The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 2

Some theologians have reduced the Kingdom of God to the subjective realm of "here and now" describing it in terms of the human spirit in relationship to God. Others interpret it as the absolute "wholly other" which entered space and time in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Still others confine the Kingdom of God to the apocalyptic realm which will be inaugurated by the supernatural act when Jesus comes again, history is broken off and a new heavenly order begins. And to confuse things even further, since the days of Augustine, the Kingdom of God has been identified with the church: as the church grows, so grows the Kingdom. Some have extended this "Kingdom Theology" so far as to believe that the church will actually establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and then Jesus will come. This last view coincides with another theology called "Post-millennialism." It also fits, to some degree, with those who place great emphasis on the social gospel, whereby man builds the ideal social order by solving problems such as poverty, sickness, labor relations, etc. Unfortunately Marxists, Fascists, and Progressives hold similar views, totally bereft of God.


With that short background, many will say, "Enough, already! Let's go to the Word of God and see what it has to say." That's a wonderful idea, except if you were to look up every reference to the Kingdom of God for the Kingdom of Heaven in the New Testament (some 120-130, depending on the translation used) and wrote down a short summary of each verse, you would end up with a complexity of teaching. The Kingdom of God is a lot of things:

A Present Spiritual Reality: "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

An Inheritance Yet to be Bestowed: "Then the King will say to those on his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'" (Matthew 25:34).

A Realm Into Which Believers Have Entered: [God] "has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13).

A Future Realm to be Entered When Christ Returns: [there] "will be provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:11).

A Future Kingdom Attended by Great Glory: [angels] "will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers...Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:41, 43).

A Kingdom Without Signs: "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed....... for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Luke 17:20-21).

Is it any wonder so many different interpretations have arisen over the ages concerning the Kingdom of God. It's a present reality and a future blessing; an inner spiritual redemptive blessing, yet has to do with the government of the nations in the world; it's a realm into which men enter now, and a realm into which they will enter in the future; it is a gift which God will bestow in the future but must be received in the present.

I hope this has captured your attention while captivating your imagination. There is a key to understanding these varied definitions and applications of the Kingdom of God. It all has to do with this question: "What is the meaning of kingdom?" In our western thinking, a kingdom is primarily a realm over which a king exercises his authority. We don't have too many examples on the world scene today. The second meaning is the people belong to that particular realm. To exclusively apply either of these two ideas to the Scriptures leads us astray. Even the dictionary definition "the spiritual realm of God" is misleading. We will stop at that point, allowing us to complete our definition of "kingdom" and thus "the Kingdom of God."

Until then, keep praying......"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 1

The teaching series, "Birth Pangs and Fig Trees" ended last time at an interlude recorded in Revelation 10:1 - 11:14. Since it was an interlude, and since the series was evolving into a commentary of Revelation, it was probably as good a time as any to stop for a while. Additionally, God has been impressing on me more and more a need to study and teach on the subject, "The Gospel of the Kingdom." This does not represent a departure from focusing on "End-Times" matters; rather it focuses on one of the most important topics of the end-times. One of the questions most frequently asked concerning the end-times is, "When will the end come?" or "When will Christ return?" The date-setters have always failed when answering this question, but did you know that Jesus (Who, along with the rest of us does not know the day or the hour - Matthew 24:36) gave a very definitive answer to the question, "When?"

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14, NIV)

While we, along with Jesus, don't know the day or the hour, we do know the times and the season and by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit have the ability to walk in light so that the Day of the Lord will not take us by surprise. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). I doubt seriously that anyone will know precisely when the task mentioned in Matthew 24:14 is completed, but it does behoove us to know the gospel of the kingdom. We are told that "Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom...." (Matthew 4:23, NASB). The gospel of the Kingdom of God was the central message of Jesus' ministry. The phrase "Kingdom of God" appears in the New Testament 84 times - NIV and 90 times - KJV. The phrase Kingdom of Heaven appears 38 times - NIV and 40 times - KJV.

The Kingdom of God is basically the rule of God - the action of God's divine sovereignty and reign. It belongs to the present as well as the future. It is both limited and comprehensive. It can be resisted, and it is also absolute. It can take place in a nation, city, home or individual heart. The Hebrew-Christian faith expresses its hope in terms of the Kingdom of God. Biblical hope is not a pipe dream, but is an essential element ion the revealed will and redemptive work of the living God. The hope of the kingdom of God was seen by the Old Testament prophets as a day when men would live together in peace as described in Isaiah 2:4. (This Scripture is engraved on the walls of the UN Headquarters in New York - except the UN sees man as the one who will implement such peace, and not Almighty God.) The prophet saw a time when not only would all of the problems of human society be solved, but the present evils of man's physical environment would be no more (Isaiah 11:6)

Then came Jesus on the scene, announcing, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at

hand." (Matthew 4:17 NASB) Yet most of the Jews saw nothing of what was prophesied in Isaiah 2:4; 11:6. And today when you ask the Christian Church, "What is the Kingdom of God? When and how will it come?" you receive a bewildering array of answers. I doubt sincerely that I possess what it takes to give and answer to these questions that is both exhaustive and absolutely correct. But as we go through the study together, I am confident that the holy Spirit will give us a better understanding of this important subject than we started with.

In addition to trying to properly define the Kingdom of God, we will be looking for answers to some of these questions. Is the Kingdom just for the future; just for today; or both? What is the mysterious element of the Kingdom? What is life like in the Kingdom? Is there a righteous standard for the Kingdom? What are the demands of the Kingdom? Who gets in the Kingdom. Does the Kingdom concern just Israel, just the church, or both? What are we really praying when we pray "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven?" By God's grace I hope to stay at this to the tune of at least one blog (hopefully two) per week. Until then remember, "....unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5, NASB)

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 28

When we ended last time, we were at the interlude of Revelation 10. This interlude, which continues through 11:14, does not advance the narrative in an obvious, chronological manner. John sees in his vision a mighty angel who comes down from heaven, awesome in appearance, and holding a little, opened scroll in his hand. The contents of the scroll are never revealed in the revelation. Whatever it says (and it may be nothing more than documentation of the angel's authority), the angel, by planting one foot on the earth and the other on the sea, indicates that the destiny of the whole world is involved. As the angel shouts with a lion-like roar, seven thunders speak. No doubt, the number seven here again represents divine perfection or completion. John is instructed to not write what he heard the seven thunders say. This is an example of a biblical truth revealed in the Old Testament. "The secret things belong to the lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 29:29)


Do you remember the promise given at the beginning of the Revelation? "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." (Revelation 1:3) So I encourage you to read, to study, and to discuss with your children the things in the book. As you continue, understanding will increase. Don't let the secret things or the things which mystify cause you to neglect the book and so miss out on the promised blessing. It's not necessary, yea - it's not possible, to know in advance, without error, everything that will happen during Daniel's 70th week, in order to be blessed.


The mighty angel then, by the authority of "the Causeless Cause of All Things" announces that there will be no more delay. When the seventh angel blows the seventh trumpet (which contains the 7 bowl judgments) then all the prophecies that God revealed to His prophets about the final days will come to pass. It will accomplish the revealing of the "mystery of God." Then John is told to take the scroll from the mighty angel. As he does so, the angel commands John to eat the scroll.


I believe that what happens next is that John experiences on a grandiose scale what all people experience when they have an encounter with the Living Word of God. The scroll tasted sweet in his mouth, yet made his stomach turn sour. This quickly brings to mind this description of God's Word: "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) There is sweet blessing in the Word of God to all who hear, trust and obey; there is the curse of judgment on sin and evil which all who reject God's Word must face. Even for the believer, following the sweetness of salvation there is often the persecution and affliction which arises because of the word (Matthew 13:21). The believer often languishes in the face of injustice, crying out "How long, O Lord?" But when the time is right, the Lord will right every wrong, heal every hurt, and wipe away every tear. The double-edged sword will accomplish this, bringing everlasting joy to some and everlasting torment to others. (Why even entertain the thought of petty paybacks?)


The mystery will be how God has used centuries of Satan, and demon-inspired men, to have their way (that is to say, the wonder of evil prospering and good being trodden underfoot). God has partially checked this through governments, but governments become so corrupt that the idea of them accomplishing this to God's high standards is ludicrous. God's purpose in all this will ultimately be clear to all. John himself was experiencing the sweetness of God's Word (assurance of salvation and that God is in control) while experiencing the bitterness of being exiled to a labor camp because of that same Word. Yet in the end, John's commission (and ours as well) is clear - deliver the Word as it is given and revealed. "Then I was told, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.'" (Revelation 10:11) This book applies to everyone.


I have experienced personally the privilege of standing on God's Word, and then being allowed to present it before people in high places of leadership in our nation. Whether leaders accept God's Word as authority on all matters, including politics and government, or whether they reject it, the Word is spoken as a witness (Matthew 24:14). That's one way in which we hasten the day of the Lord's return. So be encouraged my friend. God has called you to be a part of His End-Times plans.

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 27

"Woe! Woe! Woe! to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels." (Revelation 8:13) Woe unto me if I should have to face any of the 3 woes contained here in Revelation 8 or any of the 7 woes of Matthew 23. Trusting in my own righteousness, that is all I would merit. But, "Nothing of myself I bring, only to Thy cross I cling." "O Jesus Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, for Thou in Thine atonement, didst give Thyself for me. I owe no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne, my live I give henceforth to live, O Christ for Thee alone." "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)


Because of Christ, the wrath of God is not our portion. So it is that "in Christ" and from that exalted perspective, we view these three woes which befall those who still inhabit the earth. In quick order, the fifth trumpet is blown and a star falls from heaven. We know that this is allegorical language, because the star is given a key to the shaft of the Abyss (Revelation 9:1). This is reminiscent of Jesus words, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18). Thus the star here in Revelation 9:1 is probably Satan, although it could be some other angel sent to do God's bidding. Smoke from the Abyss darken the light of the sun and out of the smoke appear locusts, who can sting like scorpions, and who look like armor-plated horses, and who, unlike natural locusts (see Proverbs 30:27) have a king over them, named "Destroyer." His name is given in both Hebrew and Greek, indicating that both ungodly Jew and Gentile are subject to them. The locust sting and torment men, but do not kill them, for five months. From this, we know that no matter how rapidly the trumpet and bowl judgments are meted out, the Day of the Lord's wrath lasts at least five months. There is nothing to say that this tormenting judgment does not overlay all the rest of the trumpet and bowl judgments.


The sixth trumpet is now blown and a voice speaks to the angel with the 6th trumpet telling him to release the 4 angels who have been bound at the great river Euphrates for this very moment in time. (Revelation 9:15). They are released to kill 1/3 of the remaining humans on the planet, by means of a huge army, 200,000,000 strong. It is obvious that the army moves from the east, towards the holy City, and that the Euphrates River factors greatly into the troop movements. Look at a map of the Middle East and this becomes clear. What follows next is a man who lived 1900+ years ago trying to describe modern, even limited nuclear, warfare. The details of the battle are not nearly as important as is the following description of people at this time. I hope this does away with the romantic myth of some huge tribulation force developing on the earth after the Rapture of the church. Listen carefully.


"The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood - idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts" (Revelation 9:20-21). At this point, just before the seventh trumpet is blown (which contains the totality of the 7 bowl judgments) there is a significant interlude and backflash in the order of events, which will prove significant.....so stay tuned until next time.


Be encouraged. Although things will get much worse on planet Earth, especially in the west, they will not get so bad that in Christ they cannot be endured. Go to Voice of the Martyrs website (http://www.persecution,com/) and see how Christians endure in North Korea, China, Etruria, et al. They know the sufficiency of Christ. They know that to live is Christ and that to die is gain. They know experientially that, "No temptation [test, trial] has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted [tested, tried] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted [tested, tried] He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 26

Just for practice, why don't we just give one another a "high-five!" Why? Because I might be wrong in my understanding of when the Rapture occurs, and if I am, I think the worst consequence will be that we all give one another a "high-five" while we're on our way up to meet the Lord in the air. If a generation of Christians is not going to be tested by the first 5 seals of Revelation 6, or the persecution of the Antichrist and the False Prophet of Revelation 13, then having prepared ourselves to face those possibilities will surely have prepared us to be ready for the imminent (any moment/with no preceding signs) return of Christ. On the other hand, if we buy into a "Your Best Life Now," or "Health and Wealth" gospel, we will be ill-prepared to face such tests and trials. If we have embraced a social gospel, which includes the idea of the church having replaced Israel completely in God's plan for the ages, we will miss the signs and again be ill-prepared to be purified as the Bride of Christ. If we embrace a dominion theology, we will be caught up in the Utopian myth that things will just keep getting better and better.

That having been said, I should point out that a few theologian still look at the Book of Revelation as being non-literal or allegorical. Another group, called Preterists, view the book as a record of conflicts of the early church with Judaism and paganism. As such, they view the Revelation as symbolic rather than prophetic. Still others view the Revelation as a symbolic presentation of church history, culminating with the second advent. This last interpretation refutes itself because of the multiplicity of identifications of the personnel of Revelation with a variety of historical characters. (Walvoord, John, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, pgs 16-20). The last approach to the Revelation is the futuristic approach, where everything in Revelation 4 onward is subject to future fulfillment, with the events in chapters 4-19 preceding the Second Coming of Christ. My view of Revelation is futuristic.

For two thousand years, Christians have been following the model of the Lord Jesus Christ in their prayers, saying, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Here in Revelation 8 we read, "Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints,went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake." (v. 3-5) God's Kingdom is about to come to earth in answer to the prayers of the saints, but first the earth must be cleansed.

John is about to give us a brutal, blow by blow description of what this cleansing entails. Peter, on the other hand, gives us just the big picture. "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief [Remember Paul said the same thing, stating that that day would not catch the alert believer by surprise (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5)]. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." (2 Peter 3;10) And so the destruction (cleansing) begins. The first trumpet is blown and hail and fire mixed with blood burn up 1/3 of all the earth's vegetation. Notice that there is no pause or further explanation, just a rapid transition to the second trumpet. At this judgment, a huge blazing mountain is thrown into the sea, turning it to blood, wherein 1/3 of all the ships and sea creatures are destroyed. Immediately the third trumpet is blown and a blazing star named Wormwood falls from the sky, affecting 1/3 of the earth's fresh water supply, making it bitter and deadly. As an aside, the Ukrainian word for Wormwood is Chernobyl. Also, have you noticed the constant reference to fire in these three judgments, matching up squarely with Peter's big picture?

Please hang in there a little longer; chapter 8 is almost over. Immediately the fourth trumpet is blown and 1/3 of the sun and moon are turned dark and 1/3 of the day and night were without light. I take this to mean that the Sun, Moon and stars did not "shine" for 1/3 of the time that they normally do. Revelation 8:13 continues the rapid progression, John stating, "As I watched, I heard an eagle flying flying in midair call out in a loud voice: 'Woe! Woe! Woe! to the inhabitants of the earth because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels." God in His mercy announces that things are about to get even worse. Unfortunately, we see no signs of man repenting during the outpouring of God's wrath. Brothers and sisters, take comfort and courage in the fact that no matter how difficult things get, we are not appointed to face the wrath of God, but rather to enjoy His salvation.

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 25

The birth pangs are over, and the baby has been born. The fig blossoms have become fruit. Sorrow and great tribulation have become joy and peace. That is if you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. At this point it is important that we distinguish between certain groups of people. We can begin with those who have trusted Christ (the saved) and those who have rejected Christ (the lost). Within each of those two groups are those who have already died at the time of the Rapture (followed by the Day of the Lord) and those who are still alive at that time. When the signs described by the following Scriptures appear, Jesus will return. Those who have died believing in Him will be resurrected and will be given new, incorruptible resurrection bodies. Immediately after that, those who are alive and are trusting in Him will have their old bodies changed in "the twinkling of an eye" into those same incorruptible resurrection bodies.

"For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the distress of those days, 'the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' [Joel 2:10, 31] At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, [1 Thessalonians 4:16] and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:27-31) Notice how this compares with the revelation given to John. "I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black, like sack-cloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain was removed from its place.....For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Revelation 6:12-14, 17)

So the day of the wrath of God and of the Lamb, a/k/a "The Day of the Lord" has come, ushered in by the Rapture. Some well respected scholars mistakenly label the entire 70th Week of Daniel as "The Day of the Lord." The Day of the Lord is confined to a relatively short portion of the latter part of the seven year period. Since no man knows the day or the hour of Christ's return, no man knows the day or the hour that "The Day of the Lord" begins or exactly how long it will last. For those who have to endure it (those who have rejected Christ and who are alive at the time of his return) every hour will be filled with agony and terror. We do know that this period will not commence until some time into the last 3-1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week. We know that the Rapture does not happen until after the Antichrist is revealed. There has to be a period of time when believers are tested by the Antichrist and his policies (see Revelation 13:7-10, 15). We also know that "The Day of the Lord" has to last a minimum of five months, because that is the length of the fifth trumpet judgment (Revelation 9:10).

Now the stage is set for us to view from the vantage point of heaven what is taking place on the earth during "The Day of the Lord." Revelation 8 begins with the opening of the seventh seal, followed by thirty minutes of silence, because what is about to happen on the earth is so momentous. The seventh seal contains all of the trumpet judgments, and the seventh trumpet judgment contains all of the bowl judgments. So this is it; with the opening of the seventh seal there is no turning back. The wrath of god is about to be unleashed on planet earth. The events will unfold in trip-hammer fashion. Those who have been removed from earth will truly be grateful for this promise: "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).

Birth Pangs and Fig Trees, Part 24

The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, continued

To understand better the details of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, it is important to see how Jesus' discourse on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24) parallels the vision which He gave to John, as recorded in Revelation 6. Because this has been touched on previously, I will present only a brief outline here. Matthew 24:5 compares to Revelation 6:1-2; Matthew 24:6-7a compares to Revelation 6:3-4; Matthew 24:7b compares to Revelation 6:5-6; Mathew 24:7c-8 compares to Revelation 6:7-8; Matthew 24:9 compares to Revelation 6:9-11; Matthew 24:29 compares to Revelation 6:12-13; Matthew 24:30-31 compares to Revelation 6:15-17. To compliment this, may I remind you that Jesus, quoting the prophet Daniel (Matthew 24:15-16), places the event called "the abomination which causes desolation" BEFORE the sign of the Lord's coming and the Rapture. Daniel places this event squarely in the middle of his 70th week (Daniel 9:27). Paul, states clearly: "Concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him........Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion (apostasy) occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed...." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3). Then in verse 4 Paul describes how he is revealed - by committing "the abomination which causes desolation" which he describes.

As Revelation 6 closes, we are on the brink of the Coming of Christ and the Rapture (which includes the resurrection of the saints), and the unleashing of God's wrath on the planet. Before that happens, one other event must take place - the sealing of 144,000 Jews who will be left on earth during that time. You see, the closing verse in Revelation 6 is a rhetorical question. "....who can stand?" The answer is, "No one!" Without God's intervention, no one will be able to successfully stand against the wrath to come. For the Christians of all ages, He intervenes with the Rapture; for these faithful Jews, He intervenes with this seal of protection (Revelation 7:1-8)

Revelation gives no details about the Rapture. For that one must look to Matthew 24:26-44 and 1 Thessalonian 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 for those details. We know that the rapture has taken place in Revelation someplace between 6:17 and 7:8 because of what we see in 7:9 and following. Here we see a great multitude out of "every nation, tribe, people and nation.....wearing white robes.....crying out in a loud voice: salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." (v. 9-10) The description is that of humans and may I remind you that only humans, created in the image of God are the recipients of salvation. Also those in white robes are identified as "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation..." (v. 14) If you will remember, the first 3-1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week are correctly identified as "the beginning of sorrows (or birth pangs). From the mid-point on is called "The Great Tribulation" which is cut short (amputated) for the elect's sake. The Great Tribulation is cut short by the Rapture. So, here we are, ready to look at the rest of Revelation from heaven's vantage point, except for a parenthetical insertion or two which goes back to a time when the saints are still on the earth.

This is where we will begin next time. Until then, be encouraged by this Word of the Lord: "Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:15-17). It will be worth it all my friends, so remain strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.