I thought it would be appropriate to
bring some awareness to the urgency of the times—this time, earthquakes as a
sign of the Second Advent of Christ. (see USGC link below) I know, I know, there
are a lot of people that will scoff and the common answer to anyone who even
mentions Bible prophecy and Signs of the Times is met with, "These things have been happening for
thousands of years." What they fail to realize is the rapidity to
which they are occurring. Jesus revealed the following in Rev. 1:1-3:
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,
2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
I emphasize
the word “Shortly” because of its meaning. In the Greek the word is τάχος, pronounced tachos and it means speedily, quickly. The Bible describes end-time
events as “Birth Pangs” of a woman in labor:
1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 (ESV))
The
sudden destruction that comes so quickly is represented as coming as birth
pangs. We know that when a woman labors the pain gets more intense the closer
the new mother is to birth. So it will be in the day when the Lord sounds the
trumpet to call all true believers to their eternal destiny. This cannot be
emphasized enough! Christ is telling us He is coming soon, but are we
listening?
Furthermore,
the analogy of birth pains are not only used of signs that point to the return
of Christ, but also it is used as a description of the pain that those who do
not believe will feel when they see these things coming to pass. Consider the
following:
Wail,
for the day of the LORD is at
hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7
Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man's heart will melt, 8
And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman
in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; Their faces will be like flames. (Isaiah 13:6-8 (NKJV))
When King Belshazzar saw
the mysterious “handwriting on the wall” in Dan. 5:6 he is described as thus:
6 Then the king's countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.
3 Therefore my loins are filled with pain; Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labor. I was distressed when I heard it; I was dismayed when I saw it. (Isaiah 21:3 (NKJV))
Ask
now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every
man with his hands on his loins
Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale? (Jer. 30:6 (NKJV))
Friends,
the Bible is very clear and it does not paint a rosy picture concerning the
times that are coming. When Isaiah says,
“Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are
desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of
the earth are burned, And few men are
left.” (Isaiah 24:6 (NKJV)), He was not describing a “Sunday Picnic”.
All of us must be warned. Our neighbors must be told. The sound of the four
horsemen are echoing over the hills and the Lord is soon coming.
If were up to me, I would like to paint a rosy
picture of love and butterflies flapping in the wind, but as a true ambassador
of the gospel, I cannot. God has been longsuffering now for nearly two thousand
years since the crucifixion. His mercy has made us soft. His lack of judgment
against sin has allowed us to prolong our lives in it and even get lax in our
own discipleship practices. But the bottom line is, He is our Creator and He
created us to fellowship with Him. He is holy and He is just. Sin requires
judgment. A rapist is to be judged because he broke the law of the land and
victimized a defenseless woman. We applaud that justice. But sin must also be
judged for the way it has destroyed the earth and the lives of the billions of
inhabitants.
If you take the time to go to the USGC website you will see the rapidity of quakes occurring.
In love I ask what are you going to do? If you refuse Jesus Christ are you prepared to
persuade your wife, brothers, sisters, mother, father and friends to go along
with you? Are you prepared to be the one who turned others away from Christ?
Maybe you are the one being persuaded to turn from Christ by another. Are you
to cowardly to face up to Christ and confess your sin? Are you afraid of the
friends and family who do not believe and are described as grasping their loins because of the destructive events and judgments they will find
themselves in because they rejected Him? The Bible says:
“Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." (2 Corinthians 6:17 (NKJV))
Drop
the mask. Face the Lord and let Him know of your fears, failures, and doubts.
He will listen intently and if you will believe He will surely bring salvation into your soul.
Rom 10:9, 10. He loves His creation and He so very much, loves you! Listen to
Him as He speaks—as He calls—as He grips your heart.
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A song for Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah (Psalm 46:1-7 (NKJV))
God
Bless
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