Good Friday morning! For hundreds of years the Jews had looked for Messiah. The prophet had foretold of a time of drought. Not a drought of water, but a drought of God's word and that time had stretched for centuries. Why didn't it stretch a bit further? Why didn't Jesus arrive sooner? We don't know. God keeps His own counsel on the 'when' of things in His plan. Much like the years before the star shone over Bethlehem, we are in a time of eager anticipation. The Rapture could happen at any moment, yet we have no way to know if it will even happen in our lifetime. Each day is given to us to use in the wisdom God has granted us for that day. We look forward to another Christmas celebration, but the Church may not be here. At the moment I can hear and read God's word pouring out from television shows, radio programs, Internet blogs, e-mails, Facebook postings, my brothers and sisters in Christ, ministers in pulpits, and even my own copy of the Bible. We have no drought of God's word at the moment. Is this a sign that the end is near or that we can expect another drought of the word soon? The Rapture of the Church could start that very thing.
What if every Christ-one spreading the good news of Jesus was suddenly gone? If you or I had to stay for that, the silence would be difficult to bear. Today we have the opposite problem. There are so many speaking the words of life given to us by Jesus that the world turns to wilful ignorance. Like the ark a-building over yonder in Noah's day, the world must turn away to avoid the truth. The mother of the bride insisted in Noah's time that the wedding be held over the mountain so that, "we don't have to see that awful boat thing". Today the wedding is removed from the church and the minister isn't invited so that the bride and groom can sign an agreement to prepare for the imminent divorce. The similarity sounds a lot like something Jesus pointed out in his prophecy about the end time.
As you speak the words of life to an ignorant world, you may be dismissed by some, ignored by others, hated by many, held in contempt by a few, or even attacked with words or stones. As the ark grew larger, no doubt there were some who wanted to burn the thing to the ground, possibly even with Noah in it. We face that same hatred today. The persecution may be subtle or it may be waiting for God to turn it loose as the final tribulation begins. We must take advantage of this time of relative peace. The end will be upon the world soon.
Have a great weekend! Bucky
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