ACCOUNTED WORTHY
Where Will You Be?
The book of Revelation is a prophetic book (along with the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah – to name a few) which tells us things to come. More than any other, Revelation deals specifically with what we call the "End Times" or "End of Days." (If you have not read the book of Revelation in the Bible I encourage you to read it now and ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding.) Revelation deals with the Church, but it is primarily centered on Israel.
Revelation 2 & 3 describes the seven types of churches (all Christian churches) that a person may encounter even today. In Revelation 4:1 the Church is “taken away” or raptured.
Beginning in Revelation 4:2, John (the author of the books of Revelation, John, and John 1, 2, & 3 – one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles) describes the events that will happen during the Tribulation period. The tribulation is a future seven-year period of time (immediately following the Rapture) when God will finish His discipline of Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving world.
During those seven years there will be suffering, torment, and misery like never before. Jesus said in Matthew 24:21-22a, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved…” During the Tribulation there will be earthquakes, wars, famines, volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts, etc. Not one of us can imagine how bad things will get during that time. Nothing can prepare us for it. You will not be able to buy and sell anything without the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:17). That means you won’t be able to get any food items, heating oil, gasoline, pay for your shelter, clothing, transportation – nothing! Without this means of identification, you will not be able to survive. If you take the mark of the Beast, then you will be condemned to Hell for all eternity (Revelation 14:9-11). Think about the level of devastation and heartache the people of Japan went through due to the massive earthquake and tsunami, and then imagine that on a GLOBAL scale. That is the future during the Tribulation, Matthew 24:6-7, Mark 13:7-8, Revelation 4:2-20-15.
How will any of us survive the Tribulation if we can’t live our lives the way that God expects us to now? We have the support of our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ; we have the love of our friends and family; we have security in our lives (food, clothing, shelter, money, credit cards, electricity, heat, etc.); we can go to church; pray; we have jobs and good, nice things in our lives – All of that will be gone during the Tribulation. Please be assured you DO NOT want to be left behind when Jesus comes back for His people during the Rapture.
So, how do we ensure we will be taken with Jesus when He comes back? We must believe in Him and be “Accounted Worthy.” What does it mean to be "Accounted Worthy?” Why worry about being Accounted Worthy? I am talking about being held accountable for our actions and how we liveour life.
Too many people believe that as long as they profess to be a Christian they will go in the Rapture of the Church when Jesus comes back for His believers and that they will be in heaven for all eternity.
I am not talking about being a “good” person. It goes much deeper than that. I am talking about being accounted worthy in the sight of God. I too struggle and must strive each day to be worthy in the eyes of God.
In Luke 21:36 Jesus said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass (He was describing the events of the Tribulation), and to stand before the Son of man.”
We are to:
· Watch and pray, Mark 13:32-33, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” Here Jesus was referring to His coming for His people (the Church) during the Rapture.
· Pray to be accounted worthy, Luke 21:36, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
· Purify ourselves, 1 John 3:2-4, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
· Abide in Him, 1 John 2:28, “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” To abide in Him means to spend time with Him. Pray to Him and, praise Him. Read the Bible, study it. Commune with Jesus and keep Him ever-present in your life. Do not allow ANYTHING or ANYONE to separate you from your Savior and keep you from remaining (abiding) in His presence and Grace.
· Look for His coming, Hebrews 9:28, “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
So, we are to live our lives sanctified and holy in God’s sight:
· Broken in spirit, burdened for others, meek, humble, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, wise, patient, loving, joyful, and gracious (Matthew 5:3-12)
· Salt to preserve and light to shine (5:13-16)
· A teacher and keeper of the truth (5:17-19)
· Free from hypocrisy, selfishness, and grudges (5:20-24)
· A peacemaker (5:9, 25-26)
· Free from lusts (5:27-30)
· A family man or woman (5:31-32)
· Truthful (5:31-37)
· Nonresistant to mistreatment (5:38-41)
· Charitable, neighborly, and God-like in society (5:38-47)
Right now you’re probably saying, “Jim, no one is that good!!!” Guess what? I agree! We cannot live like that through ourselves. That is why we first must admit we are not living our lives the way we must. Then we have got to truly desire to change, and then ask God (through the Holy Spirit) to strengthen us and guide us in His righteousness.
Here are some passages to help us:
· The new birth (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 2:29; 3:5-10; 5:1-4, 18)
· Walking and living in the Spirit (Romans 8:1-13; Galatians 5:16-26)
· Proper use of Christian weapons (Armor of God - Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:4-7; Colossians 2:6-10; 3:3-10; 2 Timothy 2:21)
Jesus addresses the seven churches in Revelation 2 & 3. At the end of each address to that church He says “him” or “he” “that overcomes.” Overcome what? Jesus is referring to overcoming sin and temptation. God said in Revelation 21:6-8, “And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’”
Romans 13:11-14 says, "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."
Once we are saved we are to turn away from sin. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." We may still have thoughts or feelings that are not in line with God, and we WILL be tempted to sin. However, once we turn away from our sinful nature we are to resist the devil as 1 Peter 5:8 instructs, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And James 4:7 says, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The temptation does not put us in sin. Acting on the temptation does.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, become a new creation, we will be Accounted Worthy and we will not only go in the Rapture, we will be with God for all eternity. Amen and Amen.
The book of Revelation is a prophetic book (along with the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah – to name a few) which tells us things to come. More than any other, Revelation deals specifically with what we call the "End Times" or "End of Days." (If you have not read the book of Revelation in the Bible I encourage you to read it now and ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding.) Revelation deals with the Church, but it is primarily centered on Israel.
Revelation 2 & 3 describes the seven types of churches (all Christian churches) that a person may encounter even today. In Revelation 4:1 the Church is “taken away” or raptured.
Beginning in Revelation 4:2, John (the author of the books of Revelation, John, and John 1, 2, & 3 – one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles) describes the events that will happen during the Tribulation period. The tribulation is a future seven-year period of time (immediately following the Rapture) when God will finish His discipline of Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving world.
During those seven years there will be suffering, torment, and misery like never before. Jesus said in Matthew 24:21-22a, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved…” During the Tribulation there will be earthquakes, wars, famines, volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts, etc. Not one of us can imagine how bad things will get during that time. Nothing can prepare us for it. You will not be able to buy and sell anything without the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:17). That means you won’t be able to get any food items, heating oil, gasoline, pay for your shelter, clothing, transportation – nothing! Without this means of identification, you will not be able to survive. If you take the mark of the Beast, then you will be condemned to Hell for all eternity (Revelation 14:9-11). Think about the level of devastation and heartache the people of Japan went through due to the massive earthquake and tsunami, and then imagine that on a GLOBAL scale. That is the future during the Tribulation, Matthew 24:6-7, Mark 13:7-8, Revelation 4:2-20-15.
How will any of us survive the Tribulation if we can’t live our lives the way that God expects us to now? We have the support of our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ; we have the love of our friends and family; we have security in our lives (food, clothing, shelter, money, credit cards, electricity, heat, etc.); we can go to church; pray; we have jobs and good, nice things in our lives – All of that will be gone during the Tribulation. Please be assured you DO NOT want to be left behind when Jesus comes back for His people during the Rapture.
So, how do we ensure we will be taken with Jesus when He comes back? We must believe in Him and be “Accounted Worthy.” What does it mean to be "Accounted Worthy?” Why worry about being Accounted Worthy? I am talking about being held accountable for our actions and how we liveour life.
Too many people believe that as long as they profess to be a Christian they will go in the Rapture of the Church when Jesus comes back for His believers and that they will be in heaven for all eternity.
I am not talking about being a “good” person. It goes much deeper than that. I am talking about being accounted worthy in the sight of God. I too struggle and must strive each day to be worthy in the eyes of God.
In Luke 21:36 Jesus said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass (He was describing the events of the Tribulation), and to stand before the Son of man.”
We are to:
· Watch and pray, Mark 13:32-33, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” Here Jesus was referring to His coming for His people (the Church) during the Rapture.
· Pray to be accounted worthy, Luke 21:36, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
· Purify ourselves, 1 John 3:2-4, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
· Abide in Him, 1 John 2:28, “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” To abide in Him means to spend time with Him. Pray to Him and, praise Him. Read the Bible, study it. Commune with Jesus and keep Him ever-present in your life. Do not allow ANYTHING or ANYONE to separate you from your Savior and keep you from remaining (abiding) in His presence and Grace.
· Look for His coming, Hebrews 9:28, “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
So, we are to live our lives sanctified and holy in God’s sight:
· Broken in spirit, burdened for others, meek, humble, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, wise, patient, loving, joyful, and gracious (Matthew 5:3-12)
· Salt to preserve and light to shine (5:13-16)
· A teacher and keeper of the truth (5:17-19)
· Free from hypocrisy, selfishness, and grudges (5:20-24)
· A peacemaker (5:9, 25-26)
· Free from lusts (5:27-30)
· A family man or woman (5:31-32)
· Truthful (5:31-37)
· Nonresistant to mistreatment (5:38-41)
· Charitable, neighborly, and God-like in society (5:38-47)
Right now you’re probably saying, “Jim, no one is that good!!!” Guess what? I agree! We cannot live like that through ourselves. That is why we first must admit we are not living our lives the way we must. Then we have got to truly desire to change, and then ask God (through the Holy Spirit) to strengthen us and guide us in His righteousness.
Here are some passages to help us:
· The new birth (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 2:29; 3:5-10; 5:1-4, 18)
· Walking and living in the Spirit (Romans 8:1-13; Galatians 5:16-26)
· Proper use of Christian weapons (Armor of God - Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:4-7; Colossians 2:6-10; 3:3-10; 2 Timothy 2:21)
Jesus addresses the seven churches in Revelation 2 & 3. At the end of each address to that church He says “him” or “he” “that overcomes.” Overcome what? Jesus is referring to overcoming sin and temptation. God said in Revelation 21:6-8, “And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’”
Romans 13:11-14 says, "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."
Once we are saved we are to turn away from sin. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." We may still have thoughts or feelings that are not in line with God, and we WILL be tempted to sin. However, once we turn away from our sinful nature we are to resist the devil as 1 Peter 5:8 instructs, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And James 4:7 says, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The temptation does not put us in sin. Acting on the temptation does.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, become a new creation, we will be Accounted Worthy and we will not only go in the Rapture, we will be with God for all eternity. Amen and Amen.
