Back when the news was about mass fish
die offs, I found the reactions interesting. I wasn't surprised to
see the media trying to downplay it, or offer a strictly natural
explanation. Being careful to keep people from thinking about God is
their identity, their self appointed role. The explanations offered
weren't entirely convincing to me. One I heard a few times was that
it was the cold that shocked the fish into dying. Hmmmm, what about
the fish in Brazil and New Zealand, where it was not winter? Another
report quoted somebody from the Midwest, a wildlife agency employee
maybe, or a agricultural advisor, something like that. He was saying
that this is nothing new, there have been occasional bird die offs in
years past. OK, but now there is a long string of continuous die
offs, and, it's not just birds, but crabs and fishes too. Another
report I saw said that the explanation was the internet, that with
news and information available to so many people, we can be aware of
more stories at once. Well OK, but is the internet that new? I mean
if this stuff happens on a regular basis, shouldn't someone have put
these type of stories together before, like 5 or 10 years ago? The
internet was moving along at a pretty good clip back then.
I'm reminded of the woman that wanted
to know if there was ever an exception to God's disapproval of the
situation that her son was in. She clearly didn't want to know the
details of when there was an exception, just that there was one. As
though she could relieve her torment by fabricating an imaginary
exception, even though there wasn't a real one one available.
I've learned to -never- quote a price
range for my services. Customers will invariably memorize -only-
the lower one, then go ballistic when later told something higher. At
first I thought they were trying to manipulate a better price, but
now I think that it's human nature. People hear a partial amount of
evidence, then assume the conclusion that is most comforting. So they
hear the guy say that birds have died before, and ignore any other
evidence, avoid any contemplation that might be uncomfortable.
Now, I see a huge earthquake in Japan and a bunch of new wars in the
Mideast and Africa; and the American stock market is continuing to
climb.
Jesus specifically mentions wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in
divers places in relation to end times. He called them the beginning
of sorrows. This can be found in the New Testament book of Matthew,
chapter 24. Verse 23 says:” So likewise ye, when ye shall see all
these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
But a few verses later, he talks about how it will be as the days of
Noah, when so many people were caught unawares. I used to think that
those are people who will be blind to the indicators because they
don't know the Bible, or are caught up in the business of their
lives. But now I think it refers to people who willfully chose to
ignore the Bible and signs of the times. If the stock market
continues to climb, or at least doesn't fall; and the economy
improves, a lot of people will pretend everything is fine. Must be
comforting to turn off the trouble in one's soul, as a short term
fix, but you won't be able to answer God at judgment, if you've been
ignoring His message about Jesus at the cross.
I
really don't know when the end will be, but my suspicion that it's
near grows stronger all the time. What's for sure is that each one of
us will end. Your lifetime of struggles, education, accomplishments,
sorrows and joys...it ends. You end, end of story. Weird when you
think about it. It's called death, and your soul must answer for what
happened in your story. Please don't take comfort in yesterday, in
the standard of living that will indicate everything's alright. It's
not alright, if you're not born again.
- -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The
chapter also talks about the abomination that makes desolate standing
in the holy place. I know the theologians will tell you otherwise,
but I can't help but think that it sounds like homosexual “ministers”
in the pulpit.
