Next we will examine doctrine contained within the Jewish epistles in order to determine whether or not this doctrine applies to those in the Body of Christ. Pastor Sadler correctly understands that only those in the Body of Christ will be caught up at the rapture:

"The 'secret' resurrection that will take place at the Rapture should never be confused with the 'first' resurrection at the Second Coming of Christ. Those who rightly divide the Word of truth now see that only the members of the Body of Christ will be raised at the Rapture" (Sadler, Exploring the Unsearchable Riches of Christ [Stephens Point, WI: Worzallaublishing Co., 1993], p.167).

The following demonstrates that those who received the Jewish epistles were taught that they too would be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and at that time they would put on a glorious body like the Lord's glorious body.

In the following verses Paul recounts what the Lord Jesus told Him on the Damascus road:

"Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me" (Acts 26:18).

The only people who were "sancitified" before Paul was converted on the Damascus road were the Jewish believers. Therefore common sense dictates that the Gentile believers were to share the same inheritance of the Jewish believers who preceded Paul. Here Paul says the same thing to the Gentile believers of Ephesus:

"And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified" (Acts 20:32).

The following words of Paul define this shared inheritance:

"...after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Eph.1:13-14).

The Holy Spirit is given as the earnest of the Christian's "inheritance," and the Christian will inherit the purchased possession on the "day of redemption":

"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph.4:30).

The "day of redemption" is in regard to the "redemption of our body":

"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" (Ro.8:23).

Peter also speaks of an "inheritance" and we can understand that the inheritance of which he refers to is in regard to the new, glorious body which the Christian will inherit at the rapture:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet.1:3-4).

Peter tells the Jewish believer that his inheritance is "resereved in heaven for you," and it is the Christian's new, glorious body that is reserved in heaven:

"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel" (Col.1:3-5).

Paul describes the glorious body which the Christian will put on as "our house which is from heaven":

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven" (2 Cor.5:1-2).

Peter also uses the word "hope" to refer to the inheritance:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet.1:3-4).

This "hope" is referring to the glorious body the Christian will put on at the rapture, and that is the same "blessed hope" referred to here by Paul:

"Awaiting our blessed hope, and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).

This "blessed hope" is the same "hope" which Paul refers to in the following verse:

"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel" (Col.1:3-5).

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