Watch and Pray / September 12th

Watch and Pray / September 12th

by admin

                        “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be

                         serious and watchful in your prayers.”

                                                                        1 Peter 4:7

 

                        “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon,

                         and in the stars; and on earth distress of nations

                         with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring.”

                                                                        Luke 21:25

 The “mystery of iniquity”, about which the Bible has much to say (2 Thessalonians 2:7) is essentially an attempt by the powers of darkness to ultimately enslave the whole human race by eradicating or diluting the message of the true Church and by destroying Israel the visible reminder of God in the world (Psalm 83:1-8). To a certain and indeed terrifying degree the powers of darkness will almost achieve their goal by the fact that a super human being will arise who will solve the world’s growing problems. His solution will outlaw Christianity as we know it, harness the global financial systems and regulate the possession of weapons by the imposition of global government (Revelation 13:1-3). In short a new world order will be ushered in that will put mankind at the center of all things, banish the unseen God and instead install a visible god who will receive the adulation and worship of the world (Revelation 13:8). Great celebrations will be held across world heralding the arrival of peace; all the peoples of the world will rejoice (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

 

The drama unfolding across the world at present is a sure sign that the picture described above is drawing nigh to reality. The rise and proliferation of nuclear weapons, the volatile situation in the Middle East, the emergence of Russia as a renewed and weaponized super-power, the North Korean determination to provoke conflict, the spread of Islamic terror attacks across the globe and the hatred of Israel and of Jews everywhere is going to erupt in conflicts that will shake and scare the world. It is because of this that the nations of the world will willingly give up their sovereignty and demand world government. The Bible has warned us about all of this.

 

But God Himself has warned the world, not only through His word, but also by strange signs in the heavens and by natural disasters on earth. This has always been the manner in which the God of Israel seeks to get the attention of the world and to write these off as inconsequential is to be naïve and really biblically illiterate. It was God Himself who stated, in the very first book of the Bible, that the luminaries were put in place, not only to give light by day and night, but also to act as signs of God’s great works on the earth (Genesis 1:14). That is, works of blessing and of judgment as in the birth of Christ (Matthew 2:1-2) and the coming great Day of the Lord (Acts 2:17-21). So, while we should not become sensational and goofy about these things, it is true that the double Tetrads producing a blood moon over Israel at Passover and Succot for two years in a row mean something and the total eclipse of the sun on the 21st August over America also meant something as did the two hurricanes that have hit the country in quick succession and then there is the sign of Israel that will appear in the heavens shortly.

 

I truly believe that the message is clear:

 

  1. That the God of the Bible is calling His people to purify themselves and live lives of prayer and godliness (Ephesians 5:15-21).

 

  1. That the God of the Bible is calling the world to repentance as He is warning of more acts of judgment and of a great judgment to come (Revelation 16:8-9).

 

  1. That the God of the Bible is drawing attention to Israel as the custodians of the Word of God and as the platform for the soon return of the Messiah (Romans 3:1-2; Acts 1:11).

 

  1. That the God of the Bible is seeking to mobilize His Church to preach the Gospel everywhere, as never before, because the hour is coming, of such darkness and persecution, wherein no one will be able to work (minister) (Matthew 28:18-20; John 9:4).

 

My friends, these things are real and, while scoffers will mock and discount them even from within the church, we must discern the times we are living in (Matthew 16:1-3) and watch and pray as Jesus taught us to (Mark 13:33-37) (2 Peter 3:1-7). Do not bury your head in the sand and ignore the warning signs all around you; warning signs on the earth and in the heavens. The people in Noah’s day laughed at him and ignored him, writing him off as a goofball but they were wrong and he was right. Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah so will it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:36-39).” We discount God’s acts around us to our peril. I say again; watch and pray!

Malcolm Hedding

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