Isaiah 55:6

⁶ Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.

Let me give you an incident from the scriptures.

Jesus Christ was crucified between two thieves on the cross. The two thieves committed crimes that lead them to be crucified on the cross. They both lead similar lives cheating and perhaps robbing people. Both of them had limited time on this earth. But one of them called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and asked Him to remember him as both the thieves were near to Christ. When Jesus heard one of the thief’s plea, He immediately forgave the thief. Not only did Christ forgave the thief but gave him the assurance that the thief will be with Jesus Christ in Paradise.

This is how our Lord responds when we call on His Name. There are many people in this world that even though Christ is near and just a call away fail to recognize the Lord and thus lose their own life to eternal damnation. Apart from willfully rejecting Christ, there is another event that is about to happen on this earth. This world is about to enter into a period called the Tribulation period. The Tribulation period which includes the Great Tribulation is going to last for seven years.

But before the beginning of the Tribulation period, the Church which is the body of born again believers in Christ will be instantly removed from the earth. This event is called the Rapture of the Church. Lord Jesus Christ will appear on the clouds in the mid-heavens or mid-air and will receive the Church to Himself.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Many Christians are far from believing whether this rapture event will ever happen or not. Only the Spirit of God will be able to convince them.

During this Tribulation period, the Lord who was near to those who called on Him until then, will no longer be near to the calls and cries of the people. The Bible says this in:

2 Thessalonians 2:7

⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 

Currently it is the work of Holy Spirit that is restraining the efforts of Satan to destroy the remaining peace of this world. But once the Church is raptured, God is going to remove the restrainer from restraining the Devil and his followers causing havoc on this planet. The Holy Spirit still dwells on the earth during the Tribulation period but not as before. As of now the born again believers are still on this earth worshipping the Lord, Lord Jesus Christ is allowing the Holy Spirit to restrain the evil. But during the Tribulation period it gets so difficult finding the true God as the Holy Spirit will no longer restrain the works of the devil. There will be severe persecution, famine, earthquakes and other earth shaking calamities taking place. People search for peace but won’t be able to find it. Peoples hopes will be short lived and shattered. People will believe in the false prophet and the Antichrist rather than believing in the one true God. We are seeing this happening even now. People want to believe the lies than believe in the truth.

Friends, as Jesus said this in:

Matthew 25:10

¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

Our call will only be heard by God when He is near to us. But if we are unprepared to call upon Him when He is near then it is too late to find Him when He is nowhere near us anymore.

Have you received the free gift of salvation through Christ Jesus? It is not too late. The Bible in Romans chapter 10 and verse 13 says this:

Romans 10:13

¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

In Jesus precious name! Amen.

Maranatha!

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