Dealing with the days to come

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Jan 16, 2018 at 08:38

Hi, Tovey

I understand your excitement, at seeing the Word of God fulfilled before our eyes. After so many years of seeing the ungodly dominate the airwaves, it is reassuring to get such evidence that God is in control. Nonetheless, it is sobering to know that so many lives, many of them people we are in repeated contact with, people we have come to know and love, are in the balance.

The key is not in what these people DO, not even in things Evangelicals feel are important, like making confessions of faith. The key is in people's heart attitude: Do they believe in God? Do they believe He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him? Or do they say in their heart, "There is no God". If they choose the latter, they cannot receive anything good from God, because

Pss.14
[1] The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God...

and

Heb.11
[6] But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

That is the great stumblingblock today. Many Christians will dispute with me on this, for they think that making some statement or other about Jesus is critical. I know from my own experience, that this is not so. First, I had to hear the word of God. This put a seed of faith in me, which I watered and nurtured; but I went through life insecure, not knowing how I stood with God. I had met the first test: I believed that God existed.

Then I came to a critical point, a "put up or shut up" moment with God: I thought I was about to die; and I calmly and deliberately sought the God I believed in. I passed the second test, believing that He would reward me if I diligently sought him. It was THEN, that God revealed to me that Jesus is alive, that he has risen from the dead; because I literally felt his hand upon me. After that, things flowed pretty quickly and smoothly: I knew God loved me; I knew I would be cared for forever; I knew that my purpose in life revolved around Him, not me; and to this day, life has literally been wonderful. I did not seek a wonderful life; I sought God; and He gave me that and the other as well.

This is the "Valley of Decision" that people are in:

Joel.3
[14] Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Will Turkey attack Israel? Maybe, maybe not. Is Jared Kushner the "beast", because of his 666 property? Who knows? Those things aren't all that important. What's important is that, as people see the end of the world as they know it fast approaching, they will not be stricken with terror; but will find themselves doing God's will, walking in assurance that

Pss.91
[7] A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

That's not the sort of doctrine that causes people to vainly hope for a "rapture". It's the sort of doctrine that walked with Daniel into the lion's den; and it's the doctrine men and women will have to internalize in the days ahead.

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