Will God Destroy Smokers? Follow Up

Q

Re: Will God Destroy Smokers. Are you saying that if a born again believer dies due to lung cancer caused by smoking, he will be included in the rapture as it has been written that the dead in Christ will rise first at the time of rapture? Will it be the same with those people who claimed to be born again dying because of being a drug addict? Will they be included in the rapture? How can those people who claimed to be truly born again believers still be included in the rapture despite the fact that the cause of their death is their vices, such as smoking, etc? Might they be continuing their vices because they are being encouraged by your view, even if they don’t quit? Please give a clearer explanation of the matter.

A

There’s not a single verse in the New Testament that when taken in context makes inclusion in the rapture conditional upon our behavior. You have singled out smokers and drug users, but you can’t condemn people for the vices you don’t like and ignore the others.

As I said, if your opinion is correct you would have to include drinkers, overeaters, people who can’t control their anger, or don’t exercise, or subject themselves to too much stress, or eat too much junk food, or intentionally work in hazardous conditions, or take unnecessary risks in their recreational pursuits, and all others who do things that can adversely affect their health. We’re either saved by grace or we’re not.