The U.S. government was asleep on September 11. Similarly, most Christians will be sleeping when God initiates the Great Tribulation, because Christians have not made serious study of Bible prophecy a priority. Religious leaders have lulled millions of people to sleep with "sweet promises" of things that will not happen.
Church leaders are promoting prophetic schemes that have nothing to do with what the Bible predicts. Millions of people will be disappointed when they discover there is no pre-tribulation rapture and that their church leaders have misguided them.
Christians are asleep. They have been lulled into substituting church life for spiritual life and this substitution can prove deadly. Every Christian should know the important distinction between church life and spiritual life.
Church life is social interaction with a group of people having similar religious views whereas spiritual life is the process of maturing in God’s truth under the firm, but loving discipline of Christ. Church life can be a real joy, for nothing is sweeter than genuine fellowship with like believers.
Unfortunately, the basis for church life should not be the joy of fellowship, but a love for truth. Many Christians think church life is synonymous with spiritual life, but attending church services and listening to inspiring music and preaching is no substitute for personal study, meditation and prayer. In other words, spiritual life requires time with God and there is no substitute for this. For many people, worship is a social occasion; going to church to be entertained with a good sermon and being told what to believe.
However, walking with God and obeying His Word at any cost is the worship that God seeks. Jesus said, "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)
If church life does not systematically put worshipers through the essential truths of the Bible, if church life does not teach worshipers how to study the Bible, if church life does not produce Christians who love the Lord with all their heart, mind and soul and their neighbors as themselves, the result will be a congregation that seems active and alive, when in reality, it is spiritually dead. This was precisely the condition of the church at Sardis.
Notice the words of Jesus,
"To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.
But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.
They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white.
I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:1-6)
The church at Sardis was known for its religious zeal. Something was taking place at the church all of the time. They met together several times each week. The church was growing and like many churches today that have concerts, dramas, potluck dinners, revival services, church school, and community programs, they had it all. They prayed, worshiped, worked and played together as one big family. So, what could be wrong with that? Jesus told them,
"I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up!" (Revelation 3:1)
Jill Soto
My comments: I say amen to what Jill Soto has said. However, I believe there will be a group of Christians that do not go through The Great Tribulation. I reference what Christ Jesus promised the Church of Philadelphia:
"Since you have kept My Command to endure patiently, I will keep you from the Hour of Trial that is going to come upon the Whole World to Test those who live on the Earth." (Revelation 3:10)
I also reference what the apostle Paul told the Church of Thessalonica: "For God did not appoint us to Suffer Wrath, but to receive Salvation through our lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessaloninas 4:9)
Further, I believe that the Woman of Revelation 12, is the Bride of Christ, and is taken into the Desert and protected there by God for the Three and One-half Years of His Great Tribulation. (Revelation 12)
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