Rounding The Last Bend

I find myself however struck by something very different today as I sit at my computer and type. Our world is wrapping up very, very fast. Many of you know me, but many more don’t. Those that don’t may be thinking, “Oh no, here goes another of those ‘end-time’ fanatics! Not as much as you might think. I’ve taught in churches most of my life and very little of the time was spent dealing with this subject, although I’ve never ignored Biblical prophecy. I taught what I believed with all my heart–and still do, that there is a way that mankind was meant to live, and if he does, he will have God’s blessing on him. There is much in the Bible having to do with just that. I love teaching those things and can do it day after day after day.

But, there is also MUCH that can and must be said about our specific slot in history. There has been no other time like it. In fact, Jesus Himself said that with the things that are unfolding, there also will never be another time like it on earth–ever. It should get our attention; it in fact it must! In Matthew 24 Jesus actually commands His followers to “recognize” the time they are in. No other option was offered.

I have a great concern for those that have no idea that God is about to shut a door that none of us wants to miss entering through. I have such an ominous feeling about the events about to unfold that I am quite willing to take a chance and just let my thoughts fly. If I sound like a fanatic, so be itl What you do with the things I am going to share in the next few posts is up to you. I am not able to change the mind of anyone, nor is it my responsibility, but I do have to deliver my soul of the things I know to be true. God requires this of me.

One of the Old Testament stories that many in our modern sophisticated, highly educated time have ridiculed in the past is the story of Noah and the Ark. Archaeologists have since proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that there really was a world-wide flood, and some point to what appears to be evidence of a huge wooden ship that is in two pieces up near 14,000 up in the mountains of Ararat in Turkey. Most of the year, this object is buried in a glacier. Sometimes the most educated of the human race have the hardest time believing anything Biblical. Yet, nearly every culture in the ancient world has its own version of the story. Isn’t that amazing? Through the years, the Bible has proven itself again and again as flawless as to what it has recorded within its pages.

The reason I bring the story of Noah and the flood up is because of how this story unfolded. It has a direct application for us today. Noah built that ark over a period of 100 years or more. The Bible tells us that he was a preacher of righteousness, which just means “right living before God. How much he preached, I don’t know. The Bible does seem to indicate that his story of the impending cataclysm was so far-fetched sounding that no one believed him. When the ark was finished, the animals started showing up and Noah and his family got them loaded up in the lower parts of the ship. God then told him to get into the ark. When he, his wife, his three sons and wives were inside, GOD SHUT THE DOOR. Shortly afterwards, it started to rain. The reservoirs of water under the earth’s crust opened up as did the atmospheric canopy of moisture that circled the globe during those days. It did not take long till the waters rose. THEN lots of people came beating on the outside of the ark wanting to get in. Noah couldn’t have let them in if he had wanted to because God was the One who had shut and sealed the door.

Another story in the Old Testament applies as well. There is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in Sodom but was not part of the gross moral perversion the cities of the plain in the Middle East were known for. Because of the cesspool that these cities had become, God sent two angels to get Lot and whomever was with him out of the plain and to safety before the cities were destroyed. As soon as Lot, his wife, and daughters were out of the city, God obliterated the cities. Unfortunately Lot’s wife couldn’t follow the simple instruction of the angels not to look back for any reason, and turned into a pillar of salt. Only Lot and his two daughters made it out alive.

Other examples could be given showing how God wants to protect His own from what is coming in our generation, but suffice it to say, there is an abundance of scripture that shows these days of trouble are imminent. The Bible is full of predictions which point to what is headed our way. I am concerned that most people, even though they know the world is in trouble, just assume that everything will somehow work out. This is especially the case for people who live in America. America has fought and won two world wars and no foreign troops ever touched our soil. That is not going to be the case with WW3.

God has made it abundantly clear that there is only one way for mankind to be in a right relationship with Him, and that is through Jesus Christ. This is because God’s plan to save the human race from its self, involved God Himself entering the human race through a young virgin girl named Mary. She delivered Jesus the Messiah in a humble stable in Bethlehem. This story, which is often called “the greatest story ever told” represens the only belief system which is based on the love of Almighty God for His creation. Does Islam teach God’s love? Hardly! How about Buddhism? Again, no. You can name off religion after religion, and Christianity is the only one that offers the love of the Sovereign God as the answer to man’s impossible dilemma.

You might ask: “Isn’t it rather narrow minded to say there is only one way?” It may go cross-grain with our understanding, but then there is only one God and He has set the rules. God has no desire that any lose their soul. But, He will never change Who He is and how things will unfold. The story has been recorded ahead of time and not one item has been missed to date, nor shall anything ever be missed. Jesus said that not even one word of what He said will ever fail to be completed just as He said. We determine our own eternity by our choice. Where do you stand today? You have very little time!

Is war coming? Yes, and sooner than most think. In many eyes the first salvos have already been launched. Today, our world is wracked with conflict. There are wars and rumors of wars all over the planet. We also have growing hatred between ethnic groups. Then of course, there are the religious wars which are going to be unleashed. The Muslim caliphate is coming together quickly, and it aims at world domination with Sharia law. I do believe however that Islam will be totally humiliated with the next two wars that Israel will be faced with. First there will be the Obadiah war, as many have called it. Then is the Gog and Magog war. Between the two wars, Islam will be crushed.

This is not all that is coming in our time. The makings of great famine are already in place. The bread baskets of the world have all been hard hit with drought. Food prices are already expected to skyrocket beyond anything ever seen. Many other things that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13 are present today.

One comment I’ve heard so much is the question: “Why make so much of ‘end-times”? People that talk about end-times are often ridiculed, avoided, marginalized, and labeled “fear-monger”. Yet, Jesus Himself commanded for us to “RECOGNIZE” the day we live in! No one knows the day or hour, but we are suppose to know the season we are in! That is why I take the stand that I do. I know way too many people that have no idea what time it is, and that includes a lot of believers. Many more don’t want to think about it. You might ask: “Why is it so important to know?” Well, aside from the command Jesus gave, because we are also commanded to “prepare” ourselves to meet our KING. If I knew that I were to have an audience with the President of the United States, even though I love dressing casually, you can bet that I won’t show up with my favorite ragged flannel shirt and worn jeans and paint speckled shoes! I would be dressed appropriately for whom I would have an audience with. How much more so with the God that created us?? Do we really think we’ll just find ourselves there and have a “Oh wow! How’s it going?” attitude when we address the One that hung on that cross to pay our way into His Presence? Not likely! God is loving and patient, but yet very straight-forward in His expectations. Our opinion on the matter will not be part of the equation.

So, how do we prepare? The first step is to make sure that we are on praying grounds with Him. This means that we have become part of the family. There is no other way–NONE! The Bible says that every knee will bow, some willingly, other not willingly. Be one of the willing ones! I am going to write out a simple prayer that you can pray if you find that you have not covered this ground with God. Even if you did so many years ago, renew it before time is no more.

Prayer: “Dear Father God in heaven. I come before you in the mighty Name of Jesus of Nazareth. I recognize that I need your forgiveness for the sins and failings in my life. I now realize that I cannot be “acceptable” in your sight until I have been washed clean. Forgive me, please! Cleanse me and give me a new heart–a heart that responds to You! I bow my knees and my heart before You today. I ask You to be not only the forgiver of my sins, but also the Lord of my life. I need your help to complete whatever it is You put me on this earth for. I pray this in Jesus Name…(your name)”

My desire is that everyone that reads this post is able to be happy about where you find yourself after you have come around the last bend on life’s road! I am going to end this post on that note.

To be continued…

God Bless and Keep Looking Up!

Jake