Lift Up Your Heads!
The piece you are about to read is not what I would consider entertaining; it may actually leave you feeling burdened. This article is a wake-up call, a warning of sorts to those who have not considered developing an intimate connection with their Creator. My prayer is that, as a result of reading it, you will develop a desire to study the God of both The Old and New Testaments and draw your own conclusions about prophecy and the troubled times we’re living in. I pray that you will read all the way to the end of the article and consider my worldview before dismissing it as nonsense from an evangelical, Bible thumping conservative.
America is changing! We are all witness to its rapid transformation - away from the days when we could release our children to play in the neighborhood without fear of sexual predators - far away from a time when Americans got up every Sunday morning to worship God - even farther away from the moral fibers that weave us together in loving relationship with one another. Suffice it to say that I hardly recognize my country anymore because this transformation I speak of is progressing at warp speed. At this point in history, I am not convinced that any of us can stop it.
As a small business owner, I have the pleasure of engaging a wide cross-section of America in meaningful conversation each day. Politics, money, war, love, end times prophecy - nothing is sacred. I find that most people are open to releasing their innermost opinions as long as they feel either comfortable and safe OR extremely fearful. My sense is that right now the majority of Americans are experiencing more fear than comfort. It is not difficult to sense a palpable level of "dis-ease" among believers and non-believers alike. Certainly the catastrophic weather events of the last year, the increased level of random violence around the globe, the fiery unrest in the Middle East, and the political and financial tsunamis in our countries have all served to unnerve us as we go about the business of our daily lives. The stress level of our population is escalating. I see it every single day on the faces of the elite, the poor, and, especially, the middle class. There seems no relief in sight for what troubles us.
For the past two years, I have had an insatiable appetite for the study of eschatology. I began by cutting my teeth on the Book of Revelation. My goodness! I soon realized that I would need the expert renderings of modern writers to even have a surface level understanding of prophetic scripture. So I moved to John Hagee, Tim LaHaye, Dave Hunt, Hal Lindsay, Joel Richardson, David Pack, David Jeremiah, and Steve Gregg. Then it was on to an eight month verse-by-verse analysis of the Book of Isaiah. From there I coupled my new Biblical knowledge base with assorted secular web sites like Stratfor (a global intelligence site), Fox News and CNN (because I could not stomach MSNBC), Extinction Protocol, Inform, Economic Collapse, Global Disaster Watch and last, but not least, Rapture Ready. Wow, do I ever have a slanted view of the world situation! Right? Some of the girls who work for me intimate that I have a skewed perspective based on my 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. breakfast reading ritual. I say the research simply provides me with a strong dose of reality. Like it or not, if we are willing to look below the surface of what mainstream media sells us each day, pairing it with just a surface level understanding of Bible prophecy, we cannot help but see the chaotic unrest which has the potential of ushering in the Great Tribulation. In my lifetime, assuming I live to a ripe old age, we may simply linger in the foothills before the return of Christ; but I believe my children will be witness to the hand of a Mighty God reaching down into the soul of the Earth and its inhabitants.
What follows is a look at the condition of humanity as written two thousand years ago - scripture taken from The New Testament in Romans 1:21-32.
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
Hard to believe, isn’t it? This could be a modern day headline! After reading it, I was quickly reminded of how many people have raised their fists to God in light of the aftermath of Harold Camping’s failed doomsday prophecy. It was as if the scoffers were delighted to deny their Creator and the plausibility of an Armageddon-like scenario. Not that I bought into Camping’s rhetoric, mind you. The Bible very clearly states that no man knows the hour. "If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." Revelation 3:3.
I believe Christ’s return is looming on the near horizon. All we must do is look at what is happening in the Middle East and with Israel, God’s chosen people. Our President has chosen unwisely, turning his back on an important ally. Israel is surrounded by an enemy who wishes to destroy it and America stands quietly and idly by. Unfortunately, our churches rarely ever broach the subject of prophecy or Israel’s role in it. It is not the stuff of a pleasant Sunday morning sermon and it is very difficult to decipher, let alone teach. I believe some ministers have simply given up hope of Christ’s return while others won’t touch the subject for fear of losing their livelihood. Perhaps its just not politically correct enough anymore; the Bible, however, is correct. Christ very clearly warned of a time wrought with global upheaval. It is only God’s gentle hand of patience which is delaying the final chapter as outlined in the last book of His Holy Word.
I believe God desires that each of us be saved and that we come to repentance, so that not one among us perishes to face His judgment, and thus eternal damnation. Through his Word, he has offered a warning. In Matthew, Chapter 24, Christs’ disciples asked Him point blank what will be the sign of His return and the end of the age. Jesus answered in verses 4-14, "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
To Believers:
As Christians we are intended to prepare for this time by building strong ties to other Christians and by reaching out to nonbelievers with the message of Christ’s sacrifice. Through prayer, love, encouragement and unity, we must prepare ourselves for the onslaught of what is coming our way. Most importantly, we must minister to those who have not heard the message of our Almighty and Amazing God.
To Non-Believers:
If you do not know Christ, I urge you to find a Christian friend, someone to help guide you through the process of opening your heart to God. He loves you and wishes you to be in relationship with Him. He will change the course of your life, ushering in a new peace and understanding that you will want to share with the ones you love. If you are new to these thoughts, please read another article I have written, "The Gift of Salvation." It will be a great introduction to the principles and life saving gift your Christian friend will introduce you to. Don’t have any Christian friends? Actually, you do - me. I would be delighted to sit with you over a cup of tea and share what little understanding I have gained.