Participants: Christopher Hudson
Series Code: FRC
Program Code: FRC000022
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00:44 This guy came to town
00:46 talking about all these crazy things 00:48 that were getting ready to happen in the world. 00:50 Most of us thought that he was talking a bunch of nonsense. 00:57 Boy! I believe we should have listened to him now. 01:08 Hi and you're now with The Forerunner Chronicles. 01:11 All right everybody, so... 01:13 the other day I was going through my e-mails 01:14 and I got this e-mail telling me, 01:16 "Forerunner, you're going to burn forever. " 01:17 And I'm like, "burn forever?" 01:18 You know the Bible says, 01:20 "Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. " 01:23 So, I'm thinking... let's make a little bit of video 01:25 and hope that it does a lot of bit of good. 01:26 So, let's talk about "burning forever" right now 01:29 or "eternal fire. " 01:30 What does the Bible have to say about this? 01:31 Are you ready... let's begin... 01:33 In the book of Jude chapter... there's only one chapter... 01:35 and verse 7, the Bible says, 01:37 "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, 01:39 and the cities about them in like manner, 01:41 giving themselves over to fornication, 01:43 and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example 01:48 suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. " 01:51 Here the Bible is telling us 01:52 that Sodom and Gomorrah 01:53 and the surrounding cities, because of the prolific nature 01:57 of the illicit sexual transactions, 01:59 of the heterosexual nature that they were engaged in, 02:02 and also, going after strange flesh, 02:04 and by the way this "strange flesh" 02:06 is talking about them engaging in practices 02:09 that were unnatural for humans 02:11 and by the way, these unnatural human acts, 02:14 they are spoken of in the book of Romans 02:16 chapter 1 beginning at verse 26 which tells us, 02:18 "For this cause God gave them up to vile affections:" 02:22 These vile affections mean disgraceful, shameful, 02:26 lust and passion. 02:27 "... for even their women did change the natural use 02:30 into that which was against nature: 02:32 And Likewise also the men, 02:34 leaving off the natural use of the woman, 02:36 burned in their lust one toward another; 02:39 men with men working in themselves 02:41 that which was unseemly, and receiving that recompense 02:45 of their error which was meet. " 02:47 You know what we're talking about there, 02:49 we're talking about homosexuality, 02:51 and the Bible says that it was because of these sins 02:54 that Sodom and Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities 02:57 suffered the vengeance of God in eternal fire falling on them 03:02 and this God did... to set them forth for an example. 03:06 Now the question is this, Number one, 03:07 what were the effects of that eternal fire 03:10 that hit Sodom and Gomorrah? 03:11 And Number two, number two... 03:14 what was the example 03:16 that God was trying to set before us in doing this? 03:18 Well the Bible gives us the answer 03:20 in the book of Second Peter chapter 2 03:22 beginning at verse 6 we are told there, 03:24 "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes" 03:29 into what? Into ashes... 03:30 "making them an ensample" meaning a type or symbol 03:34 of those that after should live ungodly;" 03:37 Here's our answer. What will the eternal fire do, 03:39 or what did the eternal fire do? It turned them into ashes. 03:43 What was the example or the symbol 03:44 that God was trying to show us? 03:46 He was symbolizing the type of destruction 03:48 that will come upon the ungodly 03:50 that will live in generations thereafter. 03:53 And when will this all take place, 03:55 the judgment of the ungodly? 03:56 The Bible tells us in the book of 2nd Peter chapter 3 03:59 beginning at verse 5, and the Bible tells us there 04:01 "For this they willingly are ignorant of, 04:03 that by the word of the Lord the heavens were of old, 04:06 and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 04:08 Whereby the world that was then, 04:10 being overflowed with water, perished:" 04:12 and what the Bible is simply talking about here 04:14 is that the world which was created by the word of God, 04:17 according to Psalm chapter 33 verses 6 and 9 04:19 which tells us, "By the word of the Lord 04:22 were the heavens made; and all the host of them 04:24 by the breath of his mouth. 04:25 Verse 9: For he spake, and it was done; 04:27 he commanded, and it stood fast. " 04:29 Well, that "world" which happens to be the very same world 04:31 we're living in right now, 04:33 at one point in time in the past, 04:34 it was overflowed by a flood. 04:36 What I'm talking about is the antediluvian race, 04:39 the inhabitants of the world 04:40 that were living during the time period of Noah, 04:42 that were destroyed by a flood 04:44 coming upon Planet Earth, remember the ark? 04:46 7 pairs of every clean animal went into? 04:47 two pairs of every unclean animal... 04:49 Yeah, that generation destroyed by a flood. 04:51 Anyway, the Bible goes on to say in 2nd Peter chapter 3 04:54 beginning at verse 7, 04:55 "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, 04:57 by that same word are kept in store, 04:59 reserved unto fire against the day of judgment 05:02 and perdition... " which means eternal damnation 05:04 "of ungodly men. " 05:06 Then dropping down to verse 10 in 2nd Peter chapter 3 05:09 the Bible tells us, 05:10 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; 05:13 in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, 05:17 and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, 05:19 and the earth also and the works that are therein 05:22 shall be burned up. " 05:24 So, Ladies and Gentlemen, 05:25 the heavens and the earth which are now in existence, 05:27 they are on a layaway plan... they're going to be cast in 05:29 by eternal fire to be burned up. 05:31 Even the elements will melt. 05:33 The only thing that will continue to exist, 05:36 the only that will not be eradicated, 05:38 is a character, that is developed in the love 05:41 and the power... the beauty of Jesus Christ. 05:43 That's the only thing 05:45 that will be burned by the eternal fire. 05:47 Let's go one more time, Malachi chapter 4 05:49 beginning at verse 1, the Bible tells us here, 05:51 "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; 05:54 and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, 05:57 shall be stubble: and that day that cometh 05:59 shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, 06:01 that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. " 06:04 The day is coming that this world will burn like an oven. 06:07 Why? Because internal fire will have touched down 06:09 and all that continue in the works of sin, 06:11 neither root nor branch will be left of you 06:14 and if you don't have root or branch, 06:16 that means you have no hope of coming back into existence, 06:18 you've been eternally removed from God's universe. 06:22 There won't even be a little bit left of you, 06:24 because the Bible goes on to say, 06:26 in Malachi chapter 4 and verse 3, 06:28 "And ye shall tread down the wicked; 06:30 for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet 06:33 in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. " 06:35 Once again, the eternal fire 06:37 will reduce the wicked into ashes. 06:39 Then the wind will carry away 06:41 and there will be no more of you... for eternity. 06:44 But the Bible tells us in 2nd Peter Chapter 3 and verse 13 06:48 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, 06:51 look for new heavens and a new earth, 06:53 wherein dwelleth righteousness. " 06:55 Yeah, God's going to destroy the works of sin in this world, 06:58 He's going to melt down the elements 06:59 but then He's going to make a new earth, a new heaven, 07:02 and righteousness will abide therein. 07:04 So the question is, 07:06 "Will you separate from your sin, 07:07 or will you get hit by the eternal fire?" 07:09 By the way, why do you think God calls it "eternal fire?" 07:12 It's because the work that the fire does is an eternal work. 07:15 It's an eternal judgment. 07:16 You will be eternally removed from God's universe, 07:20 never to return again, 07:22 no resurrection... it's game-over time. 07:24 And that's the end of the story and my time is up. 07:39 Hi and you're now with The Forerunner Chronicles. 07:42 Hi everybody, so I've been asking everybody out there 07:44 to send in their question via Twitter or Facebook 07:46 and in response to your questions, 07:48 I'm going to do videos to answer your questions. 07:50 So, right now, this video is to answer a question 07:52 that I received from Jeff Allen. 07:54 How are you doing out there, Jeff? 07:55 Anyway, Jeff had too many interesting questions, 07:57 one of which I did answer while we were speaking on the 07:59 cell phone while I was walking in the Supermarket, 08:01 but I want to respond to it once again 08:03 so that everybody can hear the answer to the question 08:05 not just you and me, dare I say... anyway... 08:07 the question that Jeff asked me was this. 08:09 "Will there be a pre-tribulation rapture 08:11 or a post-tribulation rapture, or in other words, 08:15 will God's people be secretly raptured out of this world 08:19 without passing through a time of tribulation 08:21 or will God's people pass through a time of tribulation 08:24 before Jesus Christ redeems them from this earth?" 08:28 This is a really good question, a lot of people ask it, 08:30 so, I'm going to answer it, 08:31 I'm going to do so from the Bible 08:33 but I'm going to come from a bit of a different angle 08:35 that you ordinarily may hear this issue dealt with 08:38 when people try to address it, 08:40 like they may take you to Matthew chapter 13... right 08:42 where Jesus presents the parable of the wheat and the tares, 08:45 and in Matthew 13 and verse 30, in respect to this parable, 08:48 Jesus says, "Let both grow together... " 08:50 meaning the wheat and the tares, 08:51 "Let both grow together until the harvest: 08:53 and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, 08:55 Gather ye together first the tares, 08:57 and bind them in bundles to be burned: 09:00 but gather the wheat into my barn. " 09:02 Then, in verse 37 of Matthew chapter 13, 09:04 Jesus breaks down the symbolism 09:06 involved in this parable where He tells us, 09:08 "He that soweth the good seed is the son of man; 09:11 and the field is the world; 09:12 the good seed are the children of the Kingdom; 09:15 but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 09:16 the enemy that sowed them is the devil; 09:18 the harvest is the end of the world; 09:21 and the reapers are the angels. " 09:23 Clearly, since the wheat are 09:25 a symbol of the children of the Kingdom, 09:26 and the tares are a symbol of the children of the wicked one, 09:29 and they're both to grow together 09:30 until the time of the harvest, which is the end of the world, 09:34 the Bible is letting us know, that the children of God, 09:36 and the children of the devil or rather, 09:38 the obedient and the disobedient, 09:40 will co-inhabit Planet Earth, they will co-exist on this globe 09:46 until the end of the world at which point 09:49 the Son of man will send forth his angels 09:52 to do the separation work and the Bible lets us know 09:55 in no uncertain terms when exactly the Son of man, 09:58 Jesus Christ, will send forth His angels to do just that. 10:01 In the book of Matthew chapter 24 and verse 30, 10:04 the Bible tells us, 10:05 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: 10:08 and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, 10:10 and they shall see the Son of man 10:12 coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 10:14 And He shall send his angels 10:16 with a great sound of the trumpet 10:17 and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, 10:20 from one end of heaven to the other. " 10:23 The Bible is letting us know 10:25 it's at the second coming of the Son of man, 10:27 Jesus Christ, when He will send forth His angels 10:29 to gather together the elect, 10:31 which are the wheat which are God's people 10:34 in the parable, however, you still got to go to 10:36 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 sometimes... 10:38 when you're dealing with this whole issue, 10:40 of the post-tribulation rapture or the pre-tribulation rapture, 10:43 because there are some people out there that say, 10:45 "No, God's people have to be secretly raptured 10:48 out of this world, before tribulation takes place 10:50 because the anti-Christ will come 10:53 after the second coming of Jesus Christ, 10:55 and the anti-Christ is the one that's responsible for 10:58 bringing tribulation on Planet Earth. " 11:00 Unfortunately, 11:01 that understanding is 100 percent 11:03 Biblically inaccurate because according to the Bible, 11:06 not only will the anti-Christ come 11:09 before the second coming of Jesus Christ, 11:11 but any teaching that subverts what I just said 11:14 is nothing more than pure deception. 11:16 In the book of 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 beginning at verse 1, 11:19 the Bible says, "Now we beseech ye, brethren, 11:22 by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 11:24 and by our gathering together unto him, 11:26 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, 11:29 neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, 11:33 as that the day of Christ is at hand. 11:36 Let no man deceive you by any means: 11:39 for that day... " 11:40 meaning the second coming of Jesus Christ, 11:41 "will not come, except there come a falling away first, 11:45 and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 11:48 who opposeth and exalteth himself 11:50 above all that is called God, 11:52 or that is worshipped; so that he as God 11:54 sitteth in the temple of God, 11:55 shewing himself that he is God. " 11:57 Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible says 11:59 that before the second coming of Jesus Christ takes place, 12:01 there will be a falling away that transpires... meaning... 12:04 there will be an apostasy within the reins of Christendom, 12:07 people will compromise and transgress the Law of God 12:10 within the Christian Church and this will prepare the way 12:13 for the revelation 12:15 of the man of sin which is the anti-Christ power 12:17 because the term anti-Christ doesn't simply mean 12:21 to oppose Christ, but it also means 12:23 "to set oneself up in the place of Christ," 12:25 and this power does both of those things. 12:27 Not only does he oppose and exalt himself 12:29 above all that is called "God" or that is worshipped, 12:31 but he as God, sits in the temple of God, 12:33 showing himself that he is God, this is anti-Christ. 12:36 So what's the end-game here? 12:37 The end-game is this: the Bible says in the book of 12:40 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and verse 12, 12:41 "Yea, and all that shall live godly in Christ Jesus 12:45 shall suffer persecution. " 12:47 God's people will go through persecution, 12:50 they will pass through tribulation on Planet Earth 12:53 prior to the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ, 12:55 but the question is, "Why?" 12:57 Why will God allow His people to go through tribulation? 13:01 Well, the Bible begins to answer 13:03 this question in the book of Matthew, 13:04 Matthew chapter 5 beginning at verse 11, 13:06 the Bible tells us, 13:07 "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, 13:09 and persecute you, 13:10 and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, 13:13 for my sake. 13:15 Rejoice and be exceeding glad: 13:17 for great is your reward in heaven: 13:19 for so persecuted they the prophets 13:21 which were before you. " 13:22 Notice, Jesus said that the prophets which were before us 13:25 they were persecuted, 13:26 and there's a blessing pronounced on the heads of those 13:28 that undergo the same type of persecution 13:31 that the prophets which were before us underwent, 13:33 which was, they were reviled, 13:34 they were hated and disdained by the nations, 13:37 they were tortured mentally and physically... persecuted 13:39 and they were falsely accused within Society, 13:42 but then in the book of Matthew chapter 23 13:45 beginning at verse 29, 13:47 Jesus goes on to explain to what extent 13:50 the prophets of old were persecuted. 13:52 We are told there when Jesus is rebuking the 13:55 scribes and Pharisees, 13:56 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 13:59 because ye build up the tombs of the prophets, 14:01 and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 14:03 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, 14:06 we would not have been partakers with them 14:08 in the blood of the prophets. 14:10 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto your own selves, 14:13 that ye are the children of them 14:15 which killed the prophets. " 14:17 Notice Jesus says, that the prophets were 14:20 not only reviled and persecuted, 14:22 and spoken falsely against, but they were killed... 14:25 that was the type of persecution that they underwent. 14:28 But then Jesus prophesies to the effect 14:31 that he will send forth more prophets, wise men and scribes 14:35 and the same thing will take place against them. 14:39 In Matthew chapter 23 and verse 34, Jesus says, 14:42 "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, 14:45 and wise men, and scribes: and some of them 14:47 ye shall kill and crucify; 14:49 and some shall ye scourge in your synagogues, 14:51 and persecute them from city to city" 14:54 Jesus Himself said He's going to send forth some servants now 14:57 and these servants that He sends out into the world 14:59 they are going to be dealt with the same way 15:01 that His prophets of old were dealt with. 15:03 They will be persecuted, they will experience tribulation 15:06 even unto the death... and though this prophecy 15:10 does have an immediate application to His disciples, 15:12 that went forth into the world to preach the gospel, 15:15 after His resurrection, 15:16 it also applies to his disciples and servants that will live here 15:21 in these last days, 15:22 just shortly before the second coming of Jesus Christ, 15:25 and you don't have to believe me 15:27 but you've got to believe the Bible, 15:29 because the Bible tells us in the book of James 15:31 chapter 5 beginning at verse 8, "Be ye also patient; 15:34 stablish your hearts: 15:36 for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. " 15:38 Now notice this clearly. 15:40 The Bible says that we should be patient 15:42 and we should stablish our hearts... 15:44 meaning that we should be rooted and grounded 15:46 by faith in the love of Jesus Christ 15:47 having the mind single to the glory of God, 15:50 realizing that the second coming of Jesus Christ 15:53 is rapidly approaching 15:55 and for these people that are living during that time period 15:58 in which the second coming of Jesus Christ 16:00 is rapidly approaching, notice the counsel that is given 16:04 in James chapter 5 and verse 10, we are told there, 16:08 "Take, my brethren, the prophets, 16:10 who have spoken in the name of the Lord, 16:12 as an example of suffering affliction, 16:15 and of patience. " 16:16 Now, hold on a second, 16:17 why would the Bible counsel those 16:19 that are living shortly before 16:22 the second coming of Jesus Christ, 16:24 to take the prophets of old as an example 16:27 of how they should patiently suffer being afflicted... 16:31 by the way... that means... patiently suffer being tortured 16:35 and even executed, made martyrs... 16:38 if they weren't going to experience 16:40 that type of affliction, 16:41 before Jesus returned to Planet Earth. 16:44 That's a good question. 16:46 What I find even more interesting 16:48 about James 5 and verse 10, is the word "affliction" 16:51 because that word "affliction" 16:52 is actually translated from a Greek word 16:55 which is a compound of two Greek words, 16:58 the first Greek word is: half an hour 17:01 and the second Greek word is: suffering, 17:03 now, the reason I find this so interesting 17:05 is because that first Greek word "half an hour" 17:08 which is a part of a compound Greek word 17:11 which is translated in English as affliction... 17:14 here in James 5 and verse 10, that particular word in Greek 17:18 "half an hour" is found only one other place in the Bible 17:21 and that's in the book of Revelation 17:23 chapter 8 and verse 1 which says there, 17:25 "And when he had opened the seventh seal, 17:27 there was silence in heaven 17:29 about the space of half an hour. " 17:31 Now, the reason I find this so interesting 17:33 is because this half an hour 17:34 transpires in the courts of heaven 17:36 under the opening up of the seventh seal 17:38 is obviously an event that transpires 17:40 after the events that occur under the sixth seal. 17:44 If you've got a seventh seal, you've got to have a sixth seal, 17:46 and some of those events that transpire under the sixth seal, 17:49 they are spoken of in Revelation chapter 6 17:51 beginning at verse 14 where the Bible tells us, 17:53 "And the heaven departed as a scroll, 17:55 when it is rolled together; 17:56 and every mountain and island 17:58 were moved out of their places. 17:59 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, 18:01 and the rich men, and the chief captains, 18:02 and the mighty men, and every bondman, 18:03 and every free man, hid themselves in the dens 18:05 and in the rocks of the mountains; 18:07 And said to the mountains and rocks, 18:09 Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him 18:11 that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 18:14 For the great day of his wrath is come; 18:15 and who shall be able to stand?" 18:18 The reason why fear is gripping the hearts of men at this time, 18:23 is because they're seeing signs 18:25 and in the heavens and on the earth, 18:27 that are obvious harbingers of the fact that Jesus Christ 18:31 is getting ready to come not only to redeem His children, 18:34 but to punish the wicked. 18:36 The reason I find this so interesting, 18:38 Ladies and Gentlemen, is... this is the reason why 18:41 obviously there's silence in heaven 18:44 about the space of half an hour, 18:46 in Revelation chapter 8 and verse 1 18:48 under the opening up of the seventh seal. 18:50 That silence occurs as a result 18:53 of all of the occupants of heaven, 18:55 emptying its precincts 18:57 to come down to Planet Earth to redeem God's people 19:00 because when Jesus comes, 19:02 all the holy angels will come with him, 19:04 on this errand to redeem His people. 19:07 The Bible says it very clearly 19:08 in the book of Matthew chapter 25 and verse 31, 19:11 where we are told, 19:13 "And when the Son of man cometh in all of his glory, 19:15 and all the holy angels with him, 19:17 then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:" 19:20 the only one that will be left in the precincts of heaven 19:23 at that time... is God the Father 19:25 sitting upon His throne, I can imagine in silence 19:27 with great expectation awaiting for Jesus 19:30 and all the holy angels to return 19:31 with His blood-bought children, 19:33 which brings us back now to James chapter 5 and verse 10 19:36 which you should understand with greater clarity now, 19:39 because what the Bible is simply saying 19:41 is that... just like the prophets of old, 19:43 who spoke in the name of the Lord 19:45 and exercised patience, 19:46 we're going to have to do the same. 19:48 Just before the second coming of Jesus Christ, 19:51 we are going to have to exercise extreme patience 19:55 in waiting upon God's promise to be fulfilled in our lives 19:59 that Jesus Christ will come to save us 20:01 as we are going through this fiery time of tribulation 20:04 such as never has been seen on Planet Earth 20:07 just shortly before Jesus Christ returns 20:10 to this globe and to help us understand 20:13 why God would even suffer such a situation to befall us, 20:17 He points us to his servant Job 20:20 in James chapter 5 and verse 11 where we are told, 20:23 "Behold we count them happy which endure. 20:25 Ye have heard of the patience of Job, 20:27 and have seen the end of the Lord; 20:30 that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. " 20:33 The word "end" there means, "Purpose or Aim" 20:36 in other words, in looking at the experience of Job, 20:39 how he passed through fiery tribulations, 20:42 patiently waiting upon God, 20:43 we can see what God's ultimate purpose was 20:47 in allowing such a situation to befall his servant. 20:50 And if you don't comprehend it, just go to the book of Job 20:53 chapter 1 beginning at verse 6, which says there, 20:56 "Now there was a day when the sons of God 20:58 came to present themselves before the Lord, 21:00 and Satan came also among them. 21:02 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? 21:05 And Satan answered and said unto the Lord, 21:07 From going to and fro in the earth, 21:08 and from walking up and down in it. 21:10 And the Lord said unto Satan, 21:11 Hast thou considered my servant Job, 21:14 that there is none like him in the earth, 21:16 a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, 21:18 and escheweth evil? 21:20 And Satan answered and said unto the Lord, 21:22 Doth Job fear God for nought? 21:24 Hast not thou set a hedge about him, 21:26 and about his house, and about all that he hath 21:28 thou has blessed the work of his hands 21:30 and his substance is increased in the land. 21:32 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, 21:36 and he will curse thee to thine face. " 21:38 And the Lord said unto Satan, 21:40 "Behold, all that he hath is in thine power; 21:43 only upon himself put forth not thine hand. 21:46 So Satan went from the presence of the Lord. " 21:49 Here is revealed in Job chapter 1, 21:53 the most important overarching reality 21:56 that we need to take into consideration 21:59 when we look at this issue 22:00 of God's people passing through tribulation. 22:03 And this overarching reality is this: 22:06 there is a great controversy taking place 22:09 between God and Satan 22:12 and in this controversy, 22:14 Satan has declared clearly in Job chapter 1, 22:18 that men do not serve God out of genuine love, 22:22 the only reason 22:23 that men serve God is because they're scared of Him 22:26 and they want temporal prosperity. 22:29 However, Satan contests that if God were to remove 22:33 temporal prosperity and physical health from humanity, 22:37 that humanity would curse God to His face, 22:40 but God in this contest is trying to reveal 22:44 to all that are watching 22:46 that though there are some false professors, 22:49 He does have faithful servants that love Him and serve Him 22:54 out of a pure heart, 22:56 and here is revealed 22:58 the vital role that the tribulation of God's people 23:02 play in this controversy, 23:04 and that critical role is this... 23:06 there is no greater form of undisputable evidence 23:11 that a man loves God 23:13 than him giving God unflinching devotion 23:17 on a day-by-day basis 23:20 following His Commandments by faith 23:22 and being willing to do so even unto the death. 23:26 We see a revelation of this truth 23:29 in the life of Jesus Christ 23:30 and punctuates that truth by His death on the cross. 23:34 Even Jesus speaks that reality, He speaks that truth. 23:37 In the book of John 23:38 chapter 15 and verse 13 where He says, 23:41 "Greater love hath no man than this, 23:43 that a man should lay down his life for his friends. 23:47 Ye are my friends, if ye keep my commandments. " 23:50 If we follow God on a day-by-day basis 23:54 and keep His Commandments 23:55 and are willing to lay down our lives for God, 23:57 we are showing that God is our friend and we love Him. 24:02 Job proved His love for God by holding on to his faith 24:07 even when death threatened to claim him 24:10 even though that fiery tribulation 24:12 tried him to the very core of his being, 24:15 Job never cursed God, he waited patiently on the Lord. 24:21 And in these last days, 24:23 God is seeking to raise up a final generation 24:27 that like faithful Job and the prophets of old 24:30 who spoke in the name of the Lord, 24:33 will be patient to wait upon God, 24:35 whether in death or in life, 24:39 they will love Him and they will serve Him. 24:41 Tribulation is coming. 24:44 The Bible tells us in the book of Matthew chapter 24 24:49 beginning at verse 7, 24:51 "For nation shall rise up against nation, 24:53 and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, 24:56 and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places, 24:59 And All these are the beginning of sorrows. 25:02 And then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, 25:06 and they shall kill you: 25:08 and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake" 25:13 just like the prophets of old 25:15 and at that time... the Bible warns 25:18 "And then shall many be offended, 25:21 and shall betray one another, 25:23 and shall hate one another... " 25:25 Can you imagine that the multitudes, 25:29 the poor multitudes 25:30 that are now being deceived into believing that 25:33 there's going to be a pre-tribulation rapture 25:36 and that God is going to 25:37 secretly rapture them out of this world 25:39 so that they don't have to experience tribulation, 25:41 can you imagine, how they're going to react 25:45 when tribulation actually grips this planet? 25:48 They're going to react just like the Apostle Peter... 25:52 they're going to be offended and betray Jesus Christ 25:57 because like Peter... they did not grasp the reality 26:01 that all that live Godly in Christ Jesus, 26:05 shall suffer persecution 26:07 before they experience 26:09 the glory of the Kingdom of God, 26:12 but I thank God 26:14 that Jesus Himself has given us a promise 26:17 in the book of Revelation chapter 3 and verse 10 26:20 we are told, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience 26:24 I will also keep thee in the hour of temptation, 26:28 which shall come upon all the world, 26:31 and to try them that dwell upon the earth. " 26:35 The tribulation is to try the hearts of men 26:39 to see who is really for God, 26:41 who is a wheat and who is a tare. 26:45 I pray that you stand as a child of the living God 26:49 in that time... 26:51 and I hope that that answers your question. 26:54 And as always... whether you like it or not... 26:58 the truth is the truth... |
Revised 2015-08-25