Joseph Prince - How to Live Rapture-Ready (02/15/2026)
The preacher urges believers to live with joyful anticipation of Christ's imminent rapture, a comforting promise first taught by Jesus in the upper room—He'll come suddenly to take us to the prepared place, changing our bodies in a twinkling to glorious ones free from pain or age. As he is now in glory, so are we in this world, giving boldness even on judgment day, because Jesus bore all our sins and judgments fully at the cross, leaving us righteous and favored.
The Imminent Rapture: A Comforting Promise
Every time I stand before all of you, I was sharing with the pastors last week. My feeling is this, there's so much that God has for you that I feel like the days, the Sundays are all numbered because He's coming back soon. We do not know how. We do not know when all going to happen, but we know it's going to happen. And it's not an event to be dreaded. In fact, he first thought the rapture was first taught in the upper room. When Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. 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 unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Notice there's no "I'll be there for a while and then there'll be things happening on earth. The antichrist will appear. You don't go there straight away, but I'll come for you." Don't worry, I'll come for you. No, no, it is no such things, no such events. In fact, the rapture is imminent. We don't know. Anytime can happen. It can happen today. It can happen this week. Anytime there are no signs to the rapture because it says if I go, I'll come again and receive you unto Myself.
Two Aspects of Christ's Coming
Now this is the coming of the Lord, not the appearance of the Lord. When you read the Bible in the Greek, there are two words for the coming of the Lord. One is the coming of the Lord parousia. And there's one which is the apokalypsis. From where you get the book of Revelation is Apokalypsis. Alright, the opening, the unveiling, the appearing. The appearing, He will appear. In fact, when rapture happens, the world won't even see Him. It will happen so fast. You can read about it in 1 Corinthians 15.
The Glorious Change in the Twinkling of an Eye
In 1 Corinthians 15, if you're wondering about your loved ones who have passed on in the Lord, this is what's going to happen. The Bible says, and by the way, wherever they are, they may have been buried in sea, like some people are buried in sea. And where is the body now? Right? But you see there's one thing about even all our advancement in science and all that. We know that everything a human being with all the cells in our body that keep on multiplying, it all starts with one microscopic cell that you cannot see. It all starts with that. A baby is formed from one microscopic cell. All cells in the world is not lost by God. Even for those who are not buried, for those lost at sea, their parts may be everywhere. God has the power to gather them all. He knows every microscopic cell. Even for those instead of being buried, they are burned or they die in a tragic way. God knows how to bring it all together because He doesn't bring back the old flesh. He doesn't need the old ashes. He just brings the cells and the cells is all over the place. Some are in the grave, but some are not over the place. He's able to bring it all together with one shout. Amen. And that's why the Bible says this is so glorious. Hallelujah.
A Body Like His Glorious Body
And when it happens in the book of 1 Corinthians 15, it says that in the twinkling of an eye—you see the eye through someone's eye and there's a twinkle, right? That's how fast the rapture will happen. And then our bodies are changed. The rapture is good news. We're going to have a body that will be like, I believe it's going to be masculine without the work. Amen. It'd be a good looking body. Everybody is going to be good looking. Amen. And everyone will become a Mr Universe. For every man, every lady become a miss universe. Okay? I'm talking about you will look glorious. Amen. And some people say, but would that be fun? No, it'd be more fun. Because whatever fun you have on earth, everything that gives you taste, for example, enjoyment is given by God. God cannot give you something lesser in your glorified body. So when we receive our glorified body, there'll be pleasures that we do not yet know.
God's Perfect Design for Enjoyment
Imagine when you were a spirit before God created Adam and God says, you're a spirit, but I can fly. I can go here and get down there, but one day I'm confined. But God says there'll be pleasures. There'll be things that you experience in earthly life. And what God meant is the unfallen world that you never dream of. And then now that people are in their flesh, they don't want to be a spirit being live outside their body. So we cannot imagine, always remember that God has your best interest at heart. When God design you, He knows you are like Singapore side. He give extra DNA for your spicy stuff in your tongue. Amen. And maybe in Japan, umami he still it down there. So durians don't grow in countries they hate durians. You only grow in countries that love durians. Do you notice that? Amen. Down here, we don't manufacture blue cheese. Why? A lot of you hate blue cheese, right? But in countries, so God knows, God knows what we like, even the different types of people that He has made, He knows exactly if we only follow Him, we really enjoy life. And I mean that in a holy way. I mean that in the God kind of way. You don't know what enjoyment is. You think the world is enjoying themselves. I want to be rich and famous. You think the people who are rich and famous are enjoying themselves? No. Jesus said I come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.
The Rapture as Receiving Our Full Inheritance
So when the rapture happens, the very first thing, the rapture is nothing more than us receiving our inheritance. Because what we have now is the first fruits of our inheritance. The Bible says to wit the redemption of our body. In other words, what's left is the redemption of our body. You understand? You see when Paul used the language, the first fruits of the Spirit, what he said, what he meant was this. He says that another place, he used the word, the earnest of our inheritance. In those days, when they purchase something, they don't have the full payment. What they do is that they put an earnest down payment. They put a down payment, which means I'll be backed with the full payment for the purchase. You understand? So when Jesus went up ascended to heaven, He gave us the Holy Spirit. And yet the Bible says the Holy Spirit is the earnest. He's the down payment. He's the earnest of our redemption. But are we redeemed from our sins? Yes. So what redemption is that Romans tells us? The only thing is that to wit the redemption of our body. So don't you agree that our body is the part that is fallen cause us a lot of problems. Hello? Amen.
Protecting Our Children from Mental Oppression
Do you know that your mind, you say, I got mental issues, I got mental depression, I got mental health issues. Now that part you can receive full redemption. So any fault, honestly, alright, lies with us. When I say us, us who are parents, educators, leaders and all that, we don't want to raise a bunch of people with mental health issues. That's pretty parents right? Now, I don't want parents to feel the guilt or the burden and all that. But lemme tell you this, the world we are exposed now is gearing our children towards mental health issues. How is it that we have everything at our convenience at the tip of our fingers? We have smartphones, we have everything. That kid will be satisfied. Now we have big movies in small screens and they can bring their cinema anywhere they want to go. They're still not happy. They're increasingly becoming less and less happy and they're depressed. Whereas you go to a village somewhere, they don't have many conveniences that we have no modern facilities even. But the kids playing down there with a wooden football, wooden ball for football. And they're happy. They play in the ring, they scream, they're happy, they pluck a branch, they take a flower, they create something and they're happy. They create their own toys and they're happy. We give them many toys, still not happy.
Wise Parenting in a Digital Age
It is the responsibility of us parents. It is the responsibility to set them right. And that's why I think personally that when they're about to embark on teenage years, you should not be giving them a smartphone. My son has a dumb phone. So his friends laugh at him, of course all but at home we affirm him. He has a phone, he can call us. That's it. And I can't imagine the parents that are suffering today because they're saying that I wish I did not give my son a smartphone. That young imagine being able to see all kinds of things that's not rated and they carry it with them everywhere they go, they're not ready for it. This is my own personal opinion. You do what you want. This is not under law. Let the Spirit of God lead you as for me at my house, dumb phone for a while, and the parents that my wife spends some time with, some of the parents, and a lady says, let let's, and they all agree. Let's all stand together. Amen. Encouraging one another. Yeah, it's a new world. Some of the evangelical pastors that preach in times past, they don't have this challenge, but we do. We have to talk about it. Can I have a good amen?
As He Is, So Are We in This World
I want you to know that the devil, he comes on someone, he comes on the mind, he comes. And the people of the world, they don't want to acknowledge the devil. They think they're so smart. The Bible says, the fool says in his heart there is no God. So when they say in their hearts there is no God, guess what? There is no devil. So all these things can be handled scientifically, medically without knowledge. So men boast either in their heads or in their hands, the work of their hands or the wisdom of their knowledge, which both are very limited and puny. Amen. Amen.
The Beauty of Christ in the Offerings
The biggest problem with the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt wasn't so much that it was a golden calf. Yes, it was a golden calf. But you carefully in Acts when Stephen recounted the whole event, he says they worship the work of their hands. Idolatry still going on. When we worship the work of our hands, we think that we can. Now they are thinking of creating a man. I'm telling you the truth. They're thinking of AI using AI to create, They call it artificial intelligence, right? Try to go for the real one. There is a genuine one, there's an eternal one. There's an intelligence that cannot die. Amen. Amen.
Jesus' Compassion for the Tormented
I telling my son the other day that you look at the earth, you look at the location of where the earth is in space, a secular science will tell you this a few miles away. It will burn. A few miles nearer to the sun. Sorry, nearer to the sun. It will burn. And the other way, just a few miles away, it will freeze. The entire earth is where it's supposed to be for life. And you tell me no intelligence, imagine order out of chaos. That's what they're saying. And then we tell them, they say, no one invite you to a good, good buffet right in my place. Let's say after you finish eating, you say, wow, my compliments to the chef. I say, there's no chef. All this just happened to be whatever wind blows this food in is on the plate. Men professing. The Bible says men professing themselves to be wise became fools. They don't acknowledge God so you come to this.
Occupied with Christ's Beauty
Now what do we do in the times that we are in? And the times will get worse and worse, but the church will get more and more glorious and have a good amen. Amen. So what we're going to do, our children to the challenges that they have, the exposure that they are frequently being exposed to. What can we do? Well, God has not left us without answers. Right? And I believe that the gospel is still the answer somehow when we see things in the church, for example, a pastor like myself, I know my heart goes out to pastors. When a pastor sees the church or having challenges and problems in the area of sin, you kind of think, yeah, we got to push more on the fear of the Lord. We got to push more against sin. The problem is that I see in the Bible, even when bad things happen, God wants His people to be occupied with Christ, occupied with the positive, occupied with His glories, His beauties, His excellency.
The Lesson from Nadab and Abihu
Something bad really happened in the ministry. He was in Levitical stand when Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron and they are in line to be the high priest after the father Aaron. And what happened is Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire at the burnt offering, remember this, the burnt offering is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. There are four corners. So is the cross. There are four corners to the cross. Amen. There are four horns pointing through the four corners of the earth, which means the gospel, the work of Jesus Christ is for all people everywhere. It's not just for the Jews. If only the Jewish people back then have eyes to see why they are four corners. Amen. That's what Jesus is. Go into all the world and preach the gospel. For God so loved the world, not just the Jewish nation. They have a part to play, especially in prophetic teaching. But the gospel is for the whole world. God loves the whole world and He gave His only begotten Son. Can I have a good amen? Amen. Amen.
Christ's Perfect Balance and Beauty
Everything about the burnt offering, it's all about the cross. Amen. It's all about the cross. Back then they can put five items there. They can put either an ox as a victim or they can put a lamb or a goat or they can put flour, which is the life of Jesus and then before He died because there's no blood there. That's why the flour has got to be fine flour. You touch fine flour, it just goes into your hands. It's so soft. Ladies like your powder. It's finer than that. And it talks about the person of our Lord, Jesus and Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, His earthly life. Everything about Him. There's such a balance. There's such a beauty. That's equanimity, that's symmetry. They say that you look at someone and don't look at me. Now, when you look straight people is look at you. If you look carefully, most of us, one eye small, one eye big one, no flaring one, no squeeze in or that kind of thing. But they say when you are symmetrical they say you are handsome or you are beautiful. Right? That's how the world defines it. Look, Jesus in everything, His characteristic, everything, there's symmetry. When He's firm He's not harsh, when someone is firm, they're harsh. When Jesus kind, He's not indulgent. Or some parents becoming permissive and they call that kind. You got to be kind to your children. No, no, no. You are indulgent. You're being permissive. And one day they'll turn around and they'll tell you, why do you raise me like this? If not in their hearts they were, I wish that you gave me boundaries. I wish that you were more firm with me. I needed someone older to help me. I did not know what to do. Amen. So being permissive is not being kind. Seeing situations and all that and not addressing it is not being kind. Are you listening? Jesus, when you look in the gospels, it's just so perfect. It's so beautiful. Amen. Every action, everything. Even His action. The moment Peter denied knowing Him, Peter was in the palace of the Caiaphas, the priest where Jesus was being questioned. And Jesus told Him earlier in the upper room that you're deny knowing Me three times when he boasted about his capacity, his ability to follow the Lord, even to prison, to death. And Jesus says, before the rooster crow today you deny knowing Me three times, right at the very moment, at third denial, the Bible says, Jesus turned and looked at Peter even every look is beautiful. And that's what broke Peter's heart. Because that look is saying, now depending on yourself, this is what it all goes down to. But Peter, I still love you, Peter. I forgive you. I'm looking at you. And you know when Jesus looks at you, the eyes, His eyes, the Bible says in Song of Songs, He has dove's eyes just like His bride as He is so is bright, has dove's eyes. You can see the Holy Spirit and the love, the gentleness behind. But their eyes sometimes burn with fire when He sees oppression, when He sees people sick, when He sees evil spirits tormenting the one Gadarene demoniac for example.
Compassion That Crosses the Storm
His eyes will always look when He hears the cry. And by the way, if you are in Israel and if someone really scream on the other side at the Gadara where you are, you'll be at Cana. Exactly one bee line straight away across, I mean the Sea of Galilee, you'll find Gadara. If someone stand on there, let's say we send Pastor Mark over there and he can scream, right? In fact, we can send Pastor Lawrence because he acted as a Gadarene demoniac one time. Alright? We brought some families there. So the kids were there and he acted as a Gadarene demoniac. He was enjoying it. So we can ask Pastor Lawrence to stand down there. If you scream right, even today in Israel, if you scream down there, it can be heard down here. He can be heard. The waters carried, can imagine the man screaming day and night, screaming day and night. And Jesus look dove's eyes and compassion and He says, guys, let's go over the other side. And this time the Bible says He fell asleep on a pillow. No other recording, other storms. There was no pillow mentioned. This time there was a pillow. He brought a pillow. Who do you think the pillow is for? I think the pillow is for the one who has no place to lay his head with cutting himself day and night. I say cutting himself. The Bible says one of the signs that he was demon possessed and he's the most demonized person, was that he was cutting himself. Self hurt, self hurt, burning themselves with fire, cutting with razor just to feel pain, just to feel life. That's what our young people are doing. People. And Jesus has compassion. He whom you love is cutting himself. He whom you love parents, He whom you love is burning himself. He whom you love is hurting herself.
Demons Begging and the Power of Grace
So Jesus saw in Jesus, maybe he roll up the cloth as a pillow because He's going to dress that man he was naked. Something about demon activity makes you drop your clothes more and more, more and more, more and more Makes you wild, makes you angry at people, makes you hate everyone. No one dared pass by that area. And the Bible said, just let's go. And there was a storm. Who do you think started a storm? His father, no way. He was the enemy. He didn't want Jesus to touch that man. And by the way, the Bible says the disciples were in the boat and Jesus fell asleep on the pillow. Cool in it Again. You see the beauty of Jesus in the midst offering. You see the beauty of Jesus that's placed on the altar of burnt offering. Amen. And then something else you do with her. Oh by the way, they reached the other side. From what I know, the disciples were in the boat with Jesus when they reached the other side, only one person step out. The Bible says Jesus, I wonder where the rest went. They were hiding in the boat and the guy came like Pastor Lawrence acting right and he said just one word come out of the man. He fell before Jesus. No matter how demon possessed a person is, God will not allow the demon to touch his free will. He still had the capacity to follow Jesus' feet knowing that regardless of what I am, He's the only one who has the answer. He saw something in Jesus to follow Jesus' feet. And Jesus said to the demon, what is your name? He says, Legion, for we are many, we are many. What kind of thought is that? So the demon said, we are many one man, one body, we and they back him. I love this picture of demons begging the Son of God our Lord, begging Him not to send them away where they're afraid to hell before the time they don't go to hell yet. They're still on earth. But then Jesus and He says, let us go into the pigs. Now the pigs, by the way, is not supposed to be there. Jewish people and pigs don't go together all Chinese and char siew very much together. Amen. That's like bacon. That's like bacon. And char siew is like bacon. All right? Whoa. He loves it. Pastor Lawrence loves it. That's why everything, all this comes natural.
Grace Separates and Delivers
You see back Jesus to give them leave to go into the pigs. So Jesus says go and all of them jump into the pigs. The pigs never committed suicide For days and days when they've been there, or even years that they've been there. They never thought of committing suicide. But the moment the demons went into them, they jumped into the water, all died, all perish. Think about it. Suicide, cutting yourself, suicide, all these things that's happening. It is demonic and we wrestle not against flesh and blood people, Amen. We're going to put on and the church is saying, yes, we are principalities and powers and we got to come against them. We got to live lives more holy. Right? I agree with that. But how to get there from here to the gospel of grace. Amen. Your helmet of salvation. What is that? Another place that says that your helmet hope of salvation. If people don't even have the assurance that their sins are forgiven, they don't have the assurance. Hope is elpis in the Greek right? Elpis means not Elvis thing of Elvis elpis. P L I S means a positive expectation of good because I have received salvation because all my sins are forgiven. When I pray, I expect answers to my prayer. Therefore my future is good. Amen. I believe my God has gone ahead and make all the crooked places straight. Amen.
Boldness in the Day of Judgment
Apostle Prince, are you saying everything in the world you're going to be perfect and hunky dory? No, no, no. I'm saying that there are crooked places straight. You didn't listen, but He'll make the crooked places straight. Amen. In the last days when Jesus comes again, He's known. It's not a second coming. It's not the rapture. Rapture is only for His people where they receive a brand new body. Brand new body. Amen. In that body you'll never feel tired again. You'll never fall sick. You'll never die. For how long? For oh man and eternity. It's a long time not to live in a body and the body cannot grow old because all that came because of man's fall. You'll always be strong, always be young. The Bible says, no more pain. There are a few things the Bible says, no more, no more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow. All in the book of Revelation, we are heading towards that. But in the world, He's going to come to judge the world. The Lamb of God is going to be the Lion of Judah. He's going to come to judge the world. But even then, when He comes again and I see His glory, because to me, to worship a God that is just soft and I cannot worship the kind of God and He's not the kind of God. Amen. He handles situations that present itself just like sickness. He hates it. I say He hates it. He hates oppression. God hates oppression. But you know what? Just love everyone. Know. No, our God is not that kind of God. He loves them all, but He will never remove His place as the one that will execute justice.
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
Now what about us Pastor Prince as Christians, we still have problems. What He understand the difference that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. Lemme give you illustration. There's a verse that says, herein is our love made perfect. Because as He is, why don't we give them a verse so that they think that they at least found a verse in the Bible or else they go back and say, the pastor Prince didn't use any verse like he was accused last week. Even everything I'm sharing is from the Bible, but people need to see it down there for the religious one among you. Okay? So is there 1 John somewhere. 1 John 4. Alright. There is no fear in love. Okay? If possible show them the verse before that you'll know this verse here is how our love is made perfect. That we may have boldness in the day of judgment. It's a day of judgment. No, because as He is so are we in this world? Important 10 words. If you follow this ministry, we preach a lot from here because as Jesus is, so are we in this world. Right? This 10 words, memorize them as He is. Doesn't say as He was when He walked by the shores of Galilee as He was when He cast that demon out with one word and the guy was so possessed with nearly about some people say 4,000 to 6,000 demons because he used the word legion. When Jesus asked for the demon's name, he says, I am legion. We I am legion. One moment I. Another moment. We are many. We. And imagine that voice coming out from one man saying we and just cast with one word, thousands or hundreds or whatever it is. But there was thousands. If one word He says go, they all left for us. We have to use an extra go in Jesus' name. Amen. Imagine your Lord such authority, but He never uses it to abuse you. He uses it to save you, to fight for you. This is your Lord. When you worship, think of all this as you worship Him. Amen.
John's Boldness Before the Glorified Christ
Okay, now watch this. We have expanded on the last part because as He is, as He is the one that's now crowned with glory and honor, the ascended one, the glorified one. No more. The Jesus that walked by the shores of Galilee in His humiliation, He became a man. Amen. Live a simple life. Not that Jesus, even though He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and He did exploits and great miracles went about doing good healing all who were oppressed of the devil we're talking about you are not as He was. If that was so it would still be good. Amen. But you are as He is at the Father's right hand, all principalities and powers is under your feet Because as He is, so are we where in this world? So I'm going to illustrate to you right now what the first part means. Love has been perfected among us in this that we may have boldness in the day of. How do you know someone really understands the new covenant? That he knows that God loves him perfectly. How do you know that even in the midst of the day of judgment, he's bold. He's bold. What does that mean? I'm glad that the one who wrote this, John is the same John in the book of Revelation. I'm going to see an illustration of this because the day of judgment came, he went into the future. By the way you think AI and not is really modern, the achievement of man long before he exists. And by the way, still a crawling stage. God already has time travel. I said time travel, the book of Revelation. Actually, John was a prisoner on the island of Patmos. But he time travel to the future when Jesus will come back, not in the rapture, but in the appearance to save Israel and judge the world and judge the wicked is going to come back. Amen. And John saw that day thought the day of the Lord or the day of judgment, the day of the Lord is not the rapture. Okay? Always remember that the day of the Lord is judgment, the day of judgment. And John appeared before him. And when John saw Him, the same John who put his head on His bosom in the upper room this time when he saw this glorious Jesus, the Bible says His eyes was a flaming fire. Amen. And His appearance like white, like wool, His beard, His hair, that's not He doesn't grow old. And by the way, He's growing old and all that. The color is actually not whiter than wool white than when people grow old it is gray. Have you noticed or not? And then the color make it white. Alright? But when you say whiter than wool, you know what is it? It's an expression back then to talk about dazzling. When it dazzles like the ribbon snow, pure snow. You got to wear your snow glass to avoid being blinded. It is like He appeared shining that John fell at His feet.
Fear Not: The Assurance for Believers
Watch this, watch this day of judgment. John represents all of us there. And even more accurate, he's not in his glorified body yet. Not yet, but watch this. It's a day of judgment. He's dressed as a warrior. He's coming back to judge, take back everything that wicked man has taken as his right king of all kings and Lord of all lords, every subject, authorities and every dominion will be subject, will be bowing down to his rule. Amen. Now, John fell before him. He's dressed like a warrior, like a king. Remove all the, he's not wearing a priestly robe. He's wearing an armor and dress for war. And what do you do? John fell, which means he must have bowed down here. The Bible says he touched his shoulder and you know, what's the first word from his mouth from this king who is dressing for war? You what he says. Fear not fear not John. I am He that liveth and was dead and behold, I'm alive forevermore and I have the keys of hell and of death. Because John thought that he was going to die. He fell at his feet as dead. He says, no, if I insert the key, then you die. At one time the devil insert the key people die. He had the power of death no longer at the cross. Jesus wrestled it from him. I shouldn't use the word wrestle. Jesus took it from him as a right. Amen is in Jesus'. Hes and Jesus telling us, have you talked to him before? Say, Lord, don't put the key in just yet. Okay? You must talk to him because the Bible says with long life, will I satisfy him? The criteria is not God. God satisfying God. No, God's saying. You tell me when you are satisfied. 80 years old, 90 years old, a hundred years old. You tell me, have you talked to him before? No. Talk to him. Don't lemme talk for you. I dunno what satisfies you. Amen. Tell the Lord don't put the key yet. George. He has the keys of hell and death. He told John. And from then on, watch John. John stood before him. John saw he walked through the seven churches. Amen. Giving them rebuking, correcting. Amen. He went through the seven churches and then John saw John was brought up to the throne of God and the throne of God. He's sort of four and 20 elders, and now they have their glorified bodies. How do we know that they're wearing a crown? They're now in the glorified bodies and that tells us, amen. We all be there as well. Praise the Lord.
Reading Revelation with Boldness
When Jesus comes again, He comes with His saints in the rapture. He comes with the angels, that's it. But not with His saints. Why? His saints are down here. And then He'll bring them up to join the saints who have gone on before and together they're coming. Are you listening? When John saw all this, he saw the throne of God. He saw God Himself sitting on the throne. The Bible says He saw the rainbow around the throne of God, which is the promise. God will never again be angry with you for those who believe in Him. But there is judgment for the unbelievers. There are judgment for the wicked. There's judgment all over the world, except for people who put their trust in Christ. God has waited for so long for them to repent and now the door is closed. Do you understand it's coming back. Okay, watch this in all things. John is a believer. Am I right? After the Lord touched his hand, he got up. The Lord never pronounced any judgment against him. Never. He was in the day of judgment. He went to the future. He was in the day of judgment. But after that he had boldness. When he saw that no one was able to open the seven scroll. You know what he says? He started crying. He cried because there was no one but to open the seal. Scroll is to release the judgments. And he wasn't afraid. He was crying because he knew that judging all the evils on this world is necessary to have a brand new world where there's peace, where there's harmony, where there's love. Today is not so. It shall be when it comes again. But before that, there's a renovation by fire. Amen. So he is a deal with the evil before the good can come in. You cannot appreciate the grace of God until you see the severity of God. The Bible says, Paul says, behold the severity and the goodness of God. Amen. But severe not to you believers, child of God with you like John, John was there, John saw all this. Never one time, John, watch it. Now behave or else this vial of judgment will fall on your head. Also, never. One time John was there as a spectator walking with him, going to the throne of God and he never even suggested, why is there no one to unseal the scroll? John saw everything and John was bold in the day of judgment. He never one time think that those judgments he saw in the Book of Revelation, he didn't see in the book, he was there. All the things that we see in the book, never one time did he think it is for him. That's how believers must read that book. Hallelujah. We read with boldness knowing his hand is on us. Fear not. When you read this book, fear not no. God's favor is on you. His goodness is on you. His severity, his judgment is on the wicked That God has given chance time and time and time again to believe in him, but they don't want to. Finally, the time comes.
Living in Hope of His Return
I do not know how when, but the time will come. So there are two comings of the Lord. You can say it that way. First of all, there is this, by the way, there are people who think that what's the point of leaders in church who think that what's the point of preaching on the coming of the Lord and all that There's no practicality how wrong they are. The times in church history when the church was most vibrant And making an impact in the world that they lived in and standing missionaries, gaining territories, winning souls for Jesus was a time when the rapture and the coming of the Lord was preached strongly. Having this hope purifies himself, something about it. And God intimately, he told them, God's posture for you today is to wait for his son from heaven. Amen. It'll change our lives. But because there's no preaching, people just live their life as if this is the only life they have. They believe the rapture in a far away kind of manner, but not in a real practical. He might come today. Are you ready? Amen.
The Instant Transformation
Now, if you're born again, you're safe, you will have that new body and you're going up. It all happens in a twinkling. You're gone. No time to feel heights. Why? You feel heights? Because fear is part of your, your current body, your old flesh. In the new body. There's no fear. So aren't you glad that instead of rapturing you first in your old body, then give you a glorified body up there? He in an instant, our bodies are changed like his body. Never again decay. Never again grow old, never again fall sick, always young, always strong. He changes our body and then he raptures us, praises God, he's so considerate. He knows those of you, many of you are scared of heights. Amen. Grab a few sinners while you're at it. If there's time in the, it happens so fast as I know, but try to grab a few sinners. Amen. And as you go up there, you just say, want to accept Jesus or I let go. I don't think you have time for that.
Honoring the Cross with Assurance
What a beautiful example of a believer looking at judgment or even you read judgment and all that and you know how where you stand, you have rightly divided the word. You can still study it. Don't neglect those things because you're afraid. Because some Christians says that, oh, you will have to go it. Even if I'm just saying that we will not go to the tribulation. But even if we go to the tribulation that John not in his glorified body, John in his old body, he has not yet died, can still look at everything with disassociation, with boldness, knowing his sins are forgiven. This is not for him. This judgment is not for him. God wants that kind of believer. Amen. Now we are not sure I want God preach one time. None of us know we are safe or not until we die. You might think you're safe, but you're not. You might think that you're not safe. Actually you're safe. So you do not know Only when we die. If you die and then you know got no more chance, you're going to decide. Now, my Bible tells me these things are written that you may know you have eternal life. God deals. God's word always deals with very release. And the very release is amen. Amen. Certainties God deals with sureness, certainties, very release, even double very release. I say unto you. Amen. Amen. Truly, truly I say to you, doesn't deal and speculate. Maybe, maybe so. Only the Bible can be right middle of the road. Yet authoritative doesn't swerve in its truth. In a world that's filled with half truths, sometimes complete lies decked up decorated like truths. It's hard for our children who is not identified with reading the Bible to know the truth.
The Finished Work at the Cross
So I'm coming out with a special app on how to study the Bible. You can put down, I think it's too early for me to announce this yet, but somewhere towards the end of the, and then when you're studying this passage, you don't understand, you just click on this app and then it'll show you my teachings video like the lamb and all that and give you understanding about, I preach a little bit about the meal offering, right? Meal offering has no blood burn offering, has animal the blood. So does the peace offering. The only five offerings among the five that has no blood is the meal offering. Why? It speaks of the life of Jesus, especially Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, his earthly life. How fine flour. By the way, it's not just fine flour. I got no time to talk about other flour. No other flour, other characteristics. Like for example, on the fine flour oil is poured. Did it happen to a lot when it came out of baptism? The Father says, this is my beloved son. He was anointed of the Holy Spirit. You see the fine flour now with the oil, the Holy Spirit. And you know what God says? God says, by the way, after that, what else do you put? What else do you put? That's why y'all need the app. Who are you shamelessly? Promote your style because it's good. Yes. Amen. Be part of a gospel partner. Okay? There's no obligation. We'll let you know more when he comes. You know what they put fine flour and then oil. Holy Spirit, they put frankincense, which is sweet smelling fragrance, which means every thought of Jesus. If you study Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you cannot appreciate it because you know why the frankincense goes up. Only the father can be well pleased with his son. What he thinks, what he says. Everything is marked by the incense that goes up. You press me hard, incense won't come out. Alright, I'll be incensed against you. But every way pressure, come on Jesus sweet smelling aroma or to be like him, to be like him when he's in your life, he will really make you a true man and a true woman because they are characteristics of God. That God, when God make male and female, God deposited his characteristics in there. God even called himself one time like a woman. El shaddai, man El shaddai is like the nourishing one, the caring one, the maternal, the one of God says like a mother hen would gather her chickens, I would have gathered you like my chicks under my wings, but you would not have me. And now Israel, you are left to yourself. Armies will come and surround you and they'll take you captive. Not because I did not want to protect you, not because I didn't want to help you. You did not want me. So in this world we live in, you don't want him to protect you. He cannot force his protection on you. That's what prayer is all about. Amen. Inviting him, inviting him, giving him permission. Alright, are you with me so far? Yes. You understand I got to bring this to a close. Alright, so you saw there's a Bible verse on there, right? Okay. And all the while when John look at the 24 elders, all the saints that are redeemed, you know what John thought as he's so are they, as he's so am I? Because for them, you cannot be in this world. They are there. But for John he can be as he's so am I in this world, is he under God's unclouded favor? So is he far above principalities and powers? So am I in this world? Is he holy? So am I. Is he righteous? So am I. Is he bold? So is he healthy? So am I crazy. Praise the Lord. Amen.