“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” – Jesus (Revelation 22:12)
Minute by minute, Bible prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes. The near-destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17:1-3, Jeremiah 49:23-27), Israel being a ”burdensome stone for all people” (Zechariah 12:2-3), wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6), famines and earthquakes in “diverse places” (which is interesting, because only in the last century have we been able to monitor earthquakes worldwide to know that they occur in “diverse” places), and let’s not forget persecution of the Church (Matthew 24:9). No, there has been more persecution of the Church in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined. In fact, according to church statistician David Barrett, consistently throughout church history, one out of every 200 Christians, on average, is called to martyrdom.
Did you know that President Obama is set to visit Israel next month? If you have been following world news, the LA Times has reported that the meeting even has an official name, and will soon have a logo (marketing overload, anyone?!). Is he presenting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the 7 year covenant of Daniel 9:27? That may sound like crazy talk, but current events are going right along with the End Times (as found in the Bible, not the Mayan, zombie apocalypse, or any man-made) calendar. With the new pope being put into place around the same time, we could be in for a very big surprise next month. Especially if Saint Malachy’s Prophecy of the Popes comes to pass. (Also see Revelation 13:11-12.)
All of this begs the question: If you have not surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, what are you waiting for? I know this is not a comfortable subject. Many churches shy away from talking about it because not many self-professed Christians in their congregations want to talk about the world ending–despite the fact that that they should long with every fiber of their being to be where our Lord Jesus is. We live in the world, but I wonder if we forget that this world is not our home. We are certainly invested in it (at least) relationally: wives, husbands, kids, sisters, and brothers. For some it is not easy to think that they (or their children) may never grow up, go to college, get married, travel the world, buy a house, retire, go the world series, cross things off their “bucket lists”, see a Broadway play–whatever long-term goals we may set for ourselves and loved ones. While I would be the first to say that I would love to see my boys grow up to be men of God and have families of their own, I would much rather see them in Heaven with our Lord Jesus. Not here on the earth where things will continue to grow worse. The closer I have drawn to Christ, the more He has taught me to let them go. They are gifts from God, but they are not my property. They belong to God. As such, we should cling to them loosely, for God has His own intended purpose for each of them. Purposes which may be contrary to our “dreams” for them.
Events are accelerating at such a fast pace that if we do not watch and pray diligently, we may be like the five foolish bridesmaids who missed the coming of the bridegroom:
”Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.” – Jesus (Matthew 25:1-13)
The other night after family Bible study, my 14-year-old son, Duncan, said that if the Rapture happened next month, it would be “the best birthday gift ever!” I had to fight back the tears, because I am so blessed to know he has his priorities straight! Now, if I can only get him to remember to take out the trash…
I’m kidding, of course, but if you have children, I’m certain you can feel my pain.
But I assure you that the eternal destination of your soul is no laughing matter. So please don’t delay any longer. The night is nearly over and the bridegroom is quickly approaching.
Maranatha (Our Lord, come),
Dwight
The Parson
[If you would like to talk more about what it means to follow Christ, please contact me at asktheparson@gmail.com. I would love to speak with you, pray for you, and send some information.]
