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Last Days
This is an excerpt from a book I wrote that is being published at this time under the same name. It should be out very soon. I encourage everyone to get it. One, it is my first book. Two, it is a very good book. God was very gracious in giving it to me.
- Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
- Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
- Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
- Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
- Luk 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
The Lord Jesus Christ gave us some signs to look for concerning the last days that I believe was to stir us from a condition of apathy and show us the times are short. I suppose I should take a moment here and answer the obvious question of some who might ask “What do you mean by the times are short”. God has said throughout the Bible that there was coming a day of judgment on the world. The world will be judged in his righteousness and for sin (His definition of sin, not the liberals left’s). God has shown us throughout scriptures signs leading up to this event. As we begin to see these conditions God talks about in his word becoming fulfilled, as Christians we refer to the encroaching catastrophic events as the last days and say the times are short. There are many things that will happen in these times. What the church refers to as the “Rapture” takes place preceding the beginning of the last day events signaling the onset of these times. I cannot really go into that here. The last days refers mainly to the encroaching and imminent rise of the one the Bible calls the anti-Christ and the time of Jacob’s trouble or the great and terrible seven year testing of Israel. It is a time that will culminate in the restoration of Israel as the apple of God’s eye. It is the time when the four horsemen of the apocalypse spoken of in the book of Revelation will ride fourth; the white horse of the anti-Christ carrying a bow and no arrows which represents to me that he has the ability to threaten war and retribution but lacks the actual arrows or power to implement his threats. The other horsemen of war, including the horse of pestilence and famine along with the horsemen of death will follow along behind him. It is a time of the judgments of God being poured out on the earth because of the wickedness of man. There will be the trumpet judgments, vial judgments and bowl judgments poured out on the world. Yet for all of this, man will shake his fist at heaven, refusing to repent of their sinful and wicked ways. It will be a time so bad that the Bible tells us that there has never been a time like this on earth before. That is saying a lot. It will be a time so bad that Jesus told us that “Except those days be shortened, there would no flesh be saved”. What we refer to as the encroaching of the last days refers to the changes in the world’s acceptance of wickedness and the massive refection of Jesus as the Christ. Like a stage being set for the beginning of a massive play, the changes on the world scene show us as Christians that these times are upon us. There will be many who mock at this. It is understandable from the world but it is grievous to see within the church. This is one of many signs of the last days being upon us. 2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. Jesus told us in the letters to the seven churches in Revelations that the last days church would be like this. It is apostate, worldly and lost. If God opens your eyes that you are in such a church, get out of it and find a Bible believing Christ honoring church where you can worship God and join with others of like faith.
When I read the verses above and other scriptures I cannot help but think I need to be about the Father’s business. These words cannot simply be read and understanding be automatically brought to mind. What is read has to be looked at in the light of all of scriptures and with an understanding of the holy nature of God and the sinful nature of man. It is all about sin. Sin has a remedy and that is the precious blood of Jesus Christ but many will not come to Jesus that they may be cleansed from sins effects. The problem is that man loves sin. Many times things are blamed on Satan when in reality it is simply the love of sin in people’s hearts that leads them to destruction. Sin is progressive by nature. By that I mean that people do not sin like they have a desert after a meal and then get up from the table, putting it away. Sin is like leaven. It spreads like a cancer and shows up in every area of life. Sin is present and working in every life. No one is immune to sin or it’s effects. 1Jo 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. I have heard it said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. If we study God’s word we find that sin is present in every soul of man (Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;). We are born with a nature to sin. No one teaches a baby to sin. Take a baby and lay them in a crib and walk out of the room content that all is well. Just as you settle in for a moment of peace and tranquility there is a scream that shakes you to the foundation of your soul. You think a monster is eating that poor defenseless baby. It is screaming like it is being torn apart. You run into the room and pick up the baby expecting to see arms or legs missing. As soon as you pick them up they stop crying and begin cooing and smiling. No one taught that baby to deceive. It is born with the nature to sin. It is inherited from our first father Adam. It is our nature to sin. Sin shapes our personality, character, habits of life and even our thoughts and imaginations. As we get older we find that sin is like a disease we cannot escape from by ourselves. One big mistake people often make is to think that sin is the man or woman lying in a gutter with their life ruined by alcohol or drugs. When you see this you are only seeing the destroying effects of uncontrolled sin in people’s lives. Sin is bigger than all of us and sometimes we see the results of lives that have been crushed under its weight. When I see someone hugging a liquor bottle or living in a rescue mission or revealing the controlling aspects of sin in a myriad of ways I say to myself that but for the grace of God, there goes I. Sin is found riding in the Cadillac living wealthy from the misery of those who cannot help themselves. Sin is meeting in a motel room to feed a lust that cannot be controlled. Sin is hatred that expresses itself against others. Sin is an arrogant attitude toward others. Sin sits on the church pew every Sunday and tells the person it controls that they are alright. Sin tells us that the problem is someone else. Sin tells us that we are not like other people. Sin is thinking you cannot find sin in your life. Without Christ, we are all in the same boat and a massive storm is coming. Mankind is not getting more righteous. Man is getting more sinful. I have always said that sin is what keeps us away from God but wickedness is what happens when man embraces sin with a hunger for it to increase in their life. For us to correctly interpret the scriptures concerning the end times we must look at the world view. When wickedness is great in one nation we have despicable men in power in those lands. When wickedness is great the world over and increasing we need to turn to the scriptures and listen to what God is telling us about those times. When wickedness is embraced as a normal lifestyle by people the world over we need to search the scriptures to see what God is telling us. We are in those times now. Wickedness is protected by laws in nations around the globe while the innocent are victimized. Wicked lifestyles are taught in schools as normal while Christianity is condemned. Wickedness is truly great in the land.
There are so many other things that point to the last days as foretold by Jesus. I see more and more nations turning against Israel. There is sympathy for those who terrorize Israel and apathy toward supporting Israel. I will be so bold as to say that if a Christian is living under the guidance and influence of the Holy Ghost they will feel for Israel and pray for God to help Israel. The child of God’s cry should be “Come quickly Lord Jesus”. I actually grieve when I see how Israeli’s are so wickedly killed and hear the anger toward them. The world still does not understand after all of these years. This is the way God tells us it will be in the last days though. I will not go deeply into this. There are so many great studies on Israel and the coming of the anti-Christ it would distract from this writing to dwell on it here so we will get back to wickedness.
The Bible tells us that in Noah’s day wickedness was great. Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. It wasn’t just that man was sinful but that “every imagination of his heart was only evil continuously”. From the time when man was walking with God in the Garden of Eden in holy rapture until Noah’s day man had sank to such depths of depravity that he constantly lived to devise more wickedness in his life. He not only ceased to call upon God but he thought on ways to feed his corrupt imaginations more and more following the sinful cravings of his heart. Man disbelieved or simply chose to ignore the message of Noah. It was not just the most corrupt but all of mankind that scoffed at Noah and his message. The passage tells me that it was as if they could care less what God wanted from them. They continued in their corrupt lifestyles as if God did not matter. The scripture rendering that they continued to eat, drinking and marrying reveals the low esteem and even scorn they held for God and God’s man. There was no sackcloth and ashes like when Jonah went to Nineveh. They simply continued on their sinful way. It was as if they said “So what” to God. This is such a reflection of the way people are today. They no doubt laughed and ridiculed Noah as he prepared an Ark in a time when rain had never fallen. In their eyes it was evidently ridiculous to think of rain actually falling from the sky. Why, everyone knew that the earth was watered by a mist that came up from the ground (Gen 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ). It had been that way since the Garden of Eden. Who was this Noah that thought the times and the seasons would be changed so drastically. Let this wandering dreamer go on in his fanciful imagination. The people of that day had better things to do than pay attention to a crazy preacher. Are we living in days like this or what! Then one day the crazy preacher and his family were gone. God had sealed them into the Ark. At that time the people of the day might have thought “Good riddance” when Noah disappeared. Then it began to rain and rain and rain some more. The door of grace had been closed. Although the scoffing was probably over, it was too late. People had committed open rebellion against God and his holiness. Judgment had to fall. Man was destroyed except for a small seed of the faithful. This judgment left man living in the sinful nature of his flesh though so sin continued to reign in mans heart. Even after mercy had been shown and a seed of man was allowed to live through God’s judgment by water, man again turned his heart to seek the corruption of the flesh in deeper and deeper wickedness. Soon after the great flood, man witnessed the dividing of the continents, and the rise of civilization for the second time from the devastation of the judgment. As mans heart began to long for wickedness, they came together in teamwork and built the tower of Babel. God then confused the tongues of men and multiple languages were born. By the time Abraham was born, the cities of the plain called Sodom was the heart of this corruption and a great business center. The profitable nature of the plains of Sodom was what drew Lot to choose this land when he and Abraham separated. Man did not just wake up and find himself swimming in corruption in Sodom or anywhere else. There was a sequence to the social downgrade into such corruption that brought judgment from God. Eze 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Eze 16:50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. Pride breeds a haughty or rebellious spirit in people. Fullness of bread tells me that they were a very prosperous people. Abundance of idleness tells me that they lived luxuriously and sumptuously. The poor were evidently an unwanted burden that they evidently chose to ignore in their midst. Not all were rich and wealthy. Some were victims of the greed so prevalent. They were haughty tells me they considered themselves the masters of their own destinations, rebellious against godliness and holy living. They had a hunger for corruption and wickedness that led them to commit open abominations (among which was sodomy) in direct rebellion against God. The men of the city even turned down Lot’s virgin daughters in anticipation of having homosexual relationships with the angels of God. The cry of the city itself cried out to God because of the wickedness in it. Gen 18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; :21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. They fed the hunger of their wicked hearts without regard for the consequences. If this is not a reflection of the times we live there never will be a semblance like it. Lot knew and was willing to live in the midst of this corruption for money and power or both. The Bible tells us that he “sat in the gate”. This means he was a man of authority and power. It is incredible how far man will go and what he will ignore to get money and power. How many Christians today are ignoring wickedness going on around them for a position of money and power? America is at a turning point. The ungodliness in the land could not get rooted in strength unless professing Christians ignored or even supported it either openly or by their silence.
I have heard many sermons on the end times. While most of these are probably relative and truthful, there never ceases to be more that adds credence to the preached message that we are near the time when Christ Jesus is coming back again.
We have heard all of those who talk of the sinfulness of the times and the embracing of ungodliness by people in every culture and social environment. I agree with the statement that we are living in the end times but it really does not matter whether I agree or anyone else agrees. God makes statements in his word and that settles it.
I agree with those who preach that the embracing of sodomy on such a massive scale is a sign of the last days in which we live. None of these can be understated.
I have seen other things though that is reason for deep concern. I say concern not because the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is a fearful thing for those of us who are saved. For those who are truly saved it is a time to be longed for with great joy. It is a fearful thing for the lost. I fear for those who have rejected the grace of God. It is going to be eye opening for the apostate church of the last days.
I say apostate because the Bible tells us it will be a time of great apostasy. Apostasy is turning in rebellion from known truth. If you didn’t know better you would think that we were in the midst of a great revival by listening to the news on TV. They talk of prayer, praise and blessing but they deny the power of true godliness which can only be had in Christ Jesus. They speak of these things while being in open support of ungodly lifestyles and even horrible wickedness as the murder of the unborn. We are suffering through some pretty severe catastrophes and whether God is sending them as a means of speaking to America or not, I cannot tell. I do know He knows about them. Nothing escapes his knowledge or his permissive will. The catastrophes that have struck do have a message for us whether they were specifically sent from God or not. If we cannot stand a severe weather phenomenon or even the despicable attacks of an enemy as on 9/11, how can man possibly expect to hold up against the open judgment of God coming upon the world? Jer 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
What amazes me is the way I hear people talking about God in all of this. I hear those in New Orleans talking of rebuilding that city back the way it was when the way it was, was nothing but a stench of wickedness rising to heaven.
I hear news personnel using terms like praise God but will not go so far as to mention the name of the only means of hope and help God has or ever will give to this world. They are praising churches for helping in these storms and churches should help with an outpouring of love that far exceeds what the world can do, but the news will turn on them like a rabid dog if these churches began doing what is their true and first obligation. If they began preaching the Gospel message of Christ and began to preach repent or perish, there would be a vicious backlash from the same news media who are now saying praise God.
Why is that? Is it not the churches prime responsibility to provide help to those in need? In one quick answer I will say no. Help from the body of Christ is not contingent upon accepting Christ Jesus as Savior but the message is the prime responsibility. It is the church’s prime responsibility to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is love of Christ in our hearts that compels us to reach out to people with a helping hand. Even when a Christian hands a peace of bread to someone who is lost, they should give that bread or cloak or bed or yes, even a glass of water in Jesus name as a gift from God who loved them enough to send his only begotten Son to be their sin bearer and die in their place. If they accept God’s Son, Jesus Christ as their Savior, they will not only receive the gift of life eternal and forgiveness for their sins but they will find strength and help that will see them through every storm of life that might come their way. That peace of bread itself is a gift from God that opens the greater door to take the gospel to them.
Sad to say, a lot of churches do not see that. A lot of churches bend to the will of the world and become only a welfare center. When there is no catastrophe for them to get involved in, they are primarily social centers. Ball games, aerobics, social functions and community affairs replace the gospel message of Jesus Christ being their sin bearer to deliver them from sin and give them life eternal. The world wants them to become involved in what the world deems as “religious” activities but only in what has to be a limited involvement. They cannot preach the Gospel. They cannot tell people that without Christ they are lost and on their way to hell. They are welcome to give money, food and shelter, just not the shelter of the gospel. The world wants this kind of religion. It is a dead religion that makes people feel like they are doing something but in reality it is leaving them guilt free in their sin. It is an emotional high of empty religion.
The Bible tells us that times like these will come upon the world. 1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 1Ti 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
People have been drawn to what I will call here emotionalism. People do not want to hear doctrine, just make them feel good about themselves. I have been told that I preach too much out of the Bible and use too many verses and preach and teach too much doctrine. I never dreamed I would ever hear that. Let them work themselves into a frenzy of tears and all is well. Just do not attempt to lead them into the teachings of the gospel doctrines. We live in a time of religious works. Don’t eat meat on Friday. Don’t eat pork. If you don’t do it just right Christ will do you no good and you will die in your sins. He had to save you but it is up to you to keep yourself saved. If you make a mistake he will throw you out on your head. Don’t do this. Don’t do that. It is seductive, just like the scriptures say. It all makes people feel like they are doing something to earn salvation but inwardly it leaves them empty, longing for hope and help.
The Bible tells us that in the last days perilous times will come. 2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. Anyone with eyes can see that not just in America but in the entire world the above verse is a perfect picture of world society. Humanism is shaping the structure of government. This is leading America into an embracing of socialism just as it has in so many other nations worldwide. People have never seemed to be more religious but without the power of that supposed godliness. 2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. There are crusades held in cities in America and other nations and if the number of people attending these crusades and going forward to respond were truly saved, we would be in a revival like the world has never seen. I will say again, people want religion but do not ask them to turn (Repent) from their sin. Unfortunately, the sinfulness of the world is greater than it has ever been. People that claim to be Christian vote devils into political office knowing they will work to further destroy the very Christianity they claim. This is what used to be called two faced. Professing Christians support the murder of the unborn. Professing Christians support lifestyles that God himself calls an abomination. Professing Christians embrace sin and ungodliness on an unparalleled level. It is unbelievable that people in America are considering marriage between sodomites and lesbians. If you were to ask how many people in church believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, you would be shocked how many would say they do not believe that. Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. When people do not believe what the Bible tells them, they are in essence calling God a liar. This is not just stated once but over and over again that no man can come to the Father except through Jesus. Jesus told Thomas that if he has seen him (Jesus) he has seen the Father, How can professing Christians call God a liar. There are many lost people sitting in church. They are denying the Christ who died for them. They are denying the holy scriptures that tell of him. They are denying the Father who testified of him. They are denying the Holy Spirit who witnesses of him. They are denying the Savior who died for them. They are denying the blood which was shed for them. These people do not believe that Christ Jesus died for them. They have forsaken the only hope of heaven and salvation they have or ever will have.
There are many other statements you can use but that statement alone shoots Islam in the head if you believe the Bible and believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. If you do not believe that then you are not a Christian anyway. There is no religion on the face of the earth or any other name under all of heaven that has the power to save your soul and keep you from the day of judgment of sin by the only God who will judge the world in holiness. Israel knew him as the great “I Am”. They called him Elohim and Jehovah among other things. As Christians we see him manifested to the world as the man Jesus Christ. This is why things have gotten bad in our churches. Back in the 60’s there was a program started whose intent was to increase membership. This was the beginning of the end for the truly evangelistic church. Large groups met on Saturdays and canvassed neighborhoods. The only requirement they asked people was that they believed in Jesus. It must be said here that there is a difference from a spoken statement with the lips and a cry from a believing heart. If they said they did, they told them they were Christians. This filled the church with the lost and of course they didn’t like spiritual programs so they began voting in worldly programs and the result is what you have now. Churches that is as lost as the world. You may be saying that you thought all a person had to do was believe in Jesus. If that were the case every devil in hell would be saved. Every Demon that Jesus cast out knew beyond all shadow of a doubt that Jesus was the Son of God, truly, God in the flesh. Mat 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Mat 8:30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. Mat 8:31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. True faith works repentance in the heart of the sinner. Repentance is turning from the sin. True faith begins to work in the believer’s life to direct that believer to a life of holiness. True faith makes that holy lifestyle to be seen as a witness to the saving grace of God so that others can see what Christ can do for them also. This is what makes a child of God a soul winner.
Sin is destroying America. Sin is destroying our homes. Sin is destroying individual lives. People are dying and falling into hell every moment and liberal preachers are preaching a social gospel. There are more people in church who have never heard of the blood of Jesus as the cleansing power behind their salvation than there are that understand about the blood of Jesus. The Bible is full of scripture showing the power of the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse from sin but I am only going to list a few.
Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; :19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. :13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: :14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
If you are in an apostate (Rejected and turned from the truth) church I implore you to get out now and ask God in prayerful searching to lead you to a Bible believing church where you will hear the word of God preached without apology and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are truly living in the days of sinful acceptance and hungering for wickedness spoken of in the scriptures. Whether it is as bad yet as talked about in the Bible, no one knows. I know I want my life to reflect all that Jesus would have me to be.
A lot of people have a problem reconciling the love of God with the judgment of God. How can a loving God still be a God of judgment? This misunderstanding is the fault of preachers not preaching the whole council of the word of God. In the Garden of Eden mankind fell into sin. This act of disobedience is what brought death on man. Man died in the Garden of Eden spiritually. He still had an eternal soul. Without a means of salvation man goes to hell when he dies because he is born a sinner and under condemnation. There is a judgment on sin coming and without a savior man stands condemned. God loved the world so much (John 3:16) he provided the only one in all of heaven, earth or under the earth who was capable of delivering mankind from this curse of death. His name is Jesus Christ. He is Gods only begotten Son. In reality, it is God who became flesh and died in our place if we will accept this great love. He became our scapegoat. What we deserve fell on him so we can be free. There is no greater love than this. If you choose to reject his love, there is no other place to turn. You will die in your sins. You will face the great white throne judgment without remedy. The Bible calls it a time of weeping and gnashing of teeth when they see what they threw away for a life of sin. God does not force himself on anyone. Man is an agent of free will. People can choose forgiveness, love and eternal life or they can choose to continue in sin and eternal death. We make a choice in this life. It is an irrevocable choice. What choice are you going to make or have made?
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