Staying Alert In The Last Days

Staying Alert In The Last Days

Dec 6-7

Acts 1:9-11;

Dan 12:1-2;

2Corinthians 5:10;

Rev 20:12-13

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Jesus Taken Up

Acts 1:9-11

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
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Michael Anounces It Is Time

Dan 12:1-2

1 ¶ And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stander for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
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Creation Jumps to Attention

Rev 20:12-13

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.
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All Mankind must give account

2Corinthians 5:10;

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Two judgements await every person.

1. Who has paid the debt of sin in your life?
   
2. How did you use the gifts and resources in your life time?

the answer to the first paves the way to the next. If any payment other than the Blood of Jesus is given there is no second question. The person would will and begin to fall down the eternal tunnel into the bliss. If in some way the person can say by the Grace of Jesus His blood paid the price of my sin, then he will continue to stand.

Soon after I repented of sin, turned to God and asked Jesus to come into my life, I awoke one morning with a dream. In the dream I looked up and I began to see a series of events. The picture resembled the view of an "IMax" with a domed screen. The characters that I envisioned gradually seemed more and more familiar. I remembered the scenes and as the action progressed I realized that I was watching my own life. It started back in my earliest memory. I could see my own life as it was, but what I experienced, in the dream, were the events from the viewpoint of an outside observer. Gradually I realized I was both experiencing the dream and seeing it circumspectly. I could see both what I remembered and what any one else could see. The gradual progression continued from my earliest memory to the things that had happened the previous day. At the time I could easily justify certain misdeeds as other peoples fault, but in the dream I realized how completely the sin was my own fault. Approximately half of the way through the dream as it progressed I vaguely began to perceive that there was another silent observer immediately beside me and slightly out of the vision. The further the dream progressed the more condemned I began to feel. By the time I awoke I felt so bad that I wanted to die. At that time I had never done anything that people would generally condemn as being "gross or blatant sin." Never the less sin totally consumed my life. I had no hope! When I confessed the dream to my pastor and spiritual advisor, He pointed out that the silent observer never condemned me and might have even forgiven me had I ever asked. At that time I realized the observer actually was Jesus. I did ask for forgiveness, and immediately experienced a cleansing of the guilt. As I meditated over these experiences I realized that I would not have needed Him to condemn me because I would have condemned my own self. In fact with out the forgiveness I would have run away from the light of God's eyes, and never even attempted to enter Heaven. After receiving the forgiveness I was able to stand before the Lord with the knowledge of my past actions but with out needing to run away. I presume that the way I was reconciled to God was that the pastor looked at the very sin that condemned me in my own eyes yet he did not condemn me. The process of realizing he would not cast me out, gave me the ability to believe that maybe God himself also would not cast me out! In the process of time I began to accept my own self not as a perfect person but instead one who was truly and deeply forgiven. Hi metamorphosis began to renew my mind to a different paradigm. I am forever changed by this knowledge.

I conclude from this; one concept. God has given each of us the power to introduce fellow persons to Him. Part of the introduction includes that God does not look upon our sin as we do but instead looks at the same sin through the blood of Jesus. The change of color means everything. The most important thing is that the cost of the sin [namely death] was prepaid long before our need presented itself. We must however accept this exchange and implement the merited righteousness for our own selves. All this must take place before our own death or the return of Jesus noted in the above verses.

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to Know God and the power of his resurrection

John 17:3
1. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Phillip 3:10
2. 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

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to believe

12 Corinthians 5:19
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

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