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The book of
Revelation unveils a God who is absolutely sovereign in the affairs of
man. God has designed a Master Plan and we have been given a
glimpse of that plan so that we may be prepared. Revelation was not a
book written for the governments of this earth, or to prepare the world
for the coming Antichrist. It is written To the seven churches in the
province of Asia (Rev 1:4) The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God
gave him to show his servants what must soon take place (Rev 1:1). Simply
put, Revelation is written for us.
I appeal to you,
brothers, ...that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought (Cor
1:10). Attending Bible college
for two and a half years instilled within me a hatred toward modern–day
theology. Thousands of shepherds who call themselves theologians,
dividing God’s flock, making them easy pickings for any spiritual
predator to eat at leisure. And so it is with great reluctance, we jump
into the fray. Yet with conviction we make a stand to give God’s
people guidance in this all important question, Is
the church going through The Great Tribulation?
We believe the Bible to
be clear and concise in answering such a vital question. Christ has
given his church clear direction. He has prepared her for the events
that are to come. With great joy we can proclaim, yes, we shall be
baptized in fire. The Bride shall be purified for the coming of her
Husband.
Our Enemy would love to
lull us into complacency, a false sense of security. So we would not be
prepared for our last conquest, that glorious hour in which we shall
shine for all Christendom, proclaiming the Lordship of Christ on earth.
Holy Israel in the desert, with our backs to Egypt and our face toward a
City whose builder and foundation is God. As we stand and watch God’s
hand of wrath being poured out upon this earth, we shall rejoice.
Untouched, for we shall be marked with a Seal, the promised holy Spirit.
In revelation we are
called saints. A sainthood that is not earned but purchased by the Blood
of the Lamb. We will not be under God’s wrath, Then I heard another
voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you
will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her
plagues; (Rev 18:4) but we will be the objects of Satan’s fury. And
I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their
testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not
worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their
foreheads or their hands (Rev 20:4). As in the early church, some of
our number will be slain and there will be suffering. But in our
suffering, our joy will know no bounds. ...genuine,
yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and
yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet
possessing everything. (2 Cor 6:8–10)
A message of suffering
does not sit well in the padded pews of the North American Church. Yet
Christ warned His disciples, “Watch out that no one deceives you.”...”You
will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not
alarmed. "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to
death. And you will be hated by all nations because of me." ...So
when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes
desolation, spoken through the prophet Daniel—let the reader
understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
...For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning
of the world until now—and never to be equaled again (Matt 24:
4,9,15,21). God’s deepest well springs of joy are always released
through suffering. Sin will abound and suffering will be great, but we
shall know unspeakable joy.
And Jesus shall come like
a thief in the night. Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not
need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord
will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying,
"Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as
labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you,
brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like
a thief (1 Thess 5:1–4). When the trumpet blast shakes the
foundation of the earth, we will not be surprised—we have been
prepared. But to a world whose hopes rest upon a Magical Leader, the
return of Christ will be a terrible day. In shock, they will witness
their god bound and chained and cast into the abyss.
The imagery in the Book
of Revelation is difficult and frightening. John himself became
physically overwhelmed at what he saw. It is no wonder that we comfort
ourselves with a doctrine that proclaims us raptured during such
a painful period in earth’s history. But nowhere in Scripture is it
taught that the gathering of the church is separate from the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ.
We should not think it
strange to find ourselves in the midst of such a traumatic period. How
else would we have the privilege of proving and displaying the depth of
our love to God. Paul said, I want to share in Christ’s sufferings and
become like him in his death (Phil 3:10).
Even training to be a
missionary at Ontario Bible College, Cos Fegi knew that God was going to
call him to die for the Lord. He did not consider this to be a burden
but a tremendous blessing. The few closest friends that he confided this
to would later testify of the zeal and excitement when expressing his
calling. When he left bible college, he went as a missionary to
Thailand. One night during a tent prayer meeting, rebels with machine
guns shot him down because of his faith in Christ.
Some of the wise will
stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless
until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time
(Daniel 11:3). Suffering
invariably clarifies the choice before us. During The Great Tribulation,
it will be a simple choice: Faith in this world or faith in God. Egypt
or the desert. The church shall come to its final crossroad. The
crossroad that will separate the sheep from the goats. Are you prepared
for such a decision? Has your heart been made ready for that most
important hour? Well cultivated inroads of addiction and dependence
could tip the balance, causing you to be forever lost in the godless
land of Babylon. The decisions we make today will lead us to that
ultimate choice. We must be prepared. We must be made ready.
Jesus asks ...do you
truly love me more than these? (John 21:15) Our love for God is a
force that Satan cannot hope to stand against. Creation, the cross, the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, men and woman of God standing during The
Great Tribulation, and Christ’s return, are all acts of eternal love
that will bring Satan’s kingdom to it final and utter doom.
'He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Matthew 3:11
We are the Bride of
Christ. If Christ were to come back today, how would we adorn ourselves
for Him? What about the other lovers in our beds of passion? Would we
stand out in the crowd as an adorned bride or just one of the herd
grazing on the grasses of the kingdom of this world? If Christ were to
return today, it would be a pitiful moment—we would hang our heads in
shame. The radiance and glory of God would reveal the toxic rot that has
accumulated in the bowels of His precious Church.
If we love Jesus, if He
is our Husband, then our greatest passion would be that when He comes we
will be ready. It has been said that when the rapture occurs, many will
go feet first, clasping desperately onto their earthly possessions. This
is not the description of the return of Christ in Revelation. The church
will have been purified. This world will be uncloaked for what it is, darkness
and deception. We will have learned to trust in God as our Provider,
as the Israelites were forced to learn when they wandered in the desert.
Although we will not be under the wrath of God we will be under the
wrath of Satan. Many will suffer, but In
all our troubles my joy knows no bounds (2 Cor 7:4).
The Great Tribulation is
going to be the sword that will separate the fence sitters from
those who passionately love Jesus. There will be no gray areas. Either
you accept the mark of the beast and become a member of the kingdom of
this world, or reject the mark and make a stand in the name of Jesus, in
spite of great opposition and possible death.
We have walked down a
path that has revealed Satan’s agenda. He has taken food and twisted
it so that it is able to be a controlling lever. Our supermarkets are
full of addictive foods. Addiction means dependence. And dependence, for
the Antichrist, means control. Don't fall asleep. Be alert! God's
Word teaches us that destruction will come upon this earth as suddenly
as labor pains upon an expectant mother. The greatest weapon we have in
being ready is self–control. The disciplines of fasting, prayer and
solitude are some of the arsenal which we have been given by God to
stand ready for battle.
Adorn yourself in fine
linen. Be clean from the stains of complacency and worldliness. Your
Husband is coming from a far land. He is called Jealous (Ex
34:14). The Spirit of the Lord says come.
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