Scripture: Revelation 20 v 11 - 15: "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
This prophecy given to John is packed with information about events still in our future which should be of intense interest to every person on Earth. In God's timeframe the following have already occurred:
- The Rapture, whether pre-, mid- or post- tribulation, happened.
- The Antichrist has been revealed
- The Beast and the False Prophet and the Antichrist are already in the Lake of Fire
- The Great Tribulation is over, including all the woes and vials of dark days and pestilence.
- Earth and the heavens have disappeared - no more stars, sun, moons or planets.
Where we stand at this future moment in time depends very much on where we are at present in our spiritual lives. The most vital element is KNOWING that our names are in the Lamb's Book of Life. This Book contains the names of all true born again believers.
If we have never heard of this Book of Life today is the proper day to discover it, submit to it and never lose our place in it. If our names are in it already then we know that we know that we KNOW that we will spend eternity with our Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all our saved loved ones in Heaven.
That is joy unspeakable and full of glory. That is the only goal we should have. All else is vanity and worthless. The Covid 19 pandemic shows how fast everything can change forever. We are in the throes of battle between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan.
This pandemic is God pouring out the Holy Spirit on all flesh. Our God said it would come, but not how it would come. He is using it to give every soul on Earth an opportunity to know Him, to cry out to Him, to acknowledge Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Some He takes Home straight away, some have to work out their objections.....long Covid. Some have to get it again with different variants because they are on the fence. But through this pestilence He has started the process.
Revelations tells us there will be seven outpouring of vials of pestilence. AIDS is one, Covid is another. No matter where they originated, or whether man-made or through the poor pangolin, God is in control.
Many new names are being written in The Book of Life, many are already "Home", many more will follow. God has given us the scope we need. His Word, visions, dreams, gifts of discerning spirits, revelation gifts. To receive them tick the boxes, ......born again; baptism by immersion after repentance; filled with the Holy Spirit baptism; determination.
Once our eyes are opened to know our enemy and his plans to defeat God and rule this universe, we must use our testimony, our spiritual abilities and especially the power of Jesus, to overcome him. Those who fail to fight the good fight, end up lost forever.
When we see how our faith grows through winning these battles, our confidence in our Father and Jesus grows by leaps and bounds. We can see how our prayer life becomes dynamic and pro-active with Jesus. We may get a message through tongues and interpretation of tongues which we must comply with. When we pray it through we see the fruit, the results, either instantly or in God's perfect time.
When these prayer times increase in number, intensity and guided by God, faith grows tremendously and the things of this world grow strangely dim. Total focus is on the work in hand and seeing the glory manifest on Earth. It's available to everyone who really wants it. It ensures our names are staying in the Book because in
Revelation 2 v 4 - 5: "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
Removing the candlestick puts us back in darkness, and we lose our companionship with the Holy Spirit. These are the words of Jesus and He urges repentance. It's real meaning is change your mind about sin. And traditions that contradict the Word and will of God.
If we ignore these instructions we get Revelation 3 v 5 - 6: "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
We are back to ensuring that Jesus never blots our names out of the Book of Life. We must overcome this worlds traps that lure us away from God, if we do what He says we will be clothed in garments of righteousness, white raiment, and when judgment day comes Jesus will acknowledge us as His friends.
That is our ultimate victory and it comes when our Father says of us when we stand before the Great White Throne, Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest! Everything we have suffered, experienced, worried, prayed, cried and hoped is fulfilled in those words. O death where is your sting?! We have entered into eternal life and joy.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please let these words travel far and wide O Lord, to reach those who never knew, those who have been compromised by religion and never known true faith. My heart goes out, my prayers, my whole life, to touch the lost and bring them home. For I was lost, Father, and You found me and gave me life, love and hope. I ask for all the others who were lost like I was, salvation in Jesus' name. Amen.