Monday, October 3, 2022

How to be Rescued from the Tribulation

 

  Because 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. Revelation 3:10
 
To me, this is one of the most important verses in Revelation. Jesus gives us directions for how to be raptured, how to be rescued from the coming Tribulation. How do we do this?
 
We keep the Word of His Patience. In other words, we patiently keep His Word. But what does that mean exactly? How does that translate to our every day lives? We all know what patience is, right?
 
From the Dictionary: the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. Quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: 
 
I don't know about you but the dealing with misfortune and pain without complaint hit me hard. Waiting for something I want so desperately to happen WITHOUT complaint hit me hard. I need to work on that. But what about Keeping His Word? What does that mean exactly? 

Some may say we must keep the 10 Commandments. Well, that's a good idea, but that's not how we are saved or rescued. 

Some may say that to keep His Word means only to believe in Jesus and then you're good to go. That's the other end of the spectrum. Hyper-gracism, which is also wrong because the word believe in the Greek means so much more than a mental acknowledgement, a mental assent. It means a commitment. But I've been over that before. 

Some may say it means to memorize God's Word and keep it in our hearts. Again, a great idea, but it's not enough.

Let's see what Jesus said about keeping His Word

In Matthew 22:37-40, a lawyer asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered:
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
 
So all the law and everything the prophets said can be summed up in these two commandments. Wow. Okay, we are getting somewhere. But what does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul and mind?
 
What does it mean to love anyone that way? What sort of actions would prove that kind of love? 
 
  • Spending time with that person
  • Enjoying every moment with that person
  • Going out of your way to do things for that person
  • Listening to and obeying that person 
  • Reading that person's love letters over and over
  • Basically following that person around like a love-sick puppy dog
 
Is that how you treat Jesus?
 
  • Do you enjoy spending time with Him?
  • Do you actually set aside special time with Him?
  • Do you read the Bible? Do you love reading the Bible?
  • Do you listen to the Lord and obey Him?
  • Do you desire to please Him in everything you do?
  • Do you take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Him?
 
That's what it means to Love the Lord your God with all your heart. 
 
And to love your neighbor as yourself, well that's a little harder, in my opinion. But it basically means to humble yourself, put others needs ahead of your own, and think of the other person more than you think of yourself.  Something I work on every day.  

I believe that's what this verse in Revelation is talking about. Have we kept the Word of His Patience? Have we stayed on the narrow path, loving Him and following Him as best we can? Have we put Him first in our lives? And when the going got tough or the time lingered on, we did not give up. We kept on. We aren't perfect, far from it, but we are still walking in the light, no matter how narrow the way has become. 

If that's you, look up, for your Redemption draws nigh!


 

 

2 comments:

  1. Good check list MaryLu. It is good to take regular inventory of our walk with the Lord. I think at times, I may struggle with any one of these things. Maybe sometimes several at once. I think, if we call ourselves perfect, then we decieve ourselves and the truth is not in us, as James states. If we look at all the Saint's who walked before us, Peter's denial, Pauls thorn, Moses smacking the rock in anger, David, well David stumbled often. But the Lord said David was a man after His own heart. But David was quick to acknowledge is short comings before the Lord and asked the Lord to teach him, His way's. I think it is Psalm 119: 74-76 (?) David acknowledges; It is good that You aflicted me that I may learn your ways ! (thats a paraphrase). Many Christians are wimps today. They hide from the rebuke of the Lord, and we dont like being chastened. So we stay at the outer fringes of the glory God has for us, afraid if we get to close God will see our mistakes ! I got news for them, psst, shh, God knows the number of hairs on your head and your thoughts before you think them before you were even born !!!
    I think this is a maturity issue MaryLu. Our journey with the Lord is just that. An adventure of learning His way's. And it takes a lifetime.
    My old Pastor friend I often speak of, came to me one day, with tears in his eyes, and said; "I dont what is wrong with me brother, I cry at the drop of a hat. Every sentimental thought, every hurt I see afflicting someone seems to break me in two" ? So I prayed for him, and had the most beautiful vision.
    Old Pastor was standing before me, arms down, slightly ouout from his sides, palms facing forward and tears streaming down his cheeks. He started to raise up from the ground. As he slowly rose up the tears increased and he started to become transparent. The higher he got the more tears and more transparent he became until he was far far above me. Then there appeared that there were pieces of something flying off of him and as they flew off he became even more transparent ! Then I had in my mind the space suttle going into space, and seeing some of it's tiles flying off due to the extreme force and heat. As the Old Pastor continued to rise I saw larger pieces flying off of him. Again my thoughts went back to the space suttle. When it reaches outer space, beyond gravity, it jettison the fuselage and any other shield or weight that is no longer necessary.
    We are like the shuttle. We spend most of our life putting on armor that we dont need, and only weighs us down. Then God spends the later years of our lives peeling all that protective armor off. Because God is looking for worshippers who worship Him in Spirit and Truth. We can truly only do that when we let this earthly vessel fall away !
    So when we start crying when we are picking out birthday cards, or when we see a young person open the door for an old lady, or some random act of kindness, or a sorrow. I believe as these old bodies start to fade, our spirtual side starts to grow !
    Amen and Peace in Christ to you MaryLu

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    1. Yes, Joe, perhaps I should have said that we are all in different states of growth in our walk. Believe me, I am on the road too, often making many mistakes. But in Jesus, we have something to aspire too. Just this morning i asked that He give me His mind and His heart. I want to think like He does and feel what He feels... it's a shame so many Christians miss out on His Glorious presence! What a privilege we have to hang out with Him... I love your illustration and reaching my elder years myself, I agree. Things of this world no longer hold any sway on me... I'm looking at things eternal!! Blessings!

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