Following Judah's Lion

Thrust in the Sickle

As an introduction to support this article, I want to bring this revealing and disturbing fact to your attention as a preface to my essay. Today, 12/23/07, on Fox News Live Chris Wallace asked his guest Joel Osteen if Mormons were Christians. Pastor Osteen said:

"Yes, I believe they are".

We now have evangelical preachers endorsing anti-christ theology as Christian. Watch and pray, the end is upon us.

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Rev. 14-16 - And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

Listen closely to these words concerning the gospel and the end times. The time of grace grows perilously short and if anyone will be granted entrance into eternal life it must be soon for the door to God’s ark of mercy begins to shake in preparation for the end. I speak of your mate, your children, your loved ones, your neighbors, and I speak of the billions around the world where thinned ranks of gospel missionaries labor. Do not take lightly this warning, the gospel itself is rapidly being changed and the cloud of deception now covers much of what used to shine the light of God’s truth. You and I must awaken to this calling as the Holy Spirit makes it clear there is no rolling back the time nor the apostasy now rolling with growing determination. This is the time when we must go not stay.

Let us first evaluate our own discipleship before our Lord and Master. Are we concerned about what grieves Him, and do we see what He now sees and communicates to our spiritual eyes? As the church sinks into the self indulged malaise while still camouflaging its shallow commitment with activities and new teachings, where are we personally? Are you and I content and even rejoicing in the depth of our sacrificial walk with Christ, or have we been diluted through the cares of this world and the compromise of the church? Do we run to His Word daily with anticipation of its great treasure and the strength of its truth that will continue to change us? Does that Word find its life and expression through our lives in such a way that as Peter observed we are called “peculiar”? And if not in the abundance that it should be, are we ready to repent?

God desires to use His people as conduits to reveal His glory and preach the everlasting gospel to the nations. How many of us can claim that we are adequately prepared for such a calling? Our one and only desire should be His glory and the spread of the only truth that can save this world from the fires of an eternal hell, this my friends is not trifle or fringe issue, this is the very center of God’s majestic plan. What a privilege, what an honor to be called into His service and given the power to glorify our Master to family, friend, and stranger alike. But have we made an unwavering commitment to His Word in such a fashion as to seem fanatical to our lukewarm surroundings? His Word, oh His Word, there is the only food for our souls and yet we have fasted from its life giving essence. Let us return with our faces set like a flint, reading, meditating, and obeying the Word with faith and vigor.

Like Gideon, a soldier with the armor of God along with His wisdom, will survey the battlefield with the eyes of the Spirit. If we look toward the field coupled with the sight of the wayward church, we should take note that the days are evil and the souls of men hang in the balance. The authentic gospel dwindles and a humanistic gospel that partners with other religions continues to move across the doctrinal landscape. It is embraced by the flesh and the desires of men who have usurped God’s Word and changed the truth of God into a lie. And all the while in the midst of this battle the unsaved masses walk in darkness not realizing their eternal peril draws ever so near.

So here we are, confronted by the Spirit’s calling and conviction that not only illuminates us to the desperate situation but commands us to repent and serve Christ with all our hearts. If we are to reach those we say we love as well as strangers who Jesus loves, we must thrust in the sickle and in God’s power harvest the last harvest before the Lord of the Harvest returns to take His justice upon this world. The unsaved neighbor you wave at as they pass in their car stands precariously on the edge of eternal judgment, should we not be loosed from our social consciousness and share the gospel with them? If we do not care for their souls surely we care about our Savior and His calling to us.

Many of you have unsaved family members who you perhaps have shared Christ with in some fashion and they have rejected Him. You have become wary of creating a rift within the family and so you hesitate to share with them again. Oh I beg you, Jesus Himself said His gospel would create breaches between the closest of families but that should not be our deterrence. Love them and be as kind as possible, but time still constricts around their souls and you may be their only hope to hear the gospel. Are you willing to suffer persecution or will you guard the status quo in order to maintain peace at the expense of their eternal destiny? Thrust in the sickle in the power of the Holy Spirit!

Lift your eyes higher and see the fields around the world. If ever there was a time to deepen our commitment to overseas missions it is now. The Word has a presence on every continent and according to Christ’s prophecy the end is at the doorstep. Pray and pray and pray that God will call and send missionaries in these last days to preach the gospel to every creature. If you cannot go, you must partner with those who have gone and are going. Listen closely and you will hear God’s heart beat communicated through the Spirit that grieves for the unsaved and unreached masses. Do we care that God cares? The end is upon us and more seriously upon them, let us thrust in the sickle around the world to the glory of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice!

So let us see ourselves again as emissaries for the Lord Jesus, whose abundant life exists fully within His will. Perhaps the sickle mentioned in Revelation has already been thrust invisibly by the Spirit, but God exhorts us all to take its handle and wield it to God’s glory. The day is far spent and the night is upon us, let us honor our King and live His life throughout the world. This will take repentance and a unswerving passion to preach the everlasting gospel to every living creature. What an honor.

Thrust in the sickle!