Out of Business
The message: Jesus Christ and Him crucified, dead, buried, raised and seated at the right hand of The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
The message is that all have sinned and fallen short.
The message is that the wages of sin is death.
The message is that there is no other name in heaven or earth by which men must be saved.
The message is still found beautifully written in Jesus' address to Nicodemus late one night, in chapter 3 of John's gospel in verse 16.
I read the prophecy blogs, listen to the videos, and read the books and the hateful off base comments.
Here at Unsealed, we have nothing for sale. Not a book, video, guest speaker, nada...
We're planning on going out of business (if the rapture happens) and by all indications, we're closing up shop soon.
We're working hard to hold loosely to this world and freely share the Word that has been entrusted to us.
Very reflective and focused these days. I am confident in my faith, joyful in the hope that we hold, yet sad for the world and burdened for the many close to me who are far from Him.
Still amazed as I reflect on the last seven years, how very few have come with a heart full of joy, ready to share the hope that lies within and how rare to encounter those with a deep burden for a lost and dying world. Nearly unheard of is a prayer request to join in, petitioning for a friend or family member who is unaware, unready and condemned.
At a loss with my own heart that struggles with the excitement of the coming wrath and the joy in my own self-preservation and escape plan.
Still think often that God will collectively fully celebrate the wedding of the Son and the bride, fully grieve those who have rejected the free gift, fully long for repentance, while at the same be fully engaged in the wrath of The Day of the LORD and The Time of Jacob's Trouble.
There were so few blogs, prophetic pulpits and YouTube channels seven years ago. Now they are everywhere.
Most have a shared understanding that the hour is late and there is urgency, yet many have stopped pursuing the lost and have elevated the defense of their own position. Argument and debate rage.
The world doesn't want any part of that.
In this we the watching kingdom of priests have surely lost our way.
Our mission continues to be to make Him more known, more famous and more glorified.
Humbled that so many of the least of these in this present age, will be so well rewarded in the age to come. They were more disciplined, more on mission, more grateful, more surrendered, more content, more selfless. They went around in sheep skins and goat skins and holes in the ground.
As much as we talk about signs around here and of late the Revelation 12 sign has all of our jaws aghast, still the point is God is speaking. He is communicating His soon return. All hands on deck. All hands, man your life boats. Search your hearts. Search His Word. Allow Him to come and search and cleanse your heart. Be ready. Share this most excellent news with everyone you know,
In heaven, no one will ask about my Revelation 12 interpretation or who the AC/FP/Beast actors might be. Greg - was the revived Roman empire eastern or western? Islamic? Who or what was the pale horse? When did Daniel's 70th week begin?
What will matter and what matters now, is how do I know Him, what transformation did that knowledge do in my life and who did I bring with me.
--
Scoffers abound. Most don't believe there is a God in the first place. If they concede this first point, they certainly don't believe in any specific prophecy about the time of His return and if they concede both points, they devolve into arguing about details, while spending mass quantities of time studying, while denying the commission:
Only God can testify to what if any good we did here. We had prayed many would see the impossibility of anything other than global calamity, repent and be saved from the coming wrath.
Confident we helped some tired saints remember this world is passing away.
Still praying one more would come. The door is not yet shut, but at the wedding feast the meal is being prepared and the bread is in the oven.
Maranatha.
The message is that all have sinned and fallen short.
The message is that the wages of sin is death.
The message is that there is no other name in heaven or earth by which men must be saved.
The message is still found beautifully written in Jesus' address to Nicodemus late one night, in chapter 3 of John's gospel in verse 16.
I read the prophecy blogs, listen to the videos, and read the books and the hateful off base comments.
John 5:37-40 (NLT)
And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you.
You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me. Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.
Luke 18:8 (NLT)
I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?
Here at Unsealed, we have nothing for sale. Not a book, video, guest speaker, nada...
We're planning on going out of business (if the rapture happens) and by all indications, we're closing up shop soon.
We're working hard to hold loosely to this world and freely share the Word that has been entrusted to us.
Very reflective and focused these days. I am confident in my faith, joyful in the hope that we hold, yet sad for the world and burdened for the many close to me who are far from Him.
Still amazed as I reflect on the last seven years, how very few have come with a heart full of joy, ready to share the hope that lies within and how rare to encounter those with a deep burden for a lost and dying world. Nearly unheard of is a prayer request to join in, petitioning for a friend or family member who is unaware, unready and condemned.
At a loss with my own heart that struggles with the excitement of the coming wrath and the joy in my own self-preservation and escape plan.
Still think often that God will collectively fully celebrate the wedding of the Son and the bride, fully grieve those who have rejected the free gift, fully long for repentance, while at the same be fully engaged in the wrath of The Day of the LORD and The Time of Jacob's Trouble.
There were so few blogs, prophetic pulpits and YouTube channels seven years ago. Now they are everywhere.
Most have a shared understanding that the hour is late and there is urgency, yet many have stopped pursuing the lost and have elevated the defense of their own position. Argument and debate rage.
The world doesn't want any part of that.
In this we the watching kingdom of priests have surely lost our way.
Our mission continues to be to make Him more known, more famous and more glorified.
Jeremiah 9:24 (NLT)
But those who wish to boast
should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
who demonstrates unfailing love
and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Humbled that so many of the least of these in this present age, will be so well rewarded in the age to come. They were more disciplined, more on mission, more grateful, more surrendered, more content, more selfless. They went around in sheep skins and goat skins and holes in the ground.
As much as we talk about signs around here and of late the Revelation 12 sign has all of our jaws aghast, still the point is God is speaking. He is communicating His soon return. All hands on deck. All hands, man your life boats. Search your hearts. Search His Word. Allow Him to come and search and cleanse your heart. Be ready. Share this most excellent news with everyone you know,
In heaven, no one will ask about my Revelation 12 interpretation or who the AC/FP/Beast actors might be. Greg - was the revived Roman empire eastern or western? Islamic? Who or what was the pale horse? When did Daniel's 70th week begin?
What will matter and what matters now, is how do I know Him, what transformation did that knowledge do in my life and who did I bring with me.
--
Scoffers abound. Most don't believe there is a God in the first place. If they concede this first point, they certainly don't believe in any specific prophecy about the time of His return and if they concede both points, they devolve into arguing about details, while spending mass quantities of time studying, while denying the commission:
Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NLT)
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Only God can testify to what if any good we did here. We had prayed many would see the impossibility of anything other than global calamity, repent and be saved from the coming wrath.
Confident we helped some tired saints remember this world is passing away.
Still praying one more would come. The door is not yet shut, but at the wedding feast the meal is being prepared and the bread is in the oven.
Maranatha.
Amen and Amen! God help us all to do the things you put us here to do by the power of the Holy Spirit, knowing that our time here is short. In Jesus' name, Amen.
ReplyDeleteMaranatha! Come Lord Jesus
ReplyDeleteGreat post. The purpose of being watchmen is that we would wake people up to the lateness of the hour and plead with them to BOARD THE ARK.
ReplyDelete"Dear Lord, help me get just one more" - Desmond Doss
Amen.
DeleteI think this "out of business" aspect may be precisely why some are distancing this particular sign.
ReplyDeleteAbout ten years ago I taught a Sunday School class. At that time I thought the Tribulation and Second Coming might happen within 70 to 80 years of the time Israel became a nation again. If that was true, then - going on a 70-year timeline - the Tribulation might start as soon as 2011, which meant the Rapture had to happen before that.
So I proposed this as a theory in the class and said that it would be a good idea to be ready, just in case. It might happen or it might not, but you didn't want to be caught unprepared when the Lord returned.
What surprised me was that the class responded with pure panic. People were terrified. Why, if Christ was coming back in just a few years it would interrupt their lives! People had plans and all those plans would come to nothing. The thought that they really might just have a few years left filled them with horror. Not one person was excited or happy. No one was motivated to work harder or make better use of their time, which was my whole point.
Since that time I've found extremely few people who actually want Christ to come back. Sure, they're all excited about prophecy as long as it stays in "maybe one day" territory, but once they think it might impact them personally the attitude changes instantly.
Is everyone like this? Absolutely not. There are some who long for the Lord's return. But I don't think this was an isolated incident. I have to ask: does the modern American Church actually want Jesus to return this year? I wonder.
Great, perceptive insights learned from experience! I think you are on right on target, "Sure, they're all excited about prophecy as long as it stays in the 'maybe one day' territory, but once they think it might impact them personally the attitude changes instantly."
DeleteWell said. And I want to be with my Savior...He can interrupt my plans...any time!
It is the biggest test of all - isn't it? That's why Jesus said to "remember Lot's wife...". She didn't think Sodom was that bad, and didn't want to leave her "stuff". But Jesus also said to his disciples when asked about how this would all happen, "wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together." So, we take comfort in the fact that just as assuredly as when we see a dead carcass, you will see the gathering of these birds, and it ALWAYS is the case in the natural, so too, those who really love Jesus and are close enough to Him to see the signs, will naturally be in the right place at the right time. No mistake about it. They will be ready. Maranatha to all those who want to escape, because they KNOW THAT THEY KNOW - this is the only way out and they want to go. Who wants to live in a world after the light goes out.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjFUMOwAUw
DeleteDear brethren in Christ, this is so much true and ever so interesting for me as a German, because in my country even ministries and bible teachers with a long time focus on prophecy are reacting just the same, somehow horrified about the very short time of Gods promises to be fulfilled now and simultaneously beginning to mock the Rev12-sign like all the other worldlings in 2 Peter 3,3-4. Thus, the situation in Europe is no other. They love to quote the promise of the LORD in Rev22,20 a) but then miss verse b) saying "Amen! Come, LORD Jesus!" completely. In fact, they don't want to say "Amen" to that.
Delete"Going out of business" is true concerning the great commission but the situation isn't without hope. We have to discern ENDTIMES ORDERS from other scriptures, too. The watchman are now waiting at Jordan, sanctifying themselves and edifying each other before entering the promised land. Read Joshua 3,5 and Jude 20-23 to get an impression of the last minute orders. Ecclesiastes 3,1-8!! This is what the saints should observe now. Stay firm, look up and stay blessed altogether! See you soon above, looking very forward to.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI am writing this through the tears as I read this post. I agree with you 100% as I see the truth of your post also in my life. I recall the words of Isaiah that states, in part: "Who has believed our report....". God bless you for yours. Maranatha!
ReplyDeleteThis article reads (and not saying that was the intent) like they (people) “Need to get ready” and in order to do that they need to start questioning whether they HAVE DONE ENOUGH.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, many church brands (especially in the States) tend to push the idea that a “True Christian” is one who does X,Y, and Z as well as refrain from Q, R and S. In other words pushing a “performance agenda” – That a person has to do something – or refrain from doing something to make “the cut”.
This “performance agenda” is blatantly FALSE! In fact Jesus specifically spoke about it many times (one place in Matt7)
“22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
The Key to understanding what Jesus meant when he made this statement – is to Go back to verse 21 where we read “ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
And Just what is the Father’s will -- John 6:40 “For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day."
In other words – the WILL of the Father is for one to TRUST / BELIEVE in the completed and Finished work of the Son (or Jesus Christ)….
We are told over and over again (throughout the NT) – that our human efforts (our works) are worthless. People who go around “bragging” or “pointing” out examples of what “THEY DID FOR THE LORD” --- are the very ones this verse is talking about --- Are they truly trusting in the finished work of Christ – or are they somehow trusting in those “good deeds” they sometime perform?
I believe the clearest example Jesus gave about what that “TRUST” or “BELIEF” is all about is in John 3; where He refereed BACK to the Story of the Bronze Serpent. The people who were bit by the serpents simply “LOOKED TO” the Bronze Serpent on the pole – and THEY WERE SAVED! They did not have to look and say three prayers. They did not have to look and then dance a jig praising the healing. THEY LOOKED and they were saved!
So will close with my wording of the wonderful free Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Humans CANNOT meet God’s righteous standard. Jesus did meet that Holy Standard and because of His death, burial, and resurrection on the third day – He grants us that FREE GIFT simply because we TRUST / Believe – that He did what we could not do.
Keep pointing to HIS FREE GIFT to ALL
That is we need to "keep doing" -- "or getting ready"
There was an excellent post on this site not long ago that dealt with the gospel:
Deletehttp://www.unsealed.org/2017/05/the-five-part-gospel.html
I have never seen this site promote a works-based gospel. There has not been a hint of that here.
Those who are not saved need to repent and believe; that is a must. However, those who are saved are not free to be careless. I John 2:28 says that some Christians - some believers - will be greatly ashamed when the Lord returns. Why do you think that is? I suspect it is because they will be caught living lives that they are not proud of.
Now is the time to pursue holiness - not because our works save us, but because it is what God commanded we spend our time doing. "If you love me, keep My commandments." Hebrews 10:25 is clear about this - as we see the day approaching, we should exhort one another "so much the more". I think that is what this post - and the other posts I've seen on this site - are all about.
Appreciate the encouraging words. Appreciate the comment about works. My heart is filled with conflicting thoughts and emotions. #trepidation #fearandtrembling #hope #joy #sorrow and #indignation-at-those-who-look-for-escape-and-debate-without-a-burden-for-the-lost. Much of my indignation is at my own lack of focus and surrender, after having been given so great a gift.
DeleteI agree with the last anonymous but anonymous at 2:48 diatribe was unnecessary. I believe Greg's comments were a forlorn look at the blindness in the world and the criticism in the church and was truly meant in the sense of snatching some out of the fire as it says in Jude 23. Cathi
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the Army, I learnt to obey the last order given. The orders before given weren’t invalid, but inoperative. Regarding this pattern, please compare the complete armour of Ephesians 6,10 - 18 with the parts of armour mentioned in Thessalonians 5,8. You will notice that for the very end of times, the ‘last days’ (And no one sincerely rebukes that we are currently living in this period!) the focus is not so much on Matth 28,19 but rather on verse 20 as there is some chronological order given too. Unfortunately, the mainstream opinion in official churches is to hold on with this like hundreds of years before. If you look at the last orders you will certainly gain more conclusions to what I’ve said above. So enjoy studying the bible and what is really important for yourself in these last days. Maranatha from Germany.
ReplyDelete