Address—C. Hendricks
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Oh, what a day of glory awaits us. Who are His? Let's turn to Revelation 3 again.
And we'll begin reading at verse 10.
The blessed promise.
To those who have received the Lord Jesus as their Savior, because thou has kept the word of my patience. Revelation 310. Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also.
Will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. I don't know whether you know it tonight, but there's a time of unprecedented temptation, of unprecedented trial which is coming upon this world.
And the promise here to the one that knows the Lord Jesus, that keeps the word of his patience, is that He will keep them from that hour. The Book of Revelation at the end of the 3rd chapter we have the addresses, the seven addresses to the seven churches ended. And in Revelation chapter 4 and five, we have a heavenly scene.
Thrown in heaven chapter 4 and in chapter 5 the Lamb comes and takes the book out of him that sits upon the throne.
And that book contains the future judgments which are going to fall upon Christendom, the Christian world, especially that which calls itself Christian. You know, there are multitudes that are Christians in quotes, but they're not saved. They're only Christians in name. They're only professors, but they're not possessors of eternal life. And to be a mere professor and not.
Is not enough. And so the Lord Jesus says to those who are real, those who are genuine, those who are Philadelphians, because the Philadelphian really represents the genuine, the one who's real, the one who has eternal life, the one who's walking in the truth. And he says, because I kept the word of my patience, the Lord is patiently waiting. He's going to come back and take the Kingdom.
He's going to set up his rights in this world, he who has been rejected here.
And cast out and nailed to a cross of ignominy and shame. The last time the world saw the Savior was hanging dead upon a cross The last time. The next time the world will see Him was when He is, when He comes in clouds, in power and great glory. And He will come to judge the world in righteousness.
God hath appointed a day in which he will judge this world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.
Whereof he has given assurance unto all men, and that he hath raised him from the dead.
The death of Christ. The last time the world saw Christ was dead upon a cross, they had cried out, Crucify Him, crucify him, and they had nailed him to that awful cross. And they sat down and watched him as he suffered.
They heard His blessed words. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. They heard those words, and they taunted Him, and they said, If thou be the Christ, come down from the cross, and we will believe on thee. Would they? No, they wouldn't have. They had seen miracle upon miracle upon miracle which He had wrought.
He had raised the dead. He had given sight to the blind. He had cleansed the lepers. He had unstopped the deaf ears. He had loosed the stammering tones. He had wrought every miracle. And yet they did not believe. They did not believe. If he had come down from that cross, they said they would believe. But they wouldn't have. They had rejected him. They had rejected the light which came into this world. And as we heard this morning in the Sunday School, the children.
Learn that beautiful verse I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth in me should not.
Abide in darkness. A light came into this world, a great light.
And man rejected that light. Man rejected him.
And nailed into a cross. And so Christendom, the guiltiest place on the earth, that which has been so privileged to have the gospel preached in 2000 years of gospel testimony. Christian world. We're not talking about Mohammedanism. We're not talking about Hinduism. We're not talking about shidduism. We're not talking about Buddhism. We're talking about the Christian world. We're talking about that place that has been so privileged as to have an open Bible like we have tonight.
00:05:03
That place which is so privileged is to the people of the Christian world can obtain the Word of God. They can read it, they can learn God's thoughts, They can learn that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name.
Of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation that light has come into the world and then loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For everyone that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are rotten God. And the reason that man hated Christ is because he was the light, and the light shone in such a brightness, in such a luster, penetrating the darkness of man's evil heart. He couldn't stand the light. And so he said, let me put that light out. I cannot stand the light of his holy presence.
And they crucified him. The last time they saw Christ was hanging dead on a cross. It was His own that took him down. It was His own that laid him in the tomb, wherein never a man had been lame. And it was His own that cared for him. It was His own that saw Him risen from the dead. Yet He appeared at one time to about 500 bread, and at once. The resurrection of Christ is the most attested to fact in all of history.
In all of history.
You read your history books in school children, and they'll tell you about certain facts that happened in the past, the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, whatever it might be, you believe it. But the resurrection of Christ is the most attested fact in all of history is risen. He's not fear. He's not that death couldn't hold him. He's risen and he's at the right hand of God tonight, and he's coming again.
And that's what we have here, verse 11. Behold, I come quickly.
The blessed promise of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's coming and He's going to come quickly. He's going to take the world by surprise. He's going to come in an hour when they think not and when they're not expecting him. What are we here today? Where is the promise of His coming? For since the Father's fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning. Is that true? No, it is no. God intervened by a flood.
He destroyed this world by water.
And every time it rains, we see a rainbow in the sky. And that rainbow, I remember talking to a man who was at a parking lot once and it was raining and I said, you see that rainbow over there and said, I see it. Sure. He said, I see it. And I said, you know what that means? He says, no, I don't know what it means. I said it means that God pledged himself. He has promised he would never destroy this world again with a flood. That's what that rainbow means in the sky. That's the sign of his covenant with the earth. He will never destroy the world again.
But he said I never heard that before.
And you know.
The Lord is in the glory and he says I come quickly. He's coming back, coming back to the world that has rejected him and crucified him. And during the time of his absence, he's gathering out of the seething multitudes of men and women everywhere of people for his name, people for his name. And that people are.
That people is looking for Him and we're waiting for him. We were just singing about the glorious coming back to the Lord of the Lord Jesus Christ, to this world. He's going to come for his own 1St and then he's going to come with his own back to set things right here, to set things right here. Things are not right now. They'll never be right until he who's right with his reigns. Until the King of Kings and Lord of Lords returns and sets things right.
Here, until the king reigns in righteousness, things will never be right in this world. And that's why men's hearts today are failing them, for fear, for looking for the things that are coming on the earth. What kinds of things are they? Well, if you read chapter 6 through 19 of this last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation, you'll find out the things that are coming on this world. Terrible things, awful things. A time of unprecedented wrath and tribulation and anguish upon men.
And upon Christendom, upon those that call themselves Christians but are not real. And when the Lord comes for his own, he'll take the real and the genuine and the true ones home to be with himself. And the ones that are left behind are merely professors, but they don't possess eternal life. They're lost, and they will undergo the awful judgment.
00:10:14
And so here he promises to those who are real. He says, Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also.
Will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world. There is a time of trial where temptation can be rendered. Trial.
Judgment. There's a time of judgment coming upon all the world, but what's its purpose? To try them that dwell upon the earth. Now let's just look at the 6th chapter of Revelation for a minute.
Verse 12.
And I beheld when he had opened the 6th seal. This is future. This is coming after the churches taken to heaven. And lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree cast at her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
And they haven't departed as a scroll when it is rolled together in every mountain, in every island removed out of their places.
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond man and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of his wrath.
Is come and who is able to stand?
I want to back up and read verse 10.
I'll read verse 9 and when he had opened the 5th seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
That will be those who are martyred in the day that's coming after the churches brought up to heaven.
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And white robes were given unto everyone of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little while, little season, until their fellow servants also, and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. And then the 6th seal is open. And I read that first. And it describes those that are those earthquake dwellers, and those that were martyred, the Saints of God in the coming day, the true believers. They ask, How long, O Lord, holy and true, does that judge and avenge our blood?
On them that dwell on the earth.
There's that same moral class. He's going to send a time of unprecedented trial to this whole world to try them that dwell on the earth. Who's that?
It's those who, in the present day of grace, have been offered heaven.
Those who have been offered in the gospel eternal life and the forgiveness of all their sins and a heavenly home on high in heaven. And they said, I don't we don't want it. We want birth. We want birth. We, we are earth dwellers and we want earth. And they've rejected heaven. They've rejected the gospel of the grace of God. They rejected what God is holding out to souls today, the offer of heaven, the offer of eternal life, the offer of eternal bliss on high with Christ and glory.
And they said, no, we don't want that. We want Earth.
Their mere earthlings, those who dwell upon the earth, how are they going to end up? Now turn over with me to the 13th chapter of Revelation.
They're they're talked about over and over again in this book and I'm just going to pick out a few of the passages where they're mentioned.
In the 13th chapter we have two beasts mentioned. The beast of verse one is the beast out of the sea and the beast of verse 11 is the beast out of the earth.
The first beast refers to the head of the revived Roman Empire. The second beast refers to the Antichrist.
Notice what it says.
In verse 5 describing the end of verse 4, there's a question asked, does they worship the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And I was given unto him. That's the in this personage called the beast out of the sea. He rules the Roman Empire in that coming day. And it was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and power was given unto him to continue 42 months.
00:15:24
3 1/2 years and he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God.
To blasphemy his name and his Tabernacle, and then that dwell in heaven. Well, there's another class that's the true Church, and that's those who are truly the Lords that have been raptured to heaven and their dwelling there. And he's blaspheming God, and he's blaspheming those that dwell in heaven.
And it says in verse 8, it says all that dwell upon the earth, there's that same moral class shall worship him. They worship the beast whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And then in verse 11, I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth. And there's the Antichrist. She had two horns like a lamb. He, he's.
The false Christ. He impersonates Christ, but he speaks like a dragon.
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth. Notice again, and them which dwell therein, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that.
Well on the earth again that same moral class earth dwellers, that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword and did live, and he had power to give life or breath under the image of the beast. That the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Now in connection with this passage, please turn with me to 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2.
2nd Thessalonians.
Chapter 2.
Verse 8.
And then this is again looking on to a future day.
Shall that wicked, that wicked one, notice it's in capital W? It's referring to the Antichrist be revealed.
That was that second beast in Revelation 13 that we were read about. And he deceives those that dwell on the earth. He deceives them. He causes them to worship the image that he is made of the first beast. Then shall that wicked 1 be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume.
That the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. When the Lord Jesus comes back, he's going to destroy.
All the enemies of the Lord, he's going to destroy that second beast. He's going to destroy that wicked one.
And then it describes him, even him, which is the Antichrist, whose coming is after the working of Satan.
He's on the scene today, I believe we don't know who he is. I believe he's living today and as soon as we're caught home, if the Lord should come tonight.
And he raptured us to heaven. We'd be gone, Became this moment, this room. I hope this room would be empty and we all be gone. If you're not saved. And the Lord should give that assembly shout right now and we'd all leave. You'd be left here in your chair. You'd be lost.
Forever notice what it says. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs, and lying wonders, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish.
Because they receive not the love of the truth, they might be saved, and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie. Apostate Christian Christendom is going to believe the lie of the death because they would not receive the love of the truth.
That they might be saved.
Tell you tonight.
This is nothing to dabble with. This is nothing to play around with. We are talking about eternal issues. We're talking about the most solemn thing, the most important decision that you will ever make.
00:20:06
The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was in this world. He died on the cross, shed his precious blood. God offers you pardon, forgiveness.
Remission of all your sins and eternal life if you'll just turn to Christ and accept Him as your Savior. To as many as received Him to them gave you power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name. You can become a child of God tonight by receiving the truth.
The love of the truth. And here it says, because they receive not the love of the truth, that there might be saved. What's the love of the truth? It's not just true, but the love of the truth. God's so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God loves the Sinner God gave his Son for the Sinner God commended.
You're blind in verse 17. You're blind. You need, I said, to anoint your eyes that you can see. You don't see your true condition.
You don't see that you're lost. You don't see that you need.
The Savior. And so he says, I sat to anoint thine eyes that thou mayest see. The anointing of the eyes is the Spirit of God.
Who is given to all of those who believe?
Divine righteousness, the gold.
True riches, practical righteousness which flows from the life that we have in Christ.
Practical righteousness.
The eyes have to anoint the eye the spirit of God-given to indwell us, and to give U.S. intelligence in the things of God. These are the things he says I constantly to buy of me these three things, the gold.
The white raiment.
The ISAF.
Divine righteousness.
Practical righteousness flowing from a new life that we receive when we're born of God.
The Spirit of God as our teacher.
Anointing our eyes that we might see. Have your eyes been opened? You remember the blind man in John 9?
These self-righteous religious Pharisees, they said to him, finally give God the praise. We know that this man is a Sinner.
And he said that whether he be a Sinner or not, I know not. But one thing, I know that whereas I was flying when I see, can you say that tonight? Can you say that? Whereas I was once blind, I see, I see that I was lost. I see that I was on the broad, wide road to destruction.
And I see that God and love has provided A Savior for me. And now I see.
In the book of Numbers.
The children of Israel disobey, they complain, they murmured, They did it many times, but on one of the occasions God set fiery serpents amongst them, and they fit them, and they die.
And Moses erected a pole in the center of the camp, and he put a brazen serpent on that pole, serpent of brass. And he told the Israelites who had been bitten by the serpents, the fiery serpents, the poisonous snakes.
He said look at the serpent of Brass and the Pope and you will live.
Look and look. And as they looked with the eye of faith, they saw that servant lifted up, and they were healed. They didn't die. As Moses lifted up in the the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The serpent lifted up, just look and live. Just look at Christ lifted up on that cross, dying for your sins, bearing the judgment of God against sin. And you let look of faith will give you life. I said to anoint your eyes that you may see.
Verse 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten the zealous, therefore, and repent.
Oh, if you're a professing Christian here tonight, but without reality, without divine righteousness, without Christ as your righteousness.
Remember when the prodigal in Luke 15 returned, the father said, Bring forth the best role, and put it on him. There's a picture of clothing him in the righteousness of Christ himself, Christ being his own righteousness. And put a ring in his hand, the symbol of eternal love, and shoes on his feet, and bring forth the fatted calf, and let us eat and be merry.
00:25:19
So this my son was lost and is found. He was dead and is alive and they began to be married.
And that divine merriment shall never end, shall never end the return of a prodigal, a lost son back to God.
Be zealous, therefore repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will suck with him and he with me. He's knocking, knocking. He's outside of this church in Laodicea. And if you're unsaved, he's outside of your heart and he's knocking. And he wants entrance. He wants you to hear, He wants you to respond.
If any man hear my voice and open the door, it's up to you. That's an individual personal transaction. You must open the door to him. I will come into him and will suck with him. Personal fellowship and he with me. Think of it. He enters into all your circumstances. He sucks with you and you enter into his thoughts. You suck with him.
What a precious portion for the one that opens the door.
To Christ you might be you might be in a modernistic church where they they deny the the fundamentals of the Christian faith and the Lord is outside of that church. He's knocking. He's not there, he's outside and he says he's zealous therefore and repent as many as I love.
The seller. I rebuke and chasten the zealous, therefore, and repent. It's not the love of complacency here. It's the love of pity. The love of pity. But he still has the door open. He hasn't shut it yet. He hasn't closed off all hope. The day of grace is still here, so he's still knocking.
Still knocking, outside knocking. And now he wants us to respond. He wants you to respond. If you're in that state of soul, if you've been indifferent to his claims, if you've been wishy washy in your beliefs, take a firm stand for Christ. Be out and out for Christ. Open the door and come in and Sup with him, and he will Sup with you. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame.
Down with my Father in his throne. The Lord Jesus overcame when Judaism was apostate.
Now he looks to the overcomer when Christendom is apostate, and if we're a part of an apostate church, to overcome is to leave it and to and to respond to the Lord's knock, and to open your door to him and enter into personal fellowship with the Lord Jesus.
Either half an year, but in here you have an ear tonight.
Let it hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. The Spirit is speaking.
But a solemn voice, but a solemn word, This last final state.
Of the Christian profession, Laodicea, the people's rights, Christ outside knocking, knocking. Is there anyone that's in that state of soul or in that kind of a church?
He wants you to open the door. He says if he opened the door, he hear my voice. You have to hear his voice. He that have an ear to hear, let him hear. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him. Not to the church, he's outside of that, but he comes into that individual who opens the door and will suck with him, he with me.
You can you can enter into Blessing tonight.
He says in John 10, I am the door by me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved. You can come in tonight through Christ the open door and be saved.