I would like to offer you today an analogy, a compilation of sorts on the days that we have found ourselves living in, perhaps not so much concerning the events of the world, but of the reactions of many of those who claim Jesus Christ as Lord in what could possibly be called the days of the end of the Gentiles.
Cataclysmic events upon the planet seem to be the main focus of many of our brothers and sisters in Christ, those items that are indeed increasing in number and strength, those things that many see as signs from the Lord God, but I want to remind you here, that while indeed the Almighty rules over all of His creation, He has at this time given authority over certain aspects of the earth and what could be considered its natural course, to Satan.
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Cor. 4:4)
“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Eph. 2:2)
Those who deny the Sovereign authority of the Most High have determined to name these events the by-product, if you will, of climate change, and they have attempted to prove their words through many scientific endeavors over the last three or four decades, and that should not only be expected by those of us who serve Jesus Christ as Lord, but have been blessed with Spiritual discernment to see through these lies to the truth. But I do not believe that many who serve the Lord have recognized the entirety of that truth here, that it is not God that is causing these events in the world when we are speaking about the floods, fires, draughts, earthquakes, increased volcanic activity, the plagues of locusts and all other manner of upheavals that are upon the planet at this time, it is Satan, for he is indeed the god of this world today.
It has always been his desire to see these things happen, yet the hedge has not been lowered enough for him to accomplish this until recently, his ability to do so has been hindered, as it is in all things, by the Holy Spirit, 2 Thessalonians 2:7 is just one verse that shows us this truth, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”
The planet we live on is under the curse of God, that which is recorded for us in Genesis 3:17, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”
But it also, in regard to the days we find ourselves in, has had a hedge around it, and that hedge is being lowered. The hedge I speak of here is in reference to the one spoken of in Job 1:10, “Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”
We cannot see it, it is visible only to those who live in the Spiritual realm, it was placed there by God Almighty and it cannot be breached by any Satanic force, but it has been lowered enough in these days for Satan to begin his final challenge to the authority of the Most High, and when the saints of God are caught up in the rapture spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 that hedge will be removed completely.
Satan nearly always works in subtle ways, through deceit and diversions, he confuses mankind in an attempt to thwart the plans of the Lord.
Those of us who understand that climate change is a lie understand these truths, but I fear that few will attribute these events to whom they should be attributed to, they are not of God, but of Satan. They are being allowed by God but are not direct signs from the Lord in this respect.
This brings us to what mankind has to do with these days, and the hedges around the people who are indeed saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, the elect, but more specifically those whose only response to these evil days we find ourselves in is in the form of the statement, “Jesus is coming back soon.”
While I do not disagree with this, I find that there needs to be clarification to these words, not in my mind, nor in the mind of those who express them, but in the actions and words after they are spoken.
When the Lord sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of Jesus Christ, his message was not “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2) The Lord Himself said the same words, recorded for us in Matthew 4:17. If all we say is, “Jesus is coming soon,” we do no glory to God, we are not warning of the way of escape to the lost, not just from the horrors of the days of the Tribulation period that are approaching, but of the salvation of their eternal souls.
Without telling them that they need to repent, that they are sinners in the eyes of the Lord, that He sent His Son to take the punishment for their sins, and that Romans 10:13 is truth, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” all we have done is given a warning with no means to escape the wrath of God.
The warning must include the way of escape, or it is of little value.
Our Lord Himself made this quite clear, “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” (Matt. 24:46) “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44)
Here is where we come to 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
That falling away is quite evident, and is the most visible sign of the days of the beginnings of sorrows that we find ourselves in, not all the major events that are occurring with the weather, not the shaking of the earth itself, not the lie of climate change or even the fear that is being placed upon the people of the planet through supposed pandemics, or by evil men in positions of power and the lust to control mankind, to subjugate us to their will. It is the falling away that is the most obvious and evident sign, and in this respect, with no disrespect to my brothers and sisters in Christ, in part it is being led by those who say, “Jesus is coming back soon,” but do not offer the means of escape, do not offer the way of salvation to those they are speaking to.
It does little good to give the warning if the means of escape is not offered with that warning.
The falling away is not just a lack of faith and trust in the mercy and power of the Lord God in these days to see His will done, it is not just allowing fear to override the promises that He has given to us, it is the lack of obedience to His will and Word in completing that warning that so many today are offering.
It is not finishing the sentence, “Jesus is coming back soon! Repent! Here is what you must do to be saved.”
The lost are not going to know how to escape not only the days of Jacob’s Trouble that are approaching rapidly, or the fires of eternal damnation, unless you tell them how to do that.
Far too many are neglecting the most important part of the warning, and their hearts are growing cold because of that. The opportunities to glorify God by lifting up the name of Jesus are coming to a close, we will be going home soon.
I ask you to contemplate this; before you walk into the banquet hall of the Most High God, before you pass through that narrow gate into the everlasting presence of the Lamb of God, where pleasures forevermore await us, where peace will flow like a river through your soul for all eternity, where all your tears will be wiped away forever, you will first give an account to God.
It is a good thing to tell others that Jesus is coming back soon, it is admirable to give the warnings of the impending days of wrath and the fury of the Almighty, but if you have not spoken to them of the way of escape, of how they must repent and call upon the name of the Lord for the salvation of their souls, then you have not completed that which has been set before you.
And you will give an account for the reason that you did not do that.
