In the
same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand
on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of
the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts
troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees
knocked against each other. Daniel
5:5-6 NKJV
“And
this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. “This is
the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and
finished it; “TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;
“PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and
Persians.” Daniel 5:25-28 NKJV
Have
you ever considered that God always chooses to give mankind fair warning of His
intentions towards us and always gives us a chance to repent?
The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 NKJV
For
the past few weeks I have chosen to talk about the possibility that we are
quickly approaching the “point of no return” where the Church will be taken
away to be with the Father in Heaven and His judgment on an unbelieving world will
begin. One of the most gratifying things
to me as a watcher is the fact that it would appear I am in no way the only one
to think this. In fact, even though
there are countless other watchers of the same mind, it appears that even the
secular world is looking at what has been happening, realizing where we are as
a world, and asking the same questions.
Of
course, they discount the answer that God is displeased and attempting to give
us fair warning of His intentions, yet they do acknowledge that something out
of the ordinary is going on. To us as
believers, however, the question should well be about what God expects from us
in these last days leading up to His intervention in the affairs of men. The answer to that, I am sure, would be that
we all agree it is up to us as the body of Christ to share with those who will
listen that God has provided a way of escape for all who would choose to accept
it through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.
While
this has been the message of the Gospel since the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
there has lately certainly appeared a sense of urgency, stimulated no doubt, by
recent events we as a world have witnessed.
Should we as a body consider all that has occurred recently as our
“handwriting on the wall”? My answer to
that is “why not”?
For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, Romans 1:18
NKJV
If
this is the case, what should our response as believers be? I have no doubt that most all of us would
agree that we need to take any opportunity we are presented with to share the
Gospel with those who are seeking answers.
I cannot tell you the numerous opportunities I have had to share in the
past month or so, which from what I can tell, result directly from all of the
events which are taking place in the world right now. How close are we? That is a question I get a lot, and one which
I am sure you do as well. While I am
careful not to set dates, this week brings us to a series of events occurring,
one of which, many are claiming has every indication of relating to the Church’s
deliverance from this earth.
While there are several things happening this week, the one which has garnered the most attention is one which is being called the "Sign of the Woman". In
short, a celestial alignment of stars and constellations will occur which
mirror the passage given to us in the book of Revelation, chapter twelve. While some people debate whether or not the
male child referred to in this passage is the Church or Israel, there is one inescapable
fact which should be considered. In Rev. 12 the word "harpazo" is used, which is the same word that is used
describing the Rapture in 1 Thess. 4:16 & 17.
Now a
great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon
under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with
child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign
appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and
ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars
of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman
who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She
bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child
was caught up to God and His throne.
Revelation 12:1-5 NKJV
For
this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain
until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
For the
Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we
who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one
another with these words. 1 Thessalonians
4:15-18 NKJV
Am
I saying the Church will disappear this week?
No, but then again I would not be surprised at all if it did. As for me, I will be looking for every
opportunity to share the Gospel with anyone who will listen, as well as sharing
it with you as I always do. If you are
reading this today and have never made the decision to accept the free gift of
eternal life offered to us by the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, I urge you to do it today.
All you need to do is pray a simple prayer like this one, and believe.
Jesus I know I am a
sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the
cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive
your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live for you
from now on. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Keep
watching.
