,

Blessed is the man who dies in righteousness and goodness, concerning whom there is no book of unrighteousness written, and against whom no day of judgment shall be found.
[Eno 81:4]




Yahweh said to Moses,

Whosoever hath sinned against ME, him will I blot out of MY book.
[Exo 32:33]

The LORD said through Prophet Ezekiel,

Behold, all souls are MINE; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is MINE: the soul that sinneth, it SHALL die.
[Eze 18:4]

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
[Deut 24:16]

When mortals come to Yahweh through Jesus Christ, HE empowers them to know and serve HIM as HE initially created them to. King Solomon writes,

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep HIS commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
[Eccl 12:13, 14]

The Lord Jesus said,

But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship HIM.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship HIM must worship HIM in spirit and in truth.
[St Jn 4:23, 24]

Apostle Paul writes,

Wherefore He <Christ> is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by Him seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.
[Heb 7:25]

There is no condemnation for them who are spiritually born-again of Yahweh’s Word and Holy Spirit. To these select few is allotted abundant and eternal life.

Apostle Paul writes,

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
[Rm 8:1]

The Lord Jesus expounds upon the harvest of souls in His Parable of The Wheat and Tares. The parable tells of storage places that are prepared for the wheat i.e., righteous spirits, and tares i.e., unrighteous spirits. The storage place for tares is likened to a fiery furnace, and that of the wheat is likened to a paradise. He said,

He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom ALL things that OFFEND, and them which do iniquity:
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there SHALL be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
[Mt 13:37-43]

Enoch also details these storage places writing,

And thence I went to another place, and the mountain and of the hard rock.
And there was in it FOUR hollow places, deep and wide and very smooth. How smooth are the hollow places and deep and dark to look at.
Then Raphael answered, one of the holy angels who was with me, and said unto me:
‘These hollow places have been created for this very purpose, that the spirits of the souls of the dead should assemble therein, yea that ALL the souls of the children of men should assemble here.
And these places have been made to receive them till the day of their judgment and till their appointed period [till the period appointed], till the great judgment (comes) upon them.
Then I asked…regarding all the hollow places: ‘Why is one separated from the other?
And he answered me and said unto me: These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And such a division has been made for the spirits of the righteous, in which there is the bright spring of water.
And such has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgment has not been executed on them in their lifetime.
Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain till the great day of judgment and punishment and torment of those who curse forever and retribution for their spirits.
There he shall bind them forever. And such a division has been made for the spirits of those who make their suit, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days of the sinners <The Great
Flood>. Such has been made for the sinners of men who were not righteous but sinners, who were complete in transgression, and of the transgressors they shall be companions: but their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgment nor shall they be raised from thence <likely referring to mortals who were not notorious sinners but unrighteous still because they did not adhere to divine principles>.
[Eno 22:1-4, 8-13]

Yahweh reserves the exact time of Christ’s Second Advent for HIMSELF. Ironically, neither Christ nor any holy angel know the exact time of this event. The Lord Jesus said,

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
[Mk 13:32]

It is not for you to know the times or the season, which the Father hath put in HIS OWN power.
[Acts 1:7]
What the LORD does allow us to know is that the Second Advent of Christ will be like a thief in the night for those who fail to prepare for it. The New Testament notes,

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
So, Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and UNTO THEM THAT LOOK FOR HIM shall He appear THE SECOND TIME without sin unto salvation.
[Heb 9:27, 28]

The Lord Jesus said,

Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know the hour I will come upon thee.
[Rev 3:3]

Those who effectively study and adhere to the Holy Scriptures will recognize the signs that indicate the nearness of the harvest of souls. Only to the faithful few who are alive on earth at the time of this blessed event, will Christ appear and make their entrance into Yahweh’s eternal kingdom abundant. Having this glorious promise, the brethren of Christ are admonished to live each day in great expectation thereof and never allow themselves to be led astray back into perdition. In so doing, they secure for themselves the crown of life, a permanent place in Yahweh's eternal temple, placement of HIS NAME upon themselves along with Christ’s New Name, and the name of the New Jerusalem. Apostle John writes,

Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
And this is the promise that HE hath promised us, even eternal life.
[I Jn 2:24, 25]


The Lord Jesus said,

Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
[Rev 3:11]

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