We All Need A Little Hope.

 

As I opened my app to “Abide”, a daily Bible study and also an aid to sleeping, the verse for the day was this:

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

I thought, “If ever there was a land of deep darkness it is here and it is now.” I know in the past there have been many dark times, but to my generation (Baby Boomers), this is the darkest time we have seen with our own eyes.

This verse was written around 740 BC and it was a prophecy about Jesus’ birth. It goes on to say,

      “For unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given,

and the government will be upon His shoulders.

And He will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

 

The time of Jesus’ birth was indeed a dark era. Ancient Rome ruled the world and they were ruthless in their conquest. They did some good things, like bring water to cities by aqueducts, build roads and promote sanitation. They also banned human sacrifice, which they found abhorrent. But as we know, their rule was corrupt, cruel and without mercy. People needed hope and many found it in the Son of God.

 

The Christian religion began with a handful of Jesus’ followers, but as people heard the amazing story of how God’s son became a human being in order to save us, thousands and then millions believed. This message gave them hope that though our life here might be fraught with trouble, this wasn’t the only life, there was a life ahead with the God of the universe waiting to be with us.

 

As I said before, this is the darkest time I have lived in (I’m 72). With Russia invading Ukraine, the world is on the brink of a world war. The United States is being torn apart by the people on the left and right. Politics is a shitshow. The hatred between the two opposing camps could cause a split between the states or a civil war. Instead of coming together over the plague of Covid, we became farther apart. Politicians and regular citizens are getting death threats over disagreements about our culture and political stance. Lies are spread throughout media platforms. Trust in authorities has eroded because of the terrible things done in the past by some of them.

 

I hear on podcasts and read in newspapers how people are trying to cling to hope for the future, but it is hard for them. In my opinion, Global Warming will kill this planet. I think we have gone over the line of no return. Many people are deciding not to have children because of the disasters they see coming. Everyone needs hope.

 

 Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why the unease within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God.

                      Psalm 43:5

 

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.  1 Corinthians 13:13

 

Paul explains hope very well in Romans 8:18-25:  “…with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

 

There is a beautiful song, written and sung by Danny Gorkey called, “Hope in Front of Me.” Here are a few lines:

 

“I've been running through rain
That I thought would never end.
Trying to make it on faith
In a struggle against the wind.
I've seen the dark and the broken places,

But I know in my soul
No matter how bad it gets
I'll be alright.

 

There's hope in front of me
There's a light, I still see it
There's a hand still holding me
Even when I don't believe it.

 

I might be down, but I'm not dead
There's better days still up ahead
Even after all I've seen
There's hope in front of me, yeah

 

 

 

Global Warming and God.

 

Because many people can see global warming is killing the planet, I feel compelled to tell people about the words of God who has warned us of this for thousands of years. He spoke through different men who wrote down what he said.

Jesus warns us of what will happen at the end of time, he said, “For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.”

“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.”

“So, if they tell you, ‘There He (Jesus or the Messiah) is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days:

‘The sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door. Matthew chapter 24.

Isaiah writes, “The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.

The earth lies defiled
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.

Therefore, a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.”   Isaiah 24:4-6

Jesus said, “On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”   Luke 21:25-28

Peter wrote, “But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.”

“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness 12as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat.  But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”   2 Peter 3:4-6

God says, “I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”   Acts 2:19-21  I would say the sun turned to darkness is because of the smoke of fires and the moon looks like blood when there are massive fires.

Isaiah writes, “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falls off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.”   Isaiah 34:4

 

All through the Bible, God warns us against sinning and asks us to repent and come to him. All through each person’s life, God speaks to them in their conscience. He works year after year on stubborn hearts, not wanting to give up. But he also gave us free choice. We can go to him for help and salvation or we can say, “No thanks. I want to live my life my way.”

The Lord says, “For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!   Ezekiel 18:32

“As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?”   Ezekiel 33:11

I gave my life to God when I was nineteen. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. Life has been painful for me, but when I think of how my life would have been without Jesus, I know I would have died by suicide or worse. If you give your life to him, you will never regret it. You will join his family and be a son or daughter of God and live forever where all your deepest desires will come true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is Finished. The Seven Last Plagues.

“It is finished,” were the words of Jesus on the cross as he died. He was talking about his life and his sacrifice for the world. The work he had come to do, he had accomplished.

“Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple saying, “It is finished.” Then the thunder crashed and rolled and the lightning flashed. A great earthquake struck – the worst since people were placed on the earth.” Rev.16:17,18

It goes on to say that people cursed God because of the terrible plagues that were falling on the earth. But I believe it isn’t God who sends these plagues, it is us. We are killing the planet now and one day will destroy it completely.

The first plague is sores on mankind. Probably chemical warfare, some of which produce sores.

The second plague is the sea became like the blood of a dead man. Everything in the sea dies. We don’t know what ocean or sea the Bible refers to; but we do know what we have done to them. It doesn’t surprise me the creatures of the oceans will die.

The third plague is the rivers and springs become like blood. We have certainly polluted those also.

The fourth plague is the sun scorching the earth and man dying from the heat. Global warming at its worst.

The fifth plague is darkness. Perhaps large electrical grids going out in the cities.

The sixth plague is the drying up of the Euphrates River and the armies coming together for war. A war over water? Yes, very likely. Right now, Turkey wants to dam the Tigris River because they need more water. Iraq and other countries say this will take their water, and they are right.

The seventh plague is the great earthquake and huge hailstones. We are already experiencing very large hailstones. I read in the news that recently hailstones that weighed 50 lbs. fell upon a city.

These events are coming and some have already started. God will not have to send them. We have created them all by ourselves.

Jesus said,

 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars, and on earth dismay among the nations. They will be bewildered by the roaring of the sea and surging of the waves. Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up our heads, for your redemption is drawing near.”

“…But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of this life – and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. So, keep watching at all times, and pray you may have the strength from God to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”  

Luke Chapter 21.

Why Did God Send A Flood?

I've heard some people say they think it was awful for God to send a flood and kill all those people. I've heard the same about Sodom too. I've always accepted God's judgement on those people because I know he is wise, loving and just.  Personally, I wouldn't want to live next door to Sodom and I doubt you would either if you read the story. (It isn't about gay people; it's about rape and murder.)

As I was reading Genesis along with a Bible Commentary, I found out there are those who say it may be that God foresaw the inhabitants of the world killing each other off; that their death was inevitable. The original Hebrew could mean that.

The Bible says, "Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth."

Pulpit Commentary

"...while a third, that the end spoken of is the issue to which the moral corruption of the world was inevitably tending (Keil, Lange), does not materially differ from the first."

"has come before me" ...is in the contemplation of my mind as an event soon to be realized" (Murphy), with perhaps a glance at the circumstance that man s ruin had not been sought by God, but, as it were, had thrust itself upon his notice as a thing that could no longer be delayed.

There was one man on earth who was not evil and violent: Noah. If God had not intervened, perhaps the violent people of the earth would have killed him and his family and then each other.

"The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time."

Genesis 6:5

Thank God we cannot say that of the world today. There are many people filled with the Spirit of God yet in the world; there are many people who have not given themselves over to evil completely.

I do see this similarity between now and Noah's day: violence. Violence is filling the world more and more, or at least it seems so. But there is also something new: global warming. The Bible speaks of days of immense heat. Are we going to destroy ourselves as the antedeluvians were going to destroy themselves through violence?

This is written about in Isaiah:


 The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.   Isaiah 24:4-6

"Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane." 

Isaiah 5:16

"The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, 

and it was given to it to scorch men with fire."   Rev.16:8

One of the last plagues on earth is the sun burning people. God won't be doing it to us, it will be the result of losing the layers above the earth that protect us. It will be the result of the sin of polluting the earth.

What did Jesus say about this time:

"For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short."   Matthew 24:21,22

"And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.   Rev. 11:18

"Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.   Psalm 102:25

We are now destroying the entire world with our pollution. Our only hope is in God, who will change our hearts into a heart like his: forgiving, loving, giving and compassionate. Our only hope for a new life in heaven is to give our life to Him who made us and died for us. 

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. 

And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.  

And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.   Mathew 24:30,31

We may die before Jesus comes for us; or we may be alive when he comes to save us from a dying planet. We don't know, but we can know him who knows everything and trust him as he leads us. We can find peace and shelter under the shadow of his wings.