Ξ March 22nd, 2007 | → Comments Off | ∇ End Times |
Are you ready? What
things? When I was growing up, I would see cartoons or actual pictures
of a guy with a sandwich board walking around telling us that the world
was about to end. It was pretty funny since it didn’t even remotely seem
rational. Everything was going great. I had a good childhood, at least I
thought I did and that should be enough. I really did not understand
that the guy with the board was actually warning us of things to come.
Granted, it was in the future….long ahead it has turned out. But the
guy was a prophet, nevertheless. How do I know that?
The world as it is
now is a nightmare. Wars that don’t "follow the rules" which
means the car bomber, the suicide bomber don’t understand what the
"Geneva convention" is nor do they care in the least. They are trying to
obliterate the unbelievers. They are on a mission. Disease is rampant in
many parts of the world. Just because we didn’t hear it on the nightly
news does not mean it is not there. Starvation is a fact of life in many
third world countries and there appears to be nothing we can do about
it. Earthquakes are happening at an astounding frequency and much more
damaging. Tornadoes are happening so fast. F-5 and F-4 tornadoes, which
used to be rare, seem to be more common. Flooding is becoming rather
common too. I know that in our area, the sign for flooding is on the
local news quite often now. People are becoming used to seeing these
disasters on television. People are becoming desensitized by that.
What am I getting at here? These are the very signs that the Lord Jesus
told us to look for that would be the signs and seasons for the last
days or the end times, how ever you choose to see it. In Matthew 24:3
the disciples come to Him to ask what the signs would be for the end. He
tells them that there will be people who will come in His name saying
they are the Christ and deceive many. Have we not seen this for
ourselves? Jim Jones, David Koresh, the people in California looking for
the mother ship, others too numerous to name right now. Did Jesus get it
right? YES!!
Then He mentions wars and rumors of wars. That we have had simply
because people will have war. However, the wars and rumors are stronger,
more frequent, different, meaner, nastier, colder. He says that you
should not be troubled by those things because nation will rise against
nation. Then He mentions pestilences, famines and earthquakes. Does it
sound familiar?
He talks about being delivered up to be killed. Ah, you say, that hasn’t
happened yet. This is true. Not to you. But, in countries where they are
trying to get rid of Christians, like the Sudan, it is a way of life. Do
you not see that the middle east is all about getting rid of the people
who do not believe like the muslims? Like Christians and Jewish people.
I AM talking about the radical sect, not those who are mainstream.
However, someday, the way their children are taught, you will find that
the new adults will be militant against you if you do not believe as
they do. Jesus talks about many will become offended. Does that sound
like those who want to see the unbeliever dead? Sure it does. They are
offended.
And lest we forget, anyone who is different from another will likely be
offended by another. Just look at gays. Aren’t they offended because
someone does not see things the way they do? Aren’t the races, pick one,
offended if you do not honor them with a holiday? I should mention here
that there is no such thing as a "white" holiday. That would be because
other races believe that, in this country, ALL holidays are white ones
if they are not designated another way. They are offended if someone
suggests that there is too much of that going on these days. We MUST
make up for ancient wrongdoings by ignorant people. Does this sound
familiar? Sure. Jesus taught about it.
He mentions false prophets. They are all around. All you have to do is
look. People grow cold. That is so true. If you do not believe it, try
to find someone to help you when you need it. Yes, there will be one or
two who might get involved as long as they don’t get sued or have to go
to court. Cold hearts. Then Jesus says that the gospel shall be preached
all over the world. Do you think that is not happening now? Do not
deceive yourselves. Of course it is. We have the internet! There are
preachers on television going to all parts of the world. There are
Christian networks that are getting so huge that they are reaching out
to span the world with satellite feeds to all nations. There are very
few places in the world that they do not reach. Churches and
organizations send missionaries out to the far reaches of the planet to
teach about the Lord Jesus. This gospel WILL be preached in all the
world….and here it comes….and THEN the end shall come.
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet? I asked that twice because I wanted you to think about
that question. Are we there? Almost. I recall that on the sandwich board
that the guy wore when I was a kid was this hour glass that had not much
sand left. Often on the sign it would say that we are in the eleventh
hour. I believe that we are at the twelfth hour and about to see things
that the prophets of old only wished they could see. I also believe that
when the last person says that he/she believes in Jesus and prays the
prayer or redemption, the end shall indeed come.
Are you ready?
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The question of where you will be used to haunt me. Know why? Because I
really did not know for certain what would happen to me if I died since
I had sinned so much in my life. It did not seem right that I could have
anything good after all that. I had hurt the guy I was dating in high
school. I hurt my parents incredibly. There were others too. I wasn’t
that nice of a person. It was all about me, me, me. If that didn’t work
then I just left and found others who would likely be hurt too.
Thing is, the sins just simply overwhelmed me. It caused all kinds of
fear and dread. So, what did I do about it? Nothing. Life goes on.
Things change. Things are always wrong. Life is a pain. Why does anyone
want to live it like that in the first place?
Whoa! It was time for me to stop and take a good look at what I
believed. When I did, it scared me more than the sin did. God chose that
time to call me to Himself. It was such a blessing and a miracle. You
can have this too. But how? I read a really good article on this subject.
Choose Your Destination
You can go to hell if you want to, But you are an idiot if you do
because you do NOT have to.
by Edward
Langenback
"Lord, I know I’m unworthy, but . . . "
How many prayers have you heard or said that included those words or
words to that effect? The idea is that we are supposed to be humble
before God and remember that we are "just an old sinner saved by grace."
Well, if you are saved by grace, then you are NOT an old sinner! You are
an EX-sinner!
2 Corinthians 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
This makes it clear that when a you accept Jesus and are born again,
you are not a sinner anymore, you are remade into the righteousness of
God. This gives us the right and ability to come directly into the
presence of God and speak directly to Him without cowering and being
afraid that you will be zapped by a bolt of lightning or something.
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What country is the title referring to? Africa? You would think so,
wouldn’t you. But I am speaking of the good old U.S.of A. Why did I say
that? Because our country is heading down a very big slippery slope and
there does not appear to be anyone or anything stopping it.
So what about this ostrich comment. Well, for that you have to take a
look at the ostrich. Very strange bird to start with. The first thing
most people know about one is that they have this tendency to bury their
heads in the sand. The bird believes that if he can’t see you then you
can’t see him either. Buried in the sand, you do not see what is going
on around you. And that is extremely dangerous. What happens if a
predator comes up? The hunter has the advantage and can strike at any
moment. Poor ostrich. Never knew what hit him.
And THAT is about how it is with the citizenry of this country too. They
are not well informed. If you do not believe that, simply do a poll on
the street. Most can’t even tell you basic facts like: who the current
VP is or what the capitol city is called. Unbelievable but true.
I wrote an article a few years ago that is really more appropriate now
than it was then. It’s called
"The Comfort Zone". Frankly, it is not a comfortable article
but it is relevant to now.
The Comfort Zone
What is your comfort zone? The couch? Your job? Your family? Your
income? Your car? What? Question. Is this comfort worth your life?
One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is that people would
rather be comfortable than see the dangers all around them. The word
‘comfortable’ also means cozy, snug, sheltered, and homelike. Very
impressive. When you get into that ‘
comfort zone‘, don’t mess with you, right? There is just
something about that one place, one time that means so much. Don’t rock
the boat. Too comfortable. Don’t make me think! It’s all about comfort.
This is the legacy we have inherited from our fathers, grandfathers,
mothers and grandmothers. Nothing wrong with inheritance.
However (you KNEW there was a ‘however’, didn’t you?), when a person
gets that comfortable, they start ignoring things that would have, at
one time, been a danger signal. Years ago, men knew what ‘honor’ and
‘integrity’ meant. Now we live in an honorless generation. Danger! No
one cares if you lie, steal, kill IF you are able to defend the actions.
Or perhaps they don’t like it but ‘what can we do about it’? Danger!
Where are the protests? Where are the ones who cry out for an
accounting? Are they now in their own comfort zones?
Believe me, it’s not comfortable to tell people things they don’t
want to hear. They won’t see these things so those articles go unread.
They choose not to find things out for themselves believing that someone
else has already done the work, so why bother. Because of this attitude
by many of the people, the truly important things are ignored or missed.
And so begins the growing of a cold heart, a conscience seared so that
it’s no longer a warning flag if sin is committed. The prophets told the
people over and over again about their behavior and what would happen if
they didn’t change. John the Baptist was crying in the wilderness,
warning that generation to repent. He got beheaded. The apostles said
these things. They were murdered. The message hasn’t changed.
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informationon this and other
hot or cold topics, please come to my website at
Lura’s Bookcase.
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This is getting truly ridiculous. The other day, the media was trying to
rock the world of Christians by giving the report that the bones of
Jesus had been found in a bone box in Israel. According to James
Cameron, of Titanic fame, there is a great deal of certainty concerning
this despite naysayers both in archialogical circles and Christian
circles. Seems that he hasn’t really made major friends there. But the
media shows the report as if Cameron can’t be wrong, at least in some
reporters’ eyes.
Then today, we get another report that Jesus is alive in Texas with an
incredibly huge following. So, which is it? They can’t have it both
ways. As a matter of fact, both of these media hyped stories are wrong.
However, we need to explore this thing about the guy who says he is
Jesus. His name is Jose de Jesus. A common enough name in Latin American
countries. His past is rather checkered. He is a former drug addict, a
thief to pay for his addiction (admitted), ex-con. Claims to have been
born again in prison. He currently drinks, smokes, has been married
twice (though that alone would not be a problem for me if he was
claiming to be a regular person. However, he is claiming to be the
Savior.).
His beliefs are truly way out there. Murder and theft are crimes but not
sins, according to the self proclaimed messiah. There are no sins, no
hell, no devil. He wears a 666 on his clothing. His followers are
flocking to get a tatoo of the 666 on themselves to be like their
leader. They want it to be a visible showing of what they believe. It is.
What is really disturbing is that he is acquiring a huge following. His
organization claims a million who choose to follow this guy. There are
many who actually believe that this guy is the second coming of Christ.
While I will not call him the devil because I also do not believe that,
he is certainly doing his best to attract attention for himself. It
brings in money by the boatload. Oh yes, in case you have not gotten the
point, the guy is claiming to BE God.
The scriptures are clear on this point. There will come a time when
false prophets will try to turn the heads of the elect. This person is
certainly turning the heads of many. The question now is…how many of
those were born again?
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I used to wonder what would turn
someone away from our Savior and Lord, Jesus? What possible thing could
change someone’s mind when they had already come to know Him? It is
beginning to become clearer and clearer that it won’t take much for some
to turn away. Some will struggle but they, too, will sadly turn from the
Lord because of some circumstance…..a loved one dying when they
believed He would heal them, some financial setback that they prayed
over and thought God would answer like they wanted, a personal tragedy,
either disease or accident that caused a person to leave their beliefs
because it did not fit into the senarios of what their life should have
been. There are countless reasons for a person or people will use to
leave the Lord, but it will happen, even as we are seeing right now. Are
some of those people previous believers? I hope not. I pray not. But it
would not surprise me.
Matthew 24:3-5, "And as he sat upon the
mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us,
when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming,
and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take
heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name,
saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many."
The guy who is claiming to be our Lord surely fits this scripture to a
tee. He is claiming exactly that. He is deceiving, according to their
organization, a million followers. From the old testament, it states
that the person who comes as Messiah will not be a sinner, will do no
wrong. The guy fixes that by saying there IS NO SIN, no wrong doing.
Perfect world, right?
Where will it end? When the Lord truly does come back. There is one
thing that people seem to be missing here. Jesus was clear telling His
disciples that He was here once. The next time He was coming back, it
would be in triumph in the clouds. Did anyone see this guy show up in
the clouds? Didn’t think so.
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Have you seen a film on what soldiers go through in their training? The
obstacle course looks very difficult to finish. You know what I mean.
There’s always a picture of guys trying to jump, hop or whatever you
call it, in tires. Some make it. Some land on their noses. Then there’s
the wall. It appears to be too tall to climb but soldiers get over it by
jumping up, grabbing hold and slinging themselves over it. A pipe wide
enough for a person to crawl through, a creek to swim in, smoke, weapons
fire. All of these things are part of their training.
One more thing that I can remember seeing is the rope bridge. Have you
ever been on one? Have you seen them? They are held together by ropes,
hence "rope bridge". Some have wood planks running crossways so that you
can walk on them, also held together by ropes. Some have a rope across
the bottom and then ropes joined to that one. So you walk ON the bottom
rope, holding the other ropes. Obviously, this is something one would do
single file. To say the least, it is a tad precarious. It sways a good
deal when the wind is blowing or some total…….un-nice person wiggles
the ropes.
I walked (the word walked may be a slight overstatement) across one
once. Never again unless absolutely necessary!! Some people actually
think those things are fun. Not me. I hated it. I was scared. All I
could do was look DOWN. EEEEK!! My fear was that I would fall to the
creek below. It was a LONG way down.
Thing is, I had someone at the other end of the bridge telling me to
just look at them, not look down, and I would be fine since the rope
bridge had been there for years. This isn’t always a confidence booster
because then you think that the ropes are not as good as they once were
since it’s so old. On the other hand, the person at the other end was
someone I trusted so I finally listened. At that point, my eyes were on
that person as I swayed and walked to the other side. I made it!!
Believe me, I was grateful to find out that I did not have to go back
the way I came. The rope bridge was an attraction but there was another
way for older folks and handicapped folks or those who just did not see
a need to put their lives in danger.
God reminded me of this rope bridge a couple of days ago. He said that
the lesson there is that if you will simply keep your eyes on the other
side of the bridge, on the person encouraging you, instead of looking
down at the peril, then you will come out just fine. In the same way, if
you will keep your eyes on the Lord, the Person at the other end,
instead of always seeing the problems and troubles of your life, you
will come out just fine as well. What a lesson that was!!
Seek God and His kingdom first. Hold onto the Lord with all of
your might and strength. When your strength is gone,
hold onto Him some more. God is there for you. Jesus is
there for you. All they ask of you is that you accept Jesus as God’s Son
and your Savior. When you do that, you become part of the family of the
Lord. Keeping you eyes on Him will brighten your day, show you His
world, give you visions and dreams of what He has in store for you. It
will be grand!
For more information on
Christianity, God, Jesus and
how to become a Christian, please come to my website at
Lura’s Bookcase. There are loads of articles and stories for
you. I even dabbled in a small amount of poetry. Please come.
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For a while now, I have been focused on the scripture that says you need
to seek first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33). Most of the time, I just
studied the whole line, working out that I must seek God, seeking His
Face instead of trying to get something from Him. Seeking to find out
more about Him and what He is teaching me. Well, the problem came up
when it occurred to me that I wasn’t really certain exactly what a
kingdom is. It might sound goofy to you. Maybe you do know. I didn’t
having never lived in such a place before.
We, who live in the United States, do not live under a kingdom rule.
Never have. Those who came here from England did but they did not impose
that form of government on this country. They were trying to begin a new
country with fresh ideas and ways of doing things. It was based on the
Bible with a smattering of old school England thrown in for good measure.
Having never lived under a king or kingdom rules, it hit me that I
probably knew very little about it. So, I tried to find out. It is truly
sad how much info is NOT in our encyclopedia. I looked online and got a
definition which wasn’t bad but it left a bit to be desired. But I did
learn a few things.
The most obvious is that the king owns it all. The citizens do not buy
their own property. The kingdom allows them to live in the village, city
or whatever. They pay the king a portion of their output, whatever that
might be. Perhaps it would be a portion of the earned income or more
likely in times past, it would be a portion of the food raised or craft
items they constructed.
On the other hand, the king was responsible for keeping his kingdom in
safety and security. He had to make decisions for the whole group,
however many citizens that might be. They would not be allowed to make
those choices themselves.
The problem I saw was that if I did not know what a kingdom was in my
studies, how could I understand how to deal with the scripture I quoted
at the top. It’s important to see that it does not say seek first God.
It says to seek first His KINGDOM and His righteousness. See, we must
seek the kingdom. And now I have a clue what that means. Do you?
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