Continued from last post:
Up to this point in our study of prophecy we have looked backwards in time; we have seen what the Bible told would happen and then we have learned that history proved the prophecies correct. From this point forward, we do not have the luxury of historical hindsight. We are now entering the unknown; we are now going to study what will happen in the future. No one can say with absolute certainty what will happen or when it will happen, all we can do is take what we have learned about prophecy, apply it the best we can to what we study from now on, and keep watch on the events occurring in the world around us to see the fulfillment of what we have learned.
In Chapter 4 of this book we saw that we are now living in the Philadelphia Church era. The Laodicea Church era and the seventh seal are yet to come. (My sister told me she believes we are now in the Laodicea Church Era. She wrote her book in 2007.)
Laodicea: Salvation
Spirituality:
I know your deeds, that you are
neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot
nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of
nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and
blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you
may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that
the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your
eyes so that you may see. Those whom I
love, I reprove and discipline; therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock’ if
anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine
with him, and he with Me. He who
overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also
overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Rev. 3:15-21
Here we see that as the Laodicea Church era begins, Christians have become complacent and self-satisfied with their spiritual condition. The people have lost their zeal for God and just go through the motions, thinking that they have and are doing everything they need in order to be saved. Jesus says that he rejects their self-righteousness, but he offers to clothe them with his righteousness, to fill them with the Holy Spirit, and to give them understanding. Those who accept his offer to live in their hearts will reign with him in heaven.
This is a warning for us, especially as the Philadelphia era ends and the Laodicea era begins. We cannot offer anything to God in order to secure salvation. Our good works, our church attendance, everything, is unacceptable. For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment… (Is. 64:6) Only Jesus’ good works, only his sacrifice, only his righteousness can cover us and make us acceptable to God.
Laodicea
How we really are……….How we think we are
Seal of God
After this (the end of the
Philadelphia Church era and the sixth seal) I saw four angels standing at
the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so
that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the
rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a
loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the
sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have
sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads. Rev. 7:1-3
In Revelation 7 we see an angel has been sent to place God’s seal on his followers, in effect marking them as authentic and belonging to him. …and His name will be on their foreheads. (Rev. 22:4) This seal will not be visible to the human eye, it is a spiritual seal: a setting apart, or separating, of those who follow God from those who follow the beast. But why does the Bible specifically say the seal will be placed on the forehead? Because that is where the mind is. With our minds we make the decision to follow God and his truth, no matter the consequences. He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. (John 3:33)
But why is this so important? The mark shows which people are to be
protected from the first five trumpets of God’s judgment. We see an example of this in Ezekiel Chapter
9. God sent a messenger to Jerusalem to
mark those loyal to him on the forehead, and then God sent five beings to kill
everyone in the city who did not have the mark.
This story will repeat itself at the end of time. We will be marked with the seal of God and
the angels sent to execute the first five trumpets will pass us by.
