For believers, looking at all the events taking place in the world today, there should be no doubt that this age on earth is coming to an end. About the only remaining prophecies are Israel being attacked by the Russia, Turkey, and Iran coalition, and true believers worldwide being taken up to meet our Savior in the air. The Rapture definitely precedes the tribulation, while the attack on Israel could start just before this and could carry over into the first part of that Tribulation/Wrath 7-year period. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)

The attacks that have just taken place against Israel are a prelude to coming events, but not the Ezekiel 38-39 coalition attack, which is yet to come.

Paul confirms in 2 Thessalonians 2 that the believers must be gone before the tribulation can officially start. Looking at verses 7-10, “For the mystery of the lawlessness is already at work. Only He [Holy Spirit] who now restrains it [antichrist], will do so until He is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nothing by the appearance of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and be saved.”

God promised to keep all who have received and accepted Jesus as their Savior from the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10). Jesus told us that those who accept Him will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever; even the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him, nor knows Him. You know Him for He dwells with you, and will be in you.”

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s Temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” And 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

For the skeptics that say there’s no biblical “truth” to believe in, John 14:6: “And Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Satan loves for people to believe this is just a fantasy.

Some would say that when the Rapture takes place “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52), that the unsaved will be convinced they need to convert and believe in Jesus. However, there are those who are so ingrained with what this world offers, they will not accept the truth. For that reason, we have 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

These will be the ones who voluntarily take the mark of the beast, which automatically sets the lake of fire as their eternal dwelling place. Looking at Revelation 14:9-11, “And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice; ‘If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of His anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the Holy Angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night, these worshipers of the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.'”

Our Father will not leave us here to fend for ourselves during the 7-year tribulation/wrath. When the Holy Spirit is removed from the earth to allow the evil one to appear and rule through Satan for that time, we will be removed as well in what is called the Rapture, Harpazo, or taken up. After that, it will still be possible to call out to Jesus to be saved, but their fate will almost assuredly be martyrdom.

Right now, we may have ideas of how wonderful it will be to see Jesus in person and to be with all the saints of all time. However, I believe it will be even beyond all our expectations “Just Over In The Gloryland.” This just happens to be a hymn written in 1906 by James W. Acuff (1864-1932).

1.) I’ve a home prepared where the saints abide, just over in the Gloryland. And I long to be by my Savior’s side, just over in the Gloryland.

Ref) Just over in the Gloryland, I’ll join the happy angel’s band, just over in the Gloryland; Just over in the Gloryland, there with the mighty host I’ll stand, just over in the Gloryland.

2.) I am on my way to those mansions fair, just over in the Gloryland. There to sing God’s praise and His glory share; just over in the Gloryland. (ref)

3.) What a joyful thought that my Lord I’ll see, just over in the Gloryland. And with kindred saved, there forever be, just over in the Gloryland. (ref)

4.) With the blood-washed throng, I will shout and sing, just over in the Gloryland; Glad Hosannas to Christ, the Lord and King, just over in the Gloryland. (ref)

Because we believe the Word of God is true and accurate, we believe the time Jesus spoke of in Luke 21:28 is here. “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The beginning could be placed at about a decade age, and the progression is speeding up daily. We do not know the actual day or hour the Rapture will take place, but we can safely say, as Jesus stated in Matthew 25:44, “Therefore you must be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

I believe the Father is giving extra chances for people to call out and receive Jesus as their Savior before it’s too late. (2 Peter 3:9) However, the day is rapidly approaching when He will say, “Son, go bring Your flock Home.” We pray daily for all loved ones, friends, and acquaintances to call out before it’s too late. The 7-year period of the Tribulation/Wrath will be worse than any time ever experienced on this earth.

God will force no one and allows us to choose for ourselves which eternity we will go into. He’s very specific that we will either be safe in the arms of our Savior forever or condemned to the lake of fire through all eternity.

Please consider carefully, and my prayer is that you would choose the One who shed His sinless blood for all who would receive and accept Him, and will call out for Him to forgive you and be your Savior forever.

Hope to see you at Home! Mara-natha!

huebshman46@gmail.com

Scripture References: Matthew 6:1-34; Luke 6:20-49,11:1-4; Hebrews 4:14-16

Summary: Our look at the Sermon on the Mount continues as we read about Jesus’ teachings on good works, the importance of authentic prayer, and the futility of worry.

Matthew 6 teaches about the life of faith that should characterize a true follower of God. In this chapter, Jesus stresses the importance of proper motives about giving, prayer, and fasting: three common and legitimate ways to practice righteousness, which can become easily compromised due to personal desire for recognition and the praise of others.

Our responsibility is to please an audience of One. In verses 1 and 2, the Lord Jesus teaches that we are not to do any charitable work in order to receive accolades from people. This does not impress God and is soon forgotten. The Pharisees were guilty of wanting everyone to observe their “charitable” and “loving” deeds by calling attention to themselves. Trumpets were blown, and the act was announced to the public. All of this was for show and not to present the love of God.

Verses 3 and 4 state that true charity and acts of compassion are to be done in secret with no attention or focus upon us. It is to be done for the glory of God alone so as to please Him. Our rewards will be proclaimed by Him.

In verses 6-15, Jesus instructed us on the proper motives and structure for effective prayer. Two comparisons of prayer are presented: the self-centered prayers of the Pharisees (Luke 18:9-14) and the God-centered prayers of the common people. Look first at the Pharisees.

They tended to pray in public, drawing attention to themselves as examples of “piety.” Jesus said that the only reward they would receive would be temporary, worldly praise and nothing more. The Pharisees were also known to engage in repetitive prayers, saying the same things over and over in a rote form of religious practice void of any true devotion or love towards God. They thought that if these prayers were not given on a constant basis, then God would refuse to listen to them. This form of “prayer” was founded on fear and uncertainty, not faith.

Now, look at the standards by which God defines authentic prayer and worship.

First, personal communion with God is to be a private affair. Save for the High Priestly prayer given by Jesus in John 17 and references to being in prayer all night with the Father as recorded by Luke, we do not have any other record of Jesus’ time of prayer, as it was a personal and intimate time with the Father, and that should be our pattern as well. When we pray, we need to be away from peers or crowds if possible, as this is personal time between you and the Holy, Omnipotent, and All-Sustaining Creator of the universe who will reward us openly before others (2 Corinthians 5:10) for what we do in private.

Second, we are to be confident in the fact that God knows what we need. He does not ignore nor forget about us. Jesus was preparing His listeners to address God as their Father and not some distant being that was akin to the pagan deities that defined the cultures of Greece and Rome.

Verses 6-9 describe the pattern by which we can boldly and confidently approach the LORD (Hebrews 4:14-16). The focus is upon God the Father who dwells in heaven. He is to be praised as holy, just, and personal and to be approached as a loving Father toward His children. God is never distant nor unapproachable. He is always there to love and care for those who trust in Him.

Verse 10 says that we are to seek what pleases the Father, discern what His will and direction is for our lives, and for the progression of His divine plan both here and in the kingdom of heaven.

Verse 11 teaches that we are to ask God for what we need each day. We are to bring our concerns to Him and to trust that He will meet our needs, receiving glory and praise for it all.

In verse 12, Jesus teaches that we need to ask the Father to grant us forgiveness as we forgive others. We are to forgive our adversaries with the same attitude that God forgives us. True forgiveness holds no grudges nor harbors memories of the past and has a short memory. There is no good in holding on to that which cannot be changed. No one can go back in time to rectify wrongs. God is in charge of avenging all wrongdoing and will settle all accounts on the Day of Judgment (Matthew 25).

Verse 13 shows how we are to avoid those situations of spiritual compromise and inevitable sin. We are to ask God to keep us away from those situations, whatever they may be. We are to ask that we be kept away from the schemes and plans of the devil (evil one). We need constant protection and rescue from God’s enemy and the sources of evil that are present in this world. One wrong act or compromising situation can ruin our testimony. No one should ever think that they are immune from the snares of the world. The wreckage of ministries and people begin with the deadliest words to come from the mouth of humanity: “It will never happen to me.” This “personal fable” has caused heartache and other consequences to fester throughout history.

The “Model Prayer” from the Lord Jesus concludes with verses 14-15, where the issue of forgiveness is emphasized again. We must forgive others of their acts and words if we really confess that our love and service to God is authentic. Harboring a spirit of unforgiveness results in God’s unforgiveness of our sins. May we truly take what the Lord Jesus has taught us to our hearts, minds, and lives. Let our faith be real in these last days before His soon return. Are you ready?

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

www.realitycityreverend.com