Wednesday, August 30, 2023

THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU





True believers in Jesus are now gone. The Church is no longer on the earth. The worst time in human history is coming. Yet now is not the time to despair. There is still hope for all of those who will humbly choose to believe in Jesus Christ. If you are still breathing and able to read this, it is not too late. Let today be the day of your salvation. What is most important now is that you act quickly, both for yourself and your family, friends, and neighbors.

Important passages in the Bible that will help guide you through the looming Tribulation can be found in Matthew 24–25, Mark 13, Luke 17, Luke 21, Daniel 7–12, and the entire Book of Revelation.

While salvation is by grace ALONE through faith ALONE in Christ ALONE in every generation, there are two actions you can take during the seven-year Tribulation period that will disqualify you from placing your faith in Christ and disqualify you from the possibility of salvation:

1. Taking the Mark of the Beast. This is some sort of stamp, tattoo, QR Code, microchip, vaccine, or invisible ink mark that is given in the RIGHT HAND or FOREHEAD. Read Revelation 13:16–18:

He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.

2. Worshiping the Beast. It is not sufficient to refuse the Mark. You must also refuse to worship ANYONE or ANYTHING besides God. Worship God alone, and His Son Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh. The Beast of Revelation 13 is the coming world ruler / dictator who will consolidate power; he will have full reign over the earth three and a half years into the Tribulation. The Bible also calls him the Antichrist and Man of Lawlessness. Here is what Revelation 14:9–13 says:

Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”

This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

Refusing the Mark and refusing to worship the Beast will keep you savable, but these will not, by themselves, save you. To be saved YOU MUST PLACE YOUR FAITH IN THE MESSIAH JESUS, called the Christ, who died for your sins on the Cross almost 2,000 years ago and then rose physically from the dead. This Good News of His sacrificial death and resurrection was foretold throughout the Old Testament (e.g., Gen. 3:15; Ps. 22; Isa. 53) and is described in each of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). You can also read about the importance of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15.

God graciously offered His Son to save people from their sins. Tragically, most people have refused the free gift of salvation, refusing to be adopted into God's family. Because of your own refusal, you will not be spared from the seven-year Tribulation period; however, you can still be saved from the far worse consequence of eternal destruction if you will finally humble yourself, placing your faith in Jesus Christ.

Have faith, have courage, and gird your loins like a man. In the short-term, your faithfulness to God will mean your death at the hands of a wicked world bent on destroying God's people. Yet you will be immediately in the presence of God under His holy altar in Heaven:

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them. (Revelation 6:9–11, NLT).

And at the end of the Tribulation, you will be resurrected into a perfect, immortal body NEVER TO DIE AGAIN:

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar,

“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
    and from the Lamb!”

. . . 

Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”

And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”

Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the Great Tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

“That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
    and serve him day and night in his Temple.
And he who sits on the throne
    will give them shelter.
They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
    they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
For the Lamb on the throne
    will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
    And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
(Revelation 7:9–10, 13–17, NLT)

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4–6, NLT)

Believe the Good News of Jesus! Trust in God's Son! Now is the time for courage and patience. You must endure this short, momentary affliction, but what lies just beyond it is eternity with God. God loves you; He died for you. You can trust Him through this time.

In the story of Jacob and Esau, we see that Jacob had his sights set on what really mattered—the birthright and primary inheritance from his father Isaac. This originally belonged to Esau, but Esau, who who famished and weak from an expedition, gave up his birthright for a single bowl of stew. Imagine that—giving up the entire future of your life for a single meal!

Yet this is the decision the world will soon be facing yet again, and you will as well. Will you, when faced with starvation and persecution, take the Beast's mark and worship him so as to gain a few morsels of food and a few more days in a world already destined for destruction? Or will you wisely stay faithful to God, enduring even death, knowing that you will gain eternity?