Darkness Creeping In :: By Dennis Huebshman
In 1964, Bob Dylan released a song called “The Times They Are a-Changin.” One line in it has reached out over sixty years to today: “Come mothers and fathers throughout the land, and don’t criticize what you don’t understand. Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command; your old road is rapidly aging. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand, for the times they are a-changin.” Dylan’s music was not really a favorite for me and was mostly meant as protests for the Vietnam War era, but today, it could apply to worldwide events. (ESV – all emphasis mine)
To anyone who has spent any time reading Bible Prophecy, the events taking place around the globe are disturbing and disappointing but not totally unexpected. Matthew 24 and Luke 21 provide narratives from our Savior about what would be taking place near the end of this age. For any who become new followers of Jesus, and also for the Jewish nation, the 7-year Tribulation will not be a pleasant time.
In Matthew 24:15, Jesus spoke of the “Abomination of Desolation” that was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 22:31). He states that those who see this need to flee to a place of safety, as their very lives will be in great peril.
For all who had received and accepted Jesus as their Savior prior to the introduction of the ultimate antichrist, this era will not affect us. Simply put – we won’t be here.
Paul tells us what it will take for this disciple of Satan to appear in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10. “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only He who now restrains it will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth, and so be saved.”
The “Restrainer” would be the Holy Spirit who indwells all who truly have Jesus as their Savior. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way to allow the 7-year Tribulation/Wrath to begin, all those indwelt by Him will have to be removed to fulfill the Father’s promise to keep us from that wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10).
This will take place through an event that is described as happening in the “twinkling of an eye.” It is called the “harpazo,” Rapture, or taking up. All of the Savior’s precious flock will rise up to meet Him in the air to be with Him forever. In that instant, we will receive new immortal and imperishable bodies and will have the mindset of our Lord and Savior. Paul describes this event in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.
Best part of all, we will ultimately end up in Heaven. According to Revelation 21:23-25, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never shut by day – and there will be no night there.”
This brings us to a song written in 1899 by John R. Clements (1868-1946) called “No Night There.”
1.) In the land of fadeless day lies the city foursquare; it shall never pass away, and there is no night there.
Ref.) God shall wipe away all tears; there’s no death, no pain, nor fears; and they count not time by years, for there is no night there.
2.) All the gates of pearl are made in the city foursquare; all the streets with gold are laid, and there is no night there. (ref.)
3.) And the gates shall never close in the city foursquare; there life’s crystal river flows, and there is no night there. (ref.)
4.) There they need no sunshine bright in the city foursquare, for the Lamb is all the light, and there is no night there. (ref.)
For several very important reasons, now would be a good time to consider your forever dwelling place if you have not already done so. Our souls are all immortal, and we will be in one place or the other forever. No matter what anyone may try to tell you, there is no third option.
The first is described in Revelation 20:11-15, which describes the Great White Throne Judgment. This will be for all who did not follow God’s will pre-Calvary and all who did not receive and accept Jesus from Calvary to the end of the millennium. This judgment is to determine the degree of eternal punishment, as everyone there will end up in the lake of fire with Satan and his demons. There are no pardons or reduced sentences there.
The other will be the Judgment Seat of Christ of 2 Corinthians 5:10. This is not a condemning judgment but to lose or gain rewards for what we did while on this earth. After this judgment, we will be in Heaven to serve and worship our Jesus, and this will be our greatest desire to do so.
It amazes me at times that the triune Creator of this universe and everything in it, including all of us, would give a part of Himself as the only perfect sacrifice He could ever accept as payment for our sins – my sins! There was a line in a gospel song that said, “Who am I that a King would bleed and die for?” Those words are stamped on my heart, and I proudly proclaim Jesus the Christ as my Lord and Savior.
God forces no one to choose His Son but will accept all who truly will do so. The choice is eternal light provided by our Savior; or eternal darkness in the lake of fire. If those who make jokes about going to hell so they can party with friends could just have a one-minute glimpse of what the lake of fire will be all about, I believe all humor would be replaced by sheer terror.
Satan thrives on pulling souls away from Jesus, even though he knows what his fate will be. Once in that lake of fire made for him and his demons (Matthew 25:41), he will not torment anyone else, as I firmly believe his punishment will be the worst of all.
This world is rapidly approaching the end of this age. No more prophecies have to be fulfilled before the Rapture takes place. That event could be any day, hour, or even minute now. This is a plan-ahead event. Once the Trumpet of God sounds and the shout comes from an archangel, there will not be enough time to call out to receive Jesus. Yes, people will still be able to be saved after the Rapture, but at this point, the cost will most likely be martyrdom.
God does not lie (Titus 1:2), and His prophecies are 100% accurate. Your eternal soul is not something to gamble with. For a sure thing, follow Romans 10:9-13 for the steps to Salvation. As stated earlier, now would not be too soon to do so.
Even So – Maranatha! (Come, Lord Jesus!)
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