Beliefs
Purpose
The purpose of this church shall be to accomplish the will of the Lord Jesus Christ through the uniting of born-again believers in fellowship faithful to the Word of God, through the preaching of the whole counsel of God, for the glorification of God, for spiritual edification of saints, the winning of lost sinners to Christ, the propagation of the Gospel both at home and abroad, and for the observance of the ordinances.
Statement of Faith
A. The Holy Scriptures:
We believe the Holy Scripture, consisting of the Old and New Testaments only, to be the plenary, verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and that GOD in His singular care and providence has kept it pure throughout all ages and that He has preserved it through the Majority Texts, which He has preserved to us through the Authorized King James Version; and that it is authoritative, infallible and God-breathed; and that it is the only supreme and ultimate authority for faith and practice. (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21; Matt. 5:18; I Cor. 2:10-13; Matt 24:35; John 10:35; John 12:48; Isa. 40:8; Psalm 12:6-7; I Pet. 1:23-25; Psalm 19:7; Psalm 119:89 and 119:160)
B. The Godhead
We believe in one triune God, existing in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternal in Being, identical in essence, equal in power and glory and having the same divine attributes and perfections; yet exercising them in varied offices. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 14:7-12; John 16:7; II Cor. 13:14)
C. The Person and Work of Jesus Christ
1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. (Matt. 1:18-20; John 1:1,2,14,18; Luke 1:35; Phil. 2:6-8)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who receive Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. (Rom. 3:22-26, 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; II Cor. 5:21)
3. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ and that our redemption and salvation is guaranteed to us by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead; in His bodily ascension into heaven; and in His present life there for us as High Priest and Intercessor. (Matt. 28:5,6; 1 Cor. 15:12-20; Acts 1:9-11; Heb. 4:14-16, 9:24-26; 1 John 2:1,2)
4. We believe in “that blessed hope” which is the PERSONAL, VISIBLE, PRETRIBULATIONAL, PREMILLENNIAL and IMMINENT return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (I Cor. 15:51-53; 1 Thess. 4:14-17; Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:2-3)
D. The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal, pretribulational imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His own, the church, and His subsequent personal, premillennial return visibly to the earth to establish His kingdom and to reign for a millennium over the entire earth from the throne of David. (II Sam. 7:12-16; Zech. 14:4-11; Luke 1:30-33; Acts 15:14-18; I Thess. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:51-52; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:6)
E. The Personality of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal with the Father and the Son and of the same essence and nature; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; bears witness to the truth; is the agent of the new birth; and that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer; that He baptized them into the body of Christ, indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon each one, and fills for service those yielded to Him. We believe that certain of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Church such as apostleship, prophecy, and tongues were temporary, were needed only in the infancy of the church and are not to be expected today. We believe that the Holy Spirit testifies concerning Jesus Christ and never leads any person, at any time, contrary to the teaching of the Bible. (John 3:8; 14:16; 15:26-27; 16:7-15; Acts 5:1-4; I Cor. 12:4-13; I Cor. 13:8-11; Eph. 4:30; 5:18)
F. The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God; and that all mankind have inherited a sinful nature, became willful sinners with the first expression of personal choice, are totally unable to regain their former position, and are without excuse before God. (Gen. 1:26; 3:1-24; Rom. 3:10-12, 23; 5:12, 1:20; Eph. 2:1-6,12; Gen. 6:5; Jer.17:9; Isa.64:6)
G. Salvation, Regeneration, Eternal Security of the Believer
1. We believe that salvation is a gift of God brought to men by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is solely through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins and, being a gift, is not earned by any good works whatsoever. All those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are regenerated and become sons of God. (Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9; I John 2:2; Tit. 3:5-7)
2. We believe that the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that change in a person by the Holy Spirit by which a new nature and spiritual life, not before possessed, are imparted, and the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus; and without it salvation is impossible. The new birth is our dead spirit being made alive. (John 3:3-6; II Cor. 5:17; I Peter 1:23; Titus 3:5)
3. We believe that the salvation of every believer is secure for all eternity from the moment of regeneration. This security is guaranteed to each believer by the fact that the life received is eternal life, by the keeping power of God, by the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit, and by the interceding ministry of Christ. (John 5:24; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1,29-30,38-39; II Cor. 1:22; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 7:25)
H. Sanctification
We believe that immediate, positional sanctification is that act of God whereby believers are, at the time of regeneration, eternally set apart as belonging to Him by redemption, thereby being placed in the family of God as children, joint heirs with Jesus Christ. (I John 3:1; Rom. 8:14-17; 1 Cor. 1:2; Heb. 10:10-14)
We believe that progressive sanctification is the process by which, according to God’s will, we are made partakers of His holiness that it is progressive; that it is begun in regeneration; that it progresses if the believer is yielded to the Holy Spirit’s control; that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, self-examination, watchfulness and prayer. (I Thess. 4:3; 5:23; Prov. 4:18; I John 2:29; Phil. 2:12-13; Eph. 6:18; John 17:17)
We believe that ultimate sanctification will be the portion of every believer when finally in the presence of the Lord, complete and entire, with soul and spirit united in the resurrected body free from every trace or effect of sin and rebellion. (I John 3:2; I Cor. 15:52-54; Eph. 4:30; Phil. 3:20-21)
I. Separation
We believe in the Biblical doctrine of separation which encompasses three things;
1. Separation of the local church from all affiliation and fellowship with those who deny the verities of the “faith once delivered to the saints;”
2. Separation of the individual believer from all worldly practices that may dishonor the Savior;
3. Separation of church and state.
(II Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John 1:9-11; II Cor. 6:11, 7:1)
We believe in total and complete separation as taught in the Word of God from all forms of heresy and ecclesiastical apostasy. We believe the scripture teaches that we are to: Try them (I John 4:1); Mark them (Rom. 16:17); Rebuke them (Titus 1:13); Have no fellowship (Eph. 5:11); Withdraw ourselves (II Thess. 3:6); Receive them not (II John 1:10-11); Have no company with them (II Thess. 3:14); Reject them (Titus 3:10); Separate ourselves (II Cor. 6:17).
We believe this must also include separation from those that claim to be fundamental, yet in practice are cooperating and aligning themselves with those who do not hold to the truth. (Rom. 16:17)
J. The Eternal State
We believe that the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming when spirit and soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory; but, that the spirits, and souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery unto the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the millennium, when spirit, soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43,46; Acts 7:49; I Cor. 15:54-57; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; II Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 14:9-14; 20:11-15; I Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 12:23)
K. The Local Church
We believe in the local church, that each local church is a visible expression of the Body of Christ and is a congregation of believers in Jesus Christ, immersed upon a credible confession of faith, and associated together by covenant for worship, evangelism, and observance of the ordinances and fellowship. We believe that the local church is the center of God’s program for this age, and that every Christian is bound by Scripture to give his unhindered cooperation to the program of his local church. (Acts 2:41-47; 14:27; 20:17; I Tim. 3:1-16; Titus 1:5-11; I Cor. 3:10-17; 5:1-5;11:2)
We believe no appeal to a so-called invisible, universal church can now be possible for our present responsibilities. We believe that a body is presently forming and will one day, in the future, meet in glory as a functioning church without spot or blemish. (Eph. 5:25-27)
L. The Church Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus instituted two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to be observed by all believers until His return.
We believe in obedience to the command of believer’s baptism by immersion in water, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to show forth by solemn and beautiful symbolism, the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, and that it is a Scriptural prerequisite to church membership. (Matt. 23:19; Acts 8:36; Rom. 6:3-6; I Pet. 3:21; Acts 2:38-41; Acts 18:8; Col. 2:12)
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine, as symbols of Christ’s body and blood, commemorating His suffering and death for us and our continual benefit there from; that participation should be limited to those who have united to the local church by baptism and testimony, or to those who are baptized members of churches of like faith and practice, and that participation should be preceded by careful self-examination. (I Cor. 11:23-32; 5:1-5; Matt. 18:15-17; Luke 22:14-20)
M. The Great Commission
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned the local Church to take the Gospel to the world, and that evangelism at home and abroad should be carried out through the local church. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8)
N. The Responsiblity of the Believers
We believe that all believers should seek to walk by the Spirit, not bringing reproach upon their Lord and Savior, exercising Christian liberty regulated by love, separated from worldly pleasures and practices, separated from organizational association with apostate groups. (Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 5:16; II Cor. 6:14; 7:1; I Cor. 8:1-13)
We believe that it is the responsibility of all believers to witness by life and by work to the truths of the Holy Scriptures and to assume responsibility for the propagation of the gospel to all the world. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20)
We believe that it is the responsibility of all believers to remember the work of the local church and its extension ministries in prayer, to support it with their tithes and offerings as the Lord prospers them, to participate in all the regular services of the Church as the Lord enables, and to voluntarily submit to the watch care and discipline of the local church. (Col. 3:16; I Cor. 16:2; Heb. 10:19-25; 3:12-14)
O. Creation
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, “Each after its own kind,” by direct act, and not by any process of evolution and that the days of creation in Genesis Chapter 1 were solar, that is, twenty-four hour days. (Gen. 1,2; Col. 1:16- 17; John 1:3; Ex. 20:9,11; 31:17)
P. Future Events
We believe the scriptures teach that at death the spirit and soul of the believer pass instantly into the presence of Christ and remain in conscious joy until the resurrection of the body when Christ (II Cor. 5:8) comes for His own (I Cor. 15:51-57); the blessed hope of the believer is the imminent, personal, pretribulation, premillennial appearance of Christ to rapture the church, (Titus 2:13; I Thess. 4:14-17) His bride; His righteous judgments will then be poured out on an unbelieving world during the Tribulation (the seventieth week of Daniel), the last half of which is the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21); the climax of this fearful era will be the physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth in great glory to introduce the Davidic kingdom (Rev. 19:11-16); Israel will be saved and restored as a nation (Rom. 11:26-27); Satan will be bound and the curse will be lifted from the physical creation (Rev. 20:2-3); following the millennium Satan will be loosed for a little season and draw away a crowd who will follow him to stand before the Great White Throne judgment, at which time the bodies and souls of the wicked shall be reunited and cast into the Lake of Fire. (Rev. 20:11-15)
The purpose of this church shall be to accomplish the will of the Lord Jesus Christ through the uniting of born-again believers in fellowship faithful to the Word of God, through the preaching of the whole counsel of God, for the glorification of God, for spiritual edification of saints, the winning of lost sinners to Christ, the propagation of the Gospel both at home and abroad, and for the observance of the ordinances.
Statement of Faith
A. The Holy Scriptures:
We believe the Holy Scripture, consisting of the Old and New Testaments only, to be the plenary, verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and that GOD in His singular care and providence has kept it pure throughout all ages and that He has preserved it through the Majority Texts, which He has preserved to us through the Authorized King James Version; and that it is authoritative, infallible and God-breathed; and that it is the only supreme and ultimate authority for faith and practice. (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21; Matt. 5:18; I Cor. 2:10-13; Matt 24:35; John 10:35; John 12:48; Isa. 40:8; Psalm 12:6-7; I Pet. 1:23-25; Psalm 19:7; Psalm 119:89 and 119:160)
B. The Godhead
We believe in one triune God, existing in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternal in Being, identical in essence, equal in power and glory and having the same divine attributes and perfections; yet exercising them in varied offices. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 14:7-12; John 16:7; II Cor. 13:14)
C. The Person and Work of Jesus Christ
1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. (Matt. 1:18-20; John 1:1,2,14,18; Luke 1:35; Phil. 2:6-8)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who receive Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. (Rom. 3:22-26, 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; II Cor. 5:21)
3. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ and that our redemption and salvation is guaranteed to us by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead; in His bodily ascension into heaven; and in His present life there for us as High Priest and Intercessor. (Matt. 28:5,6; 1 Cor. 15:12-20; Acts 1:9-11; Heb. 4:14-16, 9:24-26; 1 John 2:1,2)
4. We believe in “that blessed hope” which is the PERSONAL, VISIBLE, PRETRIBULATIONAL, PREMILLENNIAL and IMMINENT return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (I Cor. 15:51-53; 1 Thess. 4:14-17; Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:2-3)
D. The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal, pretribulational imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His own, the church, and His subsequent personal, premillennial return visibly to the earth to establish His kingdom and to reign for a millennium over the entire earth from the throne of David. (II Sam. 7:12-16; Zech. 14:4-11; Luke 1:30-33; Acts 15:14-18; I Thess. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:51-52; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:6)
E. The Personality of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal with the Father and the Son and of the same essence and nature; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; bears witness to the truth; is the agent of the new birth; and that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer; that He baptized them into the body of Christ, indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon each one, and fills for service those yielded to Him. We believe that certain of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Church such as apostleship, prophecy, and tongues were temporary, were needed only in the infancy of the church and are not to be expected today. We believe that the Holy Spirit testifies concerning Jesus Christ and never leads any person, at any time, contrary to the teaching of the Bible. (John 3:8; 14:16; 15:26-27; 16:7-15; Acts 5:1-4; I Cor. 12:4-13; I Cor. 13:8-11; Eph. 4:30; 5:18)
F. The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God; and that all mankind have inherited a sinful nature, became willful sinners with the first expression of personal choice, are totally unable to regain their former position, and are without excuse before God. (Gen. 1:26; 3:1-24; Rom. 3:10-12, 23; 5:12, 1:20; Eph. 2:1-6,12; Gen. 6:5; Jer.17:9; Isa.64:6)
G. Salvation, Regeneration, Eternal Security of the Believer
1. We believe that salvation is a gift of God brought to men by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is solely through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins and, being a gift, is not earned by any good works whatsoever. All those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are regenerated and become sons of God. (Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9; I John 2:2; Tit. 3:5-7)
2. We believe that the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that change in a person by the Holy Spirit by which a new nature and spiritual life, not before possessed, are imparted, and the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus; and without it salvation is impossible. The new birth is our dead spirit being made alive. (John 3:3-6; II Cor. 5:17; I Peter 1:23; Titus 3:5)
3. We believe that the salvation of every believer is secure for all eternity from the moment of regeneration. This security is guaranteed to each believer by the fact that the life received is eternal life, by the keeping power of God, by the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit, and by the interceding ministry of Christ. (John 5:24; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1,29-30,38-39; II Cor. 1:22; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 7:25)
H. Sanctification
We believe that immediate, positional sanctification is that act of God whereby believers are, at the time of regeneration, eternally set apart as belonging to Him by redemption, thereby being placed in the family of God as children, joint heirs with Jesus Christ. (I John 3:1; Rom. 8:14-17; 1 Cor. 1:2; Heb. 10:10-14)
We believe that progressive sanctification is the process by which, according to God’s will, we are made partakers of His holiness that it is progressive; that it is begun in regeneration; that it progresses if the believer is yielded to the Holy Spirit’s control; that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, self-examination, watchfulness and prayer. (I Thess. 4:3; 5:23; Prov. 4:18; I John 2:29; Phil. 2:12-13; Eph. 6:18; John 17:17)
We believe that ultimate sanctification will be the portion of every believer when finally in the presence of the Lord, complete and entire, with soul and spirit united in the resurrected body free from every trace or effect of sin and rebellion. (I John 3:2; I Cor. 15:52-54; Eph. 4:30; Phil. 3:20-21)
I. Separation
We believe in the Biblical doctrine of separation which encompasses three things;
1. Separation of the local church from all affiliation and fellowship with those who deny the verities of the “faith once delivered to the saints;”
2. Separation of the individual believer from all worldly practices that may dishonor the Savior;
3. Separation of church and state.
(II Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; I John 2:15-17; II John 1:9-11; II Cor. 6:11, 7:1)
We believe in total and complete separation as taught in the Word of God from all forms of heresy and ecclesiastical apostasy. We believe the scripture teaches that we are to: Try them (I John 4:1); Mark them (Rom. 16:17); Rebuke them (Titus 1:13); Have no fellowship (Eph. 5:11); Withdraw ourselves (II Thess. 3:6); Receive them not (II John 1:10-11); Have no company with them (II Thess. 3:14); Reject them (Titus 3:10); Separate ourselves (II Cor. 6:17).
We believe this must also include separation from those that claim to be fundamental, yet in practice are cooperating and aligning themselves with those who do not hold to the truth. (Rom. 16:17)
J. The Eternal State
We believe that the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming when spirit and soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory; but, that the spirits, and souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery unto the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the millennium, when spirit, soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43,46; Acts 7:49; I Cor. 15:54-57; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; II Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 14:9-14; 20:11-15; I Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 12:23)
K. The Local Church
We believe in the local church, that each local church is a visible expression of the Body of Christ and is a congregation of believers in Jesus Christ, immersed upon a credible confession of faith, and associated together by covenant for worship, evangelism, and observance of the ordinances and fellowship. We believe that the local church is the center of God’s program for this age, and that every Christian is bound by Scripture to give his unhindered cooperation to the program of his local church. (Acts 2:41-47; 14:27; 20:17; I Tim. 3:1-16; Titus 1:5-11; I Cor. 3:10-17; 5:1-5;11:2)
We believe no appeal to a so-called invisible, universal church can now be possible for our present responsibilities. We believe that a body is presently forming and will one day, in the future, meet in glory as a functioning church without spot or blemish. (Eph. 5:25-27)
L. The Church Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus instituted two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to be observed by all believers until His return.
We believe in obedience to the command of believer’s baptism by immersion in water, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to show forth by solemn and beautiful symbolism, the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, and that it is a Scriptural prerequisite to church membership. (Matt. 23:19; Acts 8:36; Rom. 6:3-6; I Pet. 3:21; Acts 2:38-41; Acts 18:8; Col. 2:12)
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine, as symbols of Christ’s body and blood, commemorating His suffering and death for us and our continual benefit there from; that participation should be limited to those who have united to the local church by baptism and testimony, or to those who are baptized members of churches of like faith and practice, and that participation should be preceded by careful self-examination. (I Cor. 11:23-32; 5:1-5; Matt. 18:15-17; Luke 22:14-20)
M. The Great Commission
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned the local Church to take the Gospel to the world, and that evangelism at home and abroad should be carried out through the local church. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8)
N. The Responsiblity of the Believers
We believe that all believers should seek to walk by the Spirit, not bringing reproach upon their Lord and Savior, exercising Christian liberty regulated by love, separated from worldly pleasures and practices, separated from organizational association with apostate groups. (Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 5:16; II Cor. 6:14; 7:1; I Cor. 8:1-13)
We believe that it is the responsibility of all believers to witness by life and by work to the truths of the Holy Scriptures and to assume responsibility for the propagation of the gospel to all the world. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20)
We believe that it is the responsibility of all believers to remember the work of the local church and its extension ministries in prayer, to support it with their tithes and offerings as the Lord prospers them, to participate in all the regular services of the Church as the Lord enables, and to voluntarily submit to the watch care and discipline of the local church. (Col. 3:16; I Cor. 16:2; Heb. 10:19-25; 3:12-14)
O. Creation
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, “Each after its own kind,” by direct act, and not by any process of evolution and that the days of creation in Genesis Chapter 1 were solar, that is, twenty-four hour days. (Gen. 1,2; Col. 1:16- 17; John 1:3; Ex. 20:9,11; 31:17)
P. Future Events
We believe the scriptures teach that at death the spirit and soul of the believer pass instantly into the presence of Christ and remain in conscious joy until the resurrection of the body when Christ (II Cor. 5:8) comes for His own (I Cor. 15:51-57); the blessed hope of the believer is the imminent, personal, pretribulation, premillennial appearance of Christ to rapture the church, (Titus 2:13; I Thess. 4:14-17) His bride; His righteous judgments will then be poured out on an unbelieving world during the Tribulation (the seventieth week of Daniel), the last half of which is the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21); the climax of this fearful era will be the physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth in great glory to introduce the Davidic kingdom (Rev. 19:11-16); Israel will be saved and restored as a nation (Rom. 11:26-27); Satan will be bound and the curse will be lifted from the physical creation (Rev. 20:2-3); following the millennium Satan will be loosed for a little season and draw away a crowd who will follow him to stand before the Great White Throne judgment, at which time the bodies and souls of the wicked shall be reunited and cast into the Lake of Fire. (Rev. 20:11-15)