Dear friends and readers,
NO ONE likes to think about disaster. But as believers, we must not also be the ostrich with his head in the sand. Really strange---should I even whisper it? REALLY WEIRD things are beginning to happen worldwide!
What we think of as natural disasters are increasing at an alarming rate. I seriously doubt that ANYONE could deny that today---not even those who deny the Bibles veracity. Of course many, particularly in the scientific and political communities will loudly proclaim that it is all mankinds fault and that Global Warming is destroying the planet.
Oh, Oh how silly of me, I completely forgot that it is all Donald Trumps fault and before him George Bush. Of course if you happen to dwell on the other side of the political isle, then your obvious choices for ultimate boogey man are either Barack Obama or the infamous Bill Clinton.
All of whom have and are major players on the world stage in our generations but when you look back at recorded history, these men and nearly all of the great political players over the centuries are merely bit players, acting out their tiny portions of history and then a few short years later, few even remember!
But the ONE who does remember, the ONE who is really orchestrating it all sits in the heavenlies on an everlasting throne from which He Created the world and everything else in the Universe in 6 days!
Of course those who really do not understand the Bible, will claim (as did the comic Flip Wilson) that "the devil made me do it". And yes there really is a devil, lucifer, satan, the ultimate deceiver and angel of death. BUT he is not in charge!!!
God is in charge and it is He who inspired all His Holy Men and Women to play out prominent parts in the ultimate romance novel (novel as in ORIGINAL: having never been seen before). It is the story of a Holy and Righteous God CONTINUALLY reaching out to mankind, His created beings for the purpose of wooing them into His eternal presence so He can bestow upon them unlimited grace love and mercy! This romance novel is the real deal. It is true and correct in every single detail and should be read literally because every single thing that it says really happened and will continue to happen, according to Biblical prophecy, in the future.
And that's the point isn't it? The ultimate romance novel is none other than the Holy Bible.
I know a few folks, really really nice people who say they sincerely love Jesus Christ---and yet they believe most strongly that the Bible is not a literal document but rather allegorical across the board. Difficult for me to understand that kind of thinking because, if the Bible is allegorical, the ONLY place that Jesus is identified as the Son of God and also AS GOD is within the very pages of an allegorical document which means maybe He does not exist at all?
Help me out here. Does that make even the slightest sense to you? Well, no matter because Jesus is Lord and the Bible is true and correct. What it says happened, really did happen and will happen again in the future in varying forms. I known that because King Solomon said so (Ecclesiastes 1:9) "WHAT HAS BEEN, WILL BE AGAIN"!
So lets have a little review? Mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden, which affects all of us to this very day. Murder happened and God heard the victims blood crying out to Him from the earth. Sin and homosexuality infected an entire city that was utterly destroyed by a Holy and righteous God. A woman who was in the sin of doubting God was instantly turned to a pillar of salt. An entire nation---the greatest of it's time--EGYPT-- was decimated because of rebellion against God. Later thousands of people we're swallowed up by the earth---utterly destroyed because they were in rebellion against God's appointed leader and prophet, MOSES! A God appointed king--Saul--was dethroned because he rebelled against God and dabbled in witch craft. Then there are situations like in the book of Acts when a married couple by the name of Ananias and Sapphira lied to a man of God (and by doing so lied to the Holy Spirit) and both liars dropped over dead!
Anyone considering lying to your pastor these days?? Might want to rethink that.
Israel was taken hostage by foreign kingdoms, not once but twice because they refused to follow Godly directives and because they wondered into worship of false gods. Now Israel is restored and once again a majority of the kingdoms of the world refuse to accept what God is doing.
Then we have little Biblical missives like Mathew 24 in which the King of Kings is clearly predicting kingdom rising against kingdom, famines, pestilence (disease) and earthquakes ???
But no matter, mankind is in denial; By jove, Iv'e got it! We'll simply deny that God exists, after all everyone knows that WE are really god anyway and so is "mother earth". The Bible is just a collection of dusty old stories meant to scare us! But we're not afraid, who does God think He is anyway?
It reminds me of my many years in Law Enforcement. A criminal is hooked upped in handcuffs and on the way to spend a very long time in the "cross bar hotel". And what does he say? "Who do you think you are? You can't do this to me, I'll have your badge"!
Visiting hours between 1 and 5, Saturdays only --and oh golly I know it's unfair but no conjugal visits allowed! If you can't do the time, don't do the crime! Also good advice for all those who reject what God says in His Bible and choose to live outside the limits of Godly restraint.
Few people deny that we really are living in the end days. A secular writer just last week asked, "when do you think that Jesus really will return"? Journalists, many of whom reject the very existence of God are writing FREQUENTLY about the coming of Armageddon.
And what do we see EVERY SINGLE WEEK in the news and frequently daily? Increased earthquake activity, immense fires, unimaginable floods, famine in many areas of the world and the reemergence of long dead and eradicated diseases. More and more violent terrorism, bombings, decapitations, increased martyrdom among Christians.
And just this month alone, the Saudi Desert turned white with hailstones. Lightening mixed with hail (fire and ice) in the back country if Australia. Cattle killed by huge hail stones in Swaziland. All happening at about the same time. More hail and flooding in the Saudi city of Sakakah. Fire and ice raining down upon both man and beast reminiscent of one of the plagues in ancient Egypt.
Riots in both France and Sweden. More outright hatred in the United States than I have ever come close to witnessing in my 73 years on this planet. Sin in every form not only tolerated but glorified and celebrated!
If God utterly destroyed Sodom and so closely held the line with His own Chosen People, how long do you expect Him to stay His hand from ever increasing judgement on an ever increasingly wicked world? How long before we begin seeing similar events like Ananias and Sapphira?
No, the problem is not Global Warming and Yes, mankind IS very definitely responsible. But I personally do not believe that God somehow failed to project a huge 70 Billion worldwide population. Nor do I suspect that God somehow missed the issues of climate change.
Mankind is responsible because of everlasting and worsening levels of sin. But there is a way out---it's called salvation through Jesus Christ.
But, when do you think that the people of God will begin taking scripture like the Great Commission seriously?---Although certainly some do. It's time for the church to get busy! It's time for each and everyone of us to tell someone about Jesus---daily if possible.
It is time for each of us as believers to examine our hearts and what we really believe.
Are we really in the very end times? If so are we really living in full expectation of the coming of Jesus for His bride?
I AM FOR SURE!
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
