Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

No Second Chance Pt.5

Let's turn to Luke 21 while I finish laughing. Hallelujah. Well, have you been praying this afternoon for the Lord to come? Monday is coming and a lot of us just pray, "Lord, Monday's coming; come quickly!" Amen? That will get some of us praying. You can still remember the time when some of you were praying along the lines of "Lord, I'm sure looking for you to come but I'd really like to get married first." And now you're praying, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!" But our eyes are to be constantly looking and waiting for the return of the Lord. We were talking about that watchfulness aspect this morning, and the preparation of our hearts constantly for the Lord's return, and the sobriety that we're supposed to have because of this hour that we're in and the perils that are upon us. In the last times, there will be those that depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils as we saw in 1 Timothy chapter 4. Then over in 2 Timothy chapter 3, we see that in the last days, perilous times will come upon the church, and it earmarks another thing that we have to be aware of, and that's the fact that "men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without a natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, [people without any discipline or self control in their lives] fierce, despisers of those that are good, [The apostle goes on and says] traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." Remember he's talking here about the church, the professed Christians. This that we just talked about is what you're going to see in the church, not in the world. Then he says they're going to have a form of godliness--all the ritual, all the religion, all the church services and the rhetoric--but these will be a people that love pleasure more than God, having religious form, but denying the power.

Now when Paul's writing this second epistle to Timothy and he's making these statements, remember these are the latter days of Paul's life, and he's talking about the latter times, and things that are to be expected, and he's talking to Timothy to guard the doctrine of the church, to realize the tendencies of the flesh, that they're going to escalate as you see this hour approaching. That's why the Scripture says don't forsake "the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is... [And even] more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). We need one another. We need people to speak into our lives, and people that will lift up our hands at the times that we're weary, and people that will speak into our lives the truth. There will be those that deny, however, the power of holy living, real commitment to the kingdom, and he said from this type of people, turn away. They'll go into houses--that's actually talking about the churches of that time. You remember the church was meeting in homes and that's where the majority of the body of Christ was found. It says they'll "creep into the churches and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts" (2 Timothy 3:5). Silly women. What's this all about? It's just talking about those that are idle, those that are not serving as God had set them in their homes, and becoming a helpmeet, and loving their husbands and their children, and keeping the house. There will be those that are ever learning--can quote Scripture--but their lives are out of order. We've come through a couple of decades of that. Women running from bible study to bible study, ever learning, and never learning how to submit to their husbands. Learning all kinds of Scripture, prophesying, wearing baskets on their heads, long dresses, falling under the power, kids are trying to find their own breakfast in the mornings, and the house, you need a bulldozer or bobcat to clean it. Ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth that we're to fulfill the role that God has placed us in. So there are a lot of different things.

Things haven't changed--there's no new thing under the sun. Women, according to the Scriptures, have a greater propensity for being deceived in the spirit realm. Whatever this sensitivity is that's in the feminine part, is also subject to deception, and we see that in the garden. Not only into this deception, but also into the areas of manipulation, and Adam's manipulation, Adam's weakness and abdication, and all the things that led to sin. He said this is going to escalate in the last days and within the church. So he says be very careful that the doctrine remains sound and look toward all these different areas that are your tendencies. Chapter 2 of this same epistle, verse 15, he had given the admonition to "Study to shew [yourselves] approved unto God, workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." He talks about those that were among them--Hymenaeus and Philetus--who erred concerning the truth and said that the resurrection was already past, and that they had missed the coming of the Lord. So we see the guarding against this false doctrine.

So we're watching and we're looking and seeing that there will be a lot of false doctrine, a lot of demonic power and deception in this age that you and I are living in. It's going to be a great day of prosperity because men are going to be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. It's going to be a great day of religion, and we talk about the great revival in America--some people would think we're having another great awaking--and all it is are some great entertainment programs, and we're trying to imitate the world and doing a poor job of it, and people are coming out for fifteen minute sermons. Just the other day--did you see it on the news--some church finally got the first McDonald's franchise into their church. Dear Lord, if you're going to get something in the church why get someplace where there's poison in the pot, and death in the pot? So you realize that this is part of where we're at today, and there's religion, and people are all talking religion but they deny the power of a holy life. They deny the infallibility of the Scriptures. So we have to be very aware of what's going on around us, and know those that labor among us, and are over us the Scripture says, and be imitators, and followers of those who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises of God. So we're all given that admonition to guard ourselves, to be sober, and to be watchful.

Look over at Luke 21 for just a second, did you find that yet? I'm just about through laughing so we can turn over there. Luke chapter 21 verse 34 says "take heed to yourselves." Take heed to--who? [Yourselves.] Take heed to who--say it again? [Yourselves.] Let's say it one more time. Take heed to who? [Yourselves.] Okay, that doesn't mean the guy sitting next to you, does it? It's a lot easier to take heed for them and to set everybody else straight. But he's talking about the fact that we're to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." So take heed to yourselves. This surfeiting aspect--the word "surfeiting" is an interesting word--it's really just talking about a party spirit. You know, we don't party like we used to before we got saved but now we party--instead of beer we're drinking Pepsi--and still killing ourselves stuffing pizza in there, and hanging out, and killing time, and just trying to pass time. What's a party all about? Most people are bored and trying to find something to do. Everybody's got to be somewhere, and doing something, and so this Bud's for you. They go on out and having their great parties, and we as Christians, of course, wouldn't do that so we get together and go out and drink Pepsi, and eat pizza, and watch movies, and play board games. Nothing really wrong with any of that, but is it a compulsion? Is it something that you look forward to, anticipate, and yet prayer, and worship, and the fellowship of the saints are obligations? The surfeiting spirit--you're just living for the weekends like the world is.

You know, we could develop some other ideas--you know what we're talking about--the spirit that we're identifying here, and this spirit that always wants to run and play. You can't sit still, you can't take time to mediate, there's not the ability to wait on God, and to be on your face in His presence in your prayer closet, because you're always having to run somewhere, and be entertained; something has to be going on. Surfeiting is that inability to be satisfied with the spiritual things. "Drunkenness and the cares of this life," he goes on to say. So the world's there trying to dull their senses somehow trying to get some enjoyment in this vanity called life. He says that day is going to come upon them, as we read, in the days of Noah. "For as a snare [verse 35] shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Now look at the admonition: pray always, watch and pray always. Here's the mandate. Now we talked about that sobriety aspect this morning, and the admonition of watching. We talked about the five wise and five foolish virgins, how they were all ministering, and in the same pursuit, all virgins. They were all pure; they started this course pure, they weren't defiled. They went in the same direction, they were hanging together, they had the right lamps, they had the right oil, they just didn't have sufficient--what it takes to finish the race. "I have finished the race," Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7. Therefore there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. So here we are being admonished. The apostle tells us here that as we pray always, and understand that there is to be an escaping--the word there "escape," ekpheugo, is talking about "to be taken clean away from." It's really talking about the rapture because we've not been appointed, we saw in Thessalonians this morning, to the hour of wrath. We understand that this is the wrath of the Lamb. Turn over to the book of Revelation for just a second; we're going to be there a little bit this evening.

If you look over at the book of Revelation in chapter 3, down at verse 10. In speaking to the Philadelphia church, those who have kept His word and not denied His name. "Because [verse 10] thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." The word "dwell" there is very interesting. It means to take up permanent residence, to be a citizen. Where is your citizenship? Are you an earth dweller? You see, we're in the world but we're not of it. Are you an earth dweller? Many of us partake of the worldly things. We go to work. We eat natural food. We experience different forms of entertainment--what ever it might be--but we're not earth dwellers. Our heart's not here. Our treasure's not here. You know where your treasures are. So it's very important for us to understand what he's talking about. He said there's going to be a wrath; there's going to be a judgment, an hour of judgment that's going to come upon the whole world, all that are earth dwellers. Pray always that you might be worthy to escape these things, the apostle says. So we're called into that ministry of watchfulness and preparing ourselves. We saw in 1 Thessalonians that we're children of light and so we run to the light, we run to the truth that we can be purified, and we don't sleep or slumber like those that are in darkness.

The Lord speaks to us and says in this same book of Revelation look over at chapter 16 for just a second. These same interesting words that we were speaking of this morning. Chapter 16 verse 15. "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." I come as a thief. Keep your garments. This robe of righteousness that we've been given--guard it, don't let any man defile you. Be washed constantly by the washing of the water of the Word. This third chapter of Revelation down there that we were just looking at--look at what verse 11 says as we were reading through there. I'm going to keep you from that hour. "Behold, I come quickly: [verse 11] hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Hold fast; hold on to it. How many of you can feel the enemy, the world system, tugging on your crown? How many of you sense the pull, the alluring, the power? Are you able to sense that this is multiplying--that which is opposing us is multiplying--the force is getting greater? I don't mean the (making "Darth Vader" sound) force. That power of darkness that's out there, the wooing of all of these satanic wiles--are you aware of it? Are you just walking as though nothing has changed? Marrying and giving in marriage, eating, drinking, nothing's changed. I don't notice any difference. There's a difference. If you haven't noticed that there's a difference, are you holding fast, the Scripture says, being aware that that crown that Paul spoke of in Timothy is trying to be wrestled from your hands? Henceforth there's laid up for me a crown. I fought the good fight; I finished the course. It's a war. It's a race that's to be finished. We're all in jeopardy.

It's kind of humorous listening to some of the different sports writers and different ones talking about the Dale Earnhardt death. I heard a couple of guys today--man, they were on their soap box, and they were preaching about safety, and it's just horrendous, and no other sport would be allowed to go on in this nation if four people had died in a year--and I thought, "What about the sport of drunk driving on the streets?" It's amazing, the self-righteousness that people have in wanting to protect people from themselves and all of this. What they're doing is dangerous, no question, but they're choosing to do it; nobody's making them do it. There are certain risks that are involved, and we're in a race. We're in a war; we're in a wrestling match. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. We're to put on the whole armor of God that we might be able to stand. What are you doing to prepare yourself? We don't know what hour the Lord is coming. Earnhardt didn't. I guarantee you that man was sitting there and just in his glory thinking, "Man, my two cars that I own are in front, my son has a shot at the Daytona 500 if he can get around them. What a great finish! I'm blocking all the rest of these guys out." That's what he liked doing, he was having a blast and a second later he was dead, and that's how soon yours is going to come. That's how quickly yours will come--in a time when you're celebrating. Peace and safety.

So we have to be ready. Now we're talking about escaping this hour of wrath that's going to come upon the earth. 1 Thessalonians 1:10--you don't have to turn there if you don't want--it just says we're not appointed to wrath. That day that's going to come upon the earth. Let's see what it's all about. Turn back to the book of Revelation for just a second, or we still might be there--I don't know--somewhere in between there and Luke. But I want you to see what we're talking about. We're talking about no second chance. Luke 21:36 said that you might be counted worthy to escape. Now we know what we're going to, somewhat, because we know it's going to be the presence of God, we know that He's gone to prepare a place for us. In my Father's house are many dwelling places, if it were not so I would have told you. A lot of people like to interpret that "mansions." We've got a mansion just over the hilltop. Some people sing about just a little cabin in glory, some of the old songs. None of that matters; it's going to be a world where He's the light thereof. There will be no weeping. Death and sorrow will have passed away. We'll know as we're known. Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and it's not entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those that love him. It's better than we would imagine.

As we said, hell's going to be worse than man can imagine. People have talked about, "Well, you know, it's not so bad. I've been through hell here on earth." You haven't even been in purgatory. Let me show you what's waiting for those who don't hear the trumpet blast--ultimately, a devil's hell. Eternal torment, where there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, "...where their worm dieth not" (Mark 9:34). It's beyond comprehension, as the Psalmist says that you will be a totally forgotten being. People say, "I'm going to go party with my buddies in hell." Nobody will remember who you were. Nobody will know you're there. You will be absolutely alone, terrified, and tormented. You will be in total darkness and no one will hear your screams, and it will be worse than that. But prior to that, those who don't hear this trumpet sound will experience some other never-before-experienced incidents upon this earth.

Chapter 4 of the book of Revelation. As John the revelator is having this vision and he sees the four and twenty elders upon the throne, chapter 4 verse 10. And they cry out, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." We see the worship and the celebration and the majesty of God, and then we see the hour of the wrath of the Lamb. For the Scripture says, "For I saw in the right hand of him... a book...[and it was] sealed with seven seals" (Revelation 5:1). And the Lamb was worthy, the Scripture says in verse 12, to receive His glory, and mete forth the justice upon the nations, and to celebrate those who were prepared to meet him. And the seals then of the book are opened by the Lamb who was worthy. Chapter 6 says, as first seal of this book is opened, the four horseman of the apocalypse are seen. Now we've heard a lot about these and we see the different horsemen that are coming forth. The first on the white horse went forth to conquer. The second, the red horse, depicting war and he went forth, verse 4 says, to take away peace from the earth. And that there should be anarchy and murder, and killing one another. It was given to this rider a great sword and when the lamb opens the third seal, the words, "Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat upon him had a pair of balances in his hands." The cry went forth, "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny." We see famine beginning to come upon the earth. And then the forth seal and this pale rider comes forth. Verse 8 says, "Death, and Hell followed with him. And power [at this time] was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." You need to see, as over a billion people die, there's going to be a lot of consequences to this. This is going to really hurt the stock market.

We begin to see then, that as the judgment of God begins to be met forth--the justice of God--war, famine, death. Billions die. I wonder if the words might come to some of our minds, "I wish we'd all been ready." Where are we? This is a sure thing; this is going to happen. Billions--judged of God--and yet it's just begun. Because the fifth seal then was opened, verse 9 says, and "I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held." And they said, "How long until we're avenged?" White robes were given them and there was a time of waiting as the justice of God was still to be fulfilled. The seal of the martyrs. Those that are drunk with the blood of the martyrs at this time, there will be a retaliation of wickedness. Antichrist is going to be able to deceive man to the point of bringing together an army to defy the Lord and His hosts, as He returns. When Satan has been bound during the millennial rein and then loosed, the power of this deception--Beloved, after a thousand years of knowing the manifest glory of God--men's hearts will be deceived and turned against him as the sand of the sea. How strong is that power of delusion that we're talking about? It's the same spirit you and I are facing today, there's only one difference, "he who now letteth will let" (2 Thessalonians 2:7). There's a restraining force of the Holy Spirit that's living within everyone of us right now, and the church's holiness and power and ministry is still at hand, and it's the only thing that's keeping that absolute power of deception from blinding the hearts of men. From the moment of rapture, men are total puppets in the hands of this supernatural anarchy except for those that God has chosen to put his seal upon. But you won't be a candidate. The hundred and forty four thousand that will be sealed, twelve thousand out of every tribe that will go forth and herald the gospel, those that will be reconciled and come in as partakers of the new covenant, but that seal won't be for you. You will have been given strong delusion that you'll believe a lie, and you'll begin to receive the just recompense of God.

The Scripture says in verse 12 that a sixth seal then will be opened, and "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... The heaven departed as a scroll, [verse 14 says] and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." That's quite a statement. If you've ever been in a small earthquake, I wonder what kind of tsunami this things going to put forth? Do you understand the havoc and the total fear that's going to be gripping the hearts of men? Yet the Scripture says that even at this time, even though there's going to be great fear, they're going to cry out for the mountains to fall on them because they don't want to see the face of Him that's coming to bring justice and truth. They so hate God and righteousness and truth that they'd rather die. Look at verse 16 as they cry for the mountains to fall upon them and say, "Hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." "Let us die quickly!" and the Lord's going to say, "You're not so lucky." "For the great day of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?" I'd wish we'd all been ready.

We begin to see the judgment of God continuing to be met forth, and the Bible tells us at this particular time, that the Holy Spirit is going to continue to be working for there's going to be a remnant saved. We're going to go back in our Wednesday study probably, into Thessalonians again and look at the restraining power that we're talking about. Some theologians, some Bible students seem to think that when the restraining force is removed that the Holy Spirit is actually going to depart, but not so. His work of convincing and convicting of sin is going to continue to be present on the earth. He's going to just manifest in a different way. That restraining power is two-fold in Thessalonians--it's not just the person of the Holy Spirit, it is the person and the power--but he's also using the agency of the church. When the church is removed, the Holy Spirit's going to begin to move in another era. There will be those that are continually saved through this period--you can read it in many different areas--but you see it here in Revelation 7 verse 14. People are going to be saved in the tribulation. There's going to be a working in the lives of individuals and so there's going to be those saved out of very nation, kindred, tongue, and tribe. There's going to be the hundred and forty four thousand that are sealed. There's going to be two special witnesses that are empowered by God to resist the Antichrist, and the supernatural workings of the kingdom of darkness. It's going to show that just two men can hold back all the powers of darkness when the anointing of God and the power of God resides upon them. But then God's going to give them up and allow them to be slain. When they're slain and the message out of their mouths is stopped, there's going to be a worldwide party, and celebration that the gospel's been stopped!

But God is going to send an angel into the heavens, and the decree is going to go forth and the remnant will be reached. But as we're looking here at the introduction of the seals, and the judgment that's going to be taking place here, we're going to go on into the book of Revelation. Later, as you read, there's going to be a unfolding then of the characters in more detail, and other specifics about this, but we're getting the general truth of the wrath of the Lamb, the judgment that's going to come upon the earth. The seventh seal then is opened in chapter 8, and it says there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour. (Now some people say that's proof that women aren't going to heaven but I don't give any credibility to that. Just thought I'd mention it for fun.) There's the silence that's in the heavens and the anticipation of the unrighteous to the wrath and the judgment. An absolute peace and tranquility of the righteous--to be at absolute peace--in the presence of their God. Then the trumpets begin to sound, and the trumpets are really a part of the seventh seal that's unfolding. The trumpets begin to sound in chapter 8, and verse 7 says that the sound of this trumpet "hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all the green grass was burnt up." Going it make it tough breathing. How many of you have had to labor for your breath? It's a scary thing. We find the foliage being destroyed. Doesn't look like man's doing to do it, does it? Doesn't look like the disaster of the rainforest is going to put us in trouble; it's going to be the judgment of God. A third of all plant life destroyed. It's going to be a scary time.

The second trumpet sounds "and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea." I wonder if this is that meteor that everybody's talking about. Seems to be the new fad, right? We've got to spend billions in case there's a death meteor coming--the "Death Rock." What are you going to do? I'd rather not know. Have any of you seen the proposals? One of their proposals is, of course, one guy always says, "Let's nuke 'em!" Well, you know, those are little firecrackers compared to this. Some of the studies are pretty good. Some guys want to go up and put sails on them. They want to land on there and put big parachutes and just slow it down. I said, "Yeah, that's going to work." "We slowed that thing down to a hundred and eighty six miles an hour." They've got a lot of neat proposals--I saw a whole study on that the other day--they were talking about it, and I was thinking about this passage of Scripture, and I thought, "You ain't gonna get it. You're not stopping it--I already read a passage that said it's hitting." It's not going to be a big one. It's not going to take the whole planet out, it's just going to be like a big burning mountain cast into the sea, and a third part of the ocean will be blood. Bummer! Now what's going to be the consequence of this? Well, a third part of all the creatures die. Third part of the ships destroyed. Hmmm. Can you imagine the disease washing up on the shores? Do you know how much of our commerce is done by sea, and by these vessels that are going to be destroyed? What a time of anarchy, beyond imagination, the torment of men! It looks like the justice of God is just continually meting it forth in greater measure, and giving man a chance to mock God just one last time, seeing a just recompense.

The third angel sounds his trumpet "and there fell a great star from heaven." Here comes another one. There goes the fresh water. Perrier gone. That's a disaster! A third part of the water poisoned by this meteor called Wormwood. It's beyond our ability to comprehend. You couldn't create a movie like this and make it real. Have you ever seen anybody die of thirst? I'd wish we'd all been ready.

Can we know that this judgment's coming and not send out a warning to those that are lost? Do you want to know why most of us really are taken aback by this? It's because the Scripture speaks, people aren't going to believe it. The majority is going to blow us off; they're going to mock us; they're going to hate us. But He said they hated Me first, and this is our mission. Not to go and recite all of these facts to people; that's not what's necessary to get somebody saved. We just simply bring the gospel. These facts are for you and me to understand the cataclysmic events, and the consequences that are coming upon those that remain, and to bring about a thanksgiving in our hearts, and also a sobriety for the hour that's at hand. Darkness is going to come. Man, I'd hate to be in Watts. Third of all the brightness gone. Looting, man, they'll be just trading televisions running down the streets. One guy will steal it, run down, and another guy will take it from him when he passes by. They won't be able to see who got it, dark. Men prefer darkness; their deeds are evil. Every time you get some kind of a catastrophe, everybody starts looting and robbing each other. There's going to be some constant darkness. Now, you're going to see that there's going to be darkness for a number of reasons. Some of it's going to be the fact that from these meteors or whatever it is that's going to be hurled into the planet, that it's going to cause a darkening of the sun and the moon. It's amazing what darkness does to naturally depraved individuals when they think they can get away with something.

As we're trying to set this to sober our minds up and look just at some of these facts--it's been a long time since we've spoken toward these things--I'm sure you've read it since we've talked about it last. We need to see that these judgments are at hand. There's going to be torment that's going to come, the torture of men for five months, the Scripture says here in chapter 9, "those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." They're commanded that they would not kill man, but just torment them. "Their torment was as the torment of a scorpion." "In those days [verse 6 says] shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." Now that's bad when you try to kill yourself and can't do it. There was a comedy years ago about this guy that kept trying to kill himself, and I can't remember what it was, but it could be that bizarre. Can you imagine that? Take a bottle of pills and all it does is make your headache go away so that you could see clearer the torment that you're in. Then, lastly, look at verse 14. The sixth angel sounds and he says, "Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates." And they'll be loosed and slay a third part of humanity. The judgment, again, of billions. We now have billions of corpses laying unable to be buried--the stench, the disease, the torment, the fear, the desire to die, and you can't die at your own hand. Only who God has chosen to destroy with the blood of the sea, and the poison of the waters, and those that have been kept to be tormented for five months. Seems like cruel and unusual punishment, but it's just recompense. For the Scripture says in verse 20, "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues repented not. They repented not of the works of the their hands that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood." We don't worship hand graven articles today; it's just for us jewelry, and homes, and cars, and ease, and comfort. Those idols that can't see and hear and walk, he says. And neither repented they of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

You see, just about when you started to feel sorry for these people, we see what's really in their hearts, and through all of this there was no repentance at all, but a defiance, a stiffening of the neck, and a hardening of the hearts. And we conclude that the Judge of all the earth does right. Surly these are a people reprobate, haters of God, and the justice of God and the judgment of God is for the glory of God. And those that they killed and left as martyrs, those who made them drunk with their blood, celebrate the wrath of the Lamb, and the recompense of God, and await their day of resurrection. Because there's going to be remnant saved out of this time, but not any of us, if we're not ready. Let's watch and pray that that hour doesn't come upon us.

Father, we thank You for the Word of God. As we look at this hour of the wrath of the Lamb, the great tribulation, we see the hatred that You have for the idolatry, and the reveling, and the fornication, and the covetousness, and the murders. The murder of just hating our brothers, of loving ourselves more, all of these that we know as biblical truths. It's at hand. Today is the day of salvation. There is nothing that remains to be done. Has the bride made herself ready? The answer to that is yes. When I come, will I find faith upon the earth? The answer to that is yes. So the question tonight then is, are we a part of that? Has anybody stolen your crown? Has anybody defiled your robe of righteousness? Have your eyes been blinded and darkened? Then this is the hour of repentance. There will be no repentance then--we saw it in the book--but you can repent now. I trust that your hearts have been moved in these sessions, and that God has tugged upon the darkest recesses, and said, "You haven't given it all to Me yet. You'll have no other gods before Me." Do you want to know why there's not a second chance? Because you've sat here and you've heard this tonight. Everything between now and the time that He chooses to call you into His presence is a period of grace to make yourself ready, but if you're not ready, you will not enter in. His statement will be "I never knew you." Father, make our hearts ready in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord tonight. Oh Lord, we want to be a people whose hearts yearn for Your coming. We pray, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!" You're going to appear to those that are looking for You, to those that love Your appearing. Help us to be a people watchful, sober, not caught up in surfeiting, and the cares of this world, and the deceit of riches, but seekers of the kingdom first. A sober people, seekers of righteousness, lovers of lost souls, ministers to the body of Christ, defenders of sound doctrine, a bride making herself ready. Oh Lord, it's our desire. Lord, it's our desire that we would be ready. That we would have sufficient, and more than enough, to fill the lamps of our hearts. We know where to get the oil, Lord, that we would have sufficient. That day is coming when every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Lord. Make it your confession now and you'll be ready.

Let's sing it together. "He is Lord." Yes, You are! Every knee's going to bow, every tongue will confess. Oh, Hallelujah! Sing it again, "You're my Lord." And my knee shall bow. Oh, Hallelujah! Just worship Him tonight. Just raise your hands and acknowledge His lordship in your life. Thank Him for the blood that He shed for you and rejoice in the presence of God that's powerful to deliver us. Hallelujah! Oh, we delight in You, Lord. We delight in Your presence and in Your power. Lord, my tongue confesses that You are the Lord of my life. Oh, Father, a people making themselves ready. We know, Father, the oil of the Holy Spirit that makes us ready for that day, and we acknowledge Your presence in us, and the power of Your Word that constantly cleanses us and washes us. So we come to Your Word, the source of all washing and empowering, and we'll be doers, and not hearers, and we thank You, Father, for that fruit that You're working in us, in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Hallelujah! You are Lord and You are worthy of praise. Glory, amen. Before you go just turn to someone and say, "The bride is making herself ready." Amen. Go in peace; God's love go with you in Jesus' name.

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