Revelation 3:7 (NKJV) “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens...
It's interesting that the Lord quotes Isaiah. Isaiah 22:22 (NKJV) "The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open."
But the Lord continues and says in Revelation 3:8 (NKJV) “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name."
Never get angry that the Lord closed the church unless sin is in the camp. It's called "removal of the lampstand."
Did you know that in a packed church where great music is played, and false doctrine is taught that the presence of the Lord departed. It's called, the removal of the "lampstand."
I don't regret for one moment why a door closes because His will be done. We may not like it, but the Lord rules over all and His plans and purposes will be fulfilled without our permission. We don't fight and we don't complain.
You look at how deceived SOME people are in the church and how deceived sinning people are and 1 Timothy 4:1-4 comes to mind. Then 2 Timothy 3:1-9 comes to mind as well. We really don't have a clue as to what time it is.
Matthew 24:4-14 (NKJV) And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
You can't help but pray that folk would come out of the deception but when people want to be deceived, it's what they want. You can always tell when people are deceived.
They talk about politics, the 2024 elections, the immigration crisis, the gas prices increasing, the cost of living increases, and other issues. Many people are talking about Trump coming in to save the day, but 4 years can come and go very quickly, then what?
What does judgment from God look like?
It look like what we're seeing in America and in other nations. When you turn your back on God, the Lord sends judgment to get your attention. When we still aren't paying attention, it only gets worse.
You look at the politicians and they know exactly how to fix certain things but they refuse to do so because of the love of money.
1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NKJV) "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
Man is trying to serve two masters but the Lord says that you can't.
Matthew 6:24 (NKJV) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
James 5:1-6 (NKJV) "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you."
The environment is unmistakably right for the coming of the Lord.
So if you're upset when a church door closes it's doors, if the pastor and His people have done no sin, or corrected the sin that was in the pastor and in some of the people, they've lived holy from that point on, corrected doctrine and fell back on the only gospel, they've evangelized the area where they were, they've prayed, and fulfilled the great commission, and the Lord closed the door, just be thankful that He used you for the time He used you.
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