The title of this morning's message is that we are living in
Bible prophecy times. Revelation chapter 1.
We're in you and I. We find ourselves living in one
of the most exciting times in Bible prophecy, for we are the
church and we're expecting Christ to call us up soon.
The rapture. It will happen at the speed Paul
says, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.
And not the not the glint, not the blink, but the twinkling of
an eye, and it says the church will meet him.
That is Christ in the air. Paul tells us this in detail one
Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 16.
It says for the Lord himself, Jesus Christ himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
Archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
The dead in Christ will rise first, then you and I, those who
are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them.
Where? In the clouds.
This is not the second coming, it's later in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air at the second coming.
Christ's feet touch on the Mount of Olives.
So this is the rapture of the church.
Paul then says. And thus we shall always be with
the Lord from that moment on. And Paul adds these words to
those who are looking forward to the rapture.
Comfort one another with these words.
It's a comfort that we have in the times in which we live,
isn't it? We see our world.
I read this morning that it is believed that China is on the
verge of attacking Taiwan. If this happens, like what's
happening in Ukraine, other nations will be drawn into some
sort of way. Those who are backing Taiwan,
those who want to be friends with China, which way will they
go? This is on the verge of a cat of
happening, the Bible tells us. Jesus Christ himself tells us
that he's coming back for the church He promised he would to
his disciples. He said in John chapter 14 verse
one, let not your heart be troubled.
Why would they be troubled? Because he was going to go away.
But also we're living in a times where many of people's hearts
are troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. Jesus said he says I go away to
prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, here's what he promises.
I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am
there you may be also. I want to ask you, Are you
ready? Are you ready for the coming of
the Lord? Well, I hope you don't come now
because I'm pregnant. I don't want to be pregnant for
eternity. There's always people have said,
well, I don't know if you will just have the house painted.
You know, we always have. You know, I just bought a new
boat. I want to give it one whiz
anyway. We say things like that, but I
want to ask you, are you? Are you ready?
If God was to come now, call you, Are you ready?
Are you waiting and living in excited expectation?
Peter warned us to be so in two. Peter 310.
Peter says of the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night. Thief comes when no one's
expecting, when everyone's asleep, in which the heavens
will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will
melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works
that are in it will be burned up.
Peter says, therefore, since all these things will be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and
godliness? He says, how should you be
living now in these last days? And he tells us, verse 12, we
should be looking for and hastening the coming of the day
of God. You and I should want the
rapture to come as soon as possible.
Talking to Auckland If you don't believe in the power of prayer,
Auckland is with us this morning on Good Friday.
He was playing the bass guitar at our Good Friday service and
his appendix had burst. He didn't know it had burst and
he ends up in hospital. I think was on Sunday.
Was it Auckland? And the doctor said you got here
just in time. He had a glimpse but God kept
him. I said to Auckland when we
visited him in Bunbury, it's not time Auckland, it's not time,
otherwise God would have called you home.
He has something for you to do and you know what?
That something is for all of us. We have a message for people
that don't know Christ to tell them.
If you want to believe and don't believe, if you don't believe in
the power of prayer, just walk over and touch Auckland.
Ask him first. It works.
It's true. Well, Keith, how do we know all
this stuff that you're saying that the Bible says is actually
going to happen? How do we know that?
How do we know it's going to happen in these days now?
Because the church, early church, we're looking for Christ
right back when the church was first formed.
What is it about today that you're saying it?
Well, the Bible tells us that God is the only one who knows
and declares the future. Isaiah 46 verse 9 says remember
the former things of old. And here's what God says.
For I am God, and there is no other.
There's no Allah. Just so you know, there's no
other God. There's no other religion.
There's other religions, but there's no other God, Jesus
said. I am the way.
There's no other way. There's no other God.
And you know that many, many Muslims are coming to to know
Christ. Many Muslims are finding out
that when they pray, nobody answers because nobody's
listening. How do we know that the things
that are happening? God says, for I am God, there is
no other. I am God, there is none like me,
He says, declaring the end from the beginning.
I tell you what's happened in the beginning.
I can tell you what's going to happen in the end and from
ancient times, things that are not yet done.
He says. I can tell you what's going to
come along that haven't happened yet.
My counsel shall stand. My word shall stand and I'll do
all my pleasure. God's will will be done on earth
as it is in heaven. The answers are always found in
the back of the book. And for you and I, God has given
us a most magnificent script that details exactly what's
coming and more importantly, who's coming.
Revelation chapter one verse one says the Revelation.
Notice it's singular. It's not Revelations, it's not
the book of Revelations, it's the Book of Revelation singular,
and it's the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him.
Why? To show his servants what things
which must shortly take place. And he sent and signified it by
his Angel to his servant John. That's the apostle John.
He's on the Isle of Patmos and God brings him the vision and to
write down the things of the Book of Revelation.
We'll go into a bit more detail about Patmos and John on
Wednesday who bore witness to the word of God.
John was the one who saw the word of God in first John.
He says we saw him, we failed him, we touched him until the
testimony of Jesus Christ to all things that he saw.
Notice verse 3. Blessed is he who reads, so I'm
reading this as I'm reading this, I'm getting a blessing
from God. The Bible says, and those who
hear, so as I'm reading it and you're listening, guess what?
God's giving you a blessing. Hear the words of this prophecy.
There's a third one and those that keep those things which are
written in it. And notice he says something
again for the time is near now. This is written 2000 years ago.
There is a special blessing promised in the Book of
Revelation for the person who reads, who hears, and who keeps
the words of the book. No other book in the Bible. 66
books in the Bible. No other book in the Bible
promises such a blessing. But to receive the blessing
there are terms and conditions. You must read it.
And actually the Greek language here says you read it out loud.
I want to encourage you when you're home.
You know, often we read the Bible.
We read it silently. I want you to encourage and
change something, Try something else.
When you're reading the Bible at home, read it out aloud.
You, I think you'll hear something marvellous as the Holy
Spirit as you read it. We used to have this at school,
primary school, you know, where they teach you how to read and
you as you read, you're hearing the, the court, the the whys,
the wherefores and the what's and the results out loud.
When you read it silently, you don't pick that up so well.
But here Revelation says you read it out loud.
Secondly, you must hear the words of prophecy.
Why? You say, well, I'm listening.
No, no, no, that's not what I was.
It's not with these lugs. Jesus would often say he who has
ears, you go, well I've got ears.
No, he who has ears, that is a heart for the things of God.
Let him or her hear. Two people can come to church,
sit together. Word of God can be read.
It can be preached, taught on. One person goes answered that
was a waste of time. Elvis says what didn't you hear
what the scripture says You notice that passage where it
says this unless you do this or God command and I and I know
that was the preacher was talking to me.
There's the difference. So how does that work.
Here's the deal. God never changes.
His word is already always anointed.
What you and I have to do is to prepare our hearts to hear the
word of God. If you're worrying about the
roast today, you're worrying about the sports results.
If you're worrying about anything else, then you got
lugs. But you're not listening.
It's like the kids, you know, your parents tell their kids,
are you listening to me? Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, they're not.
So you must hear the words of the prophecy.
That means we are to hear what God is saying to us through this
book. God has a message for you.
I don't care how old you are, where you are, what's happened
to you. God wants to speak to you out of
this book, and He has a message to you that's different to
others as well. It's collective for all of us,
but it's different to you as well.
And thirdly, the blessing is you must keep it.
In other words, we are to apply the truth to your own life.
So many people go to church, they hear it and they don't
bother applying what God has said.
You've got to apply it to your own life.
My own situation, you know, am I, am I enamoured with the ways
of this world? If Jesus was to come back, would
that disrupt my plans? At the moment, my only daily
experience. If I do that, then this book
will motivate you to live a godly life.
This book will make you ready to meet the Lord.
As we proceed for the study of this book, you'll be able to
look into the future, the reality of truly what's about to
happen in our world. You know, newspapers talk about
this and we see governments going.
You know what? We believers know what the world
in the world is going to happen. We know what's going to happen
to Israel. We know what's going to happen
with Iran. We know what's going to happen
with Russia. We know what's going to happen
with Libya. It says so in the book of
Ezekiel. We know what's going to happen
with the church. We know how there's going to be
a one world government, A1 world religion.
We know that Australia and every other nation in the world will
eventually turn its back upon Israel.
We're pretty close to that at the moment.
God knows the truth. We can look into the future.
These things are going to happen.
God knows the future already. To Him it's fact.
For God does not just predict the future He's been.
There you go. How's that Keith explain.
God lives outside time. He lives in the eternal reality.
He is not bound by time, hours, days, months or calendar.
It's all just and here's the word, a continuum to him, to
Peter 38. But beloved, do not forget this
one thing that with the Lord one day as 1000 years and 1000 years
as one day. Most of you know the movie Back
to the Future. Remember the movie Back to the
Future, 12351112, Back to the future, Barney McFly and all
that sort of stuff from the professor there.
It's a time continuum. It's a time continuum.
Well, actually that's physics. The time continuum or space time
continuum is a concept in physics that combines space and
tie into a singular 4 dimensional fabric.
It's science. It's a continuous unbroken
structure where events are described by their location in
space and time. This means there are no gaps or
breaks in time and all moments are connected.
For example, it's kind of like this.
Picture this. There's a great big long parade
coming along here. They're a little, it's a little
parade. They're just little people.
So it's a huge parade, huge parade.
It's starting, starting here and it goes along.
It goes all the way down. It's going fast and then ending
right. And it's got to finish back back
there. And you and I are back here.
We're watching on the sidelines, on the footpath.
And as the parade goes past, the only part we see is this bit.
That's the only part. We see the parade as the the
marching girls and the band and everything comes back.
We see that bit, but there's a bit that's gone on ahead, and
there's a bit that's still yet to pass us.
Well, God, he's back here. He sees the beginning where we
are, and he sees the end. He sees it all at one time.
And so that's the space time continuum.
Marty, my hair's just about the right thing, too.
OK, OK, easy, easy. The Bible predicts the future
with 100% accuracy. Did you know that 2/3 of the
Bible, 2/3 of the Bible is prophecy?
50% of the Bible prophecy things?
Those predicted events have already taken place, and so if
all these events have happened just as God said they would,
then we would have no reason to doubt that the remaining
prophecies will happen as well. Sadly, many church attendees
view the Book of Revelation while it's a sealed book.
I remember talking to a principal of a Christian School
once about the Book of Revelation.
Who can? Who can understand it?
No one knows it and I thought you got a problem.
It's not a sealed book. People are bewildered by its
well, who can understand its symbols and its images?
And so we avoid any serious study of it.
Oh, Gee, I think for me, the hardest book I ever teach is the
book of John, the Gospel of John.
You know why? Because it's it's so deep in, in
some places, there's no bottom to understanding all the Gospel
of John talks about. Yet the same person who wrote
the Gospel of John wrote the Book of Revelation, and it's led
and fed by the same Holy Spirit. So if you're going to say that
about the Book of Revelation, then you better go, well, Gee,
who knows what the Gospel of John's about?
You know what I mean? It makes no sense.
In verse 3. We've read it.
It tells us otherwise about studying the Book of Revelation.
It says verse three. Look, bless, it is he who reads
and those who hear the words of this prophecy and those who keep
the things which are written in it.
Why? For the time is near literally,
as I said before, as I read it and you listen to it, God brings
a blessing to both of us and a further blessing to all of you
who as you hear, you will buy what it teaches and you place it
in your life and you live your life according key and keep
those things which are written in it.
Jesus said in Revelation chapter 22, verse seven, He said this as
well. You're going to see it
throughout the book of relation, Revelation.
He says, behold, I am coming quickly.
We said Maranatha this morning, Aramaic 2 words.
The Lord's come and the Lord is coming soon.
Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this
book. Why is this book important for
us to study and know today? 2025 One the time is near, we're
told that 2. Jesus says I'm coming quickly.
The Book of Revelation speaks of the ability of one man to deny
people the ability to buy or sell unless they have his mark.
666 coming. Now, that sounded ridiculous a
few years ago because everyone and I too experienced that.
Some of you old enough. Well, we're paid in cash.
We got paid on a Friday or a fortnight.
We got paid in cash. And if someone said to you, you
know, you're never going to get paid in cash anymore, you want
to, Yeah, drop on your head. We're just not going to put up
with that. Correct.
The world was paid in cash. Then the first bank card came
into Australia October 1974. What did people say when this
bank card, it'll never catch on credit A card?
No, just give me the Muller. I want the money on my hands.
I've worked for it. I want it in my hands.
I'm not going to put up with that.
Now there's no one gets paid in cash unless you're Al Capone and
he's dead today with a current computer system and everyone's
been driven. Our bank, which was originally
Bank West with the church, they said we're not doing church
accounts anymore or business accounts.
We're finishing. So we had to change, move over
to the Commonwealth Bank. Took us three months to do that
because we had to go through all these new rules and regulations
and now you have no choice. It's online.
It's online and to a transition now.
How often are you told by the bank how you know I've been
scammed? You've been scammed.
Change your password. You got to put a new password.
That password is no good. You mean the password that I've
had for 12 years? Capital PASSWIORD password and
then I change it to password one and a password 2?
You mean it's no good anymore? You mean that someone will work
that out? So we just oh, passwords coming
out my ears and then you're locked out.
Finally, we didn't have to use passwords.
It's coming. But this one, this mark, this
man, because you won't be able to buy or sell without it will
be after the church's rapture. We also read in Revelation about
an army numbering 200 million. I'm so glad our army, which is
about 80,000. We're ready.
We're it's, it's, we've been found out just recently our
government, we don't have enough bullets.
If anyone wants to take us, we're done.
Just a couple of days. We're, we're, we're, we're
overwhelmed. We're done.
There's an army numbering 200 million written in the Book of
Revelation, marching toward a final battle, the Battle of
Armageddon. We'll see that later.
When John received the vision on the Isle of Patmos, there
weren't even 200 million people on the planet.
Now we have 8 billion. We all, we all know there is one
nation now that has and is flexing its military muscles
worldwide that can field a 200 million strong soldier trained
army, China. But also in the Book of
Revelation, Chapter 11, verse 9, there are two witnesses we'll
get to later in the Book of Revelation.
And the world are put off by these two witnesses because they
proclaim the gospel and then they die.
And it says the world, whole world watches on and celebrates
worldwide, gives gifts to one another as the world watches on
the death of these two witnesses, satellites.
We can watch any event around the world instantaneous.
Now, you see, that's why we're living in this time now that
Christ is coming. 278 verses of the 404 verses in the Book of
Revelation, by the way, are directly alluded to the Old
Testament Scriptures. It's a cut and paste.
So what the Book of Revelation is, it's putting all these
things together and whacking them here.
This is the culmination of it. It's the revelation of Jesus
Christ. This book and our study of it
will teach us what the truth about the end times.
We will see Jesus Christ's ultimate victory over Satan as
he casts him in the lake of fire.
It reveals the final political structure of this fallen world
which Daniel got an eyesight of. And now we're beginning to see
is Europe will begin to flex it's muscles and a world leader
will come to Europe and run A1 world government.
It describes the rise and fall of the Antichrist.
It speaks the Book of Revelation chapters 4 and five of the
rapture of the Church. It explains that after the
rapture of the church there will be 7 years upon our world that
Jesus says of massive unbelievable tribulation that
this world has never experienced or will ever experience again.
Events like a worldwide earthquake, an earthquake where
the whole earth will wobble and the effects of the tsunamis and
the earthquakes and displacements of land and sea
during that time, meteors falling out of the sky, just
some of the events besides others.
It proclaims in chapter 19 the second coming of Jesus Christ as
it returns to begin the rule and reign in Jerusalem.
It tells us of the horror of the great rebellion of mankind.
And we've looked over the field, the battlefield where this will
occur in Jezreel, the Battle of Armageddon, Megiddo.
There will be then, as Jesus returns the second time, 1000
year, literal thousand year reign by Jesus in Jerusalem.
It will take us then, after Jesus's return to what's called
the Great White Throne Judgement, where every
unbeliever and all those who have refused Christ over the
life of our world will stand before Jesus himself and they
will be cast into hell. Judgement of the sheep and the
goats. The lake of fire that burns
forever. And then we'll read how the
redeemed will live in the new heaven and the new earth.
But the theme and the real purpose of this majestic book,
Book of Revelation, is the revelation of Jesus Christ in
totality. It's about Him.
The Bible is his story, whilst all the Scripture is revelation
from God to Timothy 316. God breathed.
The Book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ.
While this book is certainly revelation from Christ. 2216
says I, Jesus have sent my Angel to testify to you these things
in the churches. I am the root and the offspring
of David, the bright and the morning star.
It is also the revelation about Him.
What does that mean? The book is not written to
reveal the Antichrist. It is written to reveal Jesus
Christ for us to know who he is and who's coming and what he's
going to do. And he's coming to judge the
world with righteousness. He came as a saviour and a
servant and a slave to be crucified the first time.
The second time he's running the show, he's going to judge the
world. It's the unveiling of Jesus
Christ. It says that every eye will see
him, it says, and every knee in the world will bow to him.
And it says and every tongue will confess these words, Jesus
Christ is Lord. In chapter 1 alone there are 8
direct references to Jesus who's the theme of this amazing
scripture. In verse 5 it says he's the
faithful witness. Again, verse 5 He's the first
born of the dead. Verse 5 he's the ruler of the
kings of the earth. Verse 8, he is the Alpha and the
Omega. It means he's the beginning and
end of everything. Verse 8 he is the one who was
and is and is to come. And verse 8 he is of the
Almighty. So why should we study this book
2025 really, Revelation 11 says the revelation of Jesus Christ
which God gave him to show his servants things which must
shortly take place. In Genesis chapter 18 verse 17,
God visited Abraham and he's on his way.
He's going to go to Sodom and Gomorrah and he's going to pour
out judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah.
So the Lord, it's a theophany. Jesus appears with two angels
with him and he catches up to Abraham and he's talking to
Abraham and I and he says these words.
Should I hide my plan from Abraham?
Genesis 1817, the Lord asked for Abraham will certainly become a
great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth will be
blessed through him. Therefore God told Abraham, this
is what I'm going to do in Sodom and Gomorrah because he he was
letting him know he was a friend of God.
How amazing then is your salvation this morning?
You go, yeah, it is amazing. How privileged are we that we
have been rescued from our sins, Yes, that we're no longer going
to be judged by God, which we deserve.
But there is more because verse one says we have been privileged
to be given the information of this book to further glorify his
Son, the heavenly Father has graciously granted to a select a
special group of privileged people the understanding of the
Book of Revelation. You go, who's that?
John describes who these privileged people are.
They are described as Christ's bondservants, literally from a
Greek word meaning slave. The bond servant was a special
type of slave we find in the Bible.
They were a slave that served not because they had to, but out
of love and devotion to his or her Master.
It comes and the story tells us about this in the book of
Exodus, Exodus 21 verse 4. Speaking of a slave, if his
master gave him a wife while he was a slave and they had sons or
daughters, then only the man will be free in the 7th year.
But his wife and children will still belong to his masters.
But the slave may declare, I love my master, my wife and my
children. I don't want to go free.
And if he does this, his master will present him before God.
Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost, publicly
Pierce his ear with an awl, and after that the slave will serve
his masterful life. That slave is a bond slave.
Guess what? You and I are believers and
slaves of God. You're not.
Because, oh, we have to go to church, Do we?
Do we have to do this? No, because you want to.
You don't have to. You're going to leave at any
moment. You don't have to be a follower
of Christ. You have a choice.
But this explains something to us.
Why unbelievers, people who aren't Christians, find the Book
of Revelation such a massive mystery.
Revelation is not intended for them.
Bible tells us that it was given by the Father to the Son to show
to those who willingly serve Him.
So if you willingly serve Him this morning, you'll understand
and hear the Book of Revelation. If you aren't, you won't have a
clue what's going on. Anyone who refuses to
acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord cannot expect to understand this
book. Paul teaches us.
He says in one Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14.
People who aren't spiritual, people who aren't born again
can't receive these truths from God's Spirit.
It all sounds foolish what you mean and it does to a non
believer and they can't understand it.
Paul says for only those who are spiritual can understand what
the Holy Spirit means. So the unbelieving sceptic finds
Revelation is nothing but confusion, but for a willing
bondservant of Jesus Christ, this book unveils prophetic
truth about the future of the world.
Revelation 11. I'll read it again.
The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his
servants bond slaves, things which must shortly take place.
Well, when are these things going to take place?
The book of Revelations emphasis on future events sets it apart
from every other book in the Bible.
The first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John talk about the past, the life, death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. The next 22 books are about the
present, the churches, the life of the church, which is why the
book of Acts doesn't have an end to it.
You and I are still living out the book of Acts.
Revelation, however, does contain some information about
the past, chapter 1 and then the present age, the Church age,
chapters 2 and three. But from 4:00 on, the Book of
Revelation folk focuses on the future of the things to come yet
to occur. We see two dramatic emphasis
happening collectively in and throughout the Book of
Revelation. We see the betrayal of Jesus
Christ in all his glory every time we read of him.
Now in the Book of Revelation man, he's in all his power and
glory and wonder. And we see the blessedness of
everyone who's received Christ as his Lord and Saviour.
But the other part of the Book of Revelation that will see all
the way through it, people called earth dwellers.
The second emphasis is the coming judgement on each and
later at the great white Throne, judgement of unbelievers to
eternal punishment. So we see sorrow for unbelievers
and joy for believers, but we're not to set times, dates.
God only knows, God the Father only knows.
But this morning, you and I and our children and our
grandchildren, we are to adhere and follow the Lord's warnings.
Matthew 2442. Jesus said these words.
Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know which day your
Lord is coming. The knowledge we've been given
by God exclusively to His Church of the events depicted in the
Book of Revelation that are soon to take place should motivate us
to live wholly obedient lives and also to have a a a lighter
touch on the things of the earth.
It's a problem that I run into and I've dealt with many a
person in their last days hours before their death.
And you know what they don't cling to anything that they
previously cling to. They're not worried.
I don't worry about the car who's going to get my car worry
about my house. I don't mow the lawn that they
don't worry about any of that. You know what they're worried
about? Where am I going?
They're scared to death because they know they're going to die.
What happens when I die? Where do I go?
Peter says. Dear friends, while you're
waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be
found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His
sight. And remember, our Lord's
patience gives people time to be saved.
This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the
wisdom God gave him. Blessed is he who reads and
those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things
which are written in it, for the time is near.
The Book of Revelation begins and ends with promises of
blessing to those who read and abide it.
There is 7 in total Revelation 1/3.
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this
prophecy and keep those things which are written in it.
That's 1-2. Blessed are the dead.
How is that It says Revelation 1413 and I heard a voice from
heaven saying write this down. Must be important.
Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on Yes, it's the
Spirit they are blessed indeed. Why?
For they will rest from their hard work for their good deeds
follow them three Jesus said behold, I'm coming like a thief.
Blessed are the is the one. Revelation 1615.
Blessed is all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing
ready so that they will not have to walk around naked and
ashamed. Naked and ashamed.
How can that be? It means we're not clothed with
the righteousness of God. We're still covered in our own
sin. And when you stand before God,
without the righteousness of God, you are naked and ashamed.
There's 4 #4 Revelation 19/9. Blessed are those who are
invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Wow, I can't wait for that. I'm not eating till I go there.
It says these are true words that come from God.
Says that after that blessing 5, Blessed and holy Revelation 26.
And blessed and unholy are those who share in the first
resurrection. What's that first resurrection?
There's two resurrections. The first one occurred when when
Jesus rose from the dead, right? And the first resurrection goes
all the way up to the thousand year reign.
Then after the thousand year reign there's a second
resurrection. And the second resurrection is
every person who has died who has not received Christ as the
Lord and Saviour, and they are resurrected from the dead,
Revelation 22 And they, each and every one of them individually,
Romans tells us to, will stand before the judgement seat of
God, and before them will be Jesus Christ, and they will have
personally rejected Jesus Christ.
And they will then front their Saviour who now will be their
judge, and they will be cast into hell forever.
They will get to live their life that they've wanted, but they
don't want anything to do with God.
He says OK, I tried, I did everything I could.
You want, you don't want me, You can have yourself and you will
live alone forever. 6 Blessed are those who obey the words of
prophecy written in this book. Revelation 22, seven and lastly,
Revelation 2214. Blessed are those who wash their
robes. They'll be permitted to enter
through the gates of the city, and they eat the fruit of the
tree of life. Why the time is near.
Let me close this now. The Greek word for time, the
time is near in verse 3, does not reflect or talk about time
on a clock or a calendar, but two seasons and eras.
Seasons. We're entering the season of
winter, aren't we? You and I are living in the next
great era of God's redemptive history.
It's happening. The imminent return of Jesus
Christ has always been the church's hope.
Jesus even commanded his followers to watch expectantly
for his return. My question to you this morning
is, Are you ready? And the second thing I want to
ask you, if your parents are your kids ready?
The speed of the rapture, Paul tells us, will occur faster than
the twinkling of an eye being measured gone.
Today is not only the day of salvation for you and I, but the
problem with many church attendees is that far too many
people are living like those in Noah's time.
Prior to the flood, Noah preached 120 years of the grace
of God, he said It's coming, the flood's coming.
It's going to be this coming to the ark 120 years, 120 years
each Sunday Noah banged. I pick it up, put the sign up
coming here each each Sunday just him and seven others sat in
that church for 120 years. No one ever came and God said go
on the ark, Noah sit down and then it says God close the door,
not Noah. It began to rain, Jesus says,
but of that day and hour no one knows, not even even the angels
of heaven, but my Father only. But as in the days of Noah, and
he's Speaking of the time of his coming, so also will be the
coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the
flood, thou are eating, drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark.
And so people will just go. Many people come to church and
then they just go on about their business.
They're not hearing the word. They're not noticing what God is
saying to them. They're not expectant.
They're not living knowing that Jesus is coming at any moment.
He's gone about their business. You know the big thing that most
people go about their Business Today.
Let's have a coffee. People build houses, live in
areas just because there's a good coffee shop next door.
Nothing here is coffee. I like coffee.
But seriously, that's the that's the big deal.
I want to tell you, Jesus is coming.
You can't just carry on. Oh, well, when it happens, I'll
sort it out because when the door was closed, there was a lot
of people. What's that?
And the rain began to fall. It was too late.
There's no karma, there's no reincarnation, there's no second
chance. Today is the day of salvation.
If you don't know Christ as your Lord and Saviour, what I
probably said this morning has gone right over your head.
But if God is working on your heart this morning, you go, man,
I want to know about this. I know what you're saying is
true and God is stirring your heart and he's saying today is
the day you were to give your life to them, to me, He's
coming. We used to play a game called
Heidi and at the as you finish your count, you go coming ready
or not. And he's coming when no one's
expecting him.