Dear friends and readers,
Does anyone agree that the world is currently in terrible shape and getting worse by the day? Everywhere I look good pastors and reputable authors are publishing articles with exactly the same theme; JESUS IS COMING SOON!
Admittedly, probably all past generations of believers either thought that or at least fervently hoped they would be part of the rapture of the church. So why would it be any different for our current generation? Well, the simple fact is that no other generation since the cross actually witnessed the ingathering of the Jews back to their ancient homeland of Israel in accordance with prophecy in Ezekiel chapter 37. Also no other generation witnessed Israel once again becoming a nation on May 14, 1948. SPECIAL NOTE! In case you are wondering, in the entire history of the world, no---I repeat no other culture was ever reinstated to their ancient national homeland after being dispersed worldwide. It has only happened one time and Israel is the one nation it has happened to. And yes, I do believe that Israel represents a Biblically prophetic time clock against which all else in the world will be measured.
I have no idea if we are close enough to the rapture for me as an individual to experience what Christians worldwide have always longed for. But if I had to guess I would say that people of my generation---at least some of them will. I was born in 1944 which means that I was alive to witness May 14, 1948 and I actually have some dim memories of the actual occurrence. My grandparents had one of the very first round screen black and white T.V's. Of course then I also remember victrola's, horse drawn milk wagons, Levis with buttons and my very first car, a 1950 plymouth 4 door. 8 track cassettes, a drivers license at 14, 50 cent per gallon gas and being fortunate to earn $1.00 per hour. And a bit later, transistor radios so my life has spanned some very interesting times. My father was an engineer on the very first moon shot and at 18 years old I was working as a hard rock miner 1600 feet under the ground on the very day JFK was assassinated. But I was making BIG money doing it. $2.12 an hour.
Back in those days, western movies featured good guys wearing white hats and bad guys wore black. The good guy always got the good girl and they didn't go to bed until after marriage. Drugs were around but only just and divorce (although it did happen) was socially frowned upon. There were NEVER any pregnant girls in high school (at least in the country) although you would never know it by all the lies the locker room guys were telling. I absolutely knew that they were lying because girls wore girdles in those days and those critters were undefeatable.
Then came the sexual revolution of the 1960's, Woodstock, huge rally's with women tearing their bras off and throwing them into bon fires to declare their independence. Next day the news papers were crowing about how large the crowds became. But I was in Law Enforcement at the time and can tell you for a fact that the next day "HUGE" crowds were mostly men gathered around the perimeters watching women tear off their bras. Funny the women never seemed to realize that!
Now here we are about 60 years later. Divorce is huge even within the church. I was doing some paperwork for our adopted son in a San Diego court a few months ago and there was sign advertising 1 day divorces??? Now men are becoming women and women becoming men? Makes me wonder who exactly is tearing off their bras these days? Drugs are epidemic. Politicians in most part are liars, Police are now the persecuted minority. In the past 40 years 1.72 BILLION aborted babies have happened worldwide. Nuclear proliferation is once again a threat to the entire planet. No one really knows these days who you are sharing a public toilet with. Children are given birth control devices at school without parental consent.
And those few things are only the tip of the iceberg.
Galatians 5:17-21 is now in full bloom. The works of the flesh. NOTE: Before going further this is no "goody goody two shoes" article. Christians make mistakes also and I fully realize that. My too!
But lets just list a few no-no's Biblically from Galatians and then you tell me if they sound accurate by todays news feeds? Lust, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery (including drug abuse), hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies (false doctrines), envy, murder, drunkenness and revelries.
Sound familiar?
If you want to see contentions simply look at the United States Congress. If you want to see murders simply look at most major U.S. cities. If you want to see adultery, lewdness, fornication and even more murder just look at our abortion rates. If you want to see liars just look at most of the large news agencies. By the way LIARS was not listed in Galatians 5. Want to know where it is listed? The very last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 21:8 and 27. Scary!
In my day a man's hand shake meant something. And in a few cases today it still does. But not much any more. Today nothing is for certain. Absolutely nothing.
Well there is one thing that is certain; Jesus is on the Throne and coming back for His church--His Bride. But of one thing scripture makes absolutely clear. The Bride will not include liars or any of those other folks referred to in Galatians 5:17-21.
The good news is that Galatians also lists the fruits of the Spirit. LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONG-SUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF CONTROL, and against such there is no law.
I ask myself frequently if my life reflects those standards? I sure hope so because if not, I and anyone else who's lives do not reflect them will be in a heap of trouble when the Lord does come.
It's time for us who believe in the Lord to begin looking up, for our redemption really does draw close.
Come quickly Lord Jesus.
God bless you all,
Pastor Rance.
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