"Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne" (Revelation 3:20-21). My dear friends, this is an invitation to the Church, you know, those who got saved. It is a bit painful and I feel a bit ashamed that my Savior who saved me is knocking at my door. Apparently He is standing outside. Or am I standing outside, on the wrong side? This is an invitation not to stop with the mighty cross, a call not to stay in the doorway. You know, Jesus said: "I am the door as written: I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life" (John 10:7-10). Now I do understand Lord! You just opened my eyes. This is a call to glorious living! Wow!
WHAT HAPPENED?
Lord I gave my life to you so many years ago and I got saved from that moment. But I gave the enemy the opportunity to steal a rich and satisfying life which You promised. It was in my grasp, all available and I wasn’t even aware. It’s all available in this very life as written: "Yes, Jesus replied, and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come" (Luke 18:29-30). Now I do understand the process:
I give my life to Jesus. This is accepting His work on the mighty cross and going through the door, which is Jesus Himself. This is my salvation, a passport to enter the Kingdom after leaving my earthly body.
To continue my journey into the Kingdom already here on earth I have to do something for it is written: "So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless" (James 2:17). So, I have to shoulder my cross, to pay a price, to give up something to receive a rich and satisfying life in this very life. And regarding shouldering my cross You say: "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). We got a deal Lord! I will be victorious and sit with You on Your throne. Now I realize: a throne is not standing in the doorway, it’s in the throne room, in the center of the city, the Kingdom, the new Jerusalem.
IT'S PARTY TIME
'Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear. For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people' (Revelation 19:6-8). 'And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them' (Revelation 21:2-3). Wow Lord, did I produce my own white wedding dress by my own good deeds? Amazing. And my dear friends, never ever let the enemy deceive you anymore and steal your privileges. The wedding party is right now, as written: 'The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!' (Matthew 22:4). Don’t postpone it to the new heaven and earth. For what else reason is Jesus in Matthew 22:12-13 a guest sending outside because he has no wedding dress (no good deeds). He still calls this man (a guest) 'friend', which is logical for this man got saved, but not yet allowed to enter the party already here on earth. Get dressed and enjoy the party! Another reason to know that this is on this side of life: do you really believe that on the new heaven and new earth burglars are present in the Kingdom? No way! Again: Get dressed and enjoy the party already here on earth!
A PLACE OF REST
It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say:…(Isaiah 14:3-4). In ‘the day’, 2000 years ago at the mighty Cross, Jesus arranged rest from our sorrows and created a place of safety against the enemy and his hard bondage. This place of safety is a spiritual place, the lower heavens He brought on earth, the spiritual Kingdom, and we ‘will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon’, which means take and defend our position (a save place on earth) in Christ! This place of rest reminds me some verses out of the book of Hebrews: ‘God’s promise of entering His rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. For only we who believe can enter His rest. We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: On the seventh day God rested from all His work. So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering His rest, and that time is today. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. For the word of God is alive and powerful’ (Hebrews 4:1-7, 11-12).Well, it is up to you! This is not about the new heaven and earth, but this is about the spiritual Kingdom, on planet earth, now! You can enter Gods place of rest (safety) today and be protected against the enemy!
There is a chair reserved for you in heavenly places. Run to it and take up your seat in Christ!
Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness' (Exodus 5:1). We will have a party, within the spiritual Kingdom of God, in occupied territory, called the earth. Hallelujah!
