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thereof, will be achieved by our works (Rev. 22 v.12). "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me to give every man according as His work shall be." A careless rendering of these parables, by many qualified Biblical scholars, has led some to erroneously equate the five foolish virgins as being the unsaved, and the five wise as being the saved. However, the Bible never once refers to the unsaved as virgins. The church though, is called the "chaste virgin" espoused to the Lord (2 Cor. 11 v. 2). We alone are waiting for our heavenly bridegroom. (The unsaved are certainly not waiting for Him, nor will they even desire His coming). Those who believe, (and are ready) will be Raptured, while those who neglected to properly prepare themselves will be left behind so they may "wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Rev. 7 v. 14) For their garments were "spotted by the flesh." (Jude 23) However, all Christians who are left behind, "and remain" will be Raptured 3 1/2 years later, (along with the two witnesses) in accordance with Paul's teaching in (1 Thes. 4 vs. 15-17) (We will explain this in greater detail later).
(1 Cor 3 vs. 12-15) states: "Now if any man build upon this foundation; gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;" Every man's works shall be manifest: for the day (speaking of Christ's first return) shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he has built thereupon he shall receive a reward. If any man's works shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he Himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
What this means is that Christ will come as our Judge to weigh our works; those conceived in our own egocentric religious minds (the flesh and soul realm) will be rejected and burned; those accomplished in direct obedience to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, will be accepted and rewarded. The former are wood, hay and stubble and represent works presumptuously performed out of our own religious zeal and counsel. (This is the sacrifice of Cain): The latter are those works born, led and ordained by God's Holy Spirit Himself, and are thus acceptable to Him as gold, silver and precious stones. (This is the sacrifice of Abel.)
Jesus said "that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit" (John 3 v. 6). Also in John (6 v. 63) He reiterates; "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing."
This distinction between what is of the flesh and soul realm, and what is of the Holy Spirit, is possibly one of the most important divisions to understand in scripture. For we can serve God using our carnal minds (that which we are born with) or we can learn to serve Him by following the leading of the Holy Spirit (by yielding to Him through prayer, study, etc.)
Consider God as the Commander in Chief of a great army; as our Leader, He has specific battle plans and tasks He desires to communicate to each of us -- our usefulness to Him, therefore, hinges upon our being able to wait upon His orders, to hear from Him, and then to act upon His revelations. As we mentioned earlier Saul was rejected as King over Israel simply because he moved ahead of God and was disobedient -- David on the other hand (though committing far greater sins) sought the Lord's guidance before he moved into battle and repented when necessary; He was called "a man after God's own heart." Prayer and waiting are the part and parcel of the Christian experience, without
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