Eternal Rewards Pt. 7

There is a question worth sitting with today, one that has the power to reorient everything about how you live: Are you paying attention to what is happening around you? Not just in the news cycle. Not just in your neighborhood or your workplace. But spiritually. Are you alert to the signs of the times? Are you sensitive to the shift taking place in the world and within the church itself? Colossians 3:2 issues a direct command — set your mind and keep it habitually focused on the things above, the heavenly things, not on the things of the earth that carry only temporary value. That word "habitually" is doing a lot of work in that verse. It is not a one-time adjustment. It is a daily, intentional posture of the heart.

Time Is Not What You Think It Is
One of the most jarring realities that can reshape your perspective is understanding how God views time. In 2 Peter 3:8, the scripture makes clear that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. That is not poetry. That is a window into the divine perspective on time itself. Consider what that means practically. If you are 55 years old and you do the math — converting your years into God's timetable — you have been on this earth for roughly one hour and nineteen minutes. One hour and nineteen minutes. The decades that feel so long, the years that feel so heavy, the seasons that seem to stretch on forever — in God's economy, they are barely a breath. This is not meant to minimize your life. It is meant to elevate your focus. When you understand how brief your time on earth actually is in the grand scope of eternity, the urgency to live for something beyond yourself becomes undeniable.

The Condition of the World and the Church
The apostle Paul warned Timothy — and by extension, all of us — that the last days would carry recognizable characteristics. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, he described a world where people would love only themselves and their money, where pride and disobedience would be normalized, where nothing would be considered sacred, and where people would maintain a form of religion while rejecting the power that could actually transform them.
Look around. These are not distant prophecies. They are present realities. Churches in America are closing. Believers who once burned with passion for God are now comfortable in spiritual indifference. The sacred has been redefined. What was once called evil is now called good, and what was once called good is now called intolerant — just as Isaiah 5:20 warned. This is not a time for alarm. It is a time for awareness. And more than awareness, it is a time for urgency.

What Is Being Held Back
Here is something the church must grasp: according to 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, there is a force of lawlessness already at work in the world, but it is being restrained. The restrainer is the church — the body of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, walking in truth, praying, ministering, and enforcing the standards of God's kingdom on the earth. When the church is caught away — raptured — that restraint is removed. And what follows is a seven-year period of tribulation unlike anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again, as Jesus himself declared in Matthew 24:21. This is not meant to frighten you. It is meant to awaken you to the weight of your assignment. You are not just a person attending services. You are part of a living organism that is literally holding back the full manifestation of darkness in the earth. That is the power of the church. That is the power available to every believer.

The Tribulation: A Sobering Timeline
The book of Revelation, beginning in chapter 6, pulls back the curtain on what unfolds during that seven-year period. The Lamb opens the seals, and with each one, a new wave of judgment is released upon the earth. The first rider brings deception on a global scale. The second strips peace from the earth entirely. The third brings famine so severe that basic food becomes a luxury. The fourth brings death to a fourth of the earth's population. The fifth reveals the souls of those martyred for their faith, crying out for justice. The sixth unleashes cosmic disruption — earthquakes, the sun darkened, the moon turned to blood, stars falling, mountains and islands shifted from their places. And through all of it, the people left on earth — including kings, the wealthy, and the powerful — will attempt to hide from the wrath of the Lamb rather than run to him for salvation. They will recognize him. But recognition without repentance leads only to judgment. This is the sobering reality: every person alive today has access to grace, mercy, and the love of God right now. That door remains open. But there is a moment coming when the season of the church's witness on earth will close.

The Urgency of Now
Even in the tribulation, God does not abandon humanity. Angels will proclaim the gospel. The Holy Spirit will move. People will still come to faith — some at the cost of their lives. That is how relentless the love of God is toward his creation. But why would anyone wait for the most difficult period in human history to turn to God, when his grace is freely available today? This is the call. Tell someone about Jesus. Not because it is a religious obligation, but because eternity is real, the wrath to come is real, and the love of God that paid the price to rescue every person from it is also real. Set your affection on things above. Build your life around what lasts. Pray. Forgive quickly. Serve faithfully. Because the rewards of eternity are shaped by the faithfulness of today — and today, you have been on this earth for less than two hours. Make every minute count.