When Jesus left this earth and returned to Heaven He left His apostles in charge to tell others all about Him, but they weren’t alone. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, came and resided in each of these men, and all those who came to Christ by their teaching. Jesus commissioned them to take the Gospel, the Good News, throughout the known world, and that they did.

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)

At this point there were only eleven original apostles left since Judas was out of the picture. Later, Matthias was elected to replace him.

Verse seventeen says that “some doubted.” I love this about the Bible. It is very honest. God’s Word never tries to cover up anything. It just speaks the truth. Obviously, there were many at this meeting in Galilee, not just the original apostles, but some in the crowd doubted. Nevertheless, from Jesus’ original core group the Gospel of Jesus Christ has since spread around the world.

Keep this in mind. They did not have any large buildings, soft pews, beautiful music, and a big budget. In other words, they didn’t have all the ‘fancy fixins’ that we are so accustomed to today. The only transportation they had was their own two feet or maybe a donkey. On some occasions, if large bodies of water were in the picture, they could catch a boat.

How did they ever make it? No planes, trains or automobiles! No Nike walking shoes!

Today we whine if the pews aren’t cushioned enough for our every widening posterior.

No air conditioning? We won’t be there.

No heat? We won’t be there.

You mean refreshments won’t be served this Sunday? I’m not going.

The preacher didn’t tell any jokes today. I won’t be back.

Some &*$% took my parking spot and my seat! What has this church come to!?

Whine, whine, whine.

Maybe we need to go back to our roots. You know, back to the beginning. Walk a few hundred miles with the apostles in the hot summer sun and the cold winter days.

What would happen if the church doors were locked and those who claimed to be Christian were deprived of most all pleasantries? What would happen if this same group experienced the wrath of the government upon their heads? What would happen if they had to hide from their persecutors to stay alive?

During the Tribulation the True Church will be gone. Those remaining will experience what it was like during the Ephesus and Smyrna church age when it comes to persecution.

Most all in the Laodicean church age will glide right into the Tribulation. I really don’t think there will be many missing from the churches when the Rapture occurs, but they will run like a dog with its tail on fire when the beast and false prophet get to work. In proportion to the population, few will understand, call on Jesus to be saved, and stand firm to their commitment to God until the end.

For Tribulation believers the world will revert back to world-wide persecution of those who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ, except the Tribulation will be even worse than anything in history, much worse even than the Ephesus and Smyrna church era.

It may seem hard now, depending on where you live, to stand for Jesus, but during the Tribulation all true believers will have to hide out just to stay alive. They will lose everything they own and pray day to day that they won’t be caught.

All people will be forced into making a decision for or against Jesus Christ. There will be no ‘middle-of-the-roaders.’ Those who deny Christ will be free for a while only to accompany their god into hell later on. Those who stand with Christ will lose their head if they can’t get away and stay hidden, but will reign with Him later on.

We in this country are starting to see the effects of pure evil closing in on us, but it is only a tip of the shadow of the beast from hell to come. It is so very easy for anyone to come to Jesus now and really live for Him, but the curtain is getting ready to close on this age; i.e. the Church age.

Common sense would say, “Fall on your knees now in true repentance. Give your life to Jesus Christ and live for Him, before He comes for His bride. Once the Church is gone, living and dying will be down where the rubber meets the road.”

Most of you will laugh this off and say this is foolishness, but it isn’t foolishness. It is a plea for your cause, a plea for you to come to Him now while you can. Once He comes for His Church, the bride, the Tribulation will start, and your chances are slim to none of being saved. You will only have torment, heartache, tears, agony, terror and judgment ahead.

The Christians during the age of Ephesus and Smyrna had very, very hard lives because of their love for Jesus. Satan hated them and made their lives hell. It will be even worse during the Tribulation. Don’t gamble with your soul. Act now.

Grant Phillips

Email: grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

We in America live in one of the most beautiful countries on earth with so many varying types of topography. God has blessed all of mankind with so many things we often take for granted.

The very air we breathe comes from God. He waters our lands with rain which produces crops to keep us fed. He provides the sun that we may see during the ‘daylight’ hours and be warmed by its presence. At night He gives us light, not too much, but just enough that we may sleep and still be able to see what is around us. He provides remedies via earth’s plants that we in turn call “medicine” to heal our many infirmities. Even our very bodies are a work of art that works perfectly in our stay upon this earth.

Speaking of art, who could draw and/or paint a better picture than the one and only God our Creator? Millions of songs and poems have been written of sunsets, sunrises, the moon glowing at night, and the stars in the sky. Earth’s landscapes could never be appreciated as much on the canvas as they are in person.

Even among all the heartache and garbage Satan has brought upon this world through sin, nothing can match the beauty of God’s creations. Only He could display such grandeur. Are we thankful?

Matthew 5:45 says, “… for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Consider what this verse is saying. Good people and bad people, scoundrels and saints, all people reap the benefits of God’s blessings in His creations. Through His handiworks He announces that He is. He blesses all alike, whether appreciative or not.

However, by and large, man has charged right out of the gate, full steam ahead, thinking only of himself and not His creator. Man has shown little to no interest in the things of God let alone give Him thanks for all that we so rudely take for granted.

We in the 21st century are really no different than those in previous centuries, in that we ignore the beauty at the hands of the Creator and make a god of His creation. Let me explain.

Instead of appreciating the medicines He has provided us, we, at the expense of others, make billions from the sick and afflicted. We also use His blessings as drugs to get us ‘high’ so we can be sucked in to the devil’s deeds.

God’s creations have been used in very creative ways by gifted geniuses to make our lives easier. That’s fine, but we in turn have allowed the luxuries of life to push God aside. Not only is there no room in the inn, but there is no room in our lives for God anymore.

Another example is sex. There is nothing sinful about sex. God designed it. It is His creation for all that live to procreate and continue to replenish the earth. However, man has turned it into filthy jokes, and back alley rapes. Every perversion of sex imaginable by man blasphemes a holy God every time it is abused and turned into sin. How should sex be used? Read the Bible. It’s in there.

All too often, we take what God has created for our good and use it for our own evil greedy intentions. I find it interesting that God uses nature as an example to get His point across in the following verses:

“For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.” (Hebrews 6:7-8 ESV)

Out of all the millions of blessings God has provided to all mankind, one stands out above all the rest. That blessing is the sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus Christ, provided for all who will come to Him to be saved.

In the verses above, the land that “produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated” are those who have accepted Jesus as their sacrifice and have asked Him to save them.

In the verses above, the land that “bears thorns and thistles” are not fit for God’s blessings and are “worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned,” because they have rejected Jesus Christ, the one and only way to God.

There is coming a day, and I believe it to be very near, that God is going to judge this world. It is commonly called the seven year Tribulation. The Scriptures also call it Daniel’s 70th week and the time of Jacob’s trouble. For simplicity, I’ll simply refer to it as the Tribulation.

In reading the book of Revelation where the Tribulation is detailed, three sources of judgments are listed. They are from seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls. From these 21 judgments, notice how they relate to the blessings God has provided mankind and mankind has not even had the decency, in general, to say “Thank you.”

In the beginning of this article I mentioned the sun, moon and stars. Instead we show no appreciation to the Creator, but make these lights of the sky, gods.

“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.” (Revelation 8:12)

For those who do not appreciate the bodies God has clothed us with:

“And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.” (Revelation 16:8)

“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.” (Revelation 19:10)

“And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” (Revelation 16:10-11)

Maybe we don’t appreciate the fresh water God has provided.

“And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” (Revelation 8:11)

“And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.” (Revelation 16:4)

We have abused the medicinal herbs and plants provided us by God.

“These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” (Revelation 11:6)

Do we really appreciate the earthly beauty God has provided?

“And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” (Revelation 11:13)

“And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” (Revelation 16:18)

“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” (Revelation 8:7)

Those who have spurned the blessings of God and in particular have regarded God’s greatest gift, His Son, as not worth considering, will be judged.

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17)

But for those who have bent their knees and bowed their heads to the Son have come to the Father and will be blessed.

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Revelation 22:1

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)

The Tribulation will be a time when God will not only draw Israel back to Himself, but will also level His judgment upon mankind. Not having the decency to at least thank Him for all His many blessings is one thing, but to deny His greatest gift is disastrous. Again, that greatest gift is His Son, Jesus Christ. Come to Him now because,

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

Grant Phillips

Email: grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com