Subject 13 : The Gospel According to MATTHEW
[Chapter 24-13] Let Us Be Wise Enough to Discern the Age (Matthew 24:37-51)
(Matthew 24:37-51)
“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Spiritual revival really refers to the revival of the heart. It does not mean material prosperity or numeric growth. In fact, in order for us to live a successful spiritual life, we should have our full faith in God who will in turn strengthen our hearts. This can only be achieved when we believe in the gospel through which our Lord has blotted out all our sins and the sins of the entire human race. In other words before anything else, your problem of sin must be solved first, and only then is it possible for your heart to be strong and work for others as well.
During this morning’s worship service, I spoke about the passage of scripture, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37). At this hour, I would like to share the Word with you about spiritual revival. Does spiritual revival come us the born-again in anyway it pleases? It is quite clear that Spiritual revival comes to only those who are actually wide-awake. People are now living in this last age, and our Lord said in the Bible that the coming of the Son of Man would be like the days of Noah. Those who know the time can discern the age, and those who can discern the age can enjoy spiritual revival and carry out spiritual work. Unless one knows what God wants in this age, there cannot be any spiritual revival. So the righteous must first realize clearly in what kind of age they are now living. Furthermore, if one also realizes the will of God for their age, and what he should do now accordingly, then spiritual revival will unfold in his heart.
We Must Know the Time
Our Lord said the following to describe the circumstances of the time when His return to this world would come about: “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37-39). Jesus said here that when the end times come, people will be too busy eating and drinking, and getting married, that they will not even realize the impending doom.
So for us the born-again to have spiritual revival in our hearts, we must know and recognize the time. Put differently, we should realize what the present age is, whether it is a time of revival, a time when new sprouts come out, a time to bear fruit and harvest, or the end times of destruction. God said that just like in the days of Noah, when the end of this world nears, its people would also be preoccupied only with carnal affairs. When the flood came in the days of Noah, people at that time did not realize their imminent destruction until they were all swept away by the flood and drowned. Likewise, in this present age many people will face the same fate unless they realize the time. That is why it is so indispensable for us the born-again saints to know the times that we are living in right now, and it is when we realize this that there can be spiritual revival for us.
The Book of Ecclesiastes says that everything under the heavens has its season:
“To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
Like these beautiful words, there is a season to everything under heaven. God said that there once was a time to create this universe and a time to make His creation thrive, and there will also be a time to end His first creation. We should then realize what kind of age this present age is. And we must discern the time.
What kind of time is this present age? It is imperative that we discern clearly whether it is the time of destruction or not, whether the end of the world is imminent or still far away. Considering the symptoms of the world, in what kind of age are we now living? Jesus said that the people in the days of Noah were eating and drinking, and getting married, until they were suddenly destroyed. Are we not now also living in such an age?
In some ways, it may seem as though the Lord said nothing extraordinary here. Since people are always eating and drinking, and weddings are held all the time, we may wonder how this can be called the last age. But what the Lord said here does not mean that it is somehow wrong for people to eat and drink and get married, but it means that they have no more appetite or interest in spiritual affairs, only preoccupied with their own carnal lives. The Lord made it clear here that He will judge them if they continue to live like this, and He has also shown many signs in the world for having this attitude. If people continue to ignore these warnings in spite of all this, then one day without warning they will be destroyed suddenly. That is why the Lord said this.
There is actually nothing unusual about eating and drinking or getting married; these are unavoidable for people living on this earth. I am trying to explain what would happen in the end times by using these ordinary affairs of life. I do this to underscore the point that people all over the world have no interest at all in spiritual affairs, but they are only seeking the prosperity of their flesh and its pleasures. We are witnesses to this kind of trend today, which is been displayed, before our very eyes.
What Is Everyone All Over the World Interested in Nowadays?
I have been told that ‘reality shows’ have taken over the airwaves in the United States. For instance, there was a show called “Temptation Island” that was quite popular for some time. It put several couples, either presently engaged or planning to get married, on an empty island to live for a couple of weeks. These couples were all sure of their unchanging love for their respective partners, but the twist was that once on the island, they were introduced to other singles that would try to tempt them away from their partners. Their every move was then shot and televised.
The program appealed to the viewers’ lustful desires, which were intrigued by whether the lovers would really stay true to each other or betray their partners. Apparently, these types of reality shows are smashing hits in the United States. The couples on that particular show moved about according to the various schedules and programs crafted by the producer, all designed to tempt them into betrayal. Indeed I was told that some of them changed their hearts right away, and in many cases, they ended up betraying their partners.
Intrigued by this whole premise, a large audience enjoyed watching the show, wondering who would stay true and who would be the betrayer. They were exposed to this overrated romance thing, how lovers swearing their faithfulness can change suddenly and betray their partners when given the first opportunity, and how human beings are so pitiful and unfaithful.
Nowadays, what attracts people’s interest worldwide the most is love between the opposite sexes. So now we can see exactly what Jesus said, many people are preoccupied with finding their spouses and getting married. People nowadays are so interested in romance that not a few TV programs are focusing on such interest. There are various dating shows on TV, all based on arranging blind dates and televising what happens during the date. Many viewers watch these shows with intense interest, wondering whether the blind date would work out or not. Such shows are televised all over the world. Similar programs can be found in Japan, the United States, Europe, and Asia as well. The same trend is becoming evident all over the world.
This shows us without a doubt just how many people are so singularly obsessed with romance and finding the perfect spouse to marry. Since romance is all they are interested in, this is all that they think about. And they set the purpose of their lives on this direction. Jesus said the trend of the present age is just like in the days of Noah. The days of Noah were such that hedonism reached its height, where people were all obsessed with carnal pleasures. So when God viewed this, He could not just leave them alone any longer. The people at that time sought only carnal pleasures, rather than a normal relationship between the opposite sexes, where a man and a woman get married and produce children and them to reproduce in turn multiply in the world naturally.
A similar trend is also very evident nowadays. Rather than enjoying a normal relationship between a man and a woman, men openly seek pleasure with another man, and women with another woman. It is little wonder why it is becoming impossible for there to be any spiritual revival. This means that normal life has now disappeared, where one should thank the Lord for blotting out their sins and saving them despite their insufficiencies, and in turn spread this grace. All the TV shows in Korea are also now becoming similarly crass. When I turn on the TV, all that I see is one program after another showing bumbling fools giggling all the time in a blind date and reporters chasing after the stars’ scandals. It is so bad that to make a TV show, all that you now need is just a few men and women, throw them into some contrived plot, and then shoot whatever happens with the TV camera.
The Lord says, “Man should not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Put differently, one should really fill both spiritual and physical needs. The problem however, is that people nowadays are skewed and unbalanced toward one direction alone. It may be somewhat tolerable if they follow the flesh while following the Spirit as well, but instead, they have completely set aside spiritual matters and only seeking after only carnal things. What happens when everyone in the world follows only his or her carnal desires? God cannot help anymore but bring judgment on the human race.
Someone who knows the time they are living in is a spiritual person. To be quite frank, you and I also have both carnal and spiritual desires. There is no one who has no flesh, nor is there anyone who has no carnal desires. Everyone experiences these desires. However, you and I believe in the spiritual salvation through which the Lord has delivered us from sin. What happens when one believes in this? When one believes in this and knows the time they are living in, they are most certainly bound to think about others.
We do not believe in Jesus to turn into a living Buddha, nor are we trying to make sarira in our bodies. Buddhists believe that sarira is formed only when one restrains their carnal desires. They think that if one exerts self-discipline and restraint, crystals are formed in their body from this self-discipline, and these relics or rituals are called sarira. So when famous monks die, they are normally cremated. This is done to see if sarira would be found from their ashes, and the merits of their asceticism are assessed depending on the amount of sarira is found. If a monk produces a lot of sarira, he is then praised to have exerted extraordinary self-discipline. If this were really the case, then we may as well say that someone with a lot of kidney stones is also a man of self-control. But neither kidney stones nor sarira can be a true measure of one’s spirituality.
Spiritual Revival Is Now Unfolding in People’s Hearts
Let me say it again, the one who knows the time they live in is a spiritual person. Tell me, is this the age and time when everyone is only following his or her own flesh? This is the age when everyone is obsessed with romance. But can we completely disassociate ourselves from such an age? No, we cannot completely cut ourselves off from this world, for all of us are living in it. Yet at the same time, there is no question about it that the world is now full of filth. If we really are spiritual people, yearning for spiritual revival and wanting to lead a spiritual life, then what should we come to realize? We should clearly recognize that this present age is the time of destruction, and that the judgment of God is now imminent, just as it was before the days of Noah’s flood. We should also realize at this time that our eyes should be wide open and be fully alert, and we must share the spiritual bread with both the people of God and those who still have not come to Christ.
Spiritual revival unfolds only in these people’s hearts that are awake. Only these people’s hearts see and experience spiritual revival, although they are living in the same age as everyone else. As such, we should all desire to preach the gospel to the countless people who still have not heard it, and we should not miss this opportunity that we now have but taking advantage of it wisely. Just as the Bible says, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Romans 5:20), in this age when iniquities abound, the wise and spiritual are those who do not miss this window of opportunity but use it appropriately to share the bread of the Spirit with others and save them from sin. In addition, we should let the saved people know the time they are living in and lead them to spiritual prosperity. This is what spiritual revival is all about.
The Bible says that where sin abounds, grace also abounds. The entire world is now filled with sin. Prostitution is widespread in many countries, and this killer AIDS, especially in sub-Saharan African countries, is a big plague in this region. In some of these countries, over half the population is suffering from AIDS. With liberalization, many former Communist countries have also rapidly degenerated into moral decay filled with sin. Nowadays, a huge number of people do not even want to get married. Many women would rather bear children without getting married; for such women, all that they have to do is just go to a sperm bank and pay for artificial insemination. A number of women already bear children like this, as they do not desire to get married, and thereby find their joy in raising their own children.
Many theological students in Korea travel to the United States to pursue graduate studies. I once heard one of them saying, “I went to the United States to get my doctoral degree in theology, but I came back blindfolded.” This man gave up his studies halfway because he just could not bear to stay in the United States any more. He could not put up with all the public displays of affection that were blatantly of a crass sexual orientation and rampant everywhere, from the hallway to the remote corners of the campus, out in the streets and in the cars, all done in broad daylight with no shame. He had thought that such explicit scenes were only found in movies, but he saw them widespread everywhere he went. Aghast at what he saw, he felt that he had to either blindfold himself or leave the country. He was sure that if he had stayed there to get his doctoral degree, he himself would have been completely defiled. So he chose to return to Korea without finishing his studies.
However, grace abounds where sin abounds. If iniquities abound like this, then it means that the gospel power can also work great wonders. We must seize this opportunity to spread the gospel. That is what spiritual revival is all about. First and foremost, spiritual revival requires us to believe with our hearts that the Lord has blotted out all our sins. So let us all believe in this and live in gratitude. If we strengthen our hearts with the gospel, and preach this gospel to everyone before the end of this world comes, then spiritual revival will surely unfold.
The Gospel of the Water and the Spirit That Saves Everyone from All Sins
Are we not preaching the gospel all over the world through a gospel store that we opened? Indeed we are publishing our books to preach the gospel to the countless people in this whole world, and to this end we have opened our Internet site to distribute them. Through this means, we are now spreading the gospel, and this gospel of the water and the Spirit is what saves these people. In other words, no matter how sin may abound, the gospel of the water and the Spirit makes it more than possible for everyone to receive the remission of sin and be saved.
Other than the gospel of the water and the Spirit, there is no way for anyone to be saved from this world that is filled with so many sins. Without this gospel, no one can receive the remission of sin. Without this gospel, we cannot help but be swept away along with this sinful world. Traditional values, ethics, and morals are disappearing from the world, while iniquities abound like never before. The world is currently only pursuing material prosperity and carnal pleasures, and this goes on unabated, and no one can escape from this unstoppable tide. Everyone is being swept away in this tide trying to satisfy his or her own lusts, whether directly or indirectly.
However, we have the gospel of Truth that can save people from all these sins. When our Lord came to this earth He was baptized and took upon all our sins. And by being condemned on the Cross to atone for our sins; by this righteous Act He saved us from the condemnation of all our sins. Our Lord has made you and me sinless, and He has saved everyone all over the world. Now, whoever believes in this gospel will surely be saved. No matter in what kind of sin people may be trapped in, this gospel of the water and Spirit is more than able to save them from their sins.
You and I must recognize all these things. We must acknowledge our sins, recognize the prevailing current evil in this age, admit that this present age is in the time of destruction, and also admit that everyone is following the flesh as iniquities abound in the world. We must admit most people living today are like this. You and I are not any different. And we must acknowledge this precious gospel of the water and the Spirit. Finally, we must recognize that in these end times we are now living is just like the days of Noah, we must therefore preach this gospel more fervently.
You and I must understand and recognize this age. We must admit that now is the very time or age this world is going to be destroyed. When the world was destroyed for the first time, it was in the same state as it is now. I know that some people would argue against this and say, “People said such things before, but the Lord has not come yet. The famous Dami Mission said this, as did Adventists and Nostradamus; they all predicted the end of the world, but were they not all wrong?”
My fellow believers, a spiritual person is someone who knows the right time. Those who are spiritually revived, and those who yearn for this spiritual revival in their hearts, know what kind of age this time is and work faithfully. If we knew what hour the Lord would come, then we would be able to prepare ourselves. Jesus said, “If the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.” A spiritual person is such a person. A spiritual person knows beforehand when the thief would come, and he is ready for it. One who is awake is a spiritual person. He is preparing everything to be ready. None other than this is a spiritual person, and it is these very people who stir up spiritual revival.
Some houses are so vulnerable that it seems as if a thief can just break in at anytime. Some people are so relaxed and neglect their homes, and are really an easy target for thieves. When you take a look around your neighborhood, can you tell if it is a safe neighborhood or not? When you are looking for a house to buy, you can easily find out whether the house you are considering is a livable place or not. Without even going into the house, you can usually tell a vulnerable house when you see one and realize that you need to take some protective measures before moving in, and that without these measures, you would just be opening up yourself for thieves to break in.
However, some people do not take the necessary steps even when they realize this, and then have great regrets after their homes have been broken into and suffer a great loss. A spiritual person who is awake prepares himself. If you knew what time the thief would come, would you not watch out and be vigil? Of course you would. Spiritually speaking it is the same; those who are ready like this are wise. They are the watchful people. And they are the ones who have spiritual eyes and revival in their hearts.
The Lord said that He would come like a thief in the night. Does any thief give you a call before breaking into your home? No, of course not. You never know when the thief might come, whether he would come during the day, at dawn, at dusk, at midnight, or while you are enjoying your meal with your family. No one knows when the thief might come. However, the watchful are fully aware that the thief would come, and they take the necessary precautionary measures, no matter what time the thief may actually come. For instance, they install high quality burglar proofing and security systems to alert any break-ins, even have armed response connected to their homes. They take these extreme safety measures in the effort to protect their homes and properties, to apprehend the thief or thieves no matter when they may come, no matter what time of the day, and they are confident that the thief would be caught.
Those Who Yearn for Spiritual Revival
Like this example, if we knew when our Lord would come, then we would also spread the gospel diligently and work hard to ensure that everyone who is to be saved would indeed receive the remission of sin. And then we would wait for the Lord. If we devote all our energy to carry out our entrusted task of spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth, it is then that the Lord will return to us. Spiritual people are only too happy to receive the Lord. So for you to enjoy spiritual revival, you must believe in this gospel with your whole heart, and you should also spread it around. You should preach the gospel and realize in what age you are now living, and should not miss the importance of this time. You and I must become this kind of people. Spiritual revival must arise in our hearts like the sun rising in the morning. Knowing the time we are now living in, we must believe in the Word of God, spread this Word by faith, and prepare for the day of the Lord’s return by faith. We must prepare everything beforehand by faith, and implement them beforehand.
Do you want spiritual revival to unfold in your heart? Do you really want to live a spiritual life, do you really desire to become a worker of righteousness, and do you really believe with your heart in the gospel through which the Lord has blotted out all your sins and mine? Then you must believe in this gospel, hold on to it, preach it and ‘trade’ in this gospel. You must run the business of preaching the gospel well and harvest abundant fruit as profit for the Master. Such types of people are spiritual people, and they are the ones who have stirred up spiritual revival. Those who unite their hearts with these people and serve the gospel with them will be greatly blessed.
However, if you do not know the time you are living in, then you can only be a useless servant, no matter how you may have been saved, how great your faith may be, and how you may try not to commit any sin. For instance, there may be a time even for running a business, but this is dependant on whether now is a good time to run a certain type of business or not, this would ultimately determine your success. A recent cold spell in Seoul resulted in the bursting of many homes’ water supply pipes, and I heard that for a while takeout food was selling like hotcakes.
Since the water supply pipes were broken and the main town supply was turned off, people could not prepare any food for themselves, and so they bought takeout food instead. So a number of restaurants offering takeout food hit the jackpot. My fellow believers, you must know when it is the right time. If you are running a takeout restaurant, and your business is now thriving with soaring profits, then you should prepare a lot more dishes than before to satisfy the growing demand, this just makes good business sense. Only then can you seize the opportunity and make huge profits while you still can.
We are now spreading the gospel by sending our books all over the world. I recently received a call from Rev. Kim, who is in charge of our literature ministry in the United States, informing me that shipping costs to this country have skyrocketed. The price of postage has also gone up so much that even a postal worker told Pastor Kim that he was caught by surprise as well. Inflation in the United States is now starting to edge up markedly, and this world leading economy is now looking to be in serious trouble. Those who know the times they are living in are wise, and it is these people who are blessed. If you and I really yearn for spiritual revival to unfold in our hearts, then we must realize in what kind of age we are now living in, recognize it, believe it, and preach the gospel.
As for myself, I know very well what this present age is. You probably also know well what kind of age this age is. So there is even more reason why we, who are now living in this age, must never turn toward the things of the flesh. But I am not saying here that you should try to be utterly pious like the Pharisees and 100 percent perfect. I do not believe that we have to live like this, with these ‘facemasks’ like these false religious runners. Even though you and I are just like everyone else living in the same present age, what sets us apart from the fleshly and worldly people is that we have been truly saved. The fact that we have the gospel of the water and the Spirit and we are preaching this gospel is what distinguishes us from the carnal people who have not been born again. Because of this distinction, we are able to kindle spiritual revival, and we are indeed actually stirring up spiritual revival right now in this time.
Let’s Believe in the Gospel, Hold It Fast in Our Hearts, and Run the Business of the Gospel Faithfully
We are now preaching the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We are distributing e-books through our website, and paper books to those who request them by email. Right now Wonju Church is responsible for distributing our books all over the world. At minimum, several hundred copies are sent out on any given day, and sometimes, thousands or even tens of thousands of copies are sent all at once to our partners who have agreed to distribute them on our behalf. Recently, we sent money to a partner in India to publish 8,000 copies of our books in Tamil. When an Indian visits our website and requests our Tamil versions, we will relay his shipping information to our Indian partner, and this partner will then ship our books to that address. He also offered to advertise the first two titles of our English books in his magazine.
India has many Hindus who worship cows and wash themselves in the Ganges River. India’s population is touching 10 billion, it is a huge spiritual market filled with countless lost souls. While we should provide all the support that is possible to preach the gospel to India, I believe that investing $100,000 would be enough for us to spread the gospel to a considerable extent. I am confident that if $100,000 is invested in India, we should be able to preach the gospel to most people living in urban areas, though not throughout the whole country.
India has several major languages. We have decided to translate our books into all the major languages currently in use in India today and publish them so that it can be shared around. I am sure that once we make this investment, the gospel will be spread in India to a considerable extent. The gospel is being spread not just in India, but also in other countries. So far, our books have been translated into dozens of languages and in dozens of countries, but it is has been a lot easier and effective to spread the gospel through the Internet.
You and I must believe in the gospel, hold it dear in our hearts, and set our minds to run the business of the gospel. We must not miss this window of opportunity, believing that now is the last age. If we miss this present opportunity, we will not be able to spread the gospel, nor is there any way for us to prosper. Once the American economy begins to decline, it is bound to drag down the whole global economy. Adverse economic effects will be felt everywhere in a very short time.
Fortunately, a way is now opening for South Korea to establish a direct link with Europe. I am sure that once North Korea opens up and South Korea establishes a direct rail route to Europe, it will have a positive impact on our economy that has been struggling in the past, and it will also foster an ideal opportunity to spread the gospel. Our government is now working on this economic initiative. Russian President Putin will be visiting Korea in a few days` time. One of his objectives for this visit is to sell Russia’s natural gas to South Korea. There is so much natural gas buried underground in Russia that the people there cannot possible use it all. So President Putin’s idea is to sell liquefied natural gas to South Korea either by connecting a railway or building a pipeline through North Korea. South Korea also has a huge amount of products. It can in turn sell them to Russia through the railway, and vice versa.
Russia is really an eastern European country. If South Korea succeeds with its diplomatic initiatives toward its northern neighbors, it will emerge as a formidable powerhouse in Asia. And it will also become an important hub of trade and commerce. If God decides to open up Europe and North Korea, then it will be completed in the near future, and in fact, it is actually now being implemented step by step. This means Europe and Asia are opening up its markets wide open. The national needs of the countries involved are the driving motives of such projects. Expanding economic cooperation and exchange is what all the participating countries desire, from South Korea to Russia and North Korea. North Korea will benefit from the income it would receive for providing the passage, while the South Korean economy will receive a big boost from establishing a new Silk Road that will enable it to reach China, Russia, and Europe via North Korea.
Since I am talking about politics and economics and discussing what will happen to the world, some people may get the impression that I have studied a lot on these issues. But actually, I have not studied them that much. I am just telling you these things because I believe in the Word of God, and I know what God will do. Whatever God says He will do, I believe in it, do you also? Do you realize what kind of age this present age is? We are living in an age when ideology no longer matters, but anything is possible with money. At the very core of this present age are only money and pleasures. This means that the present age is the last age. The Bible says that the gospel would be preached vigorously for one last time before the end, and now is precisely such a time. Moreover, as this window of opportunity is not that long, it will be closed in a few years` time.
The entire world at its end will be ravaged by economic warfare. This will be accompanied by devastating natural disasters. New unknown diseases will break out from environment destruction and become widespread. It was announced not too long ago that the entire world is now exposed to the risk of mad cow disease. Korea is also at risk. If it is reported that some one hundred and plus countries in the world are swept away by mad cow diseases, no country in the world can be excluded from this debilitating risk of mad cow disease.
As the result many people all over the world may die at any time. As one-third will die from disease and another third from war, a massive number of people will die in the years to come. Think about this: It is not just 100,000 or 200,000 people dying, but 2 billion dying at once from the entire world population of 6 billion. It is very well possible for 500 million or 1 billion people to die at once not only from SARS or mad cow disease, but from new, terrifying disease that has been neither seen nor heard of before. Countless people all round the world will drop dead in massive numbers.
How do I know this? It is not my own knowledge, but I know this through the Word of God, as I have the Holy Spirit in me. A number of people will not be included among the dead, as God may especially spare those who preach the gospel and live for its sake. However, those who have not devoted themselves to the gospel may die along with the rest when a massive number of people die at that time. Think about 500 million people dying at once. Do you still believe that it is not the end?
I am not saying these things to scare you. Believe me. I am just telling you the facts as they are. When pandemics break out with unknown diseases that are far more infectious than mad cow disease and AIDS plaguing the whole world, and natural disasters strike everywhere, hundreds of millions of people will die all over the world. But if you should live in denial and think that this present age is not near the end of the world, and instead realize it only when the end is actually upon you, then it will be too late. You must see into the near future and realize that the end times are right here at the door. Does this scenario become patently obvious even just by hearing what scientists and doctors have to say? You must believe and recognize that the end is near to you. And you must know the time you are living in.
Those who yearn for spiritual revival recognize the time. And they preach the gospel. To these people, our Lord will give everything He has. Just as the Lord said in His parable that the master would entrust his everything to his faithful servant, so will we receive everything that our Master has. We will receive the Kingdom of Heaven as well as the Millennial Kingdom, and then all His glory. But what will happen to those who do not believe in the coming end times and refuse to live for the gospel?
Let us turn to the Word here: “But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:48-51).
This verse is very descriptive which says, only death awaits such people who deny and disbelieve that this is the same time as that of Noah’s flood; who just eat and drink with their friends; who wreak havoc and destruction without care; and who live only for themselves, not caring whether other souls die or not, as if they have the conviction of, “Even if the planet is destroyed tomorrow, I will drink today and be merry.” God said that He will not only punish such unspiritual people severely, but even worse, He will cast them into hell. He will treat them like the Pharisees, saying to them sternly, “Your salvation has been cancelled. You will be appointed your portion with the hypocrites.” In other words, those who do not serve the gospel will be treated in the same way as those who have not been born again.
In God’s sight, the most ungrateful people are those who don’t believe in His Word. Anyone who does not believe in the Word of God even after being born again is guilty of ingratitude. When the King speaks to His officers, they should all listen attentively. If they instead ignore the King and do not believe in His Word, then they are simply asking for His wrath to be poured out on them. The Bible says that these people will be weeping and gnashing their teeth that show contempt.
I am not saying that this will happen to you. You and I have already received the remission of sin. What I am saying, is that we must know and recognize the times we are living in, and we must stir up spiritual revival. Realizing that this very moment is the best time to preach the gospel to everyone who is dying from sin, we must not miss this opportunity. We must take full advantage of this window of opportunity and run the business of the gospel. Now is the time for us to preach the gospel to all those around us, to our families, and to everyone scattered around the world, through whatever means that is available to us—through the Internet, through our printed books and e-books, through emails, and through our lips. It is time for us to kindle spiritual revival and save every soul by preaching this gospel.
That is my message in a nutshell. Those who yearn for spiritual revival are those who know and recognize what kind of age this present time is, who are faithful to God and who share the spiritual bread with God’s people and those who still have not become God’s people. You and I must stir up spiritual revival. And we must live by our spiritual faith. Even though right now we are living in this world without much power, God is still working through us. He is working through our sisters, through our brothers, through our students at the Mission School, through each department in the Church, and through every individual saint. In short, God is making each and every one of us labor to spread and serve the gospel.
We are now kindling spiritual revival across the whole world, pooling our strengths from God’s Churches throughout Korea and including the servants of God and His saints that are scattered all over the world. Remember God only works through us; we are His lips, His hands, His feet, and His body. Do not swerve from the pathway believe solidly, let us then with this firm faith and belief, spark the light of spiritual revival in these end times and keep it burning to the very end. Let us together set off spiritual revival all over the world.
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