As we see, two kinds of people, the same kind of people that exist in the world today, saved and lost. It's that simple. In the fifth seal and the sixth seal, we have a picture of the two kinds of people in the world, saved in the lost. We'll pick up again probably in Revelation chapter 12, the sixth seal next week. But we still see the two different kinds of people. In verse 9, Revelation chapter 6, and when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. In Revelation chapter 9, we'll finish this. And they cried with a loud voice saying, how long will Lord, holy and true, does not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Do you have a right to be angry if someone persecutes you as a Christian? Yes. Yes. Absolutely. Yes. How long, Lord, are you going to avenge us? How long will it be? And white robes were given unto them, every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for low season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren. That should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Revelation chapter 20 verses 4 and 5, we have a picture of their brethren who were beheaded for their testimony. How long, Lord, what were they waiting for? Well, they're waiting for God to avenge their blood and they're waiting for their brand new glorified bodies which they haven't received yet. They have white grobes, they're visible, they're seen, they're people, but they're waiting for their new glorified bodies. The Lord said, wait until the rest of the people during a seven-year tribulation are killed who have a testimony for the Lord Jesus perhaps. So we have a picture of the saved during the tribulation but we also have a picture in 12 through 16 of those that are lost. We'll pick this up again next week but in the meantime go if you will in your Bibles to the Gospel of John chapter 2. The Gospel of John chapter 2, all the way back here in the Old Testament. Yeah, it's the Old Testament. It's a New Testament book, but it's Old Testament prophecy. John chapter 2 verse 18, then answered the Jews and said unto him, to him what sign shows thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things. Jesus answered and said unto them, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews forty and six years was this temple in building, and with thou raise it up in three days, but he spoke of the temple of his body, the death, burial, and the resurrection, which is the gospel. Chapter 3, verse 15, Christ died on the cross, was buried and rose again. Why did He do that? Verse 15, chapter 3, that who so ever believed in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that's everybody, that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, that who so ever believed in Him, He died was buried and rose again. Should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Begotten Son. We have here a picture of the age that we're living in called the age of grace, the church age. We call it the age of grace because you have until the day you die to put your faith in trust in Jesus Christ. After you die, if you have never trusted Christ, you will go to a place called Hades. Look up up here just a little chart, if you will. I'm gonna give you a fictitious scenario. Good it may not be completely fictitious, but I'm gonna give it to you anyway. Let's take an average family, if you would. We're gonna name the husband Eddie. Sounds good to me. And then his wife will call her Henrietta. That's a good name. And Henrietta and Eddie have two little children. They're just little kids. Eddie was married once. He had a 17-year-old son called Eddie Jr., and that makes sense, right? And of course, Eddie had a lot of friends, one of his friends will call Paul, and so Eddie and his family lived during the age that we're living in right here, the age of grace. Someday this age of grace will end with the rapture of the church. Now with that in mind, remember what we just read. He that believeth on him, Jesus Christ, is not condemned. He that believeth not is condemned already. So let's go over to the first desolonians, if you will, all the way over here. Pick it up over here in the first desolonians, after four, first desolonians, chapter four. Eddie is a Christian. Let's suppose Eddie is a Christian. He goes to church, he reads his Bible, and he's pretty happy basically. He knows he has eternal life, but his wife isn't happy with him. She's not a Christian. When Eddie goes to church, she doesn't like it. When Eddie witnesses in public, she gets angry. She says, you're embarrassing me. You and your Bible. But Eddie doesn't care. He just keeps right on going. He picks his Bible up. He reads it. He studies it. He prays for his wife. He prays for his friend Paul. told his friend Paul how to be saved. Paul wouldn't listen. He told his 17-year-old son how to be saved his 17-year-old son wouldn't listen. As a matter of fact, he spoilt a little brat. He blamed mom and dad for all the problems because his dad divorced his mother and got remarried. And Eddie Jr. just used his dad's excuse to feel sorry for himself. You know how that works. Refuses to trust Christ as a savior. My dad did. I don't need to. And so in a period of time The rapture, by the way, Eddie was a bus driver. Let's put it that way. He was a bus driver. I'm using that fictionist scenario for a reason. And he was a handy. He could fix almost anything. All of his neighbors came to Eddie for help to fix things. He didn't make much money as a bus driver, but they made a good living. And everything in the house was fixed, and everything worked well because Eddie was pretty handy. Eddie knew a lot of people who died that were saved, and they all went to heaven up there. They were buried, their bodies were buried in the ground, but they themselves went to heaven. Eddie also knew some people who were lost, and they died. They were also buried, their bodies were, but they went to a place called Hades. That's where God had reserved a place for all of those who were lost who had never trusted Christ because they are condemned already. But those who went to heaven are not condemned. Why because they put their faith in Christ? Haven't they get the idea to do that from the gospel? Somebody preached the gospel. You see, the gospel is always preached. The gospel is preached today. The gospel will be preached during the second year of tribulation. The gospel always rest on accountability. Remember I said something about the little baby in the womb? How can a little baby believe or disbelieve the gospel? They can't. So God does not hold them accountable. They are innocent. A little child from the age of whatever until the age that they hear the gospel or they are held accountable Until they reach that age of accountability are innocent, God, because they're not obligated to believe or disbelieve. Their parents don't take them to church, they never heard the gospel. They know something about Jesus, something about the Bible, but they've never been faced with making that decision. They are innocent. You follow me so far? Okay. So someday, while Eddie is still alive, the rapture takes place. Eddie and his two little children, because they're not held accountable, are taken directly into heaven. And so, let's suppose, and his wife, by the way, she's a real estate agent, she loves it because she always gets to hobb and up with all the influential people. And they go out for dinner and cocktails, and she just loves it. All the attention she gets, and Eddie's just not good enough for. Just not good enough. He's a preacher. Not really a preacher, but he preaches. And so the rapture takes place, and Eddie and his little children come up missing, along with millions of others. And the people that are left behind, and he knows his wife, his 17-year-old son, and his friend Paul, are left behind. And so Henrietta comes home, and she drives into the driveway, and just about that time, the rapture takes place. And she didn't realize it. She walks into the house, and she had a babysitter watching the kids, and the babysitter was hysterical. Oh, the kids are gone. What do you mean they're gone? I don't know, they just come up missing. And so Henrietta calls the police and she dialed 911, no answer. Busy, busy, busy, busy. Can't get through. She's screaming. The babysitter's screaming. Where did they go? And then she tries calling her husband, but no answer. Later on, she realizes that the bus or her husband was driving had a crash and wrecked and all happened to other people who were killed because he was taken into the rapture and he was a bus driver and a bus. She didn't realize that at the time. Keep trying to call 911. Turns on the TV and realizes all of these tragic things are going on. Still, it just doesn't seem to sink in. For Henrietta, I feel sorry for her. And so she's left behind. And so Paul, his good friend Paul, he remembers Eddie was giving him to gospel all these years. And so Paul realizes there must be something going on here. And he comes over to Henry at his knocks on the doorstep. Have you seen Eddie? No, haven't seen him. Haven't seen the kids they're missing. And the neighbor lady comes running out of the house, screaming and screaming. Oh, my baby, I was pregnant and my baby was gone. Oh, can you imagine all these things going on? Can you imagine all these things are going to take place? Eddie's in heaven. His two children are in heaven. And then there's Paul. He says something must have taken place. something is going on. He manages to find a Bible and he was right. He came to a conclusion that Jesus Christ died on a cross for his sins. He didn't believe it. After the rapture takes place, there's going to be millions of religious people left behind. They were in some church. They didn't hear the truth or they just didn't believe it. One way or the other, but millions of religious people are going to be left behind. When those people are left behind, they're going to be faced with a decision. Now put my faith in Jesus Christ or am I going to go on with my religious attitude or what am I going to do? Paul on the other hand realizes he made a mistake and so he put his faith in Christ at the beginning of the seven-year tribulation, the first three-and-a-half years, and guess what? He lost his life. Somebody said to him, are you going to reject Jesus Christ? He said, no, I'm afraid I just can't do that. And so they take his life. And Paul winds up. And that's where we read in Revelation chapter 6, the souls of them who were under the altar for their testimony. My point is this, what one of them, how would you like to miss the rapture? How would you like to be faced with the anti-crash? How would you like to be faced with a decision in the seven-year tribulation? Well, what am I going to do with the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I going to believe this religious anti-Christ and all those religious organizations that are left behind? Am I going to be religious? Am I going to accept the mark of the beast? Or am I going to be strong and am I going to be put in my faith in Jesus Christ? The way I should have done before the rapture. What am I going to do exactly? Just turn over here to the second Thessalonians chapter 2, if you will. You see the gospel is always preached by somebody. Do you preach the gospel? If you told anybody how to be saved, you know you're held accountable to that. Do you know that? know this is just a fictional scenario, but not really. I know these people, Henrietta the socialite was left behind. What's going to happen to her if she rejects the Bible rejects? No matter what else takes place. Well, in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 we have a picture of people like Henrietta and Eddie Jr. after they're left behind and they still refuse to accept the gospel, still accept, refuse to accept that, remember we're living in the age of grace. God gives you until the day you die to put your faith in trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, until the day you die, He gives you that option. It's called grace. For by grace are you saved through faith. You have until the time you're dead to put your faith in Jesus Christ. during the seven-year tribulation. It's going to be a different time period of altogether. It will not be the age of Christ. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 we see the Antichrist come who opposes in verse 4 and exalts himself above all that is called God and he sits in the temple of God. Notice his chart up here right in the middle of the seven-year tribulation. He sits in the temple. A lot of things are taking place in the first three and a half years, we have those that are under the altar, they offered up their testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ during the first three and a half years under the altar means they're under the divine protection of Jesus Christ. They're not hiding under some little altar up there. That's a false picture. They are under the protection of Jesus Christ, who is our altar. He is our altar. This is not an altar. This is not an altar. Our altar is Jesus Christ. When I pray, I pray to Jesus Christ, my altar. And so they're under the altar, under His divine protection, waiting for those who lose their lives during the last three and a half years, because when that takes place, they will have a resurrection. That's what the Bible said. Pretty simple, isn't it? In the meantime, those who missed a rapture and refused to hear the gospel during the seven-year tribulation, this is what God gives them in 2nd Thessalonians chapter two. We see the mystery of an equity in verse seven. That's when Jesus, that's when the anti-Christ sorry has a false resurrection. I call that the mystery of an equity. In verse eight, then shall Now that wicked one be revealed, he probably won't be revealed until then because a lot of people who reject the fact that he is the antichrist. Even him, verse 9, who's coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders. Do you know Satan wants you to believe a lie today? He wants you to believe there is no God. Bill. Yeah. Who's preaching the gospel during the seven-year tribulation? of all the two witnesses in Revelation chapter 11, and they preach the gospel, and in Revelation chapter 7 and chapter 14, the 144,000 Jews preach the gospel, and through that, a multitude of people are going to be saved, that's the preaching of the gospel. Revelation chapter 2 verse 10, remember Satan doesn't want you to be saved, doesn't want you to believe that Christ died on a cross for you, doesn't want you to believe in creation, and want you to believe in a resurrection, want you to believe that life is just a wonderful thing. Go have a good time, enjoy yourself, and you're such a nice, nice person. The Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, except for policeman and politicians. That's what the Bible says. I'm pretty sure it's in there right there. Verse 10, lying one, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, and then that perish, Because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. You pay attention to that? What happens to those who reject the truth? Well, during the age of grace, the age of we're living in, if they die, they're buried, and they go to haze. During the seven-year tribulation, if they reject the truth, I don't know if they're buried or not, but they're dead. That's for sure. And they go to haste because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved I'm talking about Henrietta and little Eddie Jr. who reject the truth and verse 11 and For this cause God shall send them strong delusion That they should believe the lie. Did you get that God does it? God will send them strong. Yes I have a question because when I was when I was a little like growing up you know and I always wondered I was always taught that well you die and then you you are judged and you go to heaven or hell or whatever. It's true. But then when I was growing up and I was you know checking out different religions and everything on but then I come to that understanding people said no no no no that's not how it is. I'm like what? I'm like no you're just your computer so I'm like what do you mean? You go because when you die you're dead you're called asleep in the Lord, okay? And you're not going anywhere until the resurrection. So what do you think of that? That's not true. I'll prove it to you in a minute. Okay. All right. I'll prove it to you in a minute. You're wondering about that. Yeah. No need to wonder because we'll prove it to you in just a second. But God said during a seven year tribulation during the time of the Antichrist, because they received not the love of the truth, the gospel, God will send them strong delusion during the seven years that they will believe the lie. Now we'll get back on that next week probably if I don't forget but in your Bible's first Thessalonians chapter four. I was going to go here anyway but now that we have the question we'll answer the question. Concerning those who died, they'll look up here for just a minute. During this age we're living it. If you die your body is buried or something happens to it. Maybe it's cremated. Maybe it's caught in a fire. Maybe who knows? I don't know. Your body, something happens to it but God always knows where your body is. You can get cremated and have the ashes thrown in a cornfield and ploughed under. It doesn't matter. God knows where that body is. God has it together. But you, yourself, are in heaven. Your body is buried. But you, the real you, this is just a shell that God gives us to live in. This shell ain't much of a shell, but this is what God gave me. I'm happy you did. I can dress it up and look halfway decent, but otherwise it ain't much. In verse 13, Paul said to the church at Thessalonica, but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep dead, that you sorrow not even as others who have no hope. In other words, If you're a Christian, you believe the Bible, God said, and your family members are saved and you don't sorrow about it. Don't fret. Feel good. Don't be like those who have no hope. Verse 14, For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him, look up here for just a minute. When the rapture takes place, those who have died and are in heaven, God will bring with Him. How can He bring you with Him if you're not with Him? Makes sense? Does to me. Those who sleep in Jesus, dead, will God bring with Him, they may, they're very somewhere, they're by, they're out of their bodies, but they are in heaven because they have to be with Him, or He can't bring them with Him. That makes perfect sense. For this we say unto you, by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive on this earth and the rapture takes place, Paul was looking forward to the rapture by the way, he thought he was gone. For this we say unto you, by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them who are asleep dead. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with the shout and the voice of the archangel and with the Trump of God and the dead and Christ shall rise first. You follow me now? Pay attention, look up here. They're dead, right? But God brings them with him, right? That's your soul and your spirit. And you're completely 100% visible. Don't ask me how God does it. I have no idea. You did it, you got it. OK, so your spirit's already there. Your soul and your spirit are already there. there. And what he's bringing up that's a sleep is the body. The new body. Yeah, he's going to bring that new body. I don't know how he does it, but you will come down with him at the rapture in the air. Notice what it says. And the dead and Christ shall rise first. That's those who are asleep. So follow along with it if you will. They're in heaven. brings them with him right up here and the dead in Christ shall rise first they'll get their brand new glorified bodies it'll be matched to their soul and their spirit then notice verse 17 then we who are alive and haven't died like Eddie remember we're talking about Eddie you don't know Eddie I don't know Eddie but there's a lot of Eddie's out there the those Those who are alive on this earth and remain alive shall be caught up together with them, who's them. Those have gone crazy with him. He will bring them with him in the air, the dead in Christ shall rise, get their brand new bodies, and then those who are alive will be caught up together with them, and we will all get our brand new bodies at almost exactly the same instant. Together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. That is a long, long time. And then in verse 18, wherefore, comfort one another with these words, you know what Paul said, to be absent from the body, leave it behind, is to be present with the Lord. That's what he said. So when you die, you're absent with the body. I leave this rough, good for nothing old. I don't know about you, but I got some aches and pains, do you? I have diabetes. Sometimes it's hard. It's rough. Not impossible. But then, of course, you get other aches and pains. Northease still high. The weather's great up here, isn't it? cold, miserable, lousy, rain. Do you have any aching bones? I'm sure you do. We all do. Get over it. Live with it. Die with it. But anyway, I don't know where I was headed with that. Lost my train of thought. I'll get it back here in a second. So anyway, come for one another with these words. We die. But my body, God will bring people bring those who have died in Christ. My, my believe my father died in Christ. I believe he's in heaven today. His body is buried. I know where it's at. It's somewhere in West Virginia. I've never been there after he was buried because he's not there at just a body. I don't visit grave yards. I don't enjoy that because there's nobody there. There are no ghosts, no spooks, nothing but a bunch of bones. I don't visit grave yards. Not necessary. If I want to see my dead, I'll have to wait until I'm dead because he's in heaven. You see? And when the rapture takes place the Lord will bring him back in the air. He'll get his brand new body and then if the rapture takes place and I'm alive I will be caught up with him and I'll get my new body. Isn't that great? Yes. You see that little baby that was in the lady's womb, she got left behind when the rapture took place but her baby was gone. Can you imagine what that would be like? Is he God's not going to leave that little innocent baby behind to go through the tribulation? Is he? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. It's innocent. It's not held accountable. Okay then. Does that make sense? Yeah. Nice, certainly hope so. Back to Revelation, if you will. What verse is the absence of the body, the presence of the Lord? 1 Corinthians chapter 5. I think. I think second Corinthians chapter five. Also Philippians chapter one, you can go through some of that. Second Corinthians. You know, they've explained that, you know? Huh? I don't know why other people haven't explained that. Probably because they didn't know that. You can't explain something, you're not aware of. Yeah. You know? Second Corinthians chapter five, I'll read it to you, okay? Five per seat. Good enough. Yeah. Verse 8, we are confident, I say, and willing, rather, to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. That's the simple enough verse in it. Absent from the body and present. And then if you go down to work for we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. Why do I serve him? Because he wants me to. Next verse for whom we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. So anyway, back to Revelation chapter 6 here, before we run out of time, we're almost out of time. Just one verse and we'll get back to this next week. Verse 15, chapter 6, remember what we read. God will send them strong delusion, that they will believe the lie. What is the lie? Well there's all kinds of them, do you ever read the Quran? It's full of lies. But anyway, verse 15, and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains in the mighty men and every bond man and every free man, hit themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains, and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him to sit on the throne and from the wrath of the land. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine going through a time period, hiding from the Lord Jesus Christ when you know it's him that's bringing us, and you still do not put your faith in trust in him, how ignorant as humanity. How ignorant humanity really is. And then if you die during the seven-year tribulation and you put your faith in Christ, you will be tested for that, probably be headed, but you still be under the alter, the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the gospel, isn't it? If you believe Christ died on the cross and paid for your sins, you will have eternal life. If you do that now, you'll be taken at direction. And if you don't do that now, you'll be subject to the seven-year termination. You'll be like Eddie's friend, Paul and Eddie's wife, Henrietta, and his son, who refused to accept the Bible, refused to put their faith in Christ, refused to look at the cross, refused to see the truth. You'll be left behind to go through all that. What a bummer. I don't know about you, but I'm not going. I'm going to heaven when I die. I've made up my mind. It's a done deal. I refuse to get left behind because Jesus Christ made a promise. And when the rapture takes place, I'm going. Otherwise, that's what Hades is like. It's pretty hot down there. Let's have work fair and people close if you will. I dear Lord and Heavenly Father, we just thank You for Jesus Christ, we thank You for the gospel, we thank You for the truth. We thank You for the opportunity to hear and believe the truth. The truth is Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again for the forgiveness of sin, and all I have to do is believe it. and boy what a fool I would be if I didn't because I would be I would condemn myself. He that believe it's not is condemned already. He that believe it is not condemned. Which route do you want to take? I've already taken mine. I put my faith in Christ a long time ago. Dear Lord we thank You for and if you're here this morning you don't know you're going to have money and I just before we close between you and the Lord, just say to the Lord, Lord, I believe you died on the cross for my sins, and then just thank you for for the rest of your life. Be a good idea. Dear Lord, bless each one here this morning, and we just asked the very last verse in the Bible, even so, come, Lord Jesus, in His name, amen.