There are countless books, videos, and programs out there designed to prepare you to survive just about any disaster scenario you can think of. Considering the state of our world, and the increasing frequency of cataclysmic events, it may not hurt to brush up on some of them, but, as Pastor Danny warns in today’s message, Jesus’ coming is the most important thing to prepare for. Inevitably, whether it be by natural disaster, old age, or the end of this age, you will come face to face with Him.

What does it mean when Revelation says that Christ is coming soon? If these words were penned around 2000 years ago, then “soon” seems like a very loose term. As Pastor Danny confronts these words in today’s message, he walks through a number of Scriptural references to help you get a grasp on the time frame of Christ’s return. Technology, transportation and global relations are fitting in more and more every day with the prophecies found throughout God’s Word. This world is ripe for His return.

An unfortunate fact about this existence is that there are those who live in sin, and they will simply keep on doing it. God desires for them to stop, repent and be made righteous through Jesus, but many will die without ever doing that. As Pastor Danny explains in today’s message, this doesn’t mean you just give up on evangelism. As you continue to live a redeemed life through Christ, it’s your mission to bring as many as will listen into a saving knowledge of the grace that God has extended to them.

While much of today’s message focuses on the splendor and magnificence of the Paradise that awaits us as believers, verse 8 brings us pause. As Pastor Danny points out, this verse offers a stark contrast to the beautiful hope that followers of Christ have. While God desires for all men to experience Heaven, those that live in sin and reject His invitation have the complete opposite of Paradise to look forward to. They are destined for an eternity of separation from God in a place of intense suffering.

Why did God desire a temple, built by human hands? As we look forward in today’s message to the Paradise that God will establish for those who love and follow Him, Pastor Danny draws your attention back to the glorious temple built in Jerusalem. It was a beautiful work, while flawed and doomed to destruction, that was designed to reflect the magnificence of the God it honored. In the same way, you and I, and our earthly acts of worship, are temporary - but they bring glory and joy to God’s heart.

Your journey as a believer will be challenging. As you first start down that road of following Christ, your zeal for your new found love drives you and gives you hope. But, for most of us, at some point that initial emotional boost eventually subsides and then we’re stuck with living out our faith in the face of struggle after struggle. As Pastor Danny encourages us in today’s message, you must keep an eternal perspective. Think on what Christ has done and will do for us and walk on in that hope.

ot all of us are called to live exactly like Paul – traveling around, living in tents, preaching to congregations of Christians across our region. But you are called to the eternal mindset that he lived by. As Pastor Danny points out in today’s message, Paul held his own life in low regard – his dreams, aspirations, and personal needs or desires – all of these took second place to his mission to spread the Good News of Jesus to the world around him. His mind was not on the here and now, but eternity with Christ.

Hell has been the subject of much debate through the history of Christianity. People question whether it’s literally a lake of fire, and many whether it even exists. Others claim it’s only a temporary punishment for those who reject God. But, as Pastor Danny points out in the words of today’s passage, Scripture makes it clear that Hell is very real. Whether it’s a lake of fire, or whatever literal form it takes, ultimately it’s a place of eternal separation from God and you don’t want to go there.

Perhaps you think if you just ignore God’s existence, He’ll do the same with you. That ignorance may feel like bliss as you jump from pleasure to pleasure, living a life that serves self, but that feeling is short-lived. As Pastor Danny continues to lead us through our study of Revelation, we are reminded of what’s to come for the living and the dead. Those who are in Christ have already been judged and deemed righteous, but those who are not will face judgement for their sinful deeds.

All of us have dreams and aspirations. Maybe you want to travel the world and see the glories of God’s creation, or maybe you want to stay right at home, close to family and friends. But, as Pastor Danny warns us in today’s message, you need to make sure that experiences, even spiritual ones, don’t become the focus of your life. Following Jesus needs to be your top priority. This requires handing over your desires and replacing them with His, even when they directly contradict yours.