As this world proceeds down the pathway toward the time of Jacob's trouble, we are not to be discouraged. How are we to walk in these dark days as we are surrounded on every side by the powers of darkness? We are to walk in hope. What does walking in hope mean? Let us start with what it does not mean. It does not mean walking in fear or despondency or depression. It does not mean walking in worry or despair. Ok then, what does walking in hope mean? What are we hoping for? Our primary hope is in the promises of our God. We hope in His faithfulness, His tender mercies toward us who believe and in His loving kindness.
Psalm 25:6 Remember, O LORD, your tender mercies and your lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
What has the Lord promised us? One of the big promises is an escape from all that is about to happen.
Luke 21:34And 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. 35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36Watch 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.
Nowhere in the Bible can this ^^ be linked to the rapture/harpazo of the Church although it could be the rapture, maybe its not. Why is this great news? Because now the escape deniers have two escapes to deal with, not just one....I know it must vex them terribly that the Lord our God is providing escape for His people. The only way this writer can understand these people who go out of their way in anger and rage to deny the escape of the Lord's people is, it is demonic.
The Lord could have made it very clear that the Church will be the spearhead of God's people through the tribulation, but He did not. In fact, all the evidence points to an Israel spearhead through the tribulation, not the Church. When the Lord is speaking to the Churches directly, by name in Revelation 2-3, He could have used that time to prepare the Churches for their entry into the tribulation, but He did not. Why not? To be fair, the Lord does talk about some conditional entry into tribulation:
Rev 2:9I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Being cast into prison for ten days is a bit different from being cast into the tribulation for 7 years...
Rev 2:19I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. 20Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 21And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. 22Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. 23And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. 24But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 25But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28And I will give him the morning star. 29He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Again, we some tribulation here ^^ but is it "the" tribulation? The only way we could answer yes to that is to speculate.
What does not require us to speculate and is evidence that the Church will not enter the tribulation. There is evidence everywhere but how about the sealing of the servants of God. Sure we have been through this before but we know that at some point in the tribulation, the angels will be tasked with sealing the servants of the Lord (all of them). Now, where exactly in the book of Revelation or in the writings of the prophets do we see the Church being sealed by angels? You cant find it because it is not there. What we can find is Israel being called out by tribe, by name and being sealed (by angels). The Church was sealed before the tribulation ever started, by the Holy Spirit (not by angels):
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
And to add to that, we have a not so minor detail that should not go unnoticed. We are sealed for what? For the day of redemption. Those in the tribulation are sealed for what? They are sealed for protection from this:
Rev 9:1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.6And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Bottom Line?
There are many reasons we should walk in hope today and the hope of escape is only one of them. As long as we walk this earth, the Lord our God walks with us here. Is that reason to hope? You bet it is. Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is great reason for hope. The power to part the waters, remove mountains from their place, heal the sick, raise the dead, turn water into wine, and perform the variety of miracles that have already been performed in this servants life and the lives of others, that power is with you and in you in the person of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, there is reason to hope. Even in the dark days ahead, the enemy will be plagued at every turn. No, they wont get their communist, anti-Christ world nirvana without trouble. They will be hammered at every turn. Sure, the can lie and defame those who walk in the truth of Jesus Christ our Lord, but they will pay dearly for it. They will be bombarded from above with rocks, hail and fire. They will find death of the earth, sea, animals and plants to be their reward.
So yes, they can reject the truth, but at a terrible price. The people of this world are getting away with nothing. The lies and deceit come with a price. Why is that reason for hope? Because those living in deceit and denial of the truth, they are not us....
Noah did not share the same fate as those outside the ark. Lot did not share the same fate as those who remained in Sodom. Israel did not share the same fate as Pharaoh and his armies at the red sea.
What do you have to hope for? The answer is another question: what did the Lord promise? There is hope in every single promise the Lord made to us. If you are wondering about a promise and how it applies to you, take that promise, along with your faith to the Lord in prayer and let Him cement it into your heart and spirit.
The Lord has made us many promises, let us conclude this post with the following promises:
Psalm 91 My Refuge and My Fortress
1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
And thats just the promises contained in one Psalm!
Be encouraged today. The Lord our God is with us and for us. He loves us with a love that defies our understanding it is so great. Lift up your heads, trust the Lord and see what He will do.
May the grace and peace of God our Father, our Lord Jesus Christ and the precious Holy Spirit be with you in abundance as you hope and trust in Him.
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