CAVALRY TO THE RESCUE

"A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." Jn.16:21,22.

     When Jesus comes for His Own His host of angels will be sent ahead of Him to gather the Sacred Harvest: the righteous "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." Rev.5:9. At the Voice of Christ this great host of the redeemed will be resurrected from the dead and translated from the living. And as heaven's angels come to sweep the bride of Christ off her feet, every man, woman, and child will stand in a silent awe as the angels approach. The words of the LORD will ring out: "Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen." Isa.44:2. It is the redeemed from every age and from every nation that are truly "the Israel of God." Gal.6:16.

     Leading up to the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ certain events must take place. The world is consolidating against the world's Redeemer and is soon to reach its pinnacle of full-blown rebellion. And at the head-of-it-all is an apostate church that few recognize their sinister betrayal of the stewardship that GOD entrusted them with. As carnal minded men continue to destroy the physical life on the Earth, so the world's apostate church is destroying the Spiritual life through the perpetuation of sin.

     But there are those who the enemy of souls cannot reach. These have taken the Saviour's words to heart: "But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Matt.19:17. It is against these and these alone that Satan wages war. One verse sums it up: "And the dragon [Satan] was wroth with the woman [the faithful church (Jer.6:2)], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed [the small number within the ranks of the Christian faith], which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev.12:17. And because GOD'S Holy Law condemns Satan he leads his pawns among men, in and out of the church to adopt his maniacal scheme to overturn GOD'S Law and substitute his own, which are responsible for every heartache, toil, and death that has ever existed.

     Scripture’s grand lesson for the human race is clear: Committing sin is nothing short of committing suicide (Isa.59:2). Sin is a synonym of suicide. Whether it be a slow death through living a life of harmful addictions or a swift execution through war the end result is the same (I Cor.3:17). Said Jesus, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” “Except ye repent,” “ye shall die in your sins.” And because GOD will never remove man's freedom to choose He must allow them the decisions they have made whether for life or for death. Those who choose to destroy themselves GOD must allow them their choice. He must allow them to die. He cannot grant life to a man who has chosen death to life. This is what the Judgment is all about, to vindicate the Law of GOD in its protection of life, and how man, who was given discernment to know right from wrong, cannot, in good conscience deny the Law's blessing of life. GOD'S Law and human aspiration is in perfect agreement.

     This is what gives the Holy Spirit power to "reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." And to turn away from that conviction, that tender tug to follow the urgings of Unselfish Love violates the deep yearnings of human conscience. This is why Jesus said that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin. That “still, small voice” of the Holy Ghost is being ignored by multitudes, even the vast majority of today's Christians (I Pet.4:18). The urges of the most profound Love are being disregarded—to the point where His voice is no longer heard. As a result, he world, through sin, is demanding GOD remove His presence. GOD never stays where He’s not wanted just as Jesus left the country of the Gergesenes when asked to leave (Matt.8:34-9:1). At that point men have seared their conscience (I Tim. 4:2); and a million years of life will never change that decision they welded to their hearts (Isa.30:12,13).

     Common sense can see that if the world kept sacred the Ten Commandments, no man, woman, or child would suffer injustice at the hands of another. The conscience of every man has been convicted on this point (Rom.2:14,15). The Spirit of GOD on the human conscience has seen to this. This is why Jesus said to the fierce persecutor of His Church, a Pharisee named Saul, who, after meeting with the Savior, became the great Apostle Paul, "it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."

     The judgment of heaven will show that the great majority of men have been at war with their fondest hopes: the deep yearnings of desire to fulfill the dreams that GOD Himself placed in our hearts. A mere seventy years of life in a selfish world cannot fulfill human aspiration. Even the medical fact that man uses so little of his brain, this alone should prove to all that GOD designed our mind to store an eternity of joyful experience.

     At the end of time, the time allotted to this cruel and selfish world, one thing will be understood by the whole human race, those "which are alive and remain" (I Th.4:17): the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is the greatest rescue of human history—the ultimate “Cavalry to the rescue!” For this is the time when the world and the church will have united to exterminate once and for all "they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Rev.14:12.

     Let it be known that Armageddon has nothing to do with the nation of Israel as "the false prophet" insists! It is simply the last battle in the long-standing civil war of Christianity between the lawless church and the Commandment-keeping Church: between those who have exalted their authority above GOD’S Holy Law and those who have recognized its eternal significance in the plan of salvation. The Biblical meaning of Armageddon is translated, "Mount of Slaughter." It is the time Christ comes to deliver His faithful followers at the very brink of man’s destruction: at the very close of the earth’s ability to support life. Revelation, chapter 11 tells us that when Christ comes He will "destroy them which destroy the earth." In essence, man's industry has meddled with the laws of nature to the point where he has set in motion a chain of events that guaranty the extinction of life on earth. And this chosen course of sinful men will never change, even as the warnings of nature cry out: "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." It will be the threat of man's extinction that propels the apostate church to the limelight of world governance in the vain attempt to preserve a fundamentally immoral people. And as man increases his apostasy against GOD it will be met with an equivalent degree of desperation. Among the most basic lessons of GOD'S warning found throughout the Bible will not be heeded and man will only accelerate his own demise. The result will bring the 7 last plagues of Revelation 16.

     In this, Jesus gives us assurance of His rescue: "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Matt.24:22. Paul likewise addressed this time leading to Christ's 2nd Advent: "For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." Rom.9:28.

     "The seven plagues" will reach their climax: "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matt.24:30,31. The resurrected and living saints will be carried upwards by holy angels to "meet the LORD in the air." They are then swept off into space and taken to heaven's home, "new Jerusalem" for a 1000 years, while the earth is left in utter ruin, desolation and death (Isa.24; Rev.20).

     Soaring through space with Christ at the helm the saints will be awe-struck by the astounding event now taking place. Many knew this time would come, while others who were innocent in their ignorance of the great controversy will simply stand in wonder. But all will stand in utter amazement in anticipation of the glory to come. As they approach the glorious world where the millennial judgment takes place they see off in the distance "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." And as they enter the gates they come to "the sea of glass" "and to an innumerable company of angels," Heb.12:22; Rev.4:6. The glory of the materials and craftsmanship of the New Jerusalem will exude a level of beauty beyond all loveliness. Its radiance will captivate every eye beholding it.

     After Jesus welcomes His saints with words of the loveliest character, each will be escorted by their guardian angel to their home. This home in the "new Jerusalem" is to be their home forever. The words of Christ will be fulfilled to the letter, as He promised: “My kingdom is not of this world.” “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 [in heaven]. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again [at the 2nd Advent], and receive you unto myself [“in the clouds”]; that where I am [“standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55)], there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” Jn.18:36;14:2-4. As the saints become acquainted with their new homes in the New Jerusalem: homes and communities that will last “for ever and ever,” the judgment of Satan, his angels and unrepentant men is to take place. The words of Paul shine light on this: “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge this world...Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” I Cor.6:2,3.

     “A thousand years” is prophesied to review the history of sin where every question will be answered concerning GOD’S response to the defiance of Satan, demons and men who chose sin as their rule of life over and above GOD’S forgiveness and promises. But to “every one whom his spirit made willing” to repent, “to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (Ex.35:21; Jn.1:12,13). GOD’S desire to love and to serve the wellbeing of all created life will be explored by the great multitude of the redeemed. His decisions will be vindicated in every case showing that GOD always worked redemptively in the lives of angels and men, proving beyond a shadow of doubt the truth of John’s words, “God is love.”

     After the thousand year judgment is complete the New Jerusalem departs for the Earth: the time of the second resurrection and "the second death" judgment of Christ against sinners whose sinful characters chose to die rather than believe "God is love."