Looking the Other Way

I was reading through an article the other day which made me start thinking about just where my priorities really are.

The Bible is full of “last days prophecies”, some of which have come to pass, and some which have not. I’d like to share a few of these with you and see if you come to the same conclusion that I did.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. II Peter 2:1-2 Nowadays, you often run into folks who reject some parts of the Bible (or misinterpret it) because of what they heard a false teacher say.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 Today, portions or all of the Bible have been translated into over 2,400 languages and dialects covering over 90% of the world’s population. TV and the internet is available to almost anyone who has electricity. Travel is fast. You can be on the other side of the world in a matter of hours. Missionaries cover most of the globe.

While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. I Thessalonians 5:3 The global cry for peace is becoming stronger as each year passes.

There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:11 Famines are common. According the United Nations, an estimated 854 million people went hungry in 2006.

An oracle concerning Damascus: “See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. Isaiah 17:1 The saber rattling between Syria and Israel has been building for years now, its just a matter of time before something happens.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Matthew 24:6-7 The Bible tells us not to be alarmed or afraid here. That these are warnings and the end of the world is still to come.

So what are we to do then? When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:28 Even as turmoil goes on all around us, we are to stand and look up knowing our Savior and the start of eternity with Him is close at hand. The “day of the Lord” is meaningful in two ways; for sinners it will be a day of condemnation to eternal torment. For believers, deliverance through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus.

Knowing then, that our life here on earth “is but a mist”, and our eternity in heaven is sealed, shouldn’t we be focused on living godly, Christ centered lives?

Quoted from the article:

“The day of the Lord should be a truth that radically changes the Christian’s lifestyle. Knowing that the material world will vanish, we should not place too much value on material things. Knowing that the Word of God will never pass away, we should find it of infinite, eternal, value. And knowing that undue indulgence of earthly pleasures will dull our sensitivity to the time of His return should motivate us to live a disciplined life, a life marked by self-control, not self-indulgence. Neither should we worry or be anxious about the things of this life, knowing that this concern will also hinder our prayers and watchfulness.

Let us live our lives in the light of this reality—that Jesus Christ is to return to the earth to judge the wicked, and to bring deliverance to His saints. Let us live as though the material world is a vapor, and the unseen world (including the Word of God) is our only certainty.”

Bob Deffinbaugh, The Gospel of the Gentiles—article 67 Copyright ©1996-2006 Biblical Studies Press, reprinted with permission from www.bible.org.

Our time on earth is getting shorter. We should then, be about spreading the gospel to a lost and condemned world, not only in other countries, but in our own back yard.

Vertical focus—not horizontal!