© 24 Colin Melbourne
To Escape The Approaching Tribulation?
Speaking of His Appearing and Second Coming of Christ, Almighty God Manifested in The Flesh warned us to avoid carnal distractions, by being; watchful, prayerful, and walking fit to be accounted worthy to escape the Tribulation, Luke 21:34-36 KJV;
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
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.
Are you able to say that you are accounted worthy to escape this fallen world, be taken up to The Marriage Supper of The Lamb, and to stand before Christ?
If you’re not sure, or so “holy & humble” that you demur, read on to discover how to fix that problem.
Dead Wood Pruned Out
Recently, the LORD led me to worship at several denominational fellowships seeking translation help with an evangelistic project.
I was welcomed, assistance was offered, but it was a shock to once again experience the deadness and frigid formality of fellowships who don’t know the Holy Ghost, and so are unable to worship in Spirit and Truth.
If you belong to a denomination, whatever label it carries, this article is for you, to lift you to walk with your Creator, and cope with these Final Months before Christ Appears.
It’s time to discard man-made religion & dead-works, and embrace the Word and Spirit of God as He’s taught us.
Make-believer Cliques
Denominations are mere religious clubs, where members agree on a few basic “beliefs”, in order to claim to be a “Christian”, and thereby own a semblance of respectability.
Adherents know this in their hearts, but dare not speak out in case more is demanded of them than they are willing to yield.
It’s plain hypocrisy.
That’s why Christ said to His followers, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Luke 12:1b KJV, and in this scripture…
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Avoiding hypocrisy is the believer’s responsibility.
If what you say you believe, doesn’t match up to your walk, then you’re an hypocrite.
Zombies & Foolish Virgins
You’ll morph into a denominational zombie, become a foolish virgin, miss the Bridegroom’s Appearing, and have to endure the Tribulation.
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Snares are hidden, they snap shut, too late to do anything about.
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.
Believers Are to Watch
Watch TV, watch sport, watch stocks and shares, watch youtube, watch the news, watch the clock?
No, a hundred times no: He means be spiritually alert, attentive to The Spirit, and written word of God.
We are also to watch ourselves, circumspect in our walk in the Holy Ghost, so that we’re wise using our brief time on Earth. Eph. 5:14-16 KJV;
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Pray Always
Praying is far more than muttering words into the air for a few minutes each day, or once a week in ritualized group prayer. If you’ve fallen that far from the mark, you’re already in a perilous state.
Believers are to pray all the time, and in all ways, meaning; praise and thanksgiving prayer, worship and adoration prayer, intercession, supplication, tongues, but not reciting rote prayers, a creed, or repeating a prayer list!
Real prayer is at the heart level, that’s where divine fellowship occurs.
Father Does NOT fellowship With Your Intellect
Prayers are useless without heart to heart rapport with The LORD.
Believers are called to be in constant prayer fellowship with Father; listening for His leading, thanking and praising Him for His redemption through Christ, and His Gift of eternal life.
We are to keep our hearts attuned to Father’s Heart, and our souls to Christ’s Mind.
That’s our responsibility, Not God’s.
The Only Way To Become Worthy
Salvation of saints is God’s business, His work: Not the believer’s.
You and I play no part whatsoever in being made worthy of Heavenly Glory.
Heart faith in the LORD Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven: There is no other. Jn. 14:6 KJV;
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
And our fallen flesh plays no part in salvation, Eph. 2:8-10 KJV;
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
If human effort plays the least part in our salvation then we’re still doomed in our sins, and grace is of no effect.
So what did Christ mean by saying, that ye may be accounted worthy?
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.
To escape the forthcoming Tribulation that follows the Rapture of believers.
Make-believers at The Rapture
Since the only way to become worthy of Heaven is to be born of God, by genuine faith in The LORD Jesus Christ, and nobody makes it because of personal merit, then this must be a word to those who claim to be Christian, but are not born again.
Shape-up, or Go Through the Tribulation
Think about what will happen at the Rapture to those poor souls in your denominational fellowship who are still clueless about the New Birth.
Will they be taken up to the Marriage Supper of The Lamb?
Certainly not, how can they be?
They remain in their sins, make-believers, hypocrites, unworthy of Heaven.
But After the Rapture when all the genuine Christians around them have vanished, in the blink of an eye, they’re surely going to reassess their spiritual state as the Tribulation takes hold, and The AntiChrist is revealed.
Sanctified By His Faith
Better by far to attend to Christ’s warning, by becoming truly born of God before the Rapture: Only the New Birth makes us worthy of Glory.
Then you’ll have no hesitation declaring that you ARE worthy of Heaven, because God Himself shed His Precious Blood to redeem and present each of us worthy before Him. Hebrews 10:14-22 KJV;
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
When the Holy Ghost reveals what that means to the believer in Christ, you’ll be able to declare boldly; the Faith of Christ has made me worthy of Heaven right now and always!
And all God’s Saints cry… AMEN!
© 24 Colin Melbourne
You may also wish to read;
What does The Faith of Christ Mean?