In our previous four works in this series we have seen how earnest the ‘creature’ is about this end-time event called ‘rapture’ or manifestation of the sons of God; we have seen that the creature or entire creation of God is not only outstretched in its expectation and waiting eagerly for the manifestation of the sons of God since their own freedom depends on this; but are actually groaning about this. It was necessary to pose that if it takes the onlookers or spectators, as it were, to be all outstretched and full of groan what will it take those to be ‘raptured’? And, indeed, we showed how imperative it is for the saints to actually groan. Scriptures was our recourse. And lastly the place of the Holy Spirit in our groaning because of the final redemption of our bodies or the rapture and things related positively or otherwise to it was captured. And we said that the Bible says the Holy Spirit helps us with groaning: words that cannot be uttered. All of the above were necessary with relation to the manifestation of the sons of God.
So, we come now directly to the subject matter of the manifestation of the sons of God. And it becomes really important to ask and answer the question: Who are the people to be manifested as sons of God, eternal sons of God; who are the persons that are causing the earnest expectation, the patient waiting for of their manifestation among all creation?
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” – Romans 8: 19-27.
We take the nineteenth verse specifically: “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Or, as New Living Translation puts it: “For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.” Who are they? We would begin from the Old Testament.
The Generation that seek the Lord
They are the generation that seeks the Lord. In Psalm 24:3-6 we read: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek Him, that seek thy face, O Jacob”
This is the generation of them that seek Him, which seek Thy Face, O Jacob!
To the New Testament Church the Psalmist would put it this way: This is the generation of them that seek Him, which seek Thy Face, O Church! O Church! Be it in America, Europe, Asia, and Africa or wherever, this is the generation of them that seek God. The generation that seeks mundane things does not seek God and will not see Him. No man drags along with him mundane things in his mountain walk to that city that has foundation and home of the blessed forever and hopes to get there.
And Psalm 15 captures it similarly: Psalm 15:1-5 “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.”
The Psalmist did not bother here to pose the most serious question mortal man can ask to another mortal man or any minister for that matter, for they would fleshly answer it otherwise if many a ministers messages are anything to go by today. He asked God Who does not diminish from His standard for man. And God’s answer is this: “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.”
There is a generation that seeks the Lord; the generation that is “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” – Titus 2: 13: There is a generation that seeks the Lord. They look for the path that leads unto life, which way is narrow and which gate is strait; and they constantly hear the Masters’ silent Voice: Enter you in at the strait gate for many there are which find the broad way – Matthew 7: 13. Indeed, they hear the Voice of One always saying to them: ‘This is the way, walk you in it!’ So, they avoid the wide gate and the broad way; and deal carefully with those engulfed in it whether they are ministers or not. Like Job they can say: “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” – Job 23: 10.
They obey the admonition of Psalm Number 1 in this matter: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD; and in His Law doth he meditate day and night.” They deal carefully with those that love the world, who promote the world and the things the world can offer, and it doesn’t matter if they (the latter) twist or wrest scriptures for this purpose. They deal carefully and beware of false prophets in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By the pure and undiluted Word of God they try to distinguish between grapes and thorns, figs and thistles; between the good tree that brings forth good fruit and the corrupt tree that brings forth evil fruits; and so they live their lives in a way as not to be hewn down and cast into the fire, and accordingly refused to compromise with fleshly messages from the pulpit and unholy living of whosoever; after all, by their fruits you shall know them (see Matthew 8: 15-20).
There is a generation that seeks the Lord. That is the generation to be manifested as sons of God. Jesus says we should seek first (hunt eagerly) the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and the other things will be added unto us and not otherwise – Mathew 6: 33 (Cp Luke 15: 8). Let us seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness: This is what takes us to Heaven. But there are things that would be added as we seek the Kingdom and its righteousness: Gifts/talents, miracles, financial blessing etc which usages shall be graciously rewarded in Heaven if we holily, faithfully and humbly use th
em here anyway. But it is the life we live after salvation that determines making the rapture and Heaven. There shall be some works that are supposed to be rewarded in Heaven but will be unrewarded because the supposed recipients are not there. Holiness therefore remains the key thing. And we have been representing holiness all along with the few scriptures we have referred to.
Therefore, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” – 1 John 3: 1-3. “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” – This is the generation that seeks Him! The generation promised to be rapture!
And still, who are they? They are the men that sigh and cry for the abominations in the altar and pulpits, church and in the world. And consequently, they are the sealed and secured for the deliverance of God; as it is written: “And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” – Ezekiel 9: 4.
The generation that seeks the Lord are the people who fear the Lord, shares God’s burden with one another and with God; and that thought upon the holy Name of God, and so consequently eschew anything evil: anything that reproaches that Name; and with this background they pray for themselves and intercedes for others, which is why the Lord hearkens, heard them and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them and which is finally why they shall be His in that day when He makes up His jewels, and shall spare them as a man spares his own son that serves him. For it is written: “And they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not” – Malachi 3: 16-18. This is the generation that seeks the Lord. And this is their glorious portion eternally when they are manifested as God’s sons.
True Christianity/ Holy Living and Rapture
The entire creation of God is earnestly expecting the manifestation of the sons of God: Those that shall be like Him when He shall appear; those that shall see Him as He is! All men in all ages that had this hope purified their lives. Our age cannot be different. No message can make it secondary or be promoted above it. WITHOUT IT NO MAN SHALL SEE THE LORD – Hebrews 12: 14.
There must always necessarily be a letting go, a purging and an emptying of ourselves; a refining, molding and humbling of us after the Image of God’s dear Son. Those that do are empowered as choice vessels to run with the will of God and finish the race set before us.
John 3:21 says that: “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” A Christian does truth, that is, he says godly things and does godly works and that from a godly or divinely approved heart and not in hypocrisy and not driven by any other consideration other than the will of God, or what Finis Jennings Dake explains as one who actively produces gospel fruit by being a doer of the Word (James 1:22-27; James 2:14-26; Matthew 5:16; Matthew 7:15-20); this man comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God.
The real Christian, as a song writer would say, doesn’t feel at home in this world anymore. Like Paul the apostle by the Spirit would say in Philippians 1:21-24: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.”
The true Christian is glued to Heaven, leaving here as if the trumpet would sound now. He tarries for the coming of the Lord to rapture His own. Why tarrying he has the command to occupy till He comes. And just as you cannot separate holy living from tarrying, you cannot also separate occupation, holy occupation from tarrying. Indeed holy living and holy ‘occupying’ are the two prongs of this tarrying. To tarry is to live holily till He comes to take us home. And to tarry is to occupy approvingly till He comes to take us home to apportion us our rewards. Salvation is the passport and holy living is the visa that takes us to be with God. Holy works (not just works, no matter how seemingly fruitful in the eyes of men) determine who we become when we get there.
Then what? Holy living, more of holy living, and yet more and more until we see our Savior and know Him as we are known. What does it entail? We here convey a most serious matter with sundry allusion to or paraphrases of Scriptures: It means keeping our garments spotless, our bodies without wrinkles; striving to entire in at the strait gate; walking on the narrow path; earnestly contending for the faith; and fighting the good fight of faith. It means seeking first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness; awaking to righteousness and sinning not; seeking the City that has foundation; laying our treasures in Heaven; and taking hold of eternal life. It means condescending to men of low estate; making our moderation known to all men; and fleeing youthful lust and every appearance of evil. It entails being steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord and pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. It has to do with thinking, speaking and doing all things with eternity in view. It asks for tongue taming, for in the mouth are issues of life and death; it requires letting all speech be unto edification and our words being seasoned with salt. It demands living and walking in the Spirit; walking after the Spirit; walking in the Light; walking as children of light; walking in love; and walking worthy of God. It is being the salt of the earth; the light of the world; an example of the believers. Sum: IMAGE OF CHRIST!
