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okay this morning I am going to preach uh and teach I said last week we’ll have more of a teaching sermon today because I ended last week saying that I would like to um share with you why the church will escape the tribulation I know that end times uh teaching is a very complex uh subject it’s probably one of the biggest subjects to study uh in the Bible and so there’s a lot to know because it’s ex expands all of scripture uh and so there’s many passages of scriptures that needs to be looked at now I can’t look at all those passages today but there are some I do want to look at and I pray when I get to them and I mention them that you would turn to those passages and look at them with me this morning because I think it is such an important subject even though we’ve been singing about the first coming of the Lord I am going to be talking more this morning about uh the second coming especially that of the Rapture of the church that the true church I believe from scripture will escape the tribulation all the tribulation all seven years of it so let’s pray Lord this morning I pray as we look look at the word of God that you would use me today to bring the word of God to your people I pray as we see the Old Testament text and the New Testament text and the things that are said about what’s going to surround your coming and what’s going to happen in the world and why it’s going to happen Lord your scripture addresses it all over the place and so I pray Lord you would give us a sense that you would help us to begin to think on the things that will take place Lord for the very fact that we would get ready for it that we would get ready for your coming that we wouldn’t be slacking off as Christians that we would be sober minded in everything that we do that our worship would become more intense and more intimate as we know that we’re approaching that day and Lord it seems like the world and what’s going on in the world that we’re really on the brink of that day so I pray Lord Jesus you would challenge us today to not only understand what’s going on but to make ourselves ready for that day and I ask it in Christ’s name amen so get ready to use your Bibles this morning because I don’t have one specific text I have several texts so our Focus as I already said this Lord’s day is to consider that the true church will escape the tribulation and I’m stressing the true church that the true church has no part in the day of Vengeance that is the seven-year tribulation period on Earth in other words that the church has not been appointed to wrath so it will be raptured out before God’s Wrath is poured upon the world as it says in Thessalonians I mentioned last week it says when the Thessalonians got saved they didn’t get saved to get set up to enter into tribulation but to wait for his son from Heaven who he raised from the dead that is Jesus is who rescues us from the Wrath to come so Jesus came the first time in the character of humiliation he will come the second time in the character of his Sovereign lordship and his Divine judgment again the Thessalonians passage I already mentioned last week that he will come dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel Gospel of the Lord Jesus they will pay the penalty of Eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power so it is during this period as I mentioned last week in Revelation chapter 6 that the period of Vengeance that the seals of God’s judgment will be broken and so last week we were introduced to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the first four of the Seven Seals were broken by the lamb the first three and a half years of tribulation is re referred to in scripture as the beginning of birth pangs and the second three and a half years is referred to the Great Tribulation now we saw of course in the Revelation chap 6 that there would there’s going to be an outpouring and a broke these seals are going to be broken by the Lamb of God and it’s going to be something when it’s broken there’s going to be uh each time there’s going to be something that happens in each section of the the seal and it’s going to be poured out on the world now the passage I would like you to look at right now is Matthew 24: 5-8 because here it does mention the first part of the tribulation when the White Horse and of course the red horse which is war the black horse which is famine and the Ashen horse which represents death and all the Dreadful judgments that are going to come on the world that’s considered in the first part of the tribulation for it says in Matthew 24:5 for many will in my name saying I am the Christ and will mislead many you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars see that you are not frightened for those things must take place but that is not yet the end for nation will rise against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes but all these things are merely the beginning of birth pain so in that first half of the tribulation these things are going to be taking place so we Christians who are part of the body of Christ the true church on Earth we won’t be there for the outpouring of God’s Wrath we won’t be there for that he has promised us Christians that we are not appointed to wrath but to obtain salvation and as Believers in Christ Jesus we will be caught up we will be caught up to be with him before the Judgment Falls the Rapture of the church will already have taken place now all Christians living now will be with the Lord before the manifestation of the White Horse and the red horse and the Black Horse and the Ashen horse and all the Dreadful judgments that come with them because it does say to us those who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we always be with the Lord and we’re to comfort one another with those words now but before examining the 10 scriptural considerations of why the true church will escape the tribulation first we must consider consider actually three things the nature the meaning and the purpose of the tribulation and first I would like to look at the nature of the tribulation and these uh the main scriptures that speak of this period of unequaled Sorrow are several of them there’s a couple of them I would like you to look up the first one is Jeremiah 30 verse 4-7 and this section stresses the time of Jacob’s trouble or the time of Jacob’s distress where it says in Jeremiah chap 30 in verse number four now these are the words which the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah for thus says the Lord I have heard a sound of Terror of dread and there is no peace ask now and see if a male can give birth why do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in childbirth and why have all faces turned pale Al last for that day is great and there is none like it and it is a time of Jacob’s distress but he will be saved from it so that is a first passage of scripture a second one that I will just mention to you that it will be a time of Jacob’s trouble a time of distress for the nation of Israel but also it will be when Israel Shall Pass under the rod of God’s judgment and it says this in Ezekiel that I will enter into judgment with you declares the Lord I will make you pass under the rod and I will bring you into the bond of the Covenant and I will Purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against me so again Israel’s the focus there that he’s going to bring this Rod of God upon Israel and they are going to be judged then also in Daniel the Prophet Daniel chap 12 and verse number one it’s going to be the time of trouble and distress again for the Jewish people where it says in Daniel 12 verse number one now at that time Michael the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise and there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time and at that time your people everyone who is found written in the book will be rescued so we see here that again the focus is Israel and then the passage we read this morning in our scripture reading it’s going to be a time of Darkness of Trials of suffering of Sorrow it’s mentioned in Matthew 24 it’s mentioned in Mark 13 and all these references are to the final tribulation while the passage we read today in Luke Luke 2 21:20 is reference ref to the the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD and from Luke 21: 24- 2038 Luke continues his account of the times of future tribulation and then in Revelation CH 6 and verse number 19 it’s going to be a time when a succession of terrible judgments fall Upon A Christ rejecting world now these references show that the tribulation is still yet future and the awful suffering is largely to do with the Jewish people and it is a judgment through which God actually the God-fearing Jews must pass to fit them to be God’s Jo chosen people in the millennial Rule and reign of Christ so that first is the nature of the tribulation now secondly I want to look at the meaning of the tribulation because it’s a little different than the first because there’s three factors that must be understood when considering the situation that’s going on in this 7-year tribulation period on Earth and there’s three factors that must be understood when considering it and the first factor is this the factor of Israel the tribulation will be for her as I already read and mentioned it will be the Melting Pot for Israel it will be the refine re refining Pro process for Israel it will be a time of distress it will be a time of trouble it will be a rod of suffering it will be a day of Vengeance for Israel that’s the first Factor the second factor is the Nations that the tribulation will be for the Nations and it will be a dark and cloudy day it will be a time of rage and War for the Nations now again if you’re looking at the Bible Ezekiel chap 30 in verse number three again these passages are stressing that it is going to be for the nations of the world also not just Israel it says in Ezekiel 30 verse3 for the day is near even the day of the Lord is near it will be a day of clouds a time of Doom for the Nations and then again in the Jeremiah passage of scripture just read listen what it says it says for thus the Lord God of Israel says to me take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and cause all the nations to whom I send it to drink it and then in Jeremiah again it talks about all the inhabitants of the world and then in Jeremiah CH 25 verse 31-33 again the stress is on the Nations it says a glamour has come to the end of the Earth because the Lord has a controversy with the Nations and then he goes on in verse 32 to say thus says the Lord of hosts behold evil is going forth from Nation to nation and in verse number 33 those slain by the Lord on that day will be from one end of the Earth to the other they will not Lament gather or bury people they will be like dung on the face of the ground meaning that there are going to be so many people that die in that period of time they have no time to bury them and no time to have funerals and no time to mourn the dead at all whatsoever as I mentioned that last time we know that in uh there’s going to be over two billion people that are going to to be slaughtered in the tribulation it’s probably more than that but that’s an estimate and so again the factors are it’s for Israel it is going to be for the Nations and then thirdly the third factor to understand the tribulation it is going to be for the apostate Church the apostate church now to see that I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 17 because here the apostate Church yes there will be a church in the tribulation period the tribulation will be to the apostate Church a time of judgment and she will be the professing church left on Earth after the true church has been translated to Heaven at the Rapture that the apostate church is picked Ed in Revelation chapter 17 and 18 and she is called there in those chapters she is called the [ __ ] she is called the Harlot and the reason why she is called that is because of her spiritual infidelity and the prostitution of spiritual powers that she prostituted to the world now if you look at Revelation 17 just to get a glimpse of what the Bible says about her she’s called the mystery the her mystery name in Revelation 17:4 it says the woman was clothed in purple and Scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and Pearls having in her hand a gold cup full of the Abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality and on her forehead a name was written a mystery Babylon the great the mother of harlots and of the Abominations of the earth so in other words that the apostate church will be the counterfit bride of Christ the church and her bridegroom will be Antichrist she will be co-partner with Godless politicians organized religious systems and political Babylon as we go into the rest of Revelation and we see that so apostate christiandom headed up under the false prophet there in the tribulation and she will consist of the worldly branches of christiandom and the tears of the organized Church however even though the apostate Church cooperates with political Babylon she will be thrown to the curb and destroyed so that the Antichrist will be the sole object of worship in the tribulation he uses the religious system until he doesn’t need the religious system anymore and throws the religious system to the curb now if you’re still in Revelation 17 look at verse 15 it says and he said to me the waters which you saw were the Harlot where the Harlot sits are the people and multitudes in Nations and tongues and the ten horns which you saw and the Beast these will hate the Harlot and will make her desolate and naked and will eat her flesh and will be burned up with fire so in other words that this apostle a church will be used by the Antichrist and by the false prophet to get everybody to worship the Antichrist and then they will kick this religious system to the curb and take over everything politically and everything religiously in the world so that means the third thing is the purpose of the tribulation which I I’m just going to summary of all the things I just said that there’s a two-fold Divine Purpose or reason for the tribulation of course the first one would be to fulfill The Sovereign purpose of God because it’s always been God’s program that there would be a tribulation now in that time in his Sovereign program is that it’s going to be it’s going to be regarding to certain things regarding Satan and sin which must receive punishment and defeat at the hands of a just and holy God regarding God’s son who must be Vindicated before the world and shown as king of kings with none around to dispute his sovereignty his Sovereign uh control and power over all things that must be seen in the tribulation and then regarding Israel they must see the god-given Divine davidic government F fulfilled they must see that because that’s been the promise of Israel all along and of course during that time they will be refined and restored they will be saved in their land nationally as a people they will be grafted back into the original olive tree that they were cut off from because remember right now Israel is in a place where in the past they were um in the past they were actually uh picked by God and then during the present they are they they are actually actually in a place where they’re rejecting God but in the future they will accept him and they will accept him as they can get converted in the land so that is the the first purpose the second purpose is to manifest rebellion and the perversity of sinful man and why is that he refuses to turn from Idols to serve a loving and merciful god he refuses to he resists actually the grace of the gospel and presents the filthy rags of his own righteousness as a substitute for salvation he hates God sinful man he hates God’s book he hates God’s church he hates God’s people because he hates God’s anointed one and then also he Rebels against the government of God and refuses to recognize the claims of Christ upon his own soul so that is the purpose of the tribulation and that is of course the character and nature of the tribulation so the theory and I’m calling it a theory that the true church will pass through the tribulation has no scriptural support of that idea now I know that there’s several positions out there which I’m not going to mention now but as you really look at scripture and what it’s talking about you must conclude that this tribulation period is focused in in on Israel it is focused in on the Nations and it is focused in on the apostate Church the true church is not there and we’re going to find out some of the reasons why uh I believe scripture teaches that so the theory that the true church will pass through the tribulation has no scripture to support the idea the church has no part in the day of Vengeance the seven year tribulation period on Earth in other words the church has not been appointed to wrath as I’ve been mentioning and you will see that there is a distinction between the church which is the bride of Christ and National Israel so the church doesn’t replace Israel the church and Israel are distinct and God has a program for the church which is the bride of Christ from Pentecost to the Rapture of the church and then after that he now grafts Israel back in during the tribulation and they get saved in the land and then there’s the whole people of God that get saved and we have uh already seen in Scripture that uh that is the case at least in the few passages that I read this morning so God’s Wrath was not delivered upon on Sodom until after lot was delivered from the wicked City then God poured down his wrath Enoch really a type of translated Saint was carried into heaven before the Judgment of the worldwide flood so God delivers his people before the Wrath Falls now let me just share with you at this point at least 10 scriptural considerations which G which I believe G gives significant proof that the church has no part in the day of Vengeance and as I was studying them I found out there are more than 10 but I had no time to share with those with you this morning but I’ll just pick out 10 that I said I would uh give to you from last week so in other words because the church has not been appointed to wrath and there’s a distinction between church and Israel then what does the Bible say about these considerations which give proof really that the church will not go through any part of the tribulation and here’s the first one that we already learned from Revelation 4 and 5 that the whole body of the redeemed Saints is represented by the 24 elders and are already glorified crowned and reigning with Christ before the seals are broken in Revelation chap 6 which Herald the tribulation and is broken of course by the lamb so in other words the church is already there that’s why the Bible says come up here and there’s the church that comes up and now is with the Lord at the Rapture of the church now that’s the first one the second one is this that Jesus will not split his church he will not split his church now the only thing that prevents Jesus coming is his incomplete body the church is his body and it’s not likely Jesus is going to leave part of it on earth when he comes for it now the church is a United body of Believers what right now part of it is in heaven and part of it is on Earth and it would be kind of absurd to presume that Jesus would take a mutilated body to be his bride now what do I mean by that well the Ephesians pass take your Bibles and turn to Ephesians 5: 25 now this is a very familiar passage of scripture but I want you to look at it in light of what I am saying here and it’s this that the church is the bride of Christ and because the church is the bride of Christ the church has a special place in the program of God and of course Ephesians 5:25 it says husbands love your wives how just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her so that he might sanctify her having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word why in verse 27 that he might present to himself the church in all her glory having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that she would be holy and blameless so if this is the church the church has no need to go through the tribulation because she is already spotless already holy and ready to be glorified before the Lord now that’s why when Jesus comes in the clouds for his church he will take all the rest left on Earth their bodies so that he has a complete body or a complete bride now in saying that let’s go back to the 1 Thessalonians chap 4 verse 16-8 passage and I want you to think of it because when I was looking at this passage even years ago I would look at this passage and I say hm why is it said like this and so 1 Corinthians chapter uh Thessalonians 1 Thessalonians chapter 4: 16 says this for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an archangel with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first verse 17 then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with the Lord therefore Comfort one another with these words in other words the Lord is not going to leave one last person who is part of his church on Earth that the Lord will make sure everyone is in his presence before the day of the Lord begins that the church has a unique nature and place in the mind of God and its Destiny as the body and the bride of Christ in fact the the passage of scripture that is very familiar to us as Christians is in Matthew 6:18 this Proclamation by Peter the Lord says to him I also say to you that you are Peter and Upon This Rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it it’s interesting that this word my is a possessive word and it is it means literally the Church of me it’s also in the Greek in the genitive case and it denotes possession in other words the church is Christ’s own the first Adam had his bride Eve for his helper and companion the second Adam Christ has his bride the church for his fellowship and service and it tell tells us all of the word of God that we are members of his body so Jesus is going to take his bride complete and three promises are given to the true church the promise of the holy spirit’s present the promise prise of Supernatural power to live the Christian Life and the promise of the imperishability of the church that once we are in Christ no one can pluck us from his hand we have a double and triple security as Believers and so in other words when the Lord comes in the Rapture he will not only take those who have died in Christ he’s going to take everybody who remains so there’s nobody here left when the tribulation is poured out you understand that that’s a very significant point because he’s not going to allow his bride to go through the tribulation he wants his bride with him and so we will be raptured up into heaven into his presence and because we are raptured into heaven into his presence the Bible always said in John where he went will also be able to go that’s the promise he gave his disciples so that’s number two number three it follows that we are certain that most of the church cannot go through the tribulation because most of the church is already at home with the Lord waiting for their Resurrection bodies doesn’t it say in um second Thessalonians or 2 Corinthians 58 to be absent from the body is to be where to be present with the Lord so in other words that God wants his people with him and therefore if we are alive and remain when that time comes he will take every last one of us that’s on this Earth to be with him forever therefore Comfort one another with these words how can we Comfort one another if we’re going to go through tribulation we’re not going to go through tribulation number four would be this the appearance of all the members of his church before the Judgment seat of Christ is necessary If he if he is to judge his Saints to give reward and loss of reward for it says in uh Second Corinthians that we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ even Paul mentions that again in Romans chapter 14 we will all stand before the Judgment seat of God and then why do we do that so then each one of us will give an account of himself to God so on that time when we are with the Lord there’s going to be and we’re raptured with the Lord what are we going to be doing there’s there’s going to be the BBC judgment in which the whole bride of Christ will be there the whole church will be there there will be nobody left on Earth in the true church so that is the fourth thing the fifth thing is that the church is made ready for his coming by Sovereign Grace not by works or endurance or purification or persecutions or sufferings again the passage I mentioned at first when the Thessalonians got saved they turned from their Idols to serve the Living God right to what to wait for his son from Heaven well how where do they get that idea from and then it goes on to say who rescues us from the Wrath to come not only the eschatological Wrath but the wrath of hell too so they were told not to wait for tribulation but to wait for his son from Heaven that’s who are they wait for they going to wait for him to come number six when the Lord returns as king his Saints will come with him therefore he must have taken them out of the world to be able to bring them back as it says in June 14 behold the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones the Lord’s going to come back with us and we’re going to rule and reign with him on the earth for a thousand years but we’ve been in heaven while the tribulation has been going on on Earth and number seven would be the Antichrist will not be revealed until the church and the Holy Spirit have gone remember the restraining power in Thessalonians that’s holding back the mystery of iniquity and holding back this man of sin to be revealed is the church itself so the church has to be gone and the presence of one regenerate believer on Earth would mean that the presence of the holy spirit is still here hence all the church must be absent from the tribulation number eight the last state of the church on Earth is not one of persecution and tribulation even though the church has gone through persecution and tribulation from time to time in history this time they will not because the church is mentioned by the Apostle Paul as being in declension and backsliding and ease that’s the picture he gives number nine that the day of Lord if it’s contrasted with the other phrase used in scripture the day of Jesus Christ which are two different things the day of the Lord is the day of Vengeance Darkness Gloom and judgment it’s the day of tribulation where it says in Joel for the day of the Lord is near and it will come as destruction from the almighty but the day of Christ as mentioned in several other passages is the day of the bridegroom it’s the day that relates wholly to the rewards and the blessings of the saint as at his coming and a few passag of scriptures that tell us that is 1 Corinthians 1: number eight who will also confirm you to the end blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ and then in Philippians he who began a good work in you will perfect it when until the day of Jesus Christ and then Paul also says in Philippians holding fast the word of life so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to Glory because I did not run in vain or toil in vain so in other words in the day of Christ is going to be a day of blessing it’s going to be a day of reward it’s going to be a day of encouragement that my labor wasn’t in vain that everything the Lord said was true and then number 10 that Jesus coming for his church is associated with praise and reward as I just mentioned and his coming with his church is associated with judgment upon his enemies like I said there are more of those those are 10 that I can give you right now now these scriptural considerations conclusively really give ample proof that the church has no part of the day of Vengeance and the seven-year tribula that seven year tribulation period on Earth that in other words the church will be raptured up uh and and be at rest with God while there’s tribulation going on on the earth now when you consider all those things there’s a practical purpose of all end time teaching that when we Christians know these things that we bear a responsibility to to comprehend what time is it in which we live and we comprehend that when we comprehend that we are we do it in a way in order to organize our life accordingly the Apostle Paul at the end of a very weighty and Theological epistle said that at the end of the book of Romans he said this that the night is almost gone and the day is near that’s Romans 13:12 now these words mean that the last order of things has arrived if it’s arrived to them then how much it more has it arrived to us now when we see a global situation when we have communication that’s so lightning fast we can know things going on the second the second after it happens and sometimes even before that with the satellites we live in a very unique time and we know that all these things going on the Antichrist is going to use to the fullest to control people and to control everything that’s going on in the world world the law the prophets the apostles the church have done their job and the last revelation of God’s Will has been made we have reached the last watch of the night now the truth of the second coming of Christ presses upon and it should press upon the Believers a practical Duty that we all have in light of these last days the Apostle Paul using in the re in Romans 13:12 through 14 he uses the word therefore with great force to link the doctrine of the Rapture and the second coming of Christ which really go together with the believer’s personal Holiness in other words what are we to do as we wait for his coming what what do we do what do we what do we do what are we to do how are we to be in light of what we know from scripture because what does it say in Romans chapter 13 it says therefore let us lay aside the Deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light let us behave properly as in the day not in carousing or in drunkenness not not in sexual promiscuity or sensuality not in strife and jealousy not but but then he says but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the Flesh in regards to its lust so in other words studying end time scriptures have an eminently practical purpose to them in fact a search of scripture plainly links the Lord’s coming with personal Holiness that the Lord wants his bride to become more and more holy even in your own personal life even in your families your marriages your relationship with other people he wants you to be that light and that salt that’s in the world that makes the rest of the world ready to hear the gospel so they too can be saved now let me just mention a few two passages and you will at once know here or at least see what I mean Philippians chapter 4:5 listen what it says let your Gentle Spirit be known to all men the Lord is near and then in Colossians it says set your mind on the things above and not on the things of the Earth for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God and when Christ who is is our life is revealed then you also will be revealed with him in glory and then it says this therefore consider the members of your Earthly body as dead to immorality to impurity to Passion to evil desires and greed which amounts to idolatry so you see that the second coming and knowing about the second coming and getting ready for it has everything to do with our whole Holiness and our godliness and our putting off sin and even the book of Hebrews bids their readers not forsaking the assembly together of yourselves as a habited son but encouraging one another as you what see the day Drawing Near That means gathering together in God’s Church on a regular basis every Sunday every Lord’s day is something that we should not forsake why the Lord is coming that’s why he is near he is nearer today than ever and then second Peter tells us but according to his promises we are looking for what a new Heaven and a new new Earth in which righteousness dwells isn’t that what we’re looking for there’s no righteousness here on this Earth there never will be so we not even should look for very much of it we’re looking for a new Heaven and Earth where righteousness dwells and then it says then therefore beloved since you look for these things be diligent to be found by him in peace spotless and blameless that’s the admonition given to the church in light of what the scriptures tell us about the come the Lord is near so if you are following the plain language of these texts you cannot and I cannot avoid their Force because they link the coming of Christ and the day of Glory with the admonition of increased Holiness in his people now Paul does say this in Romans 13 and the question should be how do you put into practice the admonition therefore lay aside the Deeds of Darkness how do you do that well well there’s several things you can think about that you ought to lay aside everything in your life and habits that will fall under the Light of Christ appearing and make it a principle of conscience to do nothing you would not like to be found doing if Jesus comes also we should Implement a daily Readiness to judge ourselves that we be not judged by the the Lord that in other words search Your Inner Man search your imagination and if you find anything in you affiliate it with Darkness pluck It Out cast it away from you put it to death put down every questionable habit and doubtful practice that’s going on in your life right now you know what the internet and all the social media presents to you and I prenty plenty of Temptation to wander off in a place that we ought not to be and get involved with conversation that we all ought not to be involved with also we need to smash every Idol anything that could Rob your affection that should be for Christ needs to be gone and cling to nothing that would cause you to blush under the Pierce and gaze of Jesus Christ balance out all your amusements all your activities all your relationships and companionships so that your whole manner of Life reflects a repentant fruit bearing Christian who loves the Lord Jesus Christ and wants to be found holy that’s in private as well in public now that would be a good example of casting casting off the works of darkness but then the second part of the passage says this put on the armor of light and what is that what would that entail well it may entail this to aim for every Grace and habit which is becoming of the child of God with the goal to Adorn the Gospel of Jesus Christ it would entail pursuing holiness and righteousness and spiritual maturity as your goal every day of your life it would mean to labor to wear the armor of light now of course Ephesians says it like this the girdle of Truth the breastplate of righteousness the preparation of the gospel of peace The Shield of Faith the helmet of salvation or hope and the sword of the spirit why so you can stand in God’s strength against the strategies of the enemy especially in these days which he is out in the open now he’s no longer hiding himself and he hates the church and he hates your holy life so he will take a particular day as it says in Ephesian and direct his attention at you and try to tempt you away from your Fidelity to Christ I think we Al also need to seek to have a taste so Heavenly an affection so spiritual and a will so bent towards God’s Will and a mind so unworldly that when Christ appears you may be thoroughly in tune with the kingdom of God you’ll not skip a beat because you’ve been used to it the only thing is you’ll drop off these old bodies who give you all these trouble right and and go right into the presence of God so this would be a good example of putting putting uh on the armor of light and then you know what you do after that this is what you do you live each and every day as if as if it was your last right how many ways how many ways is there to die you know what there’s a million and one ways to die right and when you least least expected the Lord may call you now that’s a scary thought I I admit that myself but I also know that we uh this is this is a way to be found ready this is a way to be found ready when Jesus comes because we know that according to scripture all the things that already have taken place in Prophecy and have come true have come true exactly the way the Bible said it well why would we think that the rest of it won’t right all these things will take place and I just pray for myself and for you that we would be ready that when that day comes we would be ready so even though the bride is special all right we also have a great responsibility to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord amen let’s pray Lord thank you so much for your word Lord even when we we look at the word of God and we see the the weight of it and the seriousness of it Lord I pray that we wouldn’t walk away and say okay I know that and just go about our old way of living I pray things would change every day in our life that we would be examining ourselves every day that we would be readjusting things every day and I pray Lord you would you would keep bending our mind toward your will so we would truly know what is the good and acceptable and the perfect will of God and I pray Lord that in light of what we know from scripture it would produce in us a desire for Holiness a desire to want to please you in all areas of our life and Lord we know we can’t do that in our own strength we know it’s only by the strength to the holy spirit that we can possibly carry out these mandates but I pray Lord for your church and your bride make us pleasing before your sight and make us usable in your church in this world until you decide for that time to come and Lord raise up a faithful group of people an immovable group of people a dedicated group of people a group of people who know what they believe and know where it’s written in Scripture that no one can move them and I pray Lord that you would use us your church to uphold the gospel of Christ as we saw in the first chapters of Revelation that you walk amongst the lampstands to see how they’re doing how your churches are doing and I pray Lord that we would continue to bear that light to hold up the light that the gospel of Christ may go to that last person who’s going to hear it and believe and come into your church and become part of the bride of Christ Lord Make Us Faithful to the end