Then  we  shall  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air,  and  so  shall  we
ever  be  with  the  Lord.  This  coming  of  the  Lord  for
his  saints  is  the  blessed  Hope,  the  Hope  of  the  Church,
our  Hope.
We  are  to  occupy  ourselves  next  with  the  question,
who,  when  the  hour  arrives,  will  be  caught  up  to  meet  the
Lord  in  the  air.  Will  all  true  Christians  be  caught  up

45


46  STUDIES   IN   PROPHECY

or  only  a  few?  This  is  an  important  question,  important
because  that  blessed  event  may  come  at  any  time.
There  is,  in  our  days,  a  decided  increase  of  teachers
who  teach  what  has  been  termed  a  "partial  rapture."
According  to  some  of  these  teachings  only  those  who
believe  that  the  Lord  is  coming,  and  who  wait  for  His
coming,  who  have  a  correct  knowledge  of  His  Second
Coming,  will  be  taken,  and  others  who  had  not  light
on  dispensational  teachings,  but  were  equally  sincere,
will  be  left  to  pass  through  the  tribulation.  Others
again  declare  that  only  those  will  be  caught  up  who
attained  to  a  certain  spirituality.  What  is  termed
"a  higher  life  experience"  is,  according  to  these,
necessary  to  share  in  the  rapture.  Only  "consecrated"
Christians  will  be  taken  up  who  are  loosened  from
earthly  things.  This  teaching  is  found  mostly  among
Christian  believers,  who  are  much  occupied  with  them
selves,  their  experiences,  and  who  do  not  know  the
blessed  position  the  believer  holds  through  grace  in
Christ.  Then  there  are  numerous  groups  of  people,
some  of  them  perfectionists,  who  are  scattered  from
Maine  to  California,  from  North  to  South  and  who
claim  that  only  the  144,000  will  be  caught  up,  and  that
those  who  hold  these  teachings,  or,  possess  their
peculiar  experience,  will  belong  to  that  company.
