In 1965 a song was released by a Rhythm & Blues musical group called The Impressions. The song was written by their lead singer, Curtis Mayfield. Mayfield’s background was singing church gospel music. He wrote a lot of songs in the gospel style. The song was titled, “People Get Ready.”
Looking at the lyrics from a biblical view, the song encourages believers to hold tight to their beliefs when times get bad, and promises victory for the good guys, and punishment for the bad.
Well, please let me tell you, dear readers, that it is most definitely time to “get ready.”
We need to do this right now. And quickly. We can no longer “get ready” at our leisure. Our world is so totally out of control that you cannot even begin to keep up with the news because at least hourly, things across the globe are drastically changing. AND, the things that are constantly in flux all seem to have the potential for determining life, or death.
Whether you are a believer or a non-believer, the questions resonating around the globe seem to be focused on the end-times. Are the Bible’s words really true? Jesus really the Son of God? Is Jesus really coming back to earth? Can He really save us from destruction? How can I be saved? Is there really such a time period called the end-times? And, are we really there now?
Let me offer some answers and some Scriptures to help you with these questions:
Yes, what the Bible says is really true. How do I know this? Because I know God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If you do not know God personally, you can validate the Bible through archaeology, and through manuscripts authored by other individuals documenting the history of the times. The Bible was written by the hands of a number of men, but every word in the Bible is inspired by God. (One good research tool would be for example, The Works of Josephus by Flavius Josephus.)
Yes, Jesus really is the Son of God. How do I know this? Because I know Him! Let’s look at
1 John 4:9 – “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him
We are also told in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
We can also read in Matthew 16:15-16 – “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Yes, Jesus really is coming back to earth. After He was crucified, died and was buried, He rose again! His death on the cross signified the end of the beginning. His resurrection was the beginning of the end. After Jesus’ resurrection, he was talking with his apostles, and telling them that He was leaving to be with His Father, but that He would return.
John 14:1-3 – “Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
We also read in 1 Corinthians 15:22-24: “ For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”
Yes, He really can save us from destruction. Yes, He can, and He will. He has all power to do as He purposes, but saving us from the destruction coming in the end times does not involve saving our mortal bodies (we will live with Him with new, incorruptible bodies)…it involves saving our immortal souls. The Church is the Bride of Christ, and He does not wish for us to go through the days of the Tribulation.
We get a glimpse into the wrath of the Day of the Lord when we read Isaiah 13:9-11:
“Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.”
Then we can read how the Lord will snatch away (the Harpazo, Rapture) His believers, the Church—up to be with Him before the terrible judgment comes upon the unsaved sinners remaining on the earth:
1 Thessalonians 4:16 -18: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
How can you be saved? There is only one way:
John 3:16 “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus Himself tells us in John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”
Again, Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with Me.”
Call out to Him and listen for the voice of the Lord!
Well, if there might possibly be any shred of doubt left in your mind, please let me put that to rest…we are there! How do I know this? Because Jesus warns us about that in the Bible. He gives us things to watch for so we will know His coming is near – even at the door! Let’s look at some Scriptures to help us understand this:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 – “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
Matthew 24:3-14 – “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Please continue to read, in your Bible, on through Matthew 24:15-51, where Jesus gives many details about what is coming.
Additional details about the end times are given in Luke 21:25-27: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Let us not be deceived. Let us always watch and be ready. We do not know exactly when Jesus will come. Matthew 24:36 tells us, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
Again we are told this in Mark 13:32: “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”
We have already seen many signs, and there are more for which to watch. We hear people say that these things have all happened before, and the answer to that statement is this: “Indeed, many have.” There is nothing new under the sun. But the key issue to remember here is that all of these things will begin to happen together when it is time. They will all begin to happen…at the same time…converging on one another. NOW is the time to seriously watch!
Please, also go to the book of Revelation and read that wonderful book. Yes, it is scary, and often hard to understand, but you will want to know. God sent us His Word, so that we would know
So, these facts being established, where does that leave us with the state of the world today? I do not write about politics – although they play a large part in the way things unfold in our world. But I ask you to realize (and it is my opinion) that it doesn’t matter what political party is in power in any given country or nation in the world, and it doesn’t matter who is president or prime minister or chief-in-charge of the countries and nations in the world.
It does not matter who is the aggressor or the one who rescues or the super power. The real Super Power is God. He alone is Sovereign, and He alone is in complete control of everything that happens. He raises up kings, and He takes down kings. He allows things to happen in order to bring about His perfect will to fulfill His perfect purpose.
As I write this, the United States has launched missiles into Syria from US Navy destroyers in the Mediterranean Sea and destroyed the air bases that launched the chemical attack on Syria’s own people. Russia is not pleased. Russia is sending a warship to the Mediterranean where the missiles were launched from. This is all that the news media will tell us at this time
The next step is not clear, but by the time you read this, it will all be old news. Whatever the outcome of this will be, it will all be allowed and directed by God. We need not fear if we belong to Him!
This earthly situation is certainly not our only concern. The entire globe is boiling over with hatred. Wars (or rumors of wars) are everywhere. Destruction, murders, suicide attacks, dissention, lies, persecution, deception and unrest stretch from one end of our world to the other. Violent weather, earthquakes and volcanoes rock the globe. Diseases, pestilences and famines abound.
Things are disintegrating quickly, and the spiral is definitely downward. Not a very hopeful scenario, is it? How can we cope with all of this uncertainty? How do we get through day to day? Where is our hope? Our hope is in the Lord. Stay focused only on Him. He tells us to be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world! That means that we are to know in our hearts that we will be okay, no matter what comes, if we belong to Him. He has overcome the world (Satan’s world), and all power and glory belong to Him! He will return for us, and we will live for eternity in the place He has prepared for us. It doesn’t get any better than that.
God created the world in which we live, and thankfully, He also gave us an instruction book to go along with it. The Bible tells us how it all began, and how it will all end. Jesus outlines the end times for us, so we will not be caught unaware, and we will know exactly what to expect. If you haven’t read it, it is the best Book out there. Hurry and get your copy today. Time is very quickly running out. People, get ready!
Maranatha!
(All Scripture quoted is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.)