But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance." Sounds a whole lot like that train of thought doesn't it?
Some people who claim to be Christians aren't living a life that remotely shows their supposed faith in Christ. Their lives are honestly filled with self. There's not a shred of waiting for the Lord to return. There is no urgency to the hour in which they live.
Matthew 24:4-14 NASB "And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.
Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold. But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." The shift has been happening for several decades now in so-called churches of our world. Moving away from conviction of sin. Moving away from preaching the need to come to Christ for salvation.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 NASB "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Jesus, Himself, asked to all: would He find the faith when He returns? Many of these people live a lukewarm life in Christ. It's watered-down and has no fire to it. People going off and doing their own thing rather than being fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Hobbies, entertainment, sports, celebrities, causes, all are more important to their well-being than a truly right relationship with Jesus.
The last group of people are those who are true Believers. People who are being intentional about their lives. People who are interested and intentional in living their lives for Christ Jesus. These people live their best for Jesus and earnestly look for the return of Jesus Christ. They live lives that include Him in as much as is possible. As the hymn says, giving their best for their Master. These people are going through life seeking to put what God wants ahead of their own wants.
You really need to look at your life and see where your life has come to.
You really need to stop and consider that any day can be THAT day.
You cannot afford to be lazy about it!
What if today were that day? Would you be really REALLY ready to stand before Jesus to give an account of your life? Have you been skating by? Not really putting any effort into a Godly life? Been trying to get God to make it your will here on Earth?
Are you at all concerned about how your life will really look like when it's tried as though by fire? Will you have anything to offer back to Jesus?
Honestly, how's it going to feel standing there and seeing nothing left?
Are you among those whom Jesus was referring to as not having the faith?
Are you still undecided about this whole returning thing? Jesus is only delaying because His Father isn't willing that any should perish, that is to die, without knowing His Son, Jesus. He's affording you every possible opportunity! He's in a lifeboat with His arm stretched out to pull you into the boat if only you would acknowledge the danger and the need!
Once that day does come, oh the horrors that lie ahead.
People think that the here and now are rough. People think that what the world went through in recent years was rough or hard. My Dear Reader, you have yet to see horrific or hard.
What awaits those who reject Jesus?
Well, as shaken as the world economy is, it's going to collapse. All that anyone worked to build up or save up is going to be for nothing.
The global disasters that are just from the result if Christ returning and taking those who died in Christ as well as those who are alive and remain, will be beyond catastrophic. No mind can wrap their head around the sense of loss and devastation that will be in this world.
THEN comes the judgments of God. People will be lied to ad to what happened to those true Christians who left. A world leader will emerge to unity humanity. The lies he will tell. People will throng after his words, will gladly surrender their rights to his will. It will have all the appearance of utopia coming to fruition. The judgments of God in Revelation will happen. Billions will be dying all at once. Yes you read that right. One such judgment is 100 lb hail stones.
My Dear Reader, please don't take the warning lightly! Your wants and desires are no where near as important as being ready for His return!
7 years of those judgments are determined by God to happen and they WILL happen. Someone will even rise up to attempt to assassinate the world leader and his return to life will be so miraculous that the world will worship him as god.
Impossible! You say that would NEVER happen! Look in your rear view mirror. You just lived through several years of what was thought to be impossible to happen too.
Today indeed might be that day. Today might be when those who thought they were Christians find out they never really came to Christ for salvation. They relied on the word of someone else. They relied on a feeling not a decision. They never truly believed and will find out too late because there really is no evidence in their life right now that transformed them.
My Savior is only waiting for His Father to tell Him it's time.
I really like an old song that says "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. If Heaven's not my home oh Lord what will I do? The Angels beckon me from Heaven's open door. I can't feel at home in this world anymore."
There's going to be a shout, much like what Lazarus heard. There's going to be a rumbling global earthquake. My belief is that earthquake will be the great shout of joy by Believers that the day of the Lord has come.
Today COULD be that day. It might not be. In either case are you really ready?
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