The Time Of Sorrows

Excuse me, what time do you have?

A question we have all heard before in one form or another. Someone once said that time is the greatest commodity we have as a human being. We are ever cognizant of it’s presence: it’s anticipated arrival and it’s fleeting exit. We block out time according to the plans of our life. Yes, we forget to remember that the future is not promised and the past is out of our reach. In fact, we can get so immersed in our own bubble of time and how we spend it that it escapes our attention that the Lord has made it. And each moment for it’s purpose. The book of Ecclesiastes tells us in chapter 3 that there is a time for everything. Each moment of time is uniquely paired with it’s opposite existence: “a time to mourn, and a time to dance...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak…”.

Take a minute. Literally. Look at the clock and count to 60. Would it surprise you to know that something significant happened at every tick of the clock? A time to _____, and a time to ____. The possibilities are endless and the minutes continue until the allotted time for them to stop.

 Yes, there is a moment when time as we know it will stop. Many of us don’t consider this outside of death. It’s almost as if we believe that time and life on earth will just go on and on, long after we are ‘gone’.

But, the life we have been living on earth is in fact in the confines of time. And that time is quickly drawing to a close. The Bible calls this the time of the end. What’s more that time is now upon us.

The Beginning Of Sorrows

 When thinking about the so called ‘end of the world’, many of us conjure up thoughts of Armageddon or perhaps reference movies like War of The Worlds or Independence Day. They depict the closest thing we can imagine of what it would be like “if” that ever happened.But that would never in a million years happen in our lifetime...right? Perhaps not. They do in fact show a partial truth of what it may be like when that time is here.

 When the Lord prompted me to study ‘the end times’ in the fall of 2013, I was pretty intimidated. I mean who wants to hear about THE END OF THE WORLD??!! But of course, I said yes to God and have been blessed to have my eyes opened to the time we are living in. My hope as a watchman is that the Holy Spirit will also open your eyes and heart to the hour we are in. Why? So that you too can say yes to God and be planted where He wants you to be in this critical hour.

 Jesus shares much with us regarding the end of days in what is commonly known as The Olivet Discourse (found in Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). In Matthew 24:8 He tells us that : “These are the beginning of the birth pains.” (ESV). Other versions, like the NKJV say: “These are the beginning of sorrows.”. The ‘beginning of sorrows’ has in fact been happening for centuries, at least.How many wars have we heard about? How many famines have we witnessed? How many earthquakes have we felt? As a matter of fact, my children and I for the first time felt one yesterday- in the comfort of our own home!

Jesus spoke of these times in relation to His return. He warned us to keep watch. Why? So that we may not be deceived. He knew that in the end, many would come to deceive His people as to distract them, perhaps even discourage them from the blessed hope, that is His glorious appearing.

 I cannot tell you how many have laughed or roll their eyes at the ‘thought’ that: JESUS IS COMING SOON!! I mean after all, isn’t that what our grandparents were saying? And many of them have already gone to be with Him. Could that have been what they meant? Not in the least. He is coming. Soon. At an hour we least expect.  And He wants us to be ready. Are you ready? Am I? Who of us can stand in THAT Day?!

  There are lives at stake. Every minute counts. Our salvation was never meant to keep to ourselves. The Bible is filled with accounts of people saying, in essence: 'Look what the Lord has done!'. What has He done for you? You have a testimony. You have a talent. You have a spiritual gift(s). You have a purpose. 

The Time Of Sorrows and The Great Tribulation

“God’s Judgement Day- great and terrible. Who can possibly survive this?”

-Joel 2:11 (The Message Bible Translation)

The Day Of The LORD is great AND terrible. Did you get that? Have you ever wondered how it can be both great and terrible, simultaneously? I have! I believe 1 Thessalonians 1:5-12 answers this for us:

“This is evidence of the righteous judgement of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Wow! Let that sink in for a minute. I mean, that’s enough daily bread for the rest of time! It’s amazing. Read it again. I love God’s word! Jesus is so awesome. Awesome and frightening- if you don’t have Christ. And if you do: Wake up! He’s coming!

If you are a believer and you revere His Holy Word, this should stir something in your spirit- especially if you know people who aren’t saved. When was the last time you “witnessed” to someone? When was the last time you told someone what Jesus, the only begotten Son of the living God, our King, our Savior has done for humanity? When was the last time I did?! We live like we have all the time in the world. We take the grace of our God for granted too often.

I am here to sound the alarm that that time is almost up! The time of grace. The time of getting up every Sunday and going to a comfortable church building and hearing a comfortable church sermon to give us a boost for a couple of days; a day’s manna for the week. It’s over! How many churches are preaching a message about the return of Christ? How many pastors are actually equipping the saints to prepare for the

battle that is at hand? Very few. Yes, we forgot- our salvation is not for us to keep to ourselves. There is a real spiritual war and it is not going to end until the Lord Jesus kills with the breath of his mouth the man of lawlessness, the antichrist- the false god of this world who will soon be revealed, deceiving all who refused to love the truth and so be saved ( 1 Thessalonians 2).

The time of sorrows is upon us. The Rapture is imminent. And the Great Tribulation is moments away. The Lord comes quickly for His bride, the church. The Lord comes quickly to judge the inhabitants of the world who rejected Him (Matthew 25:31-46).
We are going to see some things. Things we never imagined we would see. The purpose is to bring the hearts of men back to their Creator, their God. He wants none to perish. We are to know this so that we are prepared to help those who are not ready. So that we can tell them about the love of Jesus and His salvation. So that we can tell them about the judgement that awaits those who reject Him. He took it all for us. All we have to do is believe. It's so simple, too simple for some. But it is the truth. And we are to share that truth while we still have time. For it is by grace that we are saved, and none of us can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere  to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”- Acts 17:30-31

Labor Of The Earth And The End Time Saints

A year ago, the Lord led me to begin a study entitled “Labor of the Earth, Labor of the Saints”. In it I get into the parallels and details of the condition both the planet and the people, namely God’s people, are in. A year ago, I also was blessed to become pregnant with my third child-my baby girl. So you can imagine the fresh revelation I was able to experience simultaneously as I wrote that study. I will post it another time, Lord willing. But for now, I will paraphrase for your better understanding:

The Earth is in in the final stage of labor- eager to give birth to a new creation. If you think about how much chaos is going on around the world, it’s mind-boggling. Everywhere you look there is corruption, suffering, pain, death. This was not God’s original plan. But, alas, it is. Just as God created us in His image, He created the earth with it’s own unique triuness. In terms of the inhabitants of the world the Earth carries a spirit soul and body. That is the spirit of a man is either raging against God (sons of disobedience) or reconciled with God (sons of righteousness). This has manifested itself through the soul of the people of the world. The soul (mind, will, emotions) can be explained in terms of the social mores, behaviors, attitudes and beliefs of the people. And of course the body is the land and seas and all of it’s inhabitants.  If we took a good look, we can see that corruption has all but consumed this beautiful planet. But God remains merciful up to the minute. The reason for this decay as you know is at the hands of the ‘prince of the power of the air’. And he has succeeded at taking the breath out of this once glorious planet. But take heart, our Savior comes quickly!

We are the end time saints and just before our Lord returns, we are to bring in the last harvest of souls. It is our unique mission for the time God has placed us in. In the words of one of my sons heroes: 'Armor Up!'. And that with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20)

We do this of course by first giving our lives completely to Christ, trusting and knowing He is our Life. He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. (John 14) And apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15). We prepare daily with His word, listening for His voice and the leading of the Holy Spirit who guides into all truth (John 16). Yes, there is a spiritual and physical preparation. And we each must seek Him first above all things to know what He is asking of us. His ways are not our ways. He may ask you to move. He may ask you to do things you didn't expect. But when He is first in our lives, anything He requires is an honor. Submit to Him saints. He is our God and He loves us.

Take a moment to pray to the Lord and ask Him for discernment about what I have shared with you. Ask Him to show you what He is asking of you at this time. Ask Him to show you what spiritual gifts He has blessed you with and how to use them to bless His people and bring Him glory (1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4; Romans 12). Ask and He will give (Matthew 7:7).

If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, turn to Him NOW! He is right where you are and He is ready to forgive you and receive you unto Himself. He is a God of Mercy. He is a God of Grace. He is a God of Peace. He is a God of Love. And He comes quickly!

"But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

-Luke 21:36