ESCAPE OR SERVICE?

Philippians 2:12 KJV
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.

I pondered this verse, and it brought about this question. Will this scripture apply to those who have submitted to Salvation in their minds as an escape from God’s wrath? Would this mindset separate them from the worlds wisdom?

The strongest and most prevailing debate with an awakened soul to honour God as their King and follow his Son Yeshua, is, that it is God only who takes away sin. Whatever communion there is between our souls and Christ, it is he who begins the discourse. He asked, What seek ye?

The question Yeshua put to believers we should all put to ourselves when we begin to follow Him, What do we design and desire? In following Yeshua, do we seek the favour of God as an Escapee avoiding God’s wrath or as an obedient servant seeking eternal life? He invites his servants to come without delay.

Believers must be diligent in their use of all the means, which leads to salvation, persevering therein to the end. With great care, lest, with all their advantages, they should come short. Work out your salvation, for it is God who worketh in you. This encourages us to do our utmost because our labor shall not be in vain: we must still depend on the grace of God. The working of God’s grace in us is to quicken and engage our endeavors. God’s goodwill to believers is the cause of his good work in us.

This now deepens the question, can those who consider Salvation an escape from God’s wrath be separated from the world’s wisdom? Can they acknowledge that the gospel is a word of grace sounding in their ears. The gospel day is a day of salvation, the means of grace the means of salvation, the offers of the gospel, the offers of salvation, and the present time the proper time to accept these offers.

The morrow is none of ours: we know not what will be on the morrow, nor where we shall be. We now enjoy a day of grace; then, let all be careful not to neglect it.

2 Corinthians 6:2
[2](For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

However, our times of tribulation and turmoil during our life’s journey is God’s process of firing the silver and gold for purification. What some hope for is a salvation based on escaping God’s wrath as well as participating in the comforts of heaven. What they lack, however, is the fleshly heart of salvation. You see, our trials and tribulations, is the purifying process preparing God’s children for service in His army to be with him on his final return to do the battle of Armageddon prior to His 1000 year reign.

Yeshua’s recruits for this army are described here in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV
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: [17] 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.

Man has created the word Rapture to accommodate those wanting to avoid God’s wrath. However, for those who have a heart to serve in his righteous army, 1Thessolonians is their call to prepare themselves as obedient servants over their life time, to be lifted out as a part of Yeshua’s army.

We are taught to be patient for Yeshua’s return and to be prepared. This is again re-enfored here Matthew 24:30-31 KJV
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. [31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

We are further warned to be one of the 5 bridesmaids whose lamps were full and had additional oil to be able to greet the Lord as a groom when he calls us to full service. As further evidence, we must prepare to serve in God’s final army, read the first three chapters of Revelation, and the prepared church is present. From the fourth chapter in the book of Revelation, there is no further mention of the church until Yeshua’s return with that army to fight the battle of Armageddon.

I wrote about those who take salvation with the mindset of escaping God’s wrath and those who take salvation to prepare. In our personal lifetime, we are faced with that choice whether to escape our Lord’s wrath or serve our Lord as our King the bottom line it’s your decision which path you chose and in what condition as an Escapee or Servant to follow, along with the consequences of that choice.

Just so you recognize who you may be bending your knee to.
Put little store in man’s wisdom as the latest research shows that to fully grasp the shaping and molding Our Father in heaven is doing is best understood by our searching God’s words on a personal level and discerning as such. 1 Corinthians 3:19 KJV
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

For those who require further information to understand how they might be an Escapee I bring forward from Romans 1: 8-15 We must show love for our friends, not only by praying for them, but by praising God for them.

As in our purposes, so in our desires, we must remember to say, If the Lord will, James 4:15. Our journeys are made prosperous or otherwise, according to the will of God. We should readily impart to others what God has trusted to us, rejoicing to make others joyful, especially taking pleasure in communing with those who believe the same things with us. If redeemed by the blood and converted by the grace of the Lord Jesus, we are altogether his; and for his sake, we are debtors to all men.

Ezekiel 33:9
, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Robert a humble obedient servant to Yeshua and his Father in heaven Yahewa.