LEARNING DAILY

Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

I have considered a long time about which verse to use today for this topic, and I have thought about what to write for some time. I have been considering for the past few weeks what has occurred close to where we live regarding the flooding in central Texas. But this weather has not just been happening here as seen on the east coast and the forecast for several states in the north. Not only this but we have seen an increase of other natural disasters such as earthquakes occurring in various places and there is talk about a mountain in the northwest erupting as a volcano. We have seen in the country and in the world a moral collapse like never before, continued turmoil around the globe that is just not getting better, and the increase in lawlessness and chaos growing more prevalent daily. All is very concerning!

Even more concerning, and I hope I am wrong, is that the church is sleeping about what I believe to be warnings about the return of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, for His bride. I wonder if the heart of God is grieved about the people who have chosen to follow the philosophies of the world rather than His Word. Have those who go to church chosen to live in comfort rather than really be convicted to be in God’s Word and to be obedient to it? My heart is being convicted about being content and living a half-hearted Christianity.

We are living in troubling times. There are many Bible authorities who say or write that the next event on God’s prophetic calendar is the rapture of God’s people. Jesus said in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” There still are those who want to give a date for this event. A few verses before this verse Jesus said, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” I am not sure what causes those who want to set a date to not understand this verse. But Jesus did say those who would be taken in the rapture were those who were watching for Him and were ready! It is interesting to me that Jesus said to be ready; to me that means get ready and stay ready. He did not say when you see signs that make you afraid or nervous or when you see the world falling apart. His message is to get ready and be listening for His trumpet to sound and watching for His return.

This message of the rapture is not one of fear; it is a warning to be focused on walking the narrow way with Jesus, being obedient to Him and His word. To do that I do not know any other way than to be reading/studying/meditating on His Word and to be more focused in prayer. What will be the benefit? You will understand that your relationship is about living your life with eternity in mind; doing so will change you. Paul wrote in Romans 13:11 about waking up, about being complacent about the rapture. He wrote “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” If you go to Romans 12 and read through 13:10 you will see what it means to live as a Believer now, before you walk into heaven. To Paul it was essential to live this way; time was running out! The world for Paul was changing. Fast forward to today. What would Paul say to Believers? “Wake up! The time is near for the trumpet to sound and for true Believers to meet the King in the air.” I would imagine that Paul would want you to live your life as if Jesus would come at any moment.

There is an urgency in the air! There is more to write tomorrow.