Hmmm…What Do You Think?

Over the course of the last three years or so, and especially the last few months, I have said much that tends to make some people pretty uncomfortable.  I have been aware of this, and it’s okay.  I can live with that as long as I know I am not making things up, and most importantly, obeying the One that I have committed my own eternity to.

It is not at all easy getting into territories that people discount as a bit “over the edge”, but I like the challenge.  Some  folks respond by saying, “There he goes again!”  Others express their disdain in other ways about this “end of the world ‘crap’”.   Again, that’s okay.  Quite often we need to be pushed out of our comfort zones a bit.  We have been lulled to sleep and if not asleep are so busy with things in this life that will prove to be worthless in the end.

The thing that concerns me to most is this:  If we miss the importance of what is happening in our time, we will pay an incalculable price.  Things are unfolding now at hyper-speed and Jesus warned us not to be caught off guard.  Jesus never said anything just to keep talking. I make no claims of knowing the accurate dates of the gargantuan events unfolding before our eyes in the days ahead—and the Bible does not give this to us very often because we would get lazy and live it up to the max until “due date” comes around and then we all of a sudden make a great attempt to get really  “holy”, spiritually pious and dignified, and attempt while making an instant transformation to becoming the people of GOD that are “without spot and wrinkle” which the Bible speaks of as necessary to hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of the LORD prepared for you.” Do you want to hear this?I really hope so.  GOD has made it clear that the road to life everlasting in GOD’s prepared universe for His faithful ones is a narrow one, and the gate is small. Please think this through carefully.

I really think that most of all of us want that, yet we naturally rebel against submitting to our Creator.   So in all honesty, what is your true status?  Are you still attempting to “negotiate” the terms?  Is GOD still unfair in your view?  Are His ways too strict and His boundaries too rigid?  Are you still trying to convince Him that our sophisticated educated society is right when it says that His “unrealistic demands” belong back in the Dark Ages?  Are GOD’s requirements archaic in your opinion?  Do you realize that our opinions don’t really matter as far as Sovereign Will is concerned?  He created us and knows how it all works.  We had all better think these things through carefully because there is little time left to conform our decisions and actions,  attitudes, motives, and life-styles—not only in order, but in functioning form—because He will not change.  He also won’t stall the unfolding events just because you or I don’t believe that it is as close as it is.  Today is not a day to take chances on something so serious.  The consequences are eternal.

GOD’s unbending laws and how He deals with us in response to our acceptance or rejection of these laws is quite often offensive to us. That is because of our own pride has us convinced that we have more to say concerning things of eternal consequence than we really do.  For some of us, it is rather pronounced and borders on narcissism.  We reject anything that hints of GOD’s displeasure, judgment, and especially His wrath.  I’m fully aware that GOD’s wrath was not meant for His own, but those that rebel against Him, but in all humility we really need to be careful.  As I’ve said so many times, way too many have lost their “AWE” of GOD.  For many, He is more of an accessory item to pick up if and when it happens to be convenient for us.  There will be more to say on that at another time.  We need to be careful not to forget that GOD is not only a GOD of love, but also has a severe side to Him.  We need not have to face that side if we meet Him on His terms.

In order to make the most of the news and apply it to what we are facing today, allow me to direct our attention to something Jesus said in Matthew 24.  Jesus was asked by His disciples how His people would know when the time of the end is at the door.  This has always been a controversial subject because people have the tendency of going to extremes in any direction they can.  Many today avoid the subject entirely because people so easily get off on a tangent with it all.  Still others avoid it just because they would rather not know the facts.  It can be disturbing and it’s more comfortable to stay distracted with all of the things we have to take our mind away from things that are really serious.   Who wants to think of the apocalypse when one can hook the boat and jet skies up and go to the lake?  I have nothing against the enjoyments that we have been blessed with here in America, but we could lose them within seconds.  That is what happened in Joplin, is it not?

And of course, there are those that are plagued by an attitude that they don’t even recognize within themselves.  If the delivery of GOD’s warnings—whether by the written or spoken word do not meet our literary expectations, we ignore them.  Does GOD necessarily require a Master’s degree to earn our respect or attention?  How about grammar, spelling, sentence structure?  Maybe He even expects those that pass on His messages to be able to diagram a sentence!  Somehow I doubt it.  I’m obviously going overboard in my ridiculing of human nature but seriously, how many of GOD’s faithful and obedient servants were all that articulate?  GOD doesn’t care near as much as we do!  If we’re hung up here, we have a pride problem, and it needs to be remedied right quickly as it robs us of GOD’s blessings and the truths He wants to impart to us.

I will only address a few of Jesus’ predictions at a time, to make it easier to digest what is being said.  I will start with what Jesus said in response to His disciples when they asked Him what to watch for when the latter days have arrived.  His first warning was very important and I will go into it in the next post.  This however is how it reads:

• “Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My Name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ, and will deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4, NIV). I will continue this in the next post.  I will also bring the white horse and rider of the Apocalypse into the discussion and what it has to do with our generation.

To be continued…

Jake