Sunday 7-28-13 New Beginnings Comm Church Pastor Michael sermon “Left Behind; What Happens to Non-Believers during the Tribulation” Revelation 6;9-11
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We are living in a time that there are things happening in our world that have never happened before. The killing of thousands and weather that causes mass destruction is happening all over the world. Jesus said these things would be happening in the end times. For believers we have no worry. We are protected from ALL of the destructions that happen in the end times. We, the believer, escape. The world wants us to be fearful but we will not fear. The Bible prophesied of the things that are happening. The love of many will wax cold. Today people kill each other with no problem and without a second thought. Men become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God!
We must celebrate our Faith because our Faith is our ticket out of the terrible times to come. Our Faith will protect us from disaster! Christ died for us and snatched us back from near destruction. In the text, John sees the things that are to happen. He sees the seven seals opened by the Lamb, Jesus Christ, the Resurrected one. John sees the raptured, the believing ones that are caught up. The dead in Christ shall rise first and we who remain shall be caught up to meet Jesus in the sky. These are the born again believers that are taken up and don’t have to go thru the tribulation period.
Right now there are approx. 7 billion people living on earth today. Approximately 1.6 billion of them are saved. Almost 6 billion people will be left behind if the Rapture would happen today. Those people left behind fall into three categories:
1) The Person Who is Uncertain:
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This is a non-believer that doesn’t want to make a commitment. He is seeking some religious experience but will stay neutral. He doesn’t commit to anything. An Agnostic: denying God’s personal existence. They don’t believe God is a personal God. Nicodemus was an agnostic. He came to see Jesus at night when no one would see him. We know Jesus is Real, God is Real! And we know that He has picked us up, woke us up this morning and brought us to church today! We have a relationship with God and He comes and rescues us from our mess! We cannot see it but we know that it is real. We know it thru our heart and not our intellect. We are born again believers and we have FAITH!! We know it’s REAL!!
2) The Unwilling People:
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They are skeptical to any beliefs concerning a God and don’t want to investigate anything. An Antagonist: they ask questions about where was God in all that, when bad stuff happens. When they ask, we need to tell them that God gave us a choice, a free will. He has nothing to do with the tragedy and mess that man makes and does! Man chose to rebel against God and there will be death and decay. Antagonists ask questions that we cannot answer. We should tell them like Job said, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, we are still going to praise God anyway!” God shows up in the midst of the problem, giving you and me the strength! Praise God for the strength to deal with the problems we are going through. Praise Him for the strength He gives us! Praise the Lord!!
3) The Unbelieving People:
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They have a strong willingness to not believe anything about any deity or God. An Atheist: they say they themselves are gods and there is no higher God. They think no one designed or created the earth. It just appeared! This is like when we go look at pretty houses and we marvel at what the house designer created. Atheists don’t think the world was designed or created by God! We need to tell ourselves that God made us and we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
In the text, the three types of unbelievers will go thru the tribulation and will give their lives to become believers. They will die. These are they that are under the altar and God gives them white robes. We need to warn EVERYBODY we know that they need to accept Jesus NOW instead of going thru all that is in the tribulation. That is why you and I don’t even want to be left behind! Our duty is to spread the word so people will not be left behind because they refuse to accept Jesus Christ! Tell them they don’t want to be left behind!!
AMEN
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We are living in a time that there are things happening in our world that have never happened before. The killing of thousands and weather that causes mass destruction is happening all over the world. Jesus said these things would be happening in the end times. For believers we have no worry. We are protected from ALL of the destructions that happen in the end times. We, the believer, escape. The world wants us to be fearful but we will not fear. The Bible prophesied of the things that are happening. The love of many will wax cold. Today people kill each other with no problem and without a second thought. Men become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God!
We must celebrate our Faith because our Faith is our ticket out of the terrible times to come. Our Faith will protect us from disaster! Christ died for us and snatched us back from near destruction. In the text, John sees the things that are to happen. He sees the seven seals opened by the Lamb, Jesus Christ, the Resurrected one. John sees the raptured, the believing ones that are caught up. The dead in Christ shall rise first and we who remain shall be caught up to meet Jesus in the sky. These are the born again believers that are taken up and don’t have to go thru the tribulation period.
Right now there are approx. 7 billion people living on earth today. Approximately 1.6 billion of them are saved. Almost 6 billion people will be left behind if the Rapture would happen today. Those people left behind fall into three categories:
1) The Person Who is Uncertain:
-----------------------------------------
This is a non-believer that doesn’t want to make a commitment. He is seeking some religious experience but will stay neutral. He doesn’t commit to anything. An Agnostic: denying God’s personal existence. They don’t believe God is a personal God. Nicodemus was an agnostic. He came to see Jesus at night when no one would see him. We know Jesus is Real, God is Real! And we know that He has picked us up, woke us up this morning and brought us to church today! We have a relationship with God and He comes and rescues us from our mess! We cannot see it but we know that it is real. We know it thru our heart and not our intellect. We are born again believers and we have FAITH!! We know it’s REAL!!
2) The Unwilling People:
------------------------------
They are skeptical to any beliefs concerning a God and don’t want to investigate anything. An Antagonist: they ask questions about where was God in all that, when bad stuff happens. When they ask, we need to tell them that God gave us a choice, a free will. He has nothing to do with the tragedy and mess that man makes and does! Man chose to rebel against God and there will be death and decay. Antagonists ask questions that we cannot answer. We should tell them like Job said, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, we are still going to praise God anyway!” God shows up in the midst of the problem, giving you and me the strength! Praise God for the strength to deal with the problems we are going through. Praise Him for the strength He gives us! Praise the Lord!!
3) The Unbelieving People:
----------------------------------
They have a strong willingness to not believe anything about any deity or God. An Atheist: they say they themselves are gods and there is no higher God. They think no one designed or created the earth. It just appeared! This is like when we go look at pretty houses and we marvel at what the house designer created. Atheists don’t think the world was designed or created by God! We need to tell ourselves that God made us and we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
In the text, the three types of unbelievers will go thru the tribulation and will give their lives to become believers. They will die. These are they that are under the altar and God gives them white robes. We need to warn EVERYBODY we know that they need to accept Jesus NOW instead of going thru all that is in the tribulation. That is why you and I don’t even want to be left behind! Our duty is to spread the word so people will not be left behind because they refuse to accept Jesus Christ! Tell them they don’t want to be left behind!!
AMEN
