I am not a preacher. I do
not profess to know all about Scripture. This is purely a commentary
about what is happening and how I view it. I could always be wrong.
I often am. Feel free to post your opinion as well.
As in the days of Noah, so
will it be in the last days. All that means is, in the eyes if the
general population. things will be continuing as usual and only those
who are Christian and are paying attention to the signs of the
times (just as Noah did) will be aware of the fact that it
really is the last days.
2
Timothy 3:1-7 (KJV)
1
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of
God;
5
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such
turn away.
6
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive
silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
To hear preachers these
days, you wonder if they have even heard of “the last days'”
prophecy, and the books of Daniel, Ezekiel or Revelation. Preaching
“the love of GOD” without acknowledging there is a side of GOD
that demands justice is to give only a very skewed view of WHO GOD
truly is. Yes HE is love, but the extent of HIS love is
unimaginable. HE is also a just GOD. HE cannot look upon sin of any
sort which is why JESUS cried out from the cross, “My GOD, my GOD!
Why have you forsaken me?” HE was covered, immersed with our sin
and GOD the FATHER could not look upon HIM, HIS only begotten SON.
We know GOD created
everything. We know about how sin entered and GOD'S promise of
Salvation. We know JESUS died to save us from our sins. We know HE
rose again and conquered death, Hell and the grave. We know we are
to live as JESUS would. We know we are to spread the Gospel. We
know, despite the prosperity teachers, that we will suffer for our
faith; that we may even be called upon to become martyrs for HIM.
But. And this is a big
one. But what do we do when Satan comes knocking at our door with a
Kalashnikov in one hand and a Qua-ran in the other? That decision
may be taken out of our hands and we meet GOD immediately. If that
decision is not made immediately, what are we supposed to do?
Government was given the
task of protecting the people and enforcing the law; primarily the
laws of nature and of nature's GOD. The problem with our
current administration is they have dropped GOD out of the equation
and upheld nature at the cost of humanity. What do you do,
Biblically speaking, when government has abandoned GOD and it appears
that everyone is doing what is right in his own eyes?
The quick answer is obey
GOD. But that still begs the question, “HOW? What are we supposed
to do?”
Since there are no quick,
easy answers, even from Scripture, I can only relate what I would do.
In the meantime, pray and
study. In order to know what GOD would have me do, I must first and
foremost keep listening to HIM and study to really know HIM.
At that moment of
confrontation, it will depend. If I am killed immediately, the
matter is removed from me completely. But what if I survive?
My instinct will be
to eliminate the enemy. But maybe my calling in that moment is to
disable and tell him that he is going into eternity and has 3
seconds to make his peace with the ONE TRUE GOD and then kill him.
If he is in the
process of killing others and I can stop him, I will do whatever I
can to eliminate his sorry behind and send him straight to Hell with
the rest of them.
What if they move in
next door? I'm going to use that dreaded answer, “It depends.”
Do they pose an immediate threat? Call the law and eliminate them
if necessary. And what if they do not pose an immediate threat?
It again depends. Are they open to the Gospel? Has GOD lead
them there because HE is drawing them to HIM? Only the HOLY SPIRIT
can tell you that.
If it is 2 or more
single men between the ages of 10 and 35, they bear watching,
closely, with closed circuit cameras. If it is a family, they still
bear close surveillance as it can be just a ploy to gain your
compassion and confidence. Regardless. You must remain vigilant.
Do you shoot to kill
the unsaved without giving them the Gospel? Yes. If they have put
themselves in a position to get shot at, yes, you shoot to kill.
But before all of this
happens, pray. Pray for everyone. Pray for the Salvation of the
lost. Prat for the refugees and their Salvation. Pray for safety
for yourself, for law enforcement, for your county, for your city,
for your state, and for the Federal government that they would allow
GOD to guide them and do what is right in HIS eyes, not their own.
Pray that the LORD would give you the strength to do what HE wills.
Pray that if called upon to give the ultimate sacrifice, you do so
for HIS Glory alone. Pray that the last words from your lips could
be those of Stephen and JESUS, “Forgive them, Father. They don't
know what they are doing.”
If I am caught without a
weapon in a store that has canned goods, there are a bunch of canned
goods that are going to get thrown at someone if only to distract
them. And I will be praying that my aim is good and that can of corn
hits him between the eyes.
What we do will depend
upon the circumstance and what GOD has planned for us. Most of all,
daily we should put on the full armor of GOD, even in times of peace,
in order to be prepared for that time we are called upon by GOD to do
HIS will whatever it may be.
Ephesians
6: KJV
13
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having
on the breastplate of righteousness;
15
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God:
18
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints;
19
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my
mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
The
Message Bible says it this way:
13-18
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on
your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued,
so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on
your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more
than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout
your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way,
prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray
for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s
spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
The
Amplified Bible says it this way:
13
Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist
and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done
all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].14 Stand
therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth
around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and
of moral rectitude and right standing with God,15 And having shod
your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed
stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good
news] of the Gospel of peace. [Isa. 52:7.]16 Lift up over all the
[covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the
flaming missiles of the wicked [one].17 And take the helmet of
salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of
God.18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the
Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep
alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in
behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).
Understand
that GOD will not always remove us from the fire, but will be there
with us in the fire.
Daniel
3:16-26 KJV
16
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, answered and said to the king, O
Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O
king.
18
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve
thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19
Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was
changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego: therefore he
spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven
times more than it was wont to be heated.
20
And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, and to cast them into the burning
fiery furnace.
21
Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their
hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the
burning fiery furnace.
22
Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace
exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego.
23
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, fell down
bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste,
and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men
bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the
king, True, O king.
25
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst
of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is
like the Son of God.
26
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery
furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, ye
servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, came forth of the midst of the
fire.
Daniel
3:16-26 The message Bible
16-18
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your
threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we
serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you
might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a
bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or
worship the gold statue you set up.”
19-23
Nebuchadnezzar, his face purple with anger, cut off Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace fired up seven times
hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie
them up, hands and feet, and throw them into the roaring furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed
from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Because the
king was in such a hurry and the furnace was so hot, flames from the
furnace killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to
it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
24
Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, “Didn’t
we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?”
“That’s
right, O king,” they said.
25
“But look!” he said. “I see four men, walking around freely in
the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of
the gods!”
26
Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called
in, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God,
come out here!”
Regarding
Stephen, the first martyr:
Acts
7:54-60
54
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they
gnashed on him with their teeth.
55
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into
heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right
hand of God,
56
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man
standing on the right hand of God.
57
Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and
ran upon him with one accord,
58
And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid
down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
59
And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.
60
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this
sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
The
Message Bible
54-56
At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles
and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly
noticed—he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his glory with
Jesus standing at his side. He said, “Oh! I see heaven wide open
and the Son of Man standing at God’s side!”
57-58
Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede,
they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The
ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to
watch them.
59-60
As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my
life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to
hear, “Master, don’t blame them for this sin”—his last words.
Then he died.
What effect could the
death of a Christian have upon the unsaved? The young man holding
the coats or cloaks of those committing the murder of Stephen, was
Saul of Tarsus who later became the Apostle Paul, the chief of
sinners.
SHALOM! Pray for the PEACE of Jerusalem!