IN WHAT TIME ARE WE IN?
I am so excited to write today’s post!
It is of no surprise that for many, 2020 was discouraging. Looked at quickly one might mistakenly have thought that God had forgotten His Church this year or that the Tribulation had started. Nevertheless, that is why I am writing this series, to hopefully draw the reader to two things. First, understanding that they need Jesus Christ to save them, and second that we have not been forgotten and placed in the Tribulation. Our decisions need to be based on knowing what time we live in, that is why this series is titled the way it is.
Last week I asked you to read 1 Thessalonians 5 and Revelation 3:14-22. These two parts will help address the current issues Christians and so called Christians find themselves in.
Starting first with 1 Thessalonians 5.
We need to cut this chapter up into smaller bites. Remember, the Thessalonians were worried about those who were Christians who had died. Yet, Paul was comforting them, that is why we have chapter 4:13-18. But here in chapter 5, Paul is wanting to them to better understand what was being stated in the previous chapter. “1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”
We would know the times and seasons. While the Bible gives no sign of when the Rapture would happen, it gives plenty of signs of when the Tribulation would start. The “Times and Season” is key. If we study the Book of Revelation, which God commands us to and also blesses us when we do, we can see a description of the coming world. This world is starting to be reflected in what we see now. Thus, the “Times and Season” of the Tribulation is coming and if we know that the Tribulation is near, but we who are in the Church cannot be here for it, we can assume that the Rapture is near.
Yet, Paul continues to give signs in regards to the coming of the Tribulation.
“3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3
The word “Escape” here is the Greek word “Ekpheugo” which comes from two Greek words meaning, “to be taken from one location to another location so as not to be a part of the former locations time.” In other words, Paul is saying here that those who are saying “Peace and Safety” will in fact not be part of the Rapture.
For those who believe that the Church is to go through the Tribulation, there is a Greek word for escaping which means “to go through and endure”. That word is “EKPHERO” which is not used by Paul here.
“But you!” What an incredible statement, but us who are saved, us who are the Church, us who are living in the times we are living in now! We are being called by Paul to have our attention on something else.
“4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others [do,] but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and [as] a helmet the hope of salvation.”
Paul is calling us to understand the times we are living in and telling us what to do. We are not to be living in darkness. That means not living as the world is living. We are to be separate from what they are doing and keeping our eyes on Jesus Christ.
We need to break this down even further, in verse 8 Paul says something vitally important, “let us who are of the day” and then “putting on the breast plate of faith and love, and [as] a helmet the hope of salvation” must be reviewed. When Paul states, “let us who are of the day” he is saying that these instructions are for believers to do. He is not saying this is to be done by those who are not saved. But what is it that we as believers are to do? We are to put on the breast plate of faith and love. This might sound like a different breastplate than that of Ephesians 6, but that would be wrong. “For Abraham had faith which was accredited to him as righteousness, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” Genesis 15:6. You see, this breastplate is of righteousness, but that righteousness comes from faith in Jesus Christ and the love of Him bestowing on us His righteousness. Why is Paul saying to do this? He is wanting to remind the believer that you have faith that He has saved you from your sin, now have faith in Him with regards to the Rapture. Paul confirms this idea with a helmet of the hope of salvation. This doesn’t mean hope like “I hope it doesn’t rain today.” But rather the knowledge and assurance of His salvation to resurrect those who have fallen asleep (aka died) and those who are living now to all be caught up in the clouds and to live with Jesus Christ forever more.
You might be asking yourself why would God do this? Paul immediately goes into answering this.
“9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9
How marvelous and how awesome is the Lord Jesus to give us such a blessing of hope! It is why Titus 2:11-15 is so important for us who are alive right now to remember. When 2021 gets worse (which it will) we need to keep our eyes solely focused on what it should be, which is on Jesus Christ. Now the SO WHAT FACTOR needs to be addressed. We need to review the issue of what time are we living in and what are we to be doing. Paul immediately answers this as well.
“11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. 12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you [is] faithful, who also will do [it.] 25 Brethren, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. Amen.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11-28
What an instruction from Paul! Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul thought this was so important for Christians to know that he charged them to make sure the letter was read to all believers. What does this mean? It means this might as well have been written to you and I right now from Paul! We need to take it seriously.
Nevertheless, we are not done! We need to now jump to Revelation 3:14-22 and see what Jesus Christ Himself is saying.
While today we are not studying the specific chapters of the Church age it should be noted that Jesus Christ had 7 letters sent out to John to go to seven different and unique churches. The churches were real churches all in that time. It was not until history would progress that we would realize that each church was a specific age representation of what would be happening for the most part in Churches around the world. While each Church type can be found at anytime in these chapters of history, the predominant amount of churches represented the churches signified in that timeframe. For instance many today (myself included) believe we are living in the chapter of Laodicea, this is the last stage of the of the Church age. Here we see that Jesus has severe warning to the Church.
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the originator 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. Revelation 3:14-16
Many have taken these verses out of context, saying that if you are hot you are good and if you are cold you are bad. These people would say that these verses signify their closeness to God. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. What Jesus is saying here is that you are neither cold nor hot. Cold water can help refresh, while hot water can help strengthen and heal. Each temperature has its own uniqueness, especially in the ancient days. If you had water that was lukewarm you have water that is basically useless. That is why Jesus wished they were one or the other. Laodicea was known for having cold and hot water thus this proved to hit close at home. Like lukewarm water, they were useless to God.
Unfortunately, they did not even know it.
“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.’” Revelation 3:17-19
He has described the 21st century church, Jesus is calling out to the mass majority (not all but most) to repent. However, Jesus takes the discussion to an even more stunning direction by indicating that the churches are not actually saved.
“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.” Revelation 3:20
Here Jesus makes one statement with two ironic meanings. The first meaning is, Jesus is at the door of every person’s heart asking to come in. For those who accept Jesus as the Son of God and ask for forgiveness, He will come into their hearts. However, He is also giving a not so subtle hint to another promise. For us to know this promise, we need to understand what was said in Revelation 3:10 and Revelation 4:1. Jesus promises those who are His that they will not go through the Tribulation, it is why Revelation 3:10 states, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Yes, this is once again another Rapture verse. Jesus is saying that the Church will not go through what is coming. However, we can also read of that happening in Revelation 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.” John was allowed to witness the Rapture happening and write about it. Jesus is standing at the door! But what door? There is a door in heaven which will be opened and Jesus Christ will shout out to those who are alive on the earth. You might be asking yourself, “How does this help me right now?” Well it proves Revelation 3:20. If we invite Jesus into our lives now, He will invite us to dine with Him later!
“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.” Revelation 3:20
This is a promise to those alive today! Jesus is warning the so called church to wake up, receive His salvation, and seek His soon return. While we are waiting for Him to come for us, He encourages us to stay the course.
“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.’” Revelation 3:21-22
This just like Paul at the end of Thessalonians chapter 5, it is a bold declaration for those living in today’s world to listen up and recognize the times we are in so that we can get ready for His return. In order to do this, we have to be proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.
While we are not yet done with this study, I could not wait for this post. How exciting is it knowing that our Lord and Savior could at any day take us home! But how exciting to see the Word of God coming to fruition right before our eyes! We are literally seeing the stage being set for the Tribulation. This shouldn’t scare the believer in Jesus, if we trust Him to save us from our sin then why are we not trusting Him to save us from what is to come? This does not mean we are to be saved outside of current tribulation and struggle, but rather we are to be saved from God’s seven years of wrath on the earth. We might be persecuted and we might be martyred for Christ, but let us continue to press forward for the faith! We need now more than ever as believers to meet with one another, in person, to encourage each other as the Bible says we must.
Next week we will be wrapping up our series as we look at the final aspects to which we need to understand for the times we are living in. We will see what has God commanded us to do, no matter what the world would say to do.
I hope this week’s post has been a blessing for you! If you are confused by anything that was said today, please do not hesitate to ask. We at Mill House Ministries are very much open to help walk any person through any post and/or other questions about Jesus Christ. If you do not know Him, I would implore you to know Him right now. For we do not know how much longer we have on this earth and cannot add a day, hour, or minute to our life. I do not want you to lose the chance of an eternal life with Jesus Christ.
Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming
JL