By Pastor Greg...
So, it
seems that these four ministers had a series of theological arguments, and
three were always against the fourth.
One day, after the usual 3 to 1 vote, the odd pastor out decided to
appeal to a higher authority. "Oh,
Lord!" he cried. "I know in my
heart that I am right, and they are wrong!
Please give me a sign to prove it to them!" It was a beautiful, sunny day. As soon as the minister finished his prayer,
a storm cloud moved across the sky above the four pastors. It rumbled once and dissolved. "A sign
from God! See, I'm right, I knew
it!" said the fourth pastor, but the other three disagreed, pointing out
that storm clouds naturally form on hot days.
So, the pastor prayed again: "Oh, God, I need a bigger sign to show
that I am right and they are wrong. So
please, Lord, a bigger sign!” This time
four storm clouds appeared, rushed toward each other to form one big cloud, and
a bolt of lightning slammed into a tree on a nearby hill. "I told you I was right!" cried the
minister, but his friends insisted that nothing had happened that could not be
explained by natural causes. The Pastor
was getting ready to ask for a *very big* sign, but just as he said, "Oh
God...," the sky turned pitch black, the earth shook, and a deep, booming
voice intoned, "HEEEEEEEE'S RIIIIIIIGHT!" The minister put his hands on his hips,
turned to the other three, and said, "Well?!" One of the other pastors shrugged and said,
"So. Now it's 3 to 2."
A bigger
sign. If only God would provide a more significant sign. If only God would give
a big enough warning, so our doubting friends would believe.
I am
deeply saddened by friends or family members who reject God’s grace. I wish they could know the same peace and
love I have found through Jesus.
Immeasurable joy fills my heart simply
because I believed in God’s offer of grace found through Jesus, the
Messiah. I want them to know
forgiveness, but apparently, God has not
been able to break through their stubborn heart.
If only
God would provide a big enough sign to
help them believe.
Apparently,
one day God will do this. Reading
through Revelation, we get the impression that a vast number of doubters will
one day believe. They’ll smack their
heads and exclaim, “They were right.
Those Christian’s were right.”
In
Revelation six, we are left with a question.
When the earth, the sky, and the heavens are in turmoil, the people of
the earth recognize that the Great Day of
God’s Wrath has come, and they observe, “Who is able to survive?” God answers this question in chapter 7. (Read Revelation
chapter 7)
First of
all, God says He will mark 144,000 Jews.
They will be spared; they will survive the great tribulations caused by the Antichrist and caused by God. But then we are shown a second group of people. These are people clothed in white. These are Gentile people (Gentile is a
New Testament term for someone who is not Jewish). These people were from all walks of life;
from every tribe, nation, and language.
Although they were not spared
the tribulations (after all, they were in Heaven), they still found themselves
worshiping the Lamb (Jesus) and praising God for all He had done. And
what makes their presence significant is that this vast crowd is not the
Church; these people are not Christians like you and me.
Take
notice of what happens here. One of the 24 elders (they represent Israel
and the Church), asks John who these people are and where they came from. And John doesn’t know. If this vast crowd were the Church, surely John would have recognized them. He was one of the Twelve Apostles who walked
with Jesus. He was the last surviving Apostle.
He was a leader in the Church. He
was imprisoned on Patmos for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. If anyone recognized
the Church, it should have been John.
But he doesn’t. So, the elder
explains their origins.
These are
Gentiles (again, a non-Jewish person) who didn’t believe in Jesus until after the great “sign” they had been
looking for. And just was that
sign? It was probably the rapture of the
Church. When God calls every Christian
to Heaven, there will be many who finally admit, “Those Christians were
right.” And then they will finally
believe.
This
group of new believers will have missed the rapture of the Church. They will not be spared the time of Great
Tribulation, but they will be given eternal life. And they will be killed because of their
faith. They will “die in the great
tribulation” (verse 14) because of their new-found faith in Jesus. These new Christians are those who refused to
accept the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16). They would not bow down and worship the
Antichrist. So, they were killed because
they refused to comply. And God, who is
filled with mercy and grace, brings these martyrs to His throne where they no
longer suffer because of their steadfast faith.
Does
anyone else find this incredible?
God is
so loving, filled with so much grace, that He opens the doors of heaven to
those who finally believe… even though they missed the “deadline.” Sure, they will not be spared the consequences, but they will still find themselves in
Heaven before the throne of God.
God will
give them one final chance to believe.
I
understand if you struggle with this.
Most Christians today want God to reward us for our faith and punish the hard-hearted
for their unbelief. But God gives second
chances. His goal is to ransom as many
as He can. He takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner (Ezekiel 18:32). And I like that; I love that God wants to save as many people as He can. I want this to happen as well. I want my stubborn neighbor or unbelieving
relative to be saved. I want them to
spend eternity in Heaven. And it’s
refreshing to learn that God shares that same desire (or should I say, I share
His same desire).
To my Christian friend I ask, how does this make you feel? Are you
willing to accept that God gives humanity a second chance to believe? And to those who are stubborn and presently refuse
to believe, let me say that I personally
hope you believe in Jesus before the “great time of testing”; I want you to be
spared the wrath that is to come. I want
you to believe the message of salvation today.
If not, then I pray the great sign of the rapture softens your hard
heart. That at last, you will believe the message
of Jesus being preached by the Church today.
I pray you believe when God gives
you a second chance.
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