Revelation 9:20

The rest of mankind. This is during the time of the tribulation in the future, when the Lord unleashes judgment on the world. The rest of mankind who were not killed by the plagues did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons. They kept which neither can see nor hear nor walk, and they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their immorality, nor of their thefts. God’s judgment in the future will be unleashed on the world. They will fear it. They will cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of his fury.

Repent? No. They’re afraid, but they’re not saved. They believe the truth, but they’re not saved. They understand the truth, but they’re not saved. And there are many who feel guilty. Guilt is a major problem in the world, in the lives of people. Many people who feel guilty. I think about Felix. In Acts 24, he arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul. He was a Roman authority and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. Here’s this pagan gentile listening to Paul speak the gospel. And as he was discussing righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened.

Why was he frightened? Because he was wicked, and his sin was being exposed. And what was his reaction? Go away for the present, and when I find time, I’ll summon you. He felt conviction of guilt. He wasn’t saved. And there are many who desire salvation. They’re not saved. The rich young ruler comes running up to Jesus. Matthew 19 says, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life? And when Jesus told him, he went away without it, wasn’t willing to pay the price. There are many who are very religious, and they’re not saved.

Like the scribes and Pharisees, who had an inadequate self-righteousness. There are many who exalt Jesus Christ as superior, and they’re not saved. That’s right. They exalt Jesus Christ. They lift up Jesus Christ. Matthew 21 verse 9. Jesus comes into the city on Palm Sunday, and they say, Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. This is the prophet Jesus. And a few days later, what did they do? Crucified him. When the leaders of the Mormon Church came to see me, they said, we’re drawn to your material.

We’re drawn to your preaching. We’re drawn to your teaching. They said, we’re drawn there because you have a knowledge of scripture. We’re drawn there because we believe too, in the scripture, like you do. We’re drawn there, they said, because we understand that God has spoken and we desire the salvation that he offers. And they said, we’re drawn especially to your writings because you exalt Jesus Christ and we do too. Christ is our Lord and Christ is our Saviour, they said, and we love Christ. And they said, we’re concerned because there are many people in the Mormon Church that don’t have a passion for Jesus Christ like we do.

They’re very nominal, second, third, fourth, fifth generation Mormons, very apathetic and indifferent toward Christ. And we, we want to see a renewal in the Mormon Church where people come again to really confess Jesus as Lord and really love Jesus Christ. Boy, that sounds good, doesn’t it? They believe the Bible. They have the knowledge. They believe in it. They understand God’s judgment. They feel conviction about sin. They desire salvation. They’re very religious and they acknowledge the superiority of Christ and they’re not saved. That became evident to me when I asked them, who is God? And they told me, well, first of all, God is not a Trinity.

I read the Mormon theology this last week just to brush up. A new book has been written by the Mormons and they’ve got their whole theology in it. God used to be a man and somehow evolved into a spirit being. He’s not a Trinity. Somewhere along the line he created Christ who is a created man and so it goes. What makes the difference? How can you tell a transformed life? Well, first of all, when you’re dealing with somebody in a cult like that, you’ve got to come down to accurate biblical facts about Christ.

But what you look at in the life is evidence of internal transformation, penitence, a real hatred of sin that comes from the heart. It’s not just pharisaical or superficial. Righteousness, a profound longing for what is right from the heart, glad submission and yielding to Christ’s lordship, a love for his sovereign leadership, eager hearing and complying with everything in God’s word, and a passionate love for God, disdain for the world and love for believers. Those are the evidences. It’s those things that show your life has been changed, transformed inside out. Jesus gave the ultimate invitation and along this line in Matthew 20, Matthew 7 21, he said, there’s going to be a time when not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

It’s not the sayers, but the doers. He who does the will of my father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons in your name perform many miracles and then I will declare to them, I never knew you depart from me. You workers of iniquity, literally people are going to say, Oh, we’re there. We’re, we’re, we belong to you and he’s going to say, I don’t know you at all. He said it’s the difference between somebody who hears these words of mine and acts on them.

He’s like a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain descended and that speaks of judgment. The flood came, the winds blew and burst against that house. It didn’t fall because it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act upon them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and burst against that house and it fell and great was its fall. It’s not what you say, it’s what you do that gives evidence of the transformation in your life.

So when you do the test, you do your spiritual inventory and look at the outside, not what you say, look at the inside. Has your life been changed so that it is characterized by penitence, righteousness, submission, obedience and love? To the church at Sardis, Revelation 3, Jesus said this, I know your deeds that you have a name that you are alive but you are dead. Boy, what a statement. You have a name that you’re alive but you are dead. I’m reminded in closing of the words of Isaac Watts, the great hymn writer, How helpless, guilty nature lies, unconscious of its load.

The heart unchanged can never rise to happiness and God. The will perversed, the passions blind, in paths of ruin stray, reason debased can never find. The safe, the narrow way, cannot beneath a power divine. The stubborn will subdue, tis thine, almighty saviour thine. To form the heart anew, o change these wretched hearts of ours and give them life divine. Then shall our passions and our powers almighty Lord be thine. No amount of resolution, no amount of religious activity can transform the heart, only Christ, only Christ. So back to where we started.

Test yourselves to see if you’re in the faith, examine yourselves. If you’re genuine, you’ll know, unless you’re living in a pattern of willful sin for a time, so that as Peter says, your calling and election is in doubt to you. In that case, you need to repent of those sins. In any case, you need to repent of those sins so that you can become a true believer. Or, as a believer, enjoy the assurance of your salvation. Thank you for joining us in this exploration of Revelation 9.20. Until next time, remember to keep the faith, stay strong, and continue to shine your light in the world.

To hear these daily devotions of your daily bread, please log on to goddessgovernment.com. Goodbye, and may your faith always lead the way. [tr:trw].