August 19, 2026 | www.gospelofjesuschrist.blog | River Wilde
With the rapture being “Weeks Away,” a person’s focus DOES NOT NEED TO BE: Which church do I need to belong to? NOR does it need to be, “Are all the teachings of my church true or false? There is ONLY one thing that matters right now.
You NEED to ask yourself the Question, “Have I Been Born Again as Taught in the New Testament, by Jesus Christ?
Why is this important, relating to the rapture? Let’s learn through the teachings of Christ and His apostles.
One of the strongest ways to understand who is taken in the Rapture is Paul’s repeated phrase “in Christ.” When we compare that phrase with the rest of the KJV, it points directly to those who have been born again through faith in Jesus Christ.
The key Rapture passage
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:
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.”
Notice Paul’s qualification: “the dead IN CHRIST.”
The promise isn’t simply made to everyone who has died, or everyone who belongs to a religion. Paul identifies these people by their spiritual position: they are “in Christ.”
How does someone become “in Christ”?
Paul gives us an especially important answer:
2 Corinthians 5:17 — KJV
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
That language closely parallels what Jesus called being “born again.”
John 3:3 — KJV
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
And Jesus explains that this is a spiritual birth:
John 3:6–7 — KJV
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
So, there is a powerful connection:
Born again → born of the Spirit → a new creature → “in Christ.”
Being “born again” is not the same thing as being baptized in water as some churches teach. Jesus explained exactly what He meant when He said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 KJV).
Being born again is a spiritual birth—being made alive through faith in Jesus Christ—not the physical act of entering water.
We also have been taught that salvation itself is “by grace…through faith…not of works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Water baptism is an important outward testimony of faith and obedience to Christ, but the water itself does not produce the new birth. A person is born again by the Spirit through faith in Christ, and baptism follows as an outward expression of that faith.
So if you thought that Baptism was your “Born Again” experience, YOU MAY NOT PREPARED, nor be included in the Rapture.
Let’s keep learning about this “Requirement.”
Paul makes the connection even clearer
Romans 8:9 — KJV
“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
And:
1 Corinthians 12:13 — KJV
“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body…”
This is not talking about joining a particular earthly denomination. The Holy Spirit places believers into the body of Christ.
Paul then says:
1 Corinthians 12:27 — KJV
“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
This helps explain why the Rapture is described as the gathering of those who are “in Christ.”
And how are we saved? Is it through a church, or temple?
Ephesians 2:8–9 — KJV
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Romans 10:9 — KJV
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
This produces a very clear Scriptural chain:
Believe in Jesus Christ → saved by grace → born of the Spirit → born again → new creature → “in Christ” → belongs to the body of Christ.
And then comes the Rapture:
“the dead IN CHRIST shall rise first.”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:16
This is why I think “in Christ” is such an important phrase in understanding the Rapture. The biblical emphasis is not merely, “Are you religious?” or even “Do you call yourself a Christian?” The deeper question is:
Have you personally placed your faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work, been born again, and therefore become “in Christ”?
I must tell you that a person does not need to have a perfect understanding of all of the doctrine contained in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be Raptured, for that is NOT a requirement to be taken.
A person does NOT need to even believe in the rapture, nor do they need to know when it will occur. All a person needs to do to ensure that they will be rescued from the Seven-Year Tribulation Period that will soon start is to be “in Christ,” as defined in the Rapture scripture teachings.
When the rapture occurs, God will find you!
God will not need to “search” the earth to find those who belong to Jesus Christ at the Rapture because He already knows exactly who are His:
“The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2 Timothy 2:19 KJV).
The moment a person genuinely believes the gospel and trusts Jesus Christ for salvation, Scripture says that person is “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13) and “sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
Jesus Himself said of His sheep, “I know them” (John 10:27), so when the trumpet sounds, God will not be determining who attended the right church, performed enough works, or completed certain religious ordinances—He will gather those who are already “in Christ.” Whether they are sleeping, working, driving, or anywhere else on earth, every person who truly belongs to Christ is known by Him, sealed by His Spirit, and not one of His will be overlooked or accidentally left behind.
Let me share something else that might be helpful in understand the “born again“ process.
Jesus Christ completed His atoning sacrifice for all men. But because of our free agency, did you know that a person must CHOOSE to receive the GIFT of His atonement? We do this through having Faith in Him and His atonement, which then gives us this spiritual rebirth.
So, there very well could be people who have been “born again” as explained in the New Testament, but do not identify with this specific language of being “born again.”
I can safely state that if you have the HOLY Ghost within you, YOU have Been Born Again!!!
The Holy Ghost is not given to anyone through the laying on of hands, as it was when Jesus Christ was on the earth, for it is not bestowed by man, NOR handed down priesthood. It is bestowed directly by God to all of those the MOMENT that they have had this spiritual rebirth.
The KJV presents a powerful change under the New Covenant: God does not dwell in man-made temples; His Spirit dwells within those who belong to Christ. Paul states plainly,
“God that made the world and all things therein…dwelleth not in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24),
and again,
“the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands” (Acts 7:48).
Instead, believers themselves become God’s temple:
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Paul makes this personal in Romans 8:9: “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” When a person is born again—“born of the Spirit” (John 3:6)—God’s Spirit dwells within that believer.
This is why Paul could say, “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Under the gospel of Jesus Christ, therefore, we do not need to enter a man-made temple to find the presence of God; through Christ, the born-again believer has become the temple, and the Holy Spirit dwells within them.
Now, if these teachings from Jesus Christ are new to you is new to you, there is a very high probability that you have been deceived by a false teacher, as was MY case. We were warned that this would be a possibility in the last days:
Matthew 24:24 — KJV
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Yes, that warning was specifically for ME, who was at the time following a “false prophet.”
So, the BEST way forward is simple.
Psalm 118:8 — KJV
“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Let God be the final authority. Not a spiritual leader, and NOT even me.
But as QUICKLY as possible, make sure that you are “in Christ” as taught in the New Testament. If not, do it RIGHT NOW! Accept Jesus Christ and His Atonement into your life and have FAITH in both of those things. When your faith is genuine, God will IMMEDIATELY give you this spiritual rebirth.
So, who will be left behind? The answer is again quite simple. Those who are not “in Christ” will be left behind to have to face the Seven-Year Tribulation Period that God has planned.
So, what if you really don’t believe any of this?
If this is the case you will soon see all children as well as many adults disappear from the face of the earth. This is the RAPTURE. World leaders will explain it away using something else like perhaps an “alien invasion.”
A seven-year peace agreement will be signed bringing peace to Israel and surrounding countries, allowing a new temple to be build by the Jewish people in Israel, likely on the “temple mount” spot.
A new world leader, the antichrist, will rise onto the world stage and bring a “false peace” to the world. He will be LOVED by all, for he will be very charismatic, and dynamic. He will be joined by a false prophet who will even perform miracles. They will establish a one world government as well as One Religion.
3.5 years into this period of time, the antichrist will enter the temple just built and will declare that he is god, and demand worship from the entire world. He will present what is referred to in the bible as the “mark of the beast,”
Revelation 13:16–17:
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
A person will not be able to function in society without taking this mark. And, this is where is get tremendously dangerous to a person’s entire salvation. When a person takes the mark of the beast, they are devoting their entire worship, and service forever to this “False God,” the Antichrist who is claiming that he is god.
Something to note here, for all of you unbelievers.
Revelation gives an exceptionally severe warning about knowingly receiving the Mark of the Beast and worshipping the Beast. The KJV does not describe a later opportunity for repentance for those identified this way; instead, it describes their judgment in absolute terms.
Revelation 14:9–11 — KJV
“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God… and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
Later, Revelation 16:2 describes God’s judgment falling upon those “which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.” And Revelation 19:20 says those who “received the mark of the beast” were among those deceived by the false prophet.
Taken together, these passages give no stated second chance after a person receives the Mark in allegiance to the Beast. This is why Revelation’s warning is so serious: do not worship the Beast, do not worship his image, and do not receive his mark. By contrast, Revelation describes believers who refuse the Beast—even at the cost of their lives—as ultimately victorious (Revelation 20:4).
The seven-year period ends with all mankind either being killed, or being changed into their perfect glorified bodies. My point here is that this earth, as well as ALL who dwell on it will be gone at the end of the seven-year tribulation period. Factor that truth into your daily schedule.
All of this plan was given by God to His Prophets, and recorded in the bible thousands of years ago. But interestingly enough, many choose not to even take the time to learn what is coming. That too was something that God also told us would happen:
Matthew 24:37–39 — KJV
“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
The striking point is that life appeared to be continuing normally—eating, drinking, marrying—while judgment was approaching. Noah had been warned by God and acted in faith, while the surrounding world continued without recognizing what was coming.
In my studies, I have learned that truth is not influenced by popularity. It does not matter what I believe, nor does it matter what YOU believe either. The TRUTH will carry on, JUST as GOD has PLANNED IT!
There will not be a “heaven” for each certain religion. I can confidently state that there will indeed not even be a “religion” when we die. We will all carry on under the direction and leadership of Jesus Christ, and will proceed in the plan that God has for all of us when we are no longer here. I AM GRATEFUL to had had a chance to peek at what that plan is, because it is all recorded in the bible. The Wedding feast of Christ. The Judgment Seat of Christ. The Crowns of Glory. The time that all who belong to Christ will ride with Him onto the earth to defeat evil at the Battle of Armageddon. The 1,000-year millennial period. The Great White Thorne Judgment, and the casting of those not written in the book of Life, into the LAKE of FIRE.
And most importantly, as it states in the scripture teaching about the rapture:
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:
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.”
I KNOW that from the moment that I am raptured, I will ALWAYS be with the LORD…ALWAYS! Wherever He goes, I will be with Him.
So, what about you? What do you know? =)
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