Dodged Another Bullet? Or Haven't We?

John 9:4 "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."

It appears we won't face default tomorrow here in the good old U.S.A. But I wonder how long it will be until the next shutdown? We are trillions of dollars in debt. How are my grandchildren ever going to be able to pay for it? I fear today's deal may be just "kicking the can down the road." Someday, those debts are going to come due. It won't be pretty.

In the past, I've been caught in the trap of looking for a political savior. Really, right or left politically, there is none who can help us. That is why I propose the only way we should look now is up. Looking beyond the hope of this nation fixing itself, because that would be only because of revival in the churches. But that is not a trend of the church in the last days. Sooner or later, a storm will hit and this country will no longer be what it was. But that doesn't mean we can't have hope, even now in this dark hour. Both Psalm 60: 11 and Psalm 108: 12 tell us the very same words:

"Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless."

The word useless in the New King James Version is the word "vain" in the King James Bible. In the Hebrew, the word for vain is שָׁוְא, shav'. It is Strong's # H7723 and in the Bible it is used these ways:

I. emptiness, vanity, falsehood
A. emptiness, nothingness, vanity
B. emptiness of speech, lying
C. worthlessness (of conduct)

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H7723&t=NKJV

Nothing in the meanings above say there is one bit of chance for the hope of being able to rely on people or governments. Even the most kindhearted person will let you down if you give them enough time. But God will never let us down. For a long time in my life, I relied on people to try to give me the help only God could give. And when it came to election time, I hoped fervently a certain leader would be elected.

I believe during that time, God kept saying to me, "Hey, why don't You look to Me?"
He proverbially "taps His toes" and waits to be gracious to us. Isaiah 30:18: "Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you;And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him."

We can have confidence that God remains sovereign in the whole affair, and He is also sovereign in our lives. If we have believed in His Son Jesus Christ as our Savior (John 3:16), God sees to it that our ultimate destination will be heaven. But the choices we make now will determine the quality of our heavenly future, and also how we will weather the inevitable storm that is coming.

Let's say we are close to the Lord's Second Coming. Jesus asked a pointed question that I keep thinking about: "... Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" I don't want sidelined by disaster so I am not prepared to meet Him on that day. It is my hope that He will find faith in my heart if I am to be here then. He also warned in Luke 21: 34-36:

"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

The word in the Greek for "watch" is agrypneō, in the Strong's G5258, and is used in the Bible this way:

I. to be sleepless, keep awake, watch

II. to be circumspect, attentive, ready

It is in present tense, active voice and an imperative mood. The Blue Letter Bible says this about the imperative mood:
The imperative mood corresponds to the English imperative, and expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding. Thus, Jesus' phrase, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mk.1:15) is not at all an "invitation," but an absolute command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G69&t=KJV

Jesus doesn't give us an option. Since times are hard, it is essential not to be casual in our Christian lives. The Lord will give us wisdom if we only ask for it. (James 1:5)

"...look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21: 28

Find Shelter before the Storm

Can you see the storm clouds on the horizon? Much as you may not want to see them, the sky continues to blacken as the world continues to spin. What is going on?

I read somber words in the book of Zephaniah today during my time with the Lord. He was the prophet in the time of Josiah, King of Judah, before Judah was destroyed by Babylon in 586 B.C. Although he spoke to the Southern Kingdom of Israel, who carried on David's royal line, he also was speaking to the whole world. He not only spoke of Judah's destruction but of the "Day of the Lord."

To those of us who study Bible prophecy we believe this day will come in the time called the Tribulation Period, a time that will come after the true Church has been removed from this planet. This will be a time of sorrow and destruction like no other, a time that no man on earth would ever want to be here to experience. Jesus informed us that when the antichrist, a man who pretends that he in fact, is God, sacrifices a pig in the Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem, that that would be the sign that would kick off the great tribulation. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24: 21-4.

"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here [is] the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe [it]. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

In Zephaniah today, correlating with the Matthew passage, Josiah's prophet sorrowfully foretold what would happen to Judah, and the earth in the last times. This agrees with what Jesus said.

Zephaniah 1: 14-18
"The great day of the LORD [is] near; [It is] near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That day [is] a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers. I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse. Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land."

Don't you see the symptoms already? People are distressed because silver and gold are failing them, the lands are being devoured before our eyes. It is just the thunder rumbling in the distance yet. It is warning ...find shelter. Are you on the outside?

There is a place of safety...You don't have to stay and face this storm here.

Did you notice in the above passage it says that God pours out wrath because men have sinned? Today, since the birth, death, resurrection and ascension of the Son of God there remains only one sin left that will not be atoned for. Do you know what that one sin is? Simple childlike faith in the Son of God.

Jesus gave us the answer in the book of John. He said to the Pharisees in John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am [He], you will die in your sins."


Wouldn't it be nice to know that as the headlines get more frightening each and every day, you do not have to vainly hope that things will somehow get better? Do you really think they will? As David wrote so long ago:

Psa 20:7 Some [trust] in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

King Josiah the king was spared being carried into captivity. Though his father Manasseh was an evil king, Josiah restored temple worship as a boy king and is remembered for being one of the godly kings of Judah. Zephaniah, after writing of gloom and despair for Judah, went on to speak of the love of God with some of the most tender words in all Scripture, in my opinion.

Zephaniah 3: 14-17
Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all [your] heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, [is] in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet [you] with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

To anyone who has not come into the Place of Shelter yet, that is what the Lord of Love wants to do. He wants to quiet you with His Love, He wants to rejoice over you with singing! "How could He do that?" you might ask. You might think that your sins are too great for Him to forgive, too great for Him to endure.

But God's shoulders are/were strong enough! When He carried the cross up Golgotha hill for us all 2,000 years ago, He had you personally in His mind. His body and soul were strong enough to include the heinous wickedness of all of our sins. In His first Advent, He dealt sin the death blow. In His second Advent, He will vanquish evil forever. Through Hosea the prophet God says:

Hosea 14:4
I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely
for my anger has turned from them.

Why did God say that? Because His Son satisfied His justice on the cross forever, once for all time.

II Cor. 5: 14-5: For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

So now, whoever you are, whatever you've done, can come inside for shelter from the storm. I hear the thunder...see the flashes...hurry, come on in now.