One minute after death.
Revelation 14:6 -- 13. 06/06/04
If you will, turn to the last book of the Bible, the Revelation, and chapter 14. This morning I want to preach on this subject, one minute after death. Where will you be one minute after death? We are talking about something that is eternal. We are dealing with eternal destiny.
As we look in our text, we see the Angels of God coming upon the stage in the time of the Tribulation telling us what will take place next. The first angel comes on the stage and talks about WORSHIP. That is the first point I want to bring to your attention, the word worship.
Listen ladies and gentlemen, the message to the people during the tribulation period is that they must worship and give God the glory. They must not fall for the antichrist. They must not take the mark of the beast, but they must recognize that God is still in control.
But there is something I want you to notice here and that is the change in the methodology. What do you mean preacher? The Bible tells us that it is an angel that is preaching the gospel. Angels make announcements. Angels are sent from God to perform special task but God has committed the preaching of the gospel unto the church. Jesus said for the church to go making disciples. The job of preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus in this age has been given to the church. As mighty and as powerful as the Angels are, they are not given the task of preaching the everlasting gospel until the tribulation period.
There is something else I want you to notice. Although the method has changed the message is the same. There is but one gospel. Paul sums it up in 1st Cor. 15, when he said the gospel is summed up in this, Christ was crucified for our sins and that he was buried and then on the third day he rose from the dead. There is only one gospel and that is the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus. That is the old time gospel. That is the new time gospel and it is the end time gospel.
Then another angel comes upon the stage and speaks of WRATH. Look in verse 8. This angel says Babylon is fallen, is fallen. Notice this is written in the past tense. Now that hasn’t happened yet but it tells us how we can bank on the Word of God as being absolute. I mean as far as God is concerned, it has happened. So, God can speak of future things as though they have already happened.
Now we know that Babylon is modern Iraq. But what is Babylon in the Bible? Spiritually, Babylon is false religion. The wrath of God is coming upon all false religions. Even though it doesn’t look like that God is doing anything about anti-God, anti-Bible, folks don’t think one minute that payday isn’t on the way. God’s wrath is coming upon the works of Satan. God is holy and therefore sin has to be punished. One day just a sure as you and I are here this morning, God’s wrath will come upon God rejecters, and those who trample the blood of Jesus. I believe we aren’t far from seeing that take place.
There is a third angel who steps onto the stage and speaks of WOE. Look at verses 9 and 10. Where will you be one minute after death?
In verse 10 we are told those who receive the mark of the beast, those who reject Jesus, the Bible says they will drink of the wrath of God from the cup of His indignation and be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Lamb.
People sometimes laugh about hell and make jokes about hell and say it is not a real place. Listen; if you believe the Bible then you have to be concerned about hell. Also if you believe the Bible to be true and I certainly do, then everyone who doesn’t receive Jesus as a personal Savior will go there tormented day and night. And verse 11 says that will last through eternity.
There in our text we have seen an angel talk about worship. We have seen an angel talk about the wrath of God. We have seen an angel that talks about the woe that comes from rejecting Jesus. Then in verse 13 we want to talk about WELCOME.
While those in hell have no rest day and night, those in heaven will rest from their labors. What does it mean to die in the Lord? The Bible declares that when you open your heart to Jesus you are in the family of God. Spiritually speaking, you are placed inside of Christ. So, when you die, you die in the Lord. To die in the Lord, you will enjoy heaven throughout eternity. Now I want to ask you again, where will you be one minute after death? Do you know Jesus?
