Tag: doom

The Other Side of the Doom and Gloom

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OK, OK…yes, I have been a little on the “It’s the end of the world” tirade lately. I have been told by my older sister, who one always has to listen to, that I need to “lighten up”, so let’s see what the balance scales have against the doom and gloom of God’s judgement on the nations.

Hey, guess what? It’s pretty good stuff on the other side! Those who have accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah; who worship God as He has commanded (that means obeying the Torah); who live their lives always repentant of their sins; who are trying to follow the leading of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) which they accepted when they asked God for it as part of their forgiveness prayer…all those people are going to be spending eternity in total joy and peace, basking in the presence of the Almighty.

Now they will have to go through tribulations- not everyone will be lucky enough to escape this. God promises He will judge the nations in the Acharit haYamim (End Dyas) and I DO believe we are in them, now. The astrological signs (4 blood moons in a single year in 2017), the significant climatic changes we are seeing and the world-wide social unrest are all signs that we have been warned about from the Prophets in the Tanakh all the way through the Bible, including the letters from Shaul (Paul) and John’s recording of his vision in the book of Revelation.

It is happening now, it’s going to get worse and it is not going to be fun for anyone.

The good news is that for those of us who are God-fearing and working through our salvation, we will live past this event. We will not suffer the second death or be left in the cold and dark where people gnash their teeth. We will be presented before the Judge of All Things, the Lord, God and have at our side Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) to represent us. God will not see our unworthiness but rather Messiah’s righteousness in us. We will be absolved, forgiven and welcomed into the presence of the Lord. Forever.

No more tears, no more sickness, no more disparity, no more suffering. Now that’s what I call a good word!

Going forward let’s recall what every Prophet in the Tanakh did when they spoke God’s warning to repent: they started off relating God’s promises of punishment for those who choose to reject His commandments, specifying the horrors that will befall them (that’s the doom and gloom), then they ended with a word of comfort for those who will choose repentance (REAL repentance), confirming for them that God promises they will have joy and eternal peace.

God tells us in Ezekiel 18:32 what He wants:

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

God’s judgement on those that have rejected Him will be terrible, and His blessings for those that worship Him will be wonderful.

Like the bank commercial that asks, “What’s in your wallet?” I am asking you now: “What’s in your heart?”

More Gloom and Doom to Report

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I feel a little like Jeremiah; he never had anything really good to talk about, either.

I was reading the paper this morning and decided that I should add a new viewpoint to my messages- showing where God is NOT in the news. I believe by seeing where we leave God out of our society we can get a better idea of where we need to add Him back in.

So, in this light, today I was reading about the aftermath of the mass shooting on this past Valentine’s Day here in Florida. Governor Scott has called a roundtable committee to discuss different actions that we should take to help prevent this sort of atrocity from happening. Here’s one thing that really scared me about the report: a psychologist from Florida State University College of Medicine has stated that by looking at the family history we may be able to predict the mental illness of the child and proactively act upon that. The paper reported she said that we can “predict pretty well which families will have this forward trajectory even before the child is born.”

I don’t know about you, but that scares the HE(double-hockey-sticks) out of me. Someone will be evaluating pregnant women and determine that the child will be mentally ill?  Who can do that? And if they do, then what? Should the child be placed in a program for the mentally ill and/or have his (or her) rights restricted? Does that sound good to you?

I also read today that yesterday in a Florida middle school some students were making jokes about shooting up the school. It was heard, reported and those two boys were taken into custody by the police. Now, what they did was totally stupid (if I was “PC” I would have said “inappropriate”, but it was STUPID), yet these are middle school aged boys- stupid is what we are at that age. I believe they should have been chewed out by the Principal and their parents should have been called in to take them home for that day. Do you think the school overreacted?  And if you don’t, do you think that in an atmosphere of fear that eventually people will tend to overreact? Isn’t that what history shows us does happen?

What I see happening here is that the government of the United States, at all levels, is advocating that everyone report about anyone who they think is a threat.

Sound familiar?

In major transportation hubs there are signs and announcements telling the people to report anything that they see as suspicious; schools are telling the students to report on anything they see or hear that they think is suspicious; and when we add the recent flurry of sexual harassment charges and the current (pardon the expression) exposure of this problem, more and more people are being sensitized to be afraid of almost anything anyone may say.

Here’s the doom and gloom- it will get worse. This is all a set-up for the enemy to take complete charge of our lives. We cannot overtake this, we cannot resolve it, and we cannot avoid it.

See why I feel like Jeremiah?

The enemy will rule by fear and intimidation, and this will not come from him (or maybe her) directly, but from each one of us. Just like in Nazi Germany, where children reported their parents and neighbors couldn’t were afraid that someone might say something that will get them in trouble, the atmosphere of fear and distrust is exactly what will help the enemy take charge.

This is also the kind of environment where people can “rat out” anyone that they have a personal grudge against.

I am not a card-carrying member of the ACLU, and neither am I a Libertarian, but I am someone who believes what I read in the Bible, and all this makes sense to me as a sign of the events yet to come that we are told about in God’s word. I am not saying there is no hope- what I am saying is that the only hope we have is in God. We must strengthen our faith and help lead others to God and Messiah as things worsen. We need to stop wasting energy, time and money trying to fix what God has decreed will happen, and get to work trying to save as many as we can, while we still have the time.

I am no Jeremiah and I do not profess to be a Prophet, but I do think I am on the right track when I say we need to prepare for what is coming because we cannot get out of the way.

I see the writing on the wall- do you?

Is It Faith or Apathy?

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Some people think I am apathetic, but I don’t care what they think.

I don’t like to read posts about what Obama, Clinton or Trump have done or are doing; I don’t get involved in sports (a religion to many); I am very interested in animals, was a Docent at the Philadelphia Zoo for some 18 years,  volunteer here in Florida with the Sea Turtle Emergency Recovery Program and will soon be training to help the Florida Wildlife Hospital (where my wife, Donna, has volunteered for years) wild animal capture team recover animals in need. Yet, with all that, when I read about extinctions and watch specials about how animals are becoming more and more endangered, I don’t get all “riled up” about it.

I am not, really, an apathetic person- I do care what we are doing to the wildlife, the planet, and to each other. It is a hurt and a frustration I feel, but I get through it all by remembering what the bible says, and what is in store for us all.

My faith is what keeps me centered, and not just my faith in God and my salvation, but faithfully believing that when God judges this world, what we read about in Revelations will happen. That means that no matter what we do, nearly 2/3 of the earth will be totally destroyed: humans, animals, environment…nearly everything will be gone, and then whatever is left will be replaced. So, no matter what we do now, it is all doomed: we are all just waiting for destruction.

That means even if we recover the endangered species, fix the environment, correct Global Warming, reverse El Nino, and treat each other with mutual respect and care, it will all come to destruction, anyway. I believe the time for putting on sackcloth and sitting on the ground in ashes has passed. Just as God told Jeremiah that he shouldn’t pray for the people, I believe we are in that same place, today. Except it isn’t just  the people in Jerusalem, but the entire world population.

Truth be told…I do care. Still and all, I believe with all my heart that it is too late to make a difference. God created the world and every single life form on it, put us in charge of it all, and look what we have done to it! Not only that, look at what we have done (and are still doing) to ourselves. We are passed repentance, we have done too much, and are increasing our sin against the world and it’s creatures.

Europe is under terrorist attack from the enemy, as well as America. Soon Asia will feel the heat from North Korea and immigrants, as the rest of the world is feeling. It is not starting- it is happening! We are quickly coming to that fateful day, which will be upon us before we know it.

I know, I know- Steve is sounding like one of those nutcases holding up the bible on top of a mount of destroyed building during the Apocalypse and screaming, “REPENT! REPENT! THE END IS HERE.”

You know what? That is exactly what I am doing.

I care, but my faith in God, in that He will do as He has shown us, is paramount and overcomes my grief and sorrow at seeing what is happening in the world. I know this is all part of His plan, and that it must happen. Just as Yeshua prayed in Matthew 26:39:

 “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

It is clear (to me) that those bowls of God’s fury that we read about in Revelations are filled, and ready to be poured down upon us. We will see more destruction, more political upheaval, and more and more of our leadership being exposed as corrupted and unjust. This all has to happen to make the path straight for the enemy. Just as Yochanan (John) cried to make straight paths for the Lord, the false prophets will make a pathway straight for the Son of Perdition to come. Think about it: won’t we all desire, even cry and pray for, a deliverer to come and save us when there is no one left we can turn to? Even the elect, we are told, will be so desperate for Yeshua’s return that they will not allow themselves to be led by the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) but will be fooled by these false prophets and made to take the mark of the beast.

I am not really apathetic, and faith is not a cause of apathy: faith is what overcomes apathy and gives us the strength to deal with the world as it is, and with what will come. Faith is the foundation for survival during the Tribulation, so practice your faith now. When you see tsouris in the world, pray to God that His Will be done quickly. When you hear of wars and see natural disasters occurring, pray to God that your friends and loved ones are saved before it is too late. Shout from the rooftops, talk to people in the streets, show you’re ability to handle the terrible things that happen as a sign of faith, and demonstrate the peacefulness and confidence you have in God to others, especially those who are not saved.

It is OK to be upset about what is happening in the world, and it is good to try to help, but that is a temporary bandage: don’t you think it is more important to help people make the right decision before their time to decide is over?

 

 

 

watch carefully, but don’t get too involved

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Watch what? Why, the world, of course. We need to keep our eyes open for the signs of the return of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) and also to be observant of the actions of the enemy as he (or maybe, she?) begins to take charge of the world.

Revelations warns us that as the enemy begins to secure his rule that there will be a time of peace for 3 1/2 years before the real fecal matter hits the air circulation unit. We are also warned that many will be turned from the true faith and follow the evil one, the Anti-Christ, because of the many wonderful and miraculous acts that he (yes, or maybe she) will perform.

Therefore, we need to be aware of what is coming and to look for it. I have heard the political talk that the next administration will be friendly to Israel (anyone would be friendlier to Israel than the exiting administration), and whether or not that proves true, we need to remember the warnings about being fooled, and about the time of peace that is a sign of the coming tribulation.

They says it is always darkest before the dawn, but for us, we should know that it will be a bright and sunny day, it will be peaceful and joyous, and in that environment- when we are happy, financially strong and secure- that is when the foolish and unknowing will be lulled into a false sense of acceptance. That is the way the enemy will fool people into taking the mark: he (yeah, yeah…or she) will provide earthly pleasures; there will be an image of peaceful waters (while Leviathan is stalking us just under the surface), there will be good weather (while storm fronts and earthquakes are forming just past the horizon), and the Anti-Christ will use this to justify the claim that he is the Messiah, to fool us into worshiping him and be turned from Yeshua, our true Savior.

The signs will be deceiving; peace and joy and plenty will be the rule, but you must stay alert and be forewarned: the people will be led like lemmings to their death, like sheep not knowing they are on a strip of tasty, green grass that leads them to the slaughterhouse.

So watch what is happening but stay separated from it, both emotionally and physically. Try to remove yourself from discussion because people are, well… they’re stupid, and if you get involved in political discussions you may be led to believe in something other than what we are told (in the bible) to believe. We are, all of us-  myself, you, everyone- capable of being fooled and seduced by the enemy. Only by remaining separated can we avoid becoming embroiled and trapped in controversy; only by remaining outside the circle of politics will we be able to see the maelstrom forming; only by remaining knowledgeable of, and faithful to, the word of God while constantly trusting in and asking the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) for divine insight and understanding will we be able to avoid the trap falls and snares the enemy will be setting all around us.

Look- I am not a “doomsayer” and telling you that the world is coming to an end…Hey! Wait a minute; actually, now that I think about it, I really am saying the world is coming to an end, so let’s stick with that: THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!!!

Big deal. We all know the world is coming to an end- even the scientists tell us that eventually, in a few billion years or so, the sun will supernova and the earth will be evaporated. So the news that the earth is coming to an end isn’t anything new.

What we need to be concerned about is not whether or not the earth will be destroyed, but when. And that “when” is coming sooner than the scientists realize.

So, stay aware, be alert, and be watchful. My advice is this: keep your eyes open, but don’t get sucked into the controversy and emotional stir of politics, the environment, or society’s problems because we know they are all going to get worse. Enjoy the peaceful times we will have, and use it to prepare for the Tribulation coming after it. Just as Joseph had Pharaoh prepare during the 7 years of plenty for the 7 years of famine, when we are in the plentiful times of the Anti-Christ’s 3 1/2 years of peace, we need to recognize it for what it is and store up what we need to survive through the next season coming.

This may or may not happen in our lifetime, but if we don’t know what signs to look for by the time we realize what has happened, it will be too late.