Years ago, there was a TV Commercial with a guy walking in various places asking on a cell phone, “Can You Hear Me Now?” It proved to be a very effective marketing tool. Today, we have the words of our Savior and the prophecy prophets, and they’re plainly saying, “Can you hear us Now?” Each day, it becomes more and more obvious that we are very close to the end of this era. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)

In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said, “But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, nor the Son; but the Father only.” Going to verse 44, “Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Our Savior was, for a little while, made lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:7-9), so when He said He did not know the day or hour, that was while He was in human form. He purposely divested Himself from being equal with the Father and emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being borne in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6).

The ultimate outcome of this is Philippians 2:9-11; “Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

Looking at 1 Peter 2:21-24, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on that tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds, you have been healed.”

When I read passages such as these, I always remind myself that my sins were part of the reason He gave us such a precious gift. There was a song put out by the Florida Boys some years back called, “When He Was on the Cross, I Was On His Mind.” When the Savior took every sin of this earth upon Himself and cried out, “My God; My God; Why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46), my sins were part of His agony. He willingly (John 10:18) shed His pure, sinless blood for my sins, and that isn’t to be taken lightly.

Please know that Jesus paid the ultimate price for all the world’s sins. However, there is a cost involved for all of us. We must admit we are sinners and could never be worthy of our own Salvation without our Savior. We must believe that as the only sinless human that ever lived, or will live, He died in our place on that cross, and three days later, the Heavenly Father raised Him from the dead to conquer sin and death once and for all. Finally, we must call on Him to come into our hearts, forgive us of our sins, and ask Him to be our Savior forever (Romans 10:9-13).

No amount of deeds or works or contributions on our part could ever save any of us. The gift was given freely, and we must accept it as such (Ephesians 2:8-9). No man-made religion or man-made god could ever save us.

Sadly, more people are accepting the things of this earth to the absolute delight of Satan. He knows what his eternal fate is, yet he takes great pride in pulling souls away from the Savior. Jesus told about this in Matthew 7:13-14. Our Heavenly Father is not surprised by any of this, and His true word gives us a picture of what will be happening right up to the time Jesus removes all His true believers in the Rapture.

The event where believers rise up to meet Jesus in the air is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. It’s not complicated, yet more reject the Savior than accept His free gift.

Nothing else has to take place before the Rapture; however, afterward, this earth will go through the worst seven years ever. We are getting a preview today of just how evil that period of time will be. Even though we have witnessed some horrible actions taking place recently in the Middle East, it will still get even more intense.

There will come forth a man with an ultimate peace plan that will seem to be the answer to turning the earth into a peaceful planet. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2 that before this “lawless” one can come forth, the “Restrainer” must be removed. That would be the Holy Spirit, and when He allows the antichrist to come forth, all who are indwelt with the Holy Spirit will be taken up to meet and be with Jesus.

Please note that people will still be able to call out and be saved during the tribulation, but most likely, the cost will be martyrdom. The images we have witnessed over the past couple of weeks will not be restricted to Israel, Gaza, or other parts of that area. It will be a worldwide cycle of violence trying to totally eradicate all Jews and Christians.

When the tribulation has been allowed to run its course, Jesus will return to earth and put down the evil with just His word. After that, Jesus will rule from Jerusalem for a thousand years while Satan will be bound and unable to do his evil for that time. After that thousand years, Satan will be released for one last final episode. Again, that will be put down, and forever will start.

All who rejected God and went against His will prior to Calvary, and all from Calvary to the end of the Millennium who refused to accept Jesus, will have a judgment at the Great White Throne of Revelation 20:11-15. No one is saved at this judgment; no pardons; no limited sentences. It will be forever in the Lake of Fire with Satan and his demons.

All who were in the will of God, and all who received and accepted Jesus, will be given an eternal home in Heaven forever. Never again will there be pain or death; never having to say goodbye to loved ones ever again.

Which “forever” a person chooses is totally up to them. Our Father will force no one to accept the free gift His Son gave us at Calvary, but all who do will live with Him forever.

There are no other options. All who are following man-made gods or all who refuse to receive and accept Jesus will be forever in torment.

As the title of this message says, “Again, Now More Than Ever.” What we’ve seen very recently should be enough to convince anyone that there is a major change coming to this earth, and it’s not for the better. Now would be the time to get “Rapture Prepared,” and when the Trumpet of God sounds, and there is a shout from an archangel, you’ll be taken off this earth to be kept from the wrath as God promised.

Your eternity – Your choice.

Shalom! Come, Lord Jesus!

huebshman46@gmail.com

Also raptureforums.com

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Isaiah 1:11-15,11:2-5; Matthew 15:8-9; Mark 7:6; Titus 1:16; Revelation 3:1-6

Summary: The church at Sardis received not words of commendation from the Lord Jesus Christ but instead rebuke and condemnation, as well as a warning to wake up and strengthen what remains of its effectiveness, testimony, and purpose. Does this describe the church you attend?

The fifth church mentioned in Revelation 2-3 was located in the city of Sardis, fifty miles east of Smyrna and thirty miles southeast of Thyatira. Like the other churches, it was located in western Asia Minor, now known as the nation of Turkey. Sardis was on the major commercial and trade routes of the region and was the capital city of the province of Lydia. It was a wealthy city known for its textile, dye, and jewelry manufacturing.

Like the other cities of the region, Sardis was also a hub of pagan worship, with numerous temples dedicated to the Graeco-Roman deities, along with mystery cults and secret societies. This was a city and people surrounded by gross immorality, and seemingly was a place ripe to hear the Gospel. A church had been established in Sardis some time ago, but as we read in Revelation 3:1-6, it seemed to have forgotten its purpose and mission. Instead, it had become comfortable with what was going on. It had not stood against the evils and wickedness of the city and its people, and as a result, lost its witness, effectiveness, and reason for being there.

The Lord Jesus, who sees all and from Whom nothing is hidden (Matthew 10:26), came to them not with words of commendation but with a message of rebuke and warning.

Verse 1 shows that these words originate from “He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.” This is a reference to Isaiah’s revelation of the “Rod from the stem of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1-5), a prophetic reference to the Son of David, the Messiah (Isaiah 53:1-12), God’s anointed, found in the person and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What are the “seven Spirits?” Isaiah tells us that the “Rod” will have the “spirit of the Lord rest upon Him. He will have the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, and the spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:2). His delight is in the fear (reverence) of the LORD. He will not administer judgment based on physical sight and hearing, but He will judge in righteousness towards the poor, give equity to the meek of the earth, strike the earth with the rod of His mouth (certain judgment of sin), that with His breath, He will slay the wicked, and that righteousness and faithfulness are carried out forever (vv.3-5).

Sardis, like the other churches, is receiving a direct word from God Incarnate and not just a rebuke from the apostle John while in exile at Patmos. The Lord Jesus expects accountability from His church and those who claim to be His followers. There are no exceptions, and He will accept no excuses or alibis for failing to do what He commands.

He tells them that they have an appearance of being alive; that is, they look active and thriving, but in reality, are dead. The Greek word for “dead” is NEKROS, which not only means physical death but also describes the low moral character of one’s life, poor quality, or uselessness. On the surface, this church seemed to exude spiritual vibrancy, but their work, testimony, and manner of conduct was, in the LORD’S eyes, useless work that reeked of poor quality and merit. He cared enough about this church, which was on spiritual “life support,” to call it back to life and be of genuine service to Him.

In verses 2-3, He tells them to WAKE UP.” Like a doctor in a trauma unit working with a patient on the brink of death to “stay with me here,” the Great Physician tells this church not to continue going down the road to spiritual unconsciousness and rot, but to hold on, be revived, and return to the purpose for which it was established.

Sardis needed to hear the Gospel, and the Lord Jesus would not allow His witness to be silenced by apathy, contentment, and compromise. They were told to remember what they had received and heard, which was a reference to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, and to abide by it.

If a church truly wants to be effective for the kingdom of God, it MUST be a church where the Bible is proclaimed as coming directly from God. He speaks to us through His Word, giving us direction, counsel, and rebuke in order to have us return to Him, remain faithful, and stay on the narrow road (Psalm 119:105; Matthew 7:13-14; John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 4:1-2; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

Jesus warned this church to “repent.” He tells them to get right with Him and to have a sincere and honest change of mind and heart. He tells the remnant believers not to let the world allow them to continue in their slumber and contentment. Souls were in the balance. Sardis was no different than the other churches that had received a word from the LORD.

Complacency does not belong in any church, nor anyone who professes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He tells Sardis that it’s time to get back to work NOW. No church that is serious about pleasing Him can afford to remain passive, silent, or indifferent while the world goes down the broad road and the certainty of eternal death.

The few faithful Christians in Sardis who had not allowed themselves to get content or comfortable with wickedness (vv.4-6) were commended for their work. The Lord promised to adorn them with white clothing, which represented their faith and trust in Him. They were also given the assurance that their faith was real, and their names were written in the Book of Life. They were known personally by Jesus, and the same principle applies to you if you truly know Him as Lord and Savior.

He knows you by name. He created you and gave life, purpose, meaning, and significance to your being and existence (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 139:13-18; John 1:1-4; Acts 17: 25-27; Colossians 1:16-18).

Why would you allow the world and its cesspool of deception to keep you from accomplishing that which the LORD has called you to do? We cannot afford in these last days to hold on to a “Sardis” type of mentality. We cannot have a list of “programs,” “events,” seminars,” “activities,” and works be the measure of our effectiveness as a body of believers. We cannot afford to look “busy” and yet not be doing the work of the LORD in winning souls, reaching out to the community with the Gospel, teaching the Word of God to everyone, and remaining steadfast in our convictions (Joshua 24:15) regardless of the viciousness that the world, the flesh, and the devil want to throw at us.

Sardis is a “wake-up” call to the last days’ church. To refuse to hear what the LORD has to say to both them and us is to allow the church to drift off into death, uselessness, and irrelevancy.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

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