The Narrow Road of End Time Joy and Safety (55 min)

The tragic result of a lack of teaching of Revelation to the Church is a lack of understanding of where the safe place is in the unfolding tribulation.  There IS a safe place...it is promised over and over:

Revelation 3:10  Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Luke 21:36  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

There is a narrow road...a "one thing" quality to getting to the safe place, described in Psalm 27:

Psalms 27:4-5  One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.  5  For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

Because there is so little Bible confidence on this subject in the Church, there are two main ditches many are falling into on both sides of the narrow road of end time safety and joy.  These are the two ditches:

1. over-optimism...those who say nothing to really do, God loves me so I am good...nope...this eschatology doesn't hold up to ANY Biblical scrutiny:

Amos 9:10  All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, Who say, 'The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.'

You must choose your end time safety, just as Lot had to CHOOSE to flee to Zoar and not look back. Many are not choosing because they think there is no danger.  They believe God will just magically make them agree with His plans...this isn't faith, it is presumption.  This is a very deep ditch.

BUT, there is an equally dangerous ditch, called 

2. FEAR.  Conspiracy thinking has left many who actually see the trouble thinking very wrong things about what to DO about the trouble:

Isaiah 8:11-15  For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:  12  "Do not say, 'A conspiracy,' Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.  13  The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.  14  He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  15  And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and taken."

Conspiracy thinking, though it has elements of insight, lacks REVELATION...because it doesn't offer the NARROW PLAN of greatness, joy, and safety of the end times.

Both of these ditches... presumption and the paralyses of fear...are meant to keep us off of the narrow road of REVELATION.  This message is intended to shine some light on the road that will leave many more joyful in the time of shaking than they could really imagine right now...but the joy comes from seeing the trouble for what it really is!