Called, Sealed, Delivered

Rev 7:1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: 5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; 6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; 7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; 8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed. 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen." 13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" 14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Even in the days of the Tribulation, God chooses people to get His message out - even when the only reason those people did not get caught up in the Rapture is because they refused to believe in Jesus Christ.

Now they do.

At great risk to personal safety - and even their lives - a world-wide revival begins among those who have previously rejected their Messiah – the Jewish people. And it begins very small, with just 144,000 of the world’s population called, sealed, and delivered for the express purpose of delivering others.

How will this deliverance take place? The same way it does now – by speaking forth the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen. God does the rest. These are the ones God brings out of the great tribulation and giving them white robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. There is nothing like a revival of God!

-Pastor Bill

The Beginning of the End

Rev 6:1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see." 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. 5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." 7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see." 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. 9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. 12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

People have been saying, “The end is near!” for as long as I can remember.

“You better get right with God!” is the slogan I remember seeing on a sandwich-board-wearing fellow at an intersection in Meridian, MS as I was driving to work one day.

The usual response is, “Ha ha ha!”

But the plain fact is, the end IS signed, sealed, and delivered, and you BETTER get right with God – unless you want to get left.

The end IS near, and the earth is no place to be once it commences. John is arming us with all the proof we need to know that. Those who are left on earth once the tribulation begins will either die for coming to faith in Christ during the tribulation, or they will die eternally for not.

When the Bible says, “today is the day of salvation,” we must realize today may be the last day we have to make that choice in peace. Things are about to get rough around here.

-Pastor Bill

Forever My LORD

Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" 14 Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

When man fell in the Garden of Eden, there were some tremendous repercussions. The choice made by man to be his own god allowed another god to rule.

Satan was ceded the Title Deed to the earth.

The method was lying temptation, which promised a greater return than God had promised. God had provided a beautiful and lush space for man to co-exist with his True God, and to come to Him for every decision. It was to be a Garden ruled by God in which man had freedom to roam and care for all the things God had provided. There was but one stipulation: Man was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest man die.

Satan tempted Eve with “being like God,” and creating in her a sense of missing something, as if she had been short-changed. The consequence of the lie was learning the way of evil, as man had already learned the way of good by hanging out with God each day. How sad and cruel that man gave away headship over earth to Satan. Now Jesus, (Who has rightfully earned ownership by His sacrifice,) is taking it back for Himself!

-Pastor Bill

Happy New Year

Rev 4:3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

What is your plan for your life? Do you have one?

One of the great problems in the world today is a lack of planning – or, to say it even stronger – a lack of Godly planning.

We look at our government as a prime example. The design of the government should be to plan for our future according to God’s will for our lives. In the early days of our nation, this seems to be the course that was followed, and our nation was richly blessed. Despite all modern attempts of historical revisionism to teach us otherwise, the founding fathers, (in their own words – which still exist in writing,) indicated a desire to live according to God’s providential direction, and they built a government accordingly.

Now our government has strayed from Godly principles, and the nation is paying a steep price of violence and division – and uncertainty. It seems there really is nothing to be certain of, because we follow the leadings of political men, and not God. Political men make decisions, (apparently,) based upon what will keep them in a position of power; and not on what God has said, or what may best benefit the nation.

And so the result is uncertainty when certainty is called for. No one knows how to plan their investments, so no one invests. There is a fear of increasing taxes, and so tax shelters are sought, and less revenue flows into the government – when more is needed. Underneath it all we find men failing to make tough decisions about what needs to be done because they fear men and not God.

God’s rule is certain, and it is intentional. You are here by His design, according to His plan, and it doesn’t matter what anybody has to say about that. If we would only follow God’s plan for our lives, we would avoid the problems and pitfalls of following our own.

This, above all, should be our plan for the New Year.

-Pastor Bill

The Pearly Gate(s)

Rev 21:12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Christmas is a time when we consider points of entry. In Jesus’ life, at the fullness of time, He entered the world. He did not come in the usual way.

The Bible teaches us Jesus existed from eternity past with The Father in the kingdom of heaven, and it was only when the earth was at the exact moment of Divine preparation that He made His entry. Conceived of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was born of a virgin – that His life on earth would be sinless. He entered the world on a mission.

The name, ‘Jesus,’ was given, as instructed by the angel Gabriel. ‘Jesus’ means, “Jehovah is Salvation.” This would be the name above all names, because of what the name conveys.

The very fact heaven is a gated place tells us not all will gain entry. Some will choose to remain outside of heaven for all eternity.

The pass code for entry into heaven is an expression of faith in the work Jesus came to do. You see, Jesus came to live a sinless life – and then to die as a sacrifice for my sin. He completed His work. By simply believing in Him my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. In this way, Jesus Himself becomes the Door.

-Pastor Bill

Remote Control

Rev 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this." 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

In most American households you can tell who holds the power by who holds the remote control. Oh, there may be exceptions, but I think they are probably very few. The one who holds the remote control is most often in the seat of power. You know it, and I know it.

Just a touch on a button, with smooth controller in hand, and the entire family is whisked away first to this location, then to that one…here there and everywhere, all at the beckon call of the small electronic device, and the one who holds it. Remote control is awesome in power, and no one can refute that.

Imagine the power to direct the universe. Not the universe of 600 channels, but the universe of the universe. What would that kind of power look like?

Here, John tells us in his own words. After spending the first three chapters of the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ writing down exactly what Jesus tells him to write, here we see John in his own hand, with a profound knee-knocking declaration of all he sees.

Notice most of all the control and the power of Almighty God. He says, “Come up here,” and John is immediately translated into the kingdom. What he sees are the most amazing things anyone at any time has ever attempted to describe. Awesome wonder! Awesome power! Total peace! Total love! Unimaginable beauty - completely beyond description, (as much as John tries.) And notice, all you scoffers…Who it is Who holds the universal remote. This is totally the seat of all power!

-Pastor Bill

The Undecided

Revelation 3:14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

We all know the history of recent political campaigns in this country. There is a firm opinion on one side, and an opposing firm opinion on the other, and then right in the middle, there are those the media and pollsters refer to as, “the undecideds.”

Another way to refer to this group of folks is to call them, “moderates.” We are preached-to about the ‘value’ of this group in the middle, and the reason is because these are the ones who determine the outcome of elections.

So those running for office cannot really say what they believe in, at risk of offending the undecided moderates, because who the undecided moderates decide to vote for determines who wins every election. Campaign consultants then water-down the message of their candidates, and so no one knows what they really believe in. Not knowing what they really believe in makes them a better candidate because they have a greater opportunity to reach the moderates – who are the ones who win the election for the guy no one is sure what they believe in.

And the ‘moderate’ viewpoint is encouraged - especially by moderates when they are speaking about themselves. After all, it is much better not to be so extreme. And isn’t a ‘moderate’ better than others because they weigh each decision without an extremist template, and are “open” to the issues as they come up?

The problem is, in truth the ‘moderates’ are undecided because they are indecisive. They remain in the middle because they are so concerned about what others may think of them, and they don’t want to cause offense. They wait to make a decision because they want to be on the winning side, and so they wait to make a decision until they know who is going to win. Even worse is when these people show up at church. Worse than that is when they run the church. These are the ‘Laodiceans.’

Jesus calls this sort of moderate indecisiveness “lukewarm.” Have you ever known anything you desired to be ‘lukewarm?’ If you are a moderate undecided lukewarm person, you are in danger of being vomited out by Jesus. Does this criticism make get you all hot? Good. Now we’re getting somewhere.

-Pastor Bill