The End is Near ...

There is a singular truth about evil; it will implode over time, self-destruct, taking out everything else it can along with it. When we embrace evil in our lives, we embrace pain. We may not suffer the pain of evil in our immediate reality, but we destine ourselves to feel pain none the less. But the truth about evil is that it will not stop merely at pain, it must always and only, end in death. Those who embrace evil, forsaking the escape from it that Christ would gladly impart, will share the fate of evil. Evil would one day self-destruct. But our God in His infinite mercy has determined to cut the time of evil’s demise short. He interferes in world events, and course corrects the paths that man foolishly runs towards hastening his own destruction. God prevents us from killing ourselves, for He wishes to remove those who serve Him safely before evil can wreak its havoc fully on all those around it when it goes.

And so the belief that the “end of the world” will one day occur makes sense to many people. Non-believers in our God tend to think man will be the instrument of his own destruction. They would be right, were it not for God staying our hand. Between our short-sightedness and greed we are more than willing to poison the ground we live on, and the water we drink merely for the sake of earning a few extra dollars to spend. The debate over whether global warming is real is proof enough that greed can influence almost anyone from the masses who are taught to reject what is clearly in their day-to-day lives, to the scientists who are paid to disclaim any attempt at curtailing corporate profits – greed and sloth will prove our undoing, were it not for God. But God seems to have grander plans for the complete destruction of our planet than to let it suffer the consequences of its own actions. He wishes to answer the siren call of the Atheists for “proof” of His existence before all time ends. And so the world will not end with a whimper but with a bang, orchestrated by our God Himself.

Christ said … “as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the son of man.” Many look at the story of Noah and see only an angry God bent on destroying the world, sorry about having created man given how evil man had become. But this thinking is influenced highly by the evil one. Look again more closely. God could have destroyed the entire world and ended man’s existence but He did not. He was careful to save the family of the man who still claimed to serve God. Noah was not perfect. Noah liked to drink. Noah was not chosen by God, Noah chose God. And so God responded to Noah, and saved not only Noah, but his wife, sons, and their wives; all for the sake of Noah. One of those sons God saved would almost immediately turn to evil again right after the flood. God knew this, but saved him anyway, not pre-judging what he would do, but giving him the opportunity to make different choices even if he would not. God saved sinners. He was not looking for perfection, just for someone who was willing to look for Him.

As for the rest of humanity, despite its evil, God did not immediately act upon the “anger” He was supposed to be feeling. I believe it more to be extreme sadness than extreme anger. Instead, God waited for Noah to build the ark, taking more than 120 years to complete the task. In this time, news of Noah’s work spread throughout the then known world, and all came to hear Noah preach about the coming end of the world as they knew it. Noah did not have logic, or history on his side, only God. Rain was not a phenomenon anyone could relate to, nor was oceans, nor was flooding, nor storms at all. No one had ever heard of such a thing. Yet Noah preached what they refused to believe. He taught truth regardless of him being mocked, derided, and you can bet accused of drinking all the time. Still God waited 120 years hoping against hope that man might take the time to repent and seek Him, but they did not.

I can almost hear the atheists in the crowd demanding for Noah to show proof that God existed. The angel guarding the gates of Eden with a fiery sword was apparently not enough. They needed more to believe, or so they said and so God heard them, and according to His plans, He brought animals from all over the world, two by two (for the unclean animals), and seven by seven (for the clean ones). In this God revealed his distinctions when it comes to dietary laws. He also used this animal parade from all over the world to show His miraculous power. It was not enough. For those who choose NOT to believe in God, there is never enough “proof” to make them see past the stubbornness of their decisions. The ark lacked a rudder, as God would guide the boat. The ark lacked a method of closing the door and insuring it was sealed, the angel of God himself would do that work. Yet still they did not believe. I imagine when the first few drops of rain fell, there were those still clinging to their stubborn scientifically based notions that rain could not exist; until there was little room on the top of the highest peaks, where man and beast tore at each other for the precious ground, trying to stay above the torrents that now surrounded them. Perhaps then they believed, and then they died.

Before we look forward to how our world will end, it is wise for us to learn the lessons from the last time it met with destruction. Several key points emerge: 1.) God was not looking for perfection, but was looking for those who sought to serve Him. 2.) Despite the doubters the world did end, and God was true to His patience and His word. 3.) Every attempt to save mankind was made before the end came; even miracles occurred, but even miracles are not enough for those who choose not to believe. For us to make it through the coming end time events and fulfillment of the last prophesies on earth, we must begin by renewing our commitment to submit our will to Christ, and follow Him wherever and however He leads us.

Noah’s story again teaches us the world did not end by its own decision or time lines. It ended at the hands of our God, through a mechanism no-one believed in. God set the timeline, no one else. God performed the miracles, no one else could. And God followed through on His word, both saving His servants, and destroying those who clung to evil. And so it shall be again according to our Lord. There are several prophesies in the Bible that have not seen their fulfillment as yet. Some of the most important are as follows … A.) The rise of the Anti-Christ in physical form, B.) The sealing of the 144,000 of God’s special servants, C.) The close of probation where the fates of all mankind are sealed in the books of heaven, D.) The seven last Plagues, E.) The second coming of Christ, F.) The binding of Satan to the earth for a thousand years alone, G.) The descending of the Holy City Heaven on what is now Jerusalem, H.) The raising of the wicked for Satan to marshal his troops for one last great Armageddon battle, I.) The panoply of history in front of all of mankind, J.) The final attack of the wicked on this Holy City, K.) The raining down of fire on the wicked consuming them all in time, and finally L.) the recreation of the world made new, with death, pain, and the former things passed away forever.

Items A-D above are nothing short of the supernatural and should have provided more than enough “proof” that God indeed does exist. But alas, those who choose not to believe may choose to continue not to believe. We can only hope that the revelation of these events will change their perspectives. Items E-L represent the extinction of evil, and are conducted long after the “proof” is beyond all questioning. As with those who fought for the highest peaks during the flood, if not already with God, the wicked have no hope left to them of surviving what will come. Noah’s story affirms this as well. In coming sections we will review each of these cataclysmic events, for now this overview will have to suffice.

When could all this begin? Some argue it must have to wait until some distant future when the world is “really” bad. Not so. It could have started in 1888 before we were even born. At that point all the other salient prophesies had been completed to mark the time of the end. Wars, rumors of wars, the sun going black, the stars falling, the moon turning to blood, even the cleansing of the sanctuary work started in 1844 – all of it was completed by 1888. God’s remnant message had emerged by then. Everything was ready … except one small thing … us. Our Christian leadership faced a choice; preach salvation by faith alone, or by faith and works. We chose the latter. We were wrong. And it has taken more than 120 years to correct our message of hope. But for those who argue this is how every generation has thought since Christ went back to heaven after His first trip, they are right. And they are wrong, in that no other generation has seen the 120 year waiting period expire before now. As it was in the days of Noah, 120 years of preaching, sound familiar. Deja vu.

Let us not forget that the message of our gospel is to free us from the pain of evil and sin right here and right now. Regardless of how close we are to the end of all things, we need our savior to do His work within us right here and right now. We long to be freed from the pain of sin, and know the freedom of His righteousness. And while our message will remain true for all time, we must not neglect the signs that we sit on the precipice of the end of all time as man has measured it. Soon, perhaps in the coming weeks, months, or years we may witness the end of all evil, and establishment of His kingdom forever and ever. This news should bring joy to our hearts and minds. This news is exciting. This news is exhilarating. If this news inspires fear within you, then you should return again to your knees, and reaffirm your commitment to serve our Lord and Savior. Allow Christ to begin to save you from evil, and you will join in the joy of His soon coming return. It cannot happen soon enough …

All That Remains ...

Pre-occupation, constant demands for your attention, too many things to do and too little time to ever complete them all; what do all of these realities of your life have in common?  They create a symphony of distraction, cause you to believe you must make impossible choices, and most of all drown out that still small voice.  Is it any wonder that scripture states … “be still, and know that I am God.”  Our lives are anything but still, our demands ever present, our needs real, and our time already spoken for.  And the consequence is a life too busy to find time for anything of real value, instead buried in minutia of meaningless details with no end in sight.

Stop it already.  Just stop.  Take a deep breath, slowly exhale.  Now just for a minute prioritize all the things you still need to do today, as if you were going to literally be dead tomorrow.  Not trying to be morbid, but does anything actually still exist on your “important” list of to-do’s.  I doubt it.  In point of fact, the only things that remain on a list of to-do’s when seriously expecting imminent death – are the things that really matter – i.e. relationships and the sharing of love.  In those critical last minutes of flight 93, and on the floors trapped above the flames in the twin towers, how many cell phone calls were placed to loved ones to simply say those critical words … I love you.

No one in that position calls the office to get that one last task moved along a little further.  No one calls the mall to see if they still have that item you have been shopping for.  They call the people who matter.  Then they say the only thing that really matters in the time they have left.  But remove the threat of impending, remove the immediacy, and we resume life as if we have all the time in the world to get around to attending to those precious things.  People seem to make little time to love until they realize how truly important time is.  This is the lesson of our mortality.  To help us see that the fragility of life should guide us closer to the things that really matter, and keep us from wasting the time we have been given.  Seconds count, minutes matter, hours are precious, days are a gift, years are a treasure.  You cannot measure time by money, as the value of time is far greater than that of money.

And while the world around us makes little time to love, they make even less time for the Author of love.  The Bible speaks of a “remnant” groups of believers who greet the Lord when He comes again.  Remnant is all that remains.  When I look around at the crippling distractions of our lives, and see so few people who even care if they miss time with God, I am amazed at how many seem perfectly content in the pain they live with each day.  People seem to run full speed and head first into the brick walls in their immediate path, damaging themselves, and hurting everyone who cares for them.  And then they do it again and again, each time seemingly having forgotten the immediate past.  We carry our burdens ourselves, knowing we are not up to the task, failing miserably, and then act surprised at the results.

“Why me?” cries the alcoholic while pouring drink after drink into the glass in front of them.  When not completely overcome by the effects of their condition, the alcoholic has no time for God, no time for love, and has to work even harder to make up for the time lost to their condition.  A spiraling downward tornado designed to pull us beyond our hope.  But a still small voice cries out, “you don’t have to live this way.”  It reminds us … “I came so that you might have life, and have it more abundantly.”  Lay your burdens, your addictions, your self-inflicted pain, on Jesus and find “Rest.”

While the world seems content to ignore their painful conditions; Christians claim the name of God, but remain content doing no better for themselves than emulating the lives of the world.  Christians, despite council to the contrary, allow themselves to become just as distracted, just as busy, and just as self-reliant as their neighbors all around them.  Instead of surrendering the will to Christ, and becoming a new creature, we cling to the old carnal one and seek to feed our lust.  Instead of learning to give up to God, and find His way of our escape from sin, we dash towards sin at full speed ahead – counting only on the mercy of forgiveness to save us, rather than the power of Christ to actually change what we choose to do.

Sometimes as I look around both inside and outside of the church, I wonder is anyone really still waiting for His return?  Does anyone just miss hanging out with God anymore?  Does anyone have any questions for Him that don’t start with the words; “can I have …”  Does anyone actually offer love upwards, or do they merely seek it from Him, not for Him.  I wonder, is what I see all that remains?

God setup the original day off concept all the way back at the beginning of our existence.  He knew, better than us, that we needed to take a break from our routines, or we would go nuts.  God loves to hang out with us, and so He setup a day just for that.  One day in seven to spend with us, to talk with us, to enjoy with us, to just hang out with us.  But fast forward to 2009 and man has left behind any lingering ideas of hanging out with God anymore.  We simply do not have time for Him.

In the book of Exodus, in the definition of love God outlined in 10 precepts of His character, He stated … “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”  While we may have forgotten God, He has not forgotten us.  He still wants to hang out with us.  It was the only precept that included the word – “Remember”.  But like everything else, the one we should get the most enjoyment out of, is the one we “forget” first.  Once the concept of communing with God had left the building, early Jews made a long list of the do’s and don’ts for remembering the Sabbath.  The list eventually grew until little practicality or sense was left in it.  Later, Catholics blended existing pagan traditions of the day into the church and the practices of keeping the day holy.  And more recently, Seventh Day Adventists entered the scene, recreating the lists of do’s and don’ts and deciding to treat this day as either a weapon to judge others by, or something to simply ignore altogether.

It is interesting to me that SDA’s believe that keeping the seventh day as the Sabbath will be the end-time test of true fidelity to God.  But they get all wrapped up in the number of the day (Seven, not the First); rather than on what the meaning of “keeping it” truly is.  Our human tendency is to create rules rather than deal with motives.  We prefer structure to freedom of thought.  We fear that freedom may lead to danger.  But this is because we truly do NOT trust our God.  Our rules, our lists, and our professed methods of keeping the Sabbath are complete moo-moo-caca.  We have lost sight of what it is to simply hang out with God.  Put away our work, put away the commercial demands of the world, provide for our own needs for a bit and give the neighbor a rest, and just hang out with God.  We place our burdens on Him and in this alone find “rest.”

I look around me and see a world full of non-believers who appear to have little concern for God, and in their stubborn efforts to remain in control of their lives, they live with regret and unnecessary pain that a loving God would long to take away.  I look around me and see a church of believers who claim the name of Christ but have no idea what it means to live without pain, as they do not embrace the freedom of surrender to Christ.  Both groups obsessed with the illusion of control, both groups hopelessly burdened with lists of to-do’s they will never quite complete, both groups distracted from their own demise.  And yet there remains hope for them both, as there remains hope for me.  Time is not out just yet.  I pray that the Lord will prevent me from pursuing control to the detriment of my own soul, and will restore between us the time to just hang out once again.  I have to believe it is not quite time yet for what I see to be - all that remains …