JESUS SAID IT, NOT ME

                       JESUS SAID IT, NOT ME

  .  With all the evil, death and destruction we see daily in the news, it has to make us wonder why it is happening.  To make it simple, it is happening because Jesus said it would happen.  Jesus quoted a lot of the prophets and events from the Old Testament.  In fact he quoted two of the most controversial characters of the Old Testament validating the references to them that many today say are not real.  He said only one sign would be given, “The sign of Jonah.”  He also said what it would be like in that time. He said it would be as it was in the days of Noah. He mentions marriages and feasts, but if we go to Genesis it is plain and clear that this day and age is very much like Noah’s days.  Genesis 6:5, and 6:11-13 tell what it was like.  Mankind was evil and the earth was filled with violence.  That does sound a little like this day and age.

     A lot of the focus is on ISIS and rightfully so.  However the evil and terrorist activities in a America are not all focused on or around Islam.  Waco, Oklahoma City, Columbine, and numbers of other events have nothing to do with Islam, but they do have to do with twisted and perverted views of or about religion. America has had as many or more attacks by Americans as it has by Islamic extremists.  As America continues to fall away from its Christian roots the problem will continue to grow.  The moral foundations are eroding.  That is plain to see for anyone that has read the Bible. It states clearly God will give people over to a reprobate way of life.  Reprobate basically means depraved and that is a good description of the world we live in today.

    While those things are bad enough there are other things that will be happening.  There will be two witnesses to the end time and they will not be saying things that make most of the world very happy. It says they will testify or witness for three and a half years and then they will be killed. That is totally believable especially in the present environment in the Middle East.  Surviving that long may be the real challenge. Fortunately it tells us where they will testify, Jerusalem, and that the whole world will hear them.  That part of the prophecy could not have happened till the last twenty years or so. One of the things I find interesting in Jesus prophecies of the end time in Matthew 24 is that he starts by saying people shall hear of wars in verse 6, but when he gets to verse 15 he switches from hearing to seeing. I do not think it is an accident. To me it shows the change from then to now and brings his message into our time.

     There will also be an earthquake at some point that will be like none ever before it. The Bible says that. In fact it was Jesus that said it, so you can pretty much take it to the bank. I have a couple links on that topic.  It is scary as it is suppose too kill a third part of mankind.  That is a pretty serious earthquake, but after the tsunami we saw in 2004 and as many people as live close to the oceans it is a distinct possibility.

    The Bible makes clear that we will see much tribulation before the end comes. The key is holding onto our faith as we see the world falling apart around us. If you believe in a Left Behind series of events, you may be in some serious trouble. The only way to survive is to have a personal relationship with God through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way to really “know” God is to know His Word, because His Word was made flesh and the Bible testifies of him.  We do not get to make our own rules, or pick and choose like it is a smorgasbord. We need to read it all and let him give a discerning spirit to our hearts so that we may know that whatever is coming.  He is with us till the end, if we are with Him.  The Left Behind series is not the Bible and is  only a writer's imaginary view of the end times, while it is good reading, it is weak on facts.

   The only thing I am saying in all this is that I believe the time is short. Does that make me right? Not even on a good day.  It does mean that when Luke 21:31 says you see “all these things” coming to pass it is time to start looking up and make sure our hearts are right with the Lord and if there is anybody we really care about, which should be everybody, then we need to share the love of Christ with them and start fulfilling the Great Commission in Matthew 28: 19-20.

    If you have been putting off getting to know the Lord, or sharing your knowledge with others, it may be time to start acting on what your instincts are telling you to do.  The evil in this world is hard to overcome and it is a challenge to separate ourselves from it. I used to look at terrorism and say well that is just how they live over there.  After the San Fernando attack two things changed for me. One it is not just over there and secondly and more evil to me is the fact the two who killed all those people worked with the people for a period of time.  They killed indiscriminately black, white, Asian, preachers, women and men. It was no longer an accidental random killing.  These people deliberately chose to kill the people they associated with every day at work. It made me realize there are two things Islam does not have that Christianity does. It does not allow for a personal relationship with God, nor does it offer the hope of salvation, and certainly no respect for God’s created beings. Instead its focus is on hate and destroying anything they do not understand. Like Mad Dogs they bite anything and everything. The bombings in the Middle East are both senseless and mindless acts that pervert the teachings of both the Bible and the Koran.  Fortunately we were warned by Jesus that it would be this way in the last days. So the only question is are these the last days?  If not we can be sure of one thing, things are going to get worse if we do not get serious about fulfilling the Great Commission and teaching that there is a better way. Thank God.