"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1st Corinthians 2: 9)
Ever since the tower of Babel, wicked men have been talking about a queen of heaven, yet we know that the true queen of heaven is the church, whom Christ shall marry at the wedding supper of the Lamb!
We also know that heaven is by invitation only, and all other methods need not apply.
For Jesus said,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)
And again,
"He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." (John 10: 1)
Other methods do not apply because,
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
Even while Jesus was still on earth, He said,
"Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many ye shall find, bid to the marriage." (Matthew 22: 9)
And again,
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." (John 16: 13-14)
By this we know that, for more than two thousand years, the Holy Spirit has been delivering invitations for people to know Christ, to receive forgiveness for their sin, and thereby they, too, will have a seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Lord saves people in various situations:
Zaccheus was up in a sycamore tree when he received his.
The woman at the well acknowledged her invitation when she said, "Is not this the Christ?" (John 4: 29)
The thief on the cross said, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom, and Jesus said, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23: 42-43)
What are we to learn, however, from these three people?
First, the woman at the well had had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband, so she was living in the sin of adultery.
Secondly, Zaccheus was a tax collector and he had collected more taxes than necessary; because of greed, he wanted to get rich by filling his own pockets.
Thirdly, the thief on the cross had a death-bed experience and he wanted forgiveness for his sin before he died.
The Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3: 23)
Therefore, without Christ, all of us would die in our sin and go to hell.
Nevertheless, these three and millions more have accepted their invitations to the wedding supper of the Lamb because they willingly received the Lord's forgiveness for their sin.
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." (Revelation 19: 7-8)
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall arise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1st Thessalonians 4: 16-17)
Where will you be, my friend, when we are caught up and the graduation march begins?
And again,
"He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." (John 10: 1)
Other methods do not apply because,
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
Even while Jesus was still on earth, He said,
"Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many ye shall find, bid to the marriage." (Matthew 22: 9)
And again,
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." (John 16: 13-14)
By this we know that, for more than two thousand years, the Holy Spirit has been delivering invitations for people to know Christ, to receive forgiveness for their sin, and thereby they, too, will have a seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Lord saves people in various situations:
Zaccheus was up in a sycamore tree when he received his.
The woman at the well acknowledged her invitation when she said, "Is not this the Christ?" (John 4: 29)
The thief on the cross said, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom, and Jesus said, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23: 42-43)
What are we to learn, however, from these three people?
First, the woman at the well had had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband, so she was living in the sin of adultery.
Secondly, Zaccheus was a tax collector and he had collected more taxes than necessary; because of greed, he wanted to get rich by filling his own pockets.
Thirdly, the thief on the cross had a death-bed experience and he wanted forgiveness for his sin before he died.
The Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3: 23)
Therefore, without Christ, all of us would die in our sin and go to hell.
Nevertheless, these three and millions more have accepted their invitations to the wedding supper of the Lamb because they willingly received the Lord's forgiveness for their sin.
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." (Revelation 19: 7-8)
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall arise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1st Thessalonians 4: 16-17)
Where will you be, my friend, when we are caught up and the graduation march begins?
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