"The End Is Near"

When I was a little boy, my mother would take my brother and me on trips to downtown Chicago, the city where we grew up.  On nearly every visit, we would see the same raggedly dressed man on a street corner holding up a sign that read:  REPENT, THE END IS NEAR!   While raising a large black Bible in his hand, he would shout to the crowd of passersby at the top of his lungs:  READ YOUR BIBLE!  READ YOUR BIBLE!   I remember one particular day as we passed by, I looked into his face.  It was worn, yet amazingly not mean or angry.  I marveled at that.  His voice pierced the air; yet, his personage was gentle.

The warnings of the street preacher back then are also true today.  The end of this present age is closer than ever.  Mankind has taken his world into his own hands and molded it into a destructive ball.

He has rejected the God of creation and  “created”  his own godless systems molded with the hand of Hades.  Secular governments annihilate the authority of God to administer their business under the auspices of hell.  In partnership with devils, mankind has employed every dark art to engineer wickedness and multiply it.  Cultures of anti-Christ inspired male-female roles, homosexuality and disdain for parental authority are born of the bottomless pit.

Most distressing is the realization by many that Western Churches in particular have left their first love for the lust of money, power and intimate flesh.  Their god is their belly.  Their prophet is the dollar.  Their preachers pander to the Christ-despising children of evil…dressed up like Christians…a kind of reverse Halloween.

A look at almost any area of America and most westernized nations reveals a society bloated with vanity, emptiness, heartlessness and fickleness.  Such souls have no God and can hardly constrain themselves long enough to worship Him if they were to  “find”  Him.  They rush to go nowhere.  When they arrive, they find more such places to hurry off to.  Their lives are without peace…having not Him, Who is the Prince of Peace.  How long will this last?  The ability to run eventually runs out.  The end will surely come.

So plain is this fact that you don’t even have to hear it from God.  Everyday the godless themselves report that THE END IS NEAR!  Secular television and the print media are awed about final destructions and the end of this world.  The very  “blind”  can see the handwriting on the wall.

Yet,  “the band plays on”  as hell takes hold of the minds of many, pulling them deeper into its pit.  Were it not for the amazing grace of a merciful God, no one would be saved.  (Mat. 19:25-26)   It is this awesome grace that keeps us.

Yet those who war against God will lose.    Those who utterly reject Him will lose.  Those who dismiss Him will also lose.  The day of the world is now.  It is having its way.  Yet, the Day of the Lord is at the door.  It will close out this present day of man for the Day of God.  This present world will be destroyed and its works burned up.  (Rev. 8:8-13)

This is wonderful news for every saint wearied by the weight of the wickedness of this world.  It is GOOD NEWS to these elect because God has promised them deliverance from the coming judgment.  (Act. 2:21)   God’s reward is for those who love Him and who long for His appearing.  (2Tim. 4:8)   It is a promise of hope.  It is the encouragement that all is not lost.  Justice will shine in the land.  God’s Kingdom will come.  His will will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven.  (Mat. 6:10)   Hallelujah!

The prayers of many will be happily answered in the glory of the coming of the Lord.  (Mar. 13:26)   For the end of this world is merely the beginning of God’s great glory on this earth.

Much of what we see today is a world in ruin.  It has intoxicated itself with the drug of demons.  Its eyes are closed; its mind is gone; it has no spiritual covering; it is naked, thoughtless and spell-bound in darkness.  Only those who are in Christ will be saved.  Those without Him will be damned.  “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”   (2Ths. 2:12)

This message is not pretty.  Yet, it is the truth.  Those who prefer pretty messages will find them plentiful in a perishing world.  Those who desire God’s Truth know there is only one place to find it…That is why they READ THEIR BIBLES prayerfully and with hope.  God will save those who follow and obey Him and put their trust in Jesus Christ alone.

Yet, when the end of these days have come and the numbers are counted, it will be seen that far more will have ended up in hell than have ended up in heaven.  (Isa. 5:14; Mat. 25:41)   Crowds follow the crowd…the saved follow the Savior.  These truths are dreadful to the ears of the lost.  It hammers judgment upon their heads—they cannot escape this.  (Mat. 23:33)   Nevertheless, by God’s great grace and power, some will be saved.  Salvation is not a light matter that you can go home and twiddle your thumbs about.  It is a very serious matter…one you must reckon with, right now.  It is not a small thing of little importance.  It is a large thing of great importance.  Either you follow Christ and live, or reject Him and die.  (Jhn. 3:18, 36; Jhn. 5:24; 1Jhn. 5:12; Heb. 12:25)

As a Christian, your prayers ought to be that God would strengthen your walk with Him.  We all need His strength.  We also need other saints to pray for us.  We need God’s power and help every day.  The world cannot help you…There is nothing in this present world that can help you live for God.  Don’t even look to the world, except to be deceived by it again.  Your help (the Bible declares)  “comes from the Lord.”  (Psa. 121:2)

Ask your heavenly Father to give you His thoughts and His help so you can bring the life-saving message of His Son, Jesus to others so they too may be saved.  Do the works of God all that you can, while you can, where you can.  Pray often…Pray earnestly…as Jesus prayed earnestly.  (Luk. 6:12)   Be committed to prayer…Make it a habit.  You need prayer to uplift, strengthen, direct and encourage you each day.  Prayer is not an option…It is a necessity.  It is what you must do…It is the duty of faith.

Never, ever stop praying!  If you don’t know what to pray for at times, then ask the Lord to show you.  Ask Him what He would have you to pray.  Say,  “Lord, put your prayers in my mouth.”  This way you know you are being guided by Him.

As the end of this world approaches, this is not the hour to lust for gain, but rather, to yearn for His Righteousness.  What lasting benefits can this world offer?  Its  “blessings”  are often headaches in pretty wrappings.  Houses you cannot afford are burdens.  Cars that drain your purse, drain your peace.  That is no blessing.  That is an affliction.  Furthermore, it is a curse to your soul.  We work hard to look good on the outside while being filled with distress on the inside.  God’s precious promise is that  “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”   (Pro. 10:22)  Jesus is the Prince of Peace; not punishment.  (Isa. 9:6)

“God, help us put away the deceptions of the world!”

As Christians, we will give our wealth to the wicked, shun the righteous and call it laying up treasures in heaven.  It is better to give your good to the ragged man on the street (who serves the Lord, daily) crying out REPENT, FOR THE END IS NEAR, rather than to the millionaire preacher who disdains the Cross and the Sword of God’s Truth.

We need eyes to see and ears to hear.  Too often, we are like those of old whom the Lord said did not know their left hand from their right hand.  (Jon. 4:11)   Surely, if the Lord does not guide us, then we are left to ourselves.  Woe to any man left to himself without Christ!

Many are misled about the intentional and purposeful Word of God and His promises.  It is not that God does not make these promises…He makes them.  We simply ignore the conditions upon which the promises are based.  A mother says to her child,  “Clean your room and you can play outside.”  The child interprets,  “I can play outside.”  Likewise, we, having paid God little or no attention, stand wide-eyed, looking innocent, expecting God to bless us in our disobedience.

When the answer to our folly finally faces us, we will be dismayed beyond belief.  Some will suddenly KNOW God in a way they wish they did not know Him.

The Word of God is not always pretty.  However, it is always true.  Many prophets have been slain for saying what God said.  Those who murdered them were proud of how right they were with God.

Mere outward Christianity is no sign of inward Christian character.  All things must be proven…whether you are in the faith or not.  (2Cor. 13:5)   Better to do so now, while you can…for the end of all things will come without warning.  At that time, you will have no time…No, not even to repent.  It will be over just that fast.  Those who are of the world will be swept up with the world.  Those who are in Christ will be saved.  Those in the middle will be damned…God will not spare you.  You have listened to liars if you think this is not true.

Hear God!  Repent!   Make yourself ready for His coming!

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