March 26, 2013
"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will
be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the
flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about
what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."
(Matthew 24:37-39) ..................
Last week I had a moment ... a moment when I felt
that maybe I was just "crying wolf" .... and that no one was
really listening any more. (Woe is me!).... After all, it seems
like as each week goes by, we 'watchmen' keep talking about a lot of
the same things ....and feel like "wait a minute! .. Didn't
I just report this a few days ago?" ... and then I thought ...
"well maybe I should just quit this stuff ... nobody's paying much
attention, and what's going to happen is just going to happen anyway!
... It sure would make my life easier!" ....
Sounds like a great 'pity party' to me. ... But
then I got to thinking ... Isn't this exactly what the enemy wants?
... For all of us just to give up and go along with this world as it
plunges ever further into moral and spiritual chaos? ......... Well,
I had my moment, and once I realized it, I told Satan to "get behind
me, in the name of Jesus" ... and he has! ....
No matter how much the enemy tries to discourage
us, all we have to do is go to the Word of God and He will bolster us
with His wisdom. .... Just because I had a weak moment doesn't change
the fact that Scripture clearly points to these days being the final
moments of the Church age. ..... The "birth pains" spoken
of by Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:8 are here and no amount of mis-information
can alter this fact.
When going back to the opening Scripture concerning
the days of Noah, we see this 'condition' of the human spirit in almost
every instance just prior to God's coming wrath. ... People seem to
fall into the 'denial' mode, not wanting to hear anything that will
'upset the apple cart.' .... In the days of old, Biblical testimony
shows how they simply didn't want to hear the prophet's words ... We
see this in Isaiah 30:10, which says, "They say to the seers,
'see no more visions!' .. and to the prophets, 'give us no more visions
of what is right! .. Tell us pleasant things.' "
....... And today, it's the same for the 'watchmen'
who report current events pointing to the fulfillment of those same
prophetic forecasts. ....Like the prophets of old, we are looked upon
as 'the doomsday preachers' or the 'bad news boys' ..... Folks
just don't want to hear it! ... 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says it very clearly
... "For a time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
......... or they will appear to 'go through the motions' but will not
conform to the truth. We see this in Ezekiel 33:31-33 ... "My
people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen
to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their
mouths hey express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust
gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings
love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for
they hear your words but do not put them into practice. When this
all comes true --- and it will --- then they will know that a prophet
has been among them."
Now I feel better! ..... I needed to reflect on
how it is for those of us who try our best to stay true to the literal
teachings of the Bible. .... And if the enemy's battering us, that's
good news! ... That means that we are on to something that is 'upsetting
his evil empire!' ....
And as for the naysayers, the apostle Peter predicted
that many people, including some believers, would take their shots at
those of us who warn ... "..... in the last days scoffers will
come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will
say, 'Where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers
died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'"
...
.... So I need to toughen up and NOT let the enemy
get me down! ... and I pray this prayer also for any of you out there
who are feeling the blows of 'the dark side'. .... Just remember this
.... If our lives are perfect & smooth, somehow I have to believe
we aren't doing much for the Kingdom of God. ....
How about this! Let's promise to pray for
one another constantly so as NOT to fall into the devil's schemes ...
to succumb to his temptations of anxiety and uneasiness .... and if
you are struggling, let us know so we can pray specifically for you
... and in the meantime, read Ephesians 6:10-18. This passage
teaches us of the "armor of God" that is available to all!
.... May God richly bless you and keep you ...
Until next time,
Red