JERUSALEM—CUP OF TREMBLING

There’s a story out of Israel concerning the visit of the United States Secretary of State on one of his many overseas missions. It seems that on a recent Mideast trip, Colin Powell flew to Rome where he had a meeting with the Pope. After he was ushered into the Pope's Vatican office, Powell saw this big red telephone standing on a corner table. The phone intrigued him, so before they got into any serious discussions, he pointed his finger at this phone.

“Excuse me, your excellency,” he said, “but I’ve been in a lot of national capitals and I’ve never seen a phone like that. What do you use it for?”

The Pope smiled. “That’s our special tie-line to Heaven.”

“To Heaven? Are you kidding me? Do you mean to tell me you can actually speak to Heaven on that phone?”

“Absolutely,” replied the Pope.

“Can I try it?” Powell asked.

“Certainly. Just dial the single number one.”

Powell picked up the red receiver and dialed the number ONE. And before the first ring ended, the call was answered. “HELLOOOOO!” cried a great booming voice.

“Who is this?” Powell asked, his knees shaking.

“THIS IS PETER.”

“Oh, yes, of course. That Peter. Naturally you would answer the phone. I just want you to know, Sir, how esteemed you are in my country.” Powell babbled pleasantries a few more seconds, and then, totally awed, he said, “Thank you for talking to me, Peter. I really appreciate your taking time out of your busy day and I just want you to know how honored you are in my country, nearly everyone reads your book and enjoys it.”

“I'm glad of that, but more importantly they should honor the God that I serve,” Peter replied.

“Of course, of course. You can be sure I’ll take that message back to my people.” After he hung up and recovered his composure, Powell shook his head in amazement. He turned to the Pope and asked, “And how much do I owe you for that call, your excellancy?”

“That will cost you ten thousand dollars,” replied the Pontiff. “Payable in advance.”

“Ten thousand dollars! That's quite steep! But then again, considering where it was that I called, I suppose it's a bargain.”

Powell He pulled out his State Department checkbook, wrote a check for ten thousand dollars and placed it on the Pope’s desk.

His next stop was Israel, where he was ushered into the office of the prime minister in Jerusalem. But even before he sat down, he looked over toward the far corner and, sure enough, there on an end tables stood a big red phone.

“Excuse me, Mr. prime minister, but that big red phone there—can that be what I think it is?”

“Yes, of course,” the PM replied. “That’s our special tie line to Heaven.”

“May I use it?”

“Surely. Just dial the number one.”

So Powell dialed out and again a great voice from Heaven answered. “HELLO. WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?”

“Is this Peter?”

“NO, IT’S JOHN. DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO PETER?”

“No, no, that’s fine, John. I’m calling you here from Jerusalem, Sir. I want you to know that when I get home, I’m going to tell everybody about you and Peter and what a wonderful God you serve.”

“WELL, YOU BE SURE TO TELL THEM ALL ABOUT HIS SON, TOO. HIS NAME IS JESUS. DO YOU HEAR ME?”

“Absolutely!” Powell replied. “I'll be sure to deliver your message. And thank you for taking my call.”

After he hung up, Powell shook his head in amazement. “That is incredible,” he said. “In my wildest imagination, I could never believe you could actually call Heaven like this. By the way, Mr. Prime Minister, how much do I owe you for the call?” He pulled out his check book.

“Fifty cents,” the PM replied.

“Fifty cents! I can't believe it! Why in Rome, it cost me ten thousand dollars!”

“Yes, but please understand--from here it’s a local call.”

Behind that little story lies a great and serious truth. It’s a truth that affects every one here today, and everybody on this planet who is not here today. Because the truth is, my friends, Jerusalem is not just a faroff city set on a hill. It is the only city in the world that God has chosen as His very own. It is the only city where the ark of the covenant resided and the only city in the world where God’s visible Shakinah glory dwelled for all to see.

Jer-u-salem! in Hebrew, Ye-roo-sha-lay-im! The very name makes one's heart skip a beat. It's the city that Jeremiah called “the perfection of beauty, the rejoicing of the whole earth.” It's the city that is the center of Biblical Judaism and the capital of Israel. And it’s the city that Jesus wept over, saying “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left unto you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you shall not see me until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matt.23:37-39).

HISTORY

Let’s take a quick look at the city's history. The earliest name by which the Golden City known was Uru-salim, in use 1,600 years before Christ. The biblical King of Righteousness, Melchizedek, who blessed Abraham, ruled over Salem, a natural abbreviation for the city. When Joshua and the Hebrews conquered Canaan, joshua referred to it both as Jerusalem and as "Jebus." but even after joshua's victory, The city was not fully controlled by the Jewish nation until King David totally conquered it in 1004 B.C. david made it his capital and from that time on, the name "Jerusalem" was the Biblical term for the City of David. thereafter jerusalem became the focus of God’s dealings with Israel and through them, to us.

One nation after another tried to wrest control away from the Jews, but it wasn’t until 400 years after David that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, conquered the city and his empire and its successors ruled Jerusalem for 200 years. The Medea-Greek King named Cyrus authorized the rebuilding of Jerusalem in 445 B.C. at which time the Jews returned from their captivity. then in 167 B.C. the Syrian-Greek King Antiochus Epiphanes recaptured the city. The Maccabean clan led a revolt that overthrew antiochus, they rededicated the jerusalem Temple and ruled over the city for another 100 years until it was again conquered in 63 B.C. by the Roman Emperor Pompey. he was followed by the Roman Emperor Vespasian, whose son, General Titus, destroyed both the Temple and the city in 70 A.D.

Following a last-gasp revolt against Rome in 132 A.D., the Roman Emperor Hadrian reoccupied Jerusalem, expelled the Jews and changed the name of the city to Aelia Capitolina. From that time on, the name Jerusalem disappeared from world history—except in the homes and synogogues of faithful Jews scattered among the nations, who prayed daily for the day God would bring them back to their holy city. Even when the Muslims captured the holy city in 638 A.D., they continued to use the name Roman name “Aelia.” It was only when the catholic Crusaders captured the city in 1099 that the name “Jerusalem” appears once again in history.

to sum up this history, for nearly nineteen hundred years Jerusalem was controlled by Gentile nations. After Rome, it was rules by the Arabs, then by the Persians. After them came the Moslem Seljuks, whose mistreatment of Christians precipitated the Crusades. then The Turks held the city for 700 years, and following World War 1, the British had dominion.

even after Israel was reborn in 1948, Jerusalem was divided by the United Nations. The Old City—the City of David—was controlled, not by the Jews but by Jordanians. Still, in an act of faith, the government of Israel designated Jerusalem as its national capital even though they still didn’t control the most important part, the old city with all its Biblical sites. But at long last, more than 34 years ago, on June 6, 1967, Israelite warriors reconquered the Old City from jordan. Now all of Jerusalem was under Jewish control. But for reasons known only to God, the israeli government assigned administrative control of the site where Solomon’s Temple stood to Moslem Imams.

JERUSALEM TODAY.

On September 25 1995, the nation of Israel celebrated the 3,000th anniversary of Jerusalem as the central holy site and focus of all Judaism and the Jewish people. Israel organized all kinds of celebrations for pilgrims and visiting tourists in that year, when several million visitors came to rejoice with them. Then came 1996, another year of destiny!

There were vitally important elections in the United States, Europe, Russia and Israel, which continued to set the stage for the end of this age. From that time onward, the whole question of who owns Jerusalem was to become the most hotly debated subject in world capitols for the months and years that followed. as you know, even now it continues to enflame passions and debate. without question, this dispute over jerusalem will eventually bring war to the entire Middle East if not the world.

To this very day, most every nation on planet earth, including my own country the United States of america, all refuse adamantly to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and locate their embassies there. Led by the Roman Catholic church, which has never officially recognized the existence of israel, they have demanded that the City of David be internationalized. A few months ago, leaders of the maronite catholic and orthodox Christian community in Jerusalem called for its internationalization. The World Council of Churches demands its internationalization, as does the european union. And just how is Israel dealing with these demands?

sadly I must report to you that secret agreements were reached by the former labor government of israel and the Palestine authority to divide Jerusalem into Jewish and Palestinian sections. intelligence sources reveal that Israel’s former leaders have secretly offered to hand over control of the Old City, with all its holy sites, to the Vatican. So, in effect, Jerusalem had been slated to become, after Rome, the “second Vatican of the world.”

But for many Orthodox Jews, there would be an up side to this surrender of sovereignty over Jersualem. They have been promised that, along with the carving up of the city between Israel, the Palestinians and the Vatican, there will also be an agreement among the parties to build a third Temple on the only site possible according to the location demanded by the holy Scriptures.

Where is that special location? On the theshing floor King David bought from Ornan the Jebusite in 1 Chronicles 21:18, which reads--”Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to

say to David, that David should go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite."

That same altar was used by Solomon when he built his great Temple in the 10th century B.C., as recorded in 2 Chronicles 3:1--”Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared--where? On the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” That very structure was refurbished by King Herod 900 years later, during the second Temple period, and was completed just a few years before Jesus was born. This threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite is the only place God has ever authorized for Temple worship, worship centered around the sacred altar where animals are sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin.

In June 1967, the moment Israel conquered Old Jerusalem, a group of Orthodox Jews established an organization called the Temple Mount Institute. This Institute has for these many years since the recapture and annexation of East Jerusalem been dedicated to gathering and manufacturing all the sacred vessels, implements and instruments required for Temple worship. These items are spelled out in Exodus Chapters 25 through 30, and in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 4--designating the shape, form and materials God ordained for the various sacred vessels, curtains, pails and shovels, tables, bowls, basins and lampstands.

Temple Institute biologists have even rediscovered a specific marine snail, thought to have been extinct but now actually proliferating in the Mediterranean Sea. These snails furnish a vital ingredient needed to make the blue and purple dyes for the priestly garments. Even today, as I speak, these Mount Temple Faithful have already in hand almost everything they need to resume Temple worship again for the first time in over 1900 years. If you want to know all about the imminent plans to build this new Temple, you can visit the Institute's website at www.templemountfaithful.org.

The End Times significance of this Institute is that there must be the resumption of animal sacrifice in Israel before the antichrist can step in, order the sacrifices stopped and declare himself as God Almighty. We find this prophecy framed in Daniel 9:27--" Then he (the antichrist) shall confirm a covenant with many for one shavua (one seven-year period); But in the middle of the shavua (seven years) he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering." And in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 we read this--" Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day (the Day of the Lord) will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."

So the rebuilding of a Temple or Holy Place in Jerusalem is absolutely essential for the prophecies of the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to set up His millennial kingdom. Now here we face a huge problem. That threshing floor altar that David bought from Ornan the Jebusite, the only site God has ordained for Jewish ritual sacrifice, is reputedly enclosed inside the Dome of the Rock, the Moslem shrine that was built in the 8th century. And there is absolutely no prospect that the Imams who rule Islam will ever willingly turn that golden-domed building over to the Jews so they can knock it down and build a new Temple. except for a totally decisive war that would destroy the Dome of the Rock, the construction of a new jewish Temple on that site is extremely unlikely.

But there may be a solution to this impasse. Recent research by a retired Hebrew University professor named Asher Kaufman has come up with a possible way out from this quandary. Professor Kaufman has spent twenty years studying historical records, aerial photos and archeological remains. and he has concluded that the ancient Temple was not, as long believed, located at the Dome of the Rock. Instead, prof. kaufman situates it a full football field away—over 100 yards distance from the Moslem mosque. So, whenever negotiations arise over the status of Jersusalem, Kaufman has proposed that the Temple mount be divided in such a manner that it can accomodate both a new Jewish Temple while at the same time leaving the Dome of the Rock right where it is.

Kaufman's plan would divide the Temple mount into two religious sections, one Jewish and the other Moslem. The Jewish section is marked by a trapezoid shaped solid line, which will contain the new Temple and a surrounding Har Habbayit or Court of the Gentiles. The Moslem section, roughly equal in size, constitutes the rest of the Temple mount area.

The former site of the Holy of Holies—where the Ark of the Covenant would stand—is not where the Dome of the Rock or the Al-Aksa Mosque now stands, but would actually be placed at the site of a tiny little cupola, smaller than an outdoor kiosk, called the "Dome of the Spirits." The Arabs strictly avoid this little booth, because they believe it is guarded by angry spirits--And they may be right. If this is indeed the place that marks the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebuscite, I have no doubt that the Spirit of God is angry over the fact that unbelievers have taken over His holy site.

In any case, if Kaufman's scheme is approved, work on the new Temple could begin the moment an agreement over jerusalem is reached. Already an israeli organization called "Temple Mount faithful" are trying to lay claim to the site. Just recently, the Israeli Supreme Court ended a Moslem prohibition restricting any Jews from visiting the temple mount. some Israelis who tried to tour the Temple Mount dressed in sackcloth and chains were Immediately attacked by angry Arabs throwing rocks and shouting Allah Akhbar, “Allah is great!” to keep the peace, Israeli police officers intervened and closed the Temple Mount to all visitors.

a few months later, the current prime minister of israel, ariel sharon, paid a visit to the temple mount with a predictible outcome. the palestinian authority used his visit as a pretext to launch its intifada or uprising, which has now been going on for almost a year.

Meanwhile, as I'm sure you know, the United States and the European Union have been putting extreme pressure on Israel to negotiate a settlement with the Arabs and Palestinians as part of a greater Mideast oil policy—that’s why U.S. envoys, the Secretary of State and a host of negotiators from Europe and the Vatican are flying over to Israel so often, urging israel to give more and more concessions for so-called "peace." In return, sources report that America has promised to guarantee such a peace with its Mediterranean Sixth Fleet and land forces stationed in Saudi Arabia and Germany.

According to these same intelligence sources, Israel’s politicians have concluded that even with the presently tense situation, with bombings, snipers, mortars and murders a daily ritual, that over time Israel will become even more vulnerable to attack. the arab nations continue to build and acquire more destructive weapons, including missiles and nuclear warheads, along with chemical and biological weapons with the means of delivering them against Israel. So many israelis have decided that their only real option is to depend on a superpower guarantee—but to get that guarantee from America, they secretly had to agree to return to their pre-1967 borders, which today are indefensible.

The problem with this strategy is that any American guarantee or indeed a European guarantee is really no guarantee at all. No nation in all human history has been able to confidently rely on foreign guarantees for its own security. Israel knows this and so they have developed a back-up plan.

Since israel's pre-1967 borders cannot be defended by conventional forces, their only option is to increase their thermo-nuclear strength. That is the logical outcome of the so-called Madrid and Oslo peace process. The pressures toward war between Israel and the Arab world will not be eased and will only grow worse, since it is the very existence of Israel that constitutes an unacceptable reality for most of the Moslem world.

Israel will hold fast and maintain its hold over all of Jerusalem, even as the chances of Arab success in a war with Israel steadily improves. So the ultimate reality of a major Mideast war in the near future is virtually assured. and When that war breaks out, Israel will have to choose between its own extinction or employing its thermo-nuclear power in the so-called "Samson option." remember how in judges 16 Samsom chose to destroy the Philistines along with himself by bringing down their temple? I have no doubt that Israel will likewise choose to bring down today's house of the Phillistines rather than just roll over and just die quietly.

WHAT THE BIBLE TELLS US

For Bible-believing Christians, none of this should come as a surprise. First, we are told by the prophet Daniel that in the last years before the Lord comes to rule and reign, Israel will participate in a peace treaty that will be guaranteed by some world power. That peace treaty will by necessity include the right for the Jews to build a Temple and restore the sacrifices. But that guarantee won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on, for as we saw before, Daniel writes in 9:27--“And he (the antichrist) will guarantee this agreement for one seven (year) period, but in the middle of those seven (years), he will put a stop to the sacrifices and oblations, and on the wing (of the Temple), he shall place the abomination that makes desolate.”

Jesus Himself, in Matthew 24, outlines all the world troubles that will be taking place in the Last Days. He, too, refers to Daniel’s prophesy when He says, “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains..” After speaking about the various kinds of people who need to run away in a hurry, He concludes—”for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now.”

At the end of those seven years, the prophet Zechariah tells us what will happen. In chapter 12 of his book, he writes this through the word of the Lord: “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all the people round about.. And it will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.”

Again, later in chapter 14, God says through the same prophet--”For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half the city will be driven out—but the rest of the city will not be cut off from the city.”

At this time in her modern history, things have never looked darker for Israel and the Jewish people. But then, glory be to God, He Himself will come to Israel's rescue, just as it is written in verses 3 and following--“Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west by a very large valley, so that half the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south..

"Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with him. And it will come about in that day that there will be no light; the luminaries will darken. For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night.. And it will come about in that day that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name will be the only one.”

This is what God’s Word tells us will happen to Israel and all the nations in the Last Days. But where is the Church of Jesus Christ in all this? Again, the Bible gives us the answer. The Bible teaches that there are today just three groups of people living on the earth--Jews, Gentiles, and the Church of Jesus Christ composed of both born-again Gentiles and Jews. Let's be clear on one point of prophecy--all the prophetic signs concerning the Tribulation found in Matthew Chapter 24, Mark Chapter 13 and Luke Chapter 21 all refer to the nation Israel, not to the Church. So, again I ask, where is the Church? The short answer is, we’re not here. The Bible clearly teaches that the Church of God by the time of the great destruction has been rescued out of this world in what we call the Rapture.

Notice how in Matthew 24, the Lord compares His second coming with the earth as it was in the days of Noah. He says--“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding in the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

Note the wording—the ark is the place of safety. Those who aren’t on the ark were “taken away,” that is they were drowned and killed. So for the men and women going about their daily lives in these Last Days, one will be taken—that means judged and killed—and the other one will be spared. But let's not lose sight of the fact that Noah and his family were totally untouched by the flood. They were safe, high and dry in the ark of salvation.

And that is exactly how the Lord tells us it will be with the Church in the Rapture. Though there are many signs given for the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, the Rapture of the Church is a signless event. We get absolutely no warning at all. All we do know is that we will not be here to go through the terrible times looming on the horizon. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul reveals the mystery--”For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Just to underline the point, in the next chapter, Chapter Twenty of Revelation, after all the earth has been punished for their evil ways and rebellion against God, the Apostle John reports how he saw heaven opened—”and behold a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in white linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army.”

There is some confusion in the Church about the Second Coming of Christ. It has two aspects to His parousia, His appearance—the first part is when He comes for His Church in the Rapture, an event that only believers who are part of His Church will take part in. For non-believers, what we call the Rapture, they will call the "Disappearance." This event is essential so that His promise to us may be fulfilled. That promise is found in the Gospel of John, Chapter 14:2, where Jesus tells His disciples and tells us through them these words--" In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." So the Church will be in Heaven with Jesus while God's judgments are being poured out on the world below.

The second phase of the Lord's reappearance is the Revelation, when Jesus comes visibly together with His church, the armies from Heaven, first to save Israel, destroy the enemy armies, and pour out His Spirit on the Jewish nation so that they will look on Him who they have pierced, mourn over their rejection of Him, and at last receive Him as their own Lord, Savior and King of the Jews. Once that has been accomplished, Jesus will establish His Kingdom, where He and His faithful Church will rule and reign for a thousand years, when the Lion will lie down with the Lamb and nations will practise war no more. That, my friends, is called The Millennium.

Why am I so sure that the true Church will not have to be tested and suffer during the Great Tribulation soon upon us? The Book of Revelation tells us so. That book is the only book of the Bible whose author is not just a prophet writing by the Holy Spirit, but this author is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Check out its title in your Bible--you'll see it reads "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."

Now in that last and most astounding prophetic book in the entire Bible, after being mentioned a total of nineteen times in the first three chapters. Thereafter, from Chapter four through Chapter eighteen, the believing Church is never mentioned even once during all the time of the Tribulation, when God's holy wrath is being poured out on the earth. Where is the Church during that time? We are gone, my friends, taken to safety by Jesus Himself even as is the restrainer, the Holy Spirit Who lives inside every Christian. We, everyone who trusts and believes in Jesus Christ, are the Temple of the Living God in this Age of Grace. In order that all the wickedness of the earth can have its free reign, both the Holy Spirit and the indwelt believers must first be removed. And that is exactly what will happen at the Rapture.

So when will the Rapture take place? I can say with absolute certainty that it can happen at any time now. Even as we watch human events develop on the world scene, particularly as we watch what is happening to Israel, the Jewish people and the holy city Jerusalem, we don't have to be a computer scientist to see that the stage is already being set up for those last seven years called The Tribulation. And, my friends, those who believe and are true Christians will not be here to see those terrible times.

Since that's the case, how then should we be? The Lord Himself has told us what to do. He said we should wait for Him with eager expectation, because our “redemption draweth nigh.” Before we know it, in the twinkling of an eye, when we least expect it, we’ll hear the trumpet sound, hear the shout of the Lord's voice, and so we'll be gone to be with The Lord.

We need to be watchful. We need to watch the events as they take shape so history doesn’t catch us like a thief in the night. Just as in the days of Noah, we need to live righteously and be like children waiting for the bus that will take us to the picnic. Meanwhile, whatever God calls us to do for Him while we are yet here, let us be diligent to we do that now and not put it off until tomorrow. Just as people in Noah’s time laughed at Noah, thinking he was some kind of madman building a big boat in the middle of the city where there was no water, if only they had believed his message, they could have joined Noah and his family, built their own arks and escaped the flood with their lives.

Beloved, the Church of Jesus the Messiah is today’s Spiritual Ark. The door is still open and anybody who chooses can decide to come aboard and escape the deluge that’s coming. You can’t buy a ticket for this voyage, because Jesus Christ has already bought this ticket for you. He paid the price in full on the cross, and this ticket has your name on it. All you have to do is accept it, receive Him as your own Lord and Savior, believe He died to free you from the debt of sinfulness and that God raised Him from the dead to prove He is truly the Son of God.

If there is anyone here today who has not yet placed his or her trust in Christ, as the Bible says, "May this be the day of your salvation." For anyone who is not already in the ark of Jesus, please don’t leave here today without getting aboard. All you need to do is accept His invitation. In the quietness of your own spirit, tell Jesus you desire with all your heart to have Him become your Messiah, your Lord and Savior. Just tell him in your spirit that you have decided to trust Him with your life, your soul, your all. And once you have done that, you can rest in His peace, knowing that when the rains come, when the winds blow and the storm rages, you will be high and dry with all the saints of Christ in Heaven with Him!

Shall we pray?

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