Monday, July 03, 2006

The Lamb at War

As a preamble to this writing I want to address something about the different levels of realities that our minds have the capacity to experience. We can be watching a murder taking place in a movie and our minds have adapted to a storybook reality. Seeing the same murder live would generate a totally different response as our minds have shifted to a "This is real" reality. Seeing a man shot on TV live is different than seeing a man shot in a movie, which is different than seeing a man shot in person. Again, you can watch and be moved by seeing a man jump off a building live on the news, and with a press of your finger you can change the channel and laugh at Everybody Loves Raymond. Which brings me to my point. Our minds have become so adept at compartmentalizing realities that we sometimes read prophetic realities from the Word of God with a mental firewall that prevents us from fully experiencing the futuristic truth. Please read the following offering as if it will happen soon, which it might . _______________________________________________________________________

II Thess.1:7 - ...when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels...
What a revelation. The Lord Jesus, in all His glory, with all His mighty angels. The unseen Spirit world suddenly and powerfully, bursts into our three dimensional realm and we are granted the frightening spectacle of the Creator King and all His angelic hosts gathered in the heavens and ready for "vengeance"(vs.8). In Chapter 2 of II Thesselonians in verse 8 God carefully pulls back the prophetic curtain and reveals a partial yet disturbing glimpse into the power of the Lamb at war when He comes to finish the work that was begun before the worlds were made. All these many, many years God's justice has waited, but now, He waits no more. Oh my Dear God, no one can cry out for mercy, THERE IS NONE. An approaching nightmare from which no one can awake.
There will be no prisoners taken, it will be carnage on a level heretofore unknown. It is hard to envisage these events because they are so frightening and as yet intangible. In 1975 when I became a follower of the Lord Jesus, I had heard a message on TV about the return of Christ. It was the first time I can remember hearing about that event and I was somewhat shaken. I want to warn you, and me, to examine ourselves to see whether we are true followers of the Lord Jesus. This is no time to play games and trifle with what is Sacred to Almighty God. "Behold He Comes" is as much of a warning as it is a comfort.
There is a coming, personal event in all our futures. We will stand before the Lord Jesus Himself and give an account of our entire lives. I will share with you a personal testimony. I, like you, have fallen way short of being the totally surrendered follower I could have been. I have committed sins of commission as well as omission. As I some time ago laid out my sins and faults before the Lord and bemoaning the fact I could have done so much more for Him, He clearly spoke to my heart with these words that may encourage and exhort you. The Lord said to me, "Finish strong". And as I again realized my life was under His cleansing Blood, I took solace and energy from those Words. Like a runner who has fallen several times along the route, but as he rounds the last turn he still gives a final kick to the finish line. I do not know exactly where my final finish line is, but I am trying to "finish strong".

II Thess.1:10 - When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe...in that day.

Now think about when the dust settles and Jesus now sits on a throne in Jerusalem ruling and reigning absolutely. But the fact that the war has come last gives insight into the true essence of the Lamb, love. The Invisible God has pleaded, begged, reasoned, and even provided the means for mankind to surrender and live, but largely to no avail. Only after centuries of excruciating longsuffering has God had to use the final option. He would have been justified to wipe us all out at anytime, but He has waited and called. By His grace some have heard and responded to His call of love and warning. The Lamb of God now has destroyed all His enemies and He is high and lifted up for all of us to admire and worship. Praise be to the exalted Lamb on Jerusalem's Throne! This is not some fairytale, this is a soon coming event that once begun, like an immeasurable and magnificent whirlwind, will collect all the moments of time from the past millennia down to the final microseconds, and like a monumental, time train screeching to a grinding halt -
IT IS FINISHED.

Some have lost all - Some have gained all.
The harvest of His Blood is over.

Eternal death - Eternal life. There is no middle ground.

Jesus my Lord, I deserved to be the object of your wrath, but you lovingly took the violence that was meant for me. I can never repay You, I can only forever praise You!

2 comments:

Jessica K. Taylor said...

Holy Father and Gracious Lord,
Endow us with Your strength to finish well. Let our final heartbeat of faith bring glory to Your Exalted Name... And in the moment when faith becomes sight, may our knees be the first to bow in the light of Your Sovereign Power and Presence...In Christ.

Rick Frueh said...

The Scriptures exhorts us to live our lives in such a way as to make people ask the reason for the hope in us. Luvvom - pray for the lost, love them, lovingly warn them, and let yor light shine. Leave the results to Christ, He has told us most people will reject Him. We should praise Him for somehow we were a branch pulled from the fire - by His grace!