When these things begin

Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah. For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.  Psalms 61:1-5 NASB

In the heart of the book of Revelation, John watches as the Lamb opens the first of seven seals. This hits me as a very dark period of man’s history -- the darkest ever. The breaking of the first seal sets in motion a period of time known as the Great Tribulation. This timeframe, also mentioned in the book of Daniel, is the moment when the Antichrist will arrive and great destruction is ushered in on a global scale -- famine, war, economic calamity, persecution.

Why would God share these details with us?  Because we are to be unafraid of the chaos, Jesus Christ teaches in Luke 21:28, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

My friends, let's stand up together! Stand as these events draw closer and closer, pray and ask Holy Spirit for the fire to become bold, the wisdom to make every minute of our lives count for God’s kingdom, the discernment to prepare for that great day.

Yesterday is finished. Today matters. Tomorrow is unknown. Yes Lord, today matters!  The very Lamb of God who was sacrificed for our sins is also the Lion of Judah who will execute judgment upon the earth. If you do not receive Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who forgives your sins, you are going to have to face Him as your judge, the Lion of Judah. 

Though the end of days as we have known them is terrifying and the Lion of Judah causes us to tremble, we have nothing to fear, and certainly nothing to fear of Satan or of the Antichrist. The victory of all war belongs to Jesus. and those who acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, those who trust in Him have their names written in the book of life.  That is what salvation is all about. That is our message of hope. Let us rest in it and share it while we still have time, spreading the light of the world, Jesus Christ, to all who are in the grips of darkness.