There is huge energy behind the apocalyptic movement right now. With four blood moons, ISIS, and Iran’s nuclear deal there is a feeling of imminent disaster in the air. How is a fellow to live? What should be our posture at a moment in history where it seems entirely possible Christ could return?
I have developed a philosophy of the end-times that has kept me on track:
- Stay Ready (holiness)
⇒ Neither Jesus,
Daniel, Paul, nor John gave us a definite moment when He would return. I
think He did that on purpose so that we would have to stay ready!
⇒ The
parable of the ten virgins shows us that you either “have your oil or
you don’t.” The bridegroom came at midnight, a very odd time for a
wedding! Jesus said that He would return “at an hour when we think not…”
⇒ “Watch” was the only word He gave us. That means to keep your life pure, your relationships in order, your ministry in action and your joy full.
- Stay Busy (harvest)
⇒ Jesus said,
“Blessed is that servant whom His master will find so doing when He
comes” (Luke 12: 37). It’s HARVEST time right now when it is estimated
that over one million souls EVERY WEEK are being born again around the
world.
⇒ Never
retire. You may change your pace but you cannot change your “race”! God
has a track laid out before you and you must RUN until you reach the
finish line. Lester Sumrall, the great apostle, crossed the Atlantic
ocean three times in one month (in economy class)…when he was 84 years
old.
⇒ “Harvest” is a mentality, not a position. Every day I should ask the Lord, “Who can I save from an eternal hell today? Who can I sow a seed of love in today? Who can I turn from darkness to light today?” Five billion people on this planet don’t know Christ…37 lines that would stretch around the whole world at the equator. Stay busy!
- Stay Calm (hope)
⇒ Fear is rampant
today. Should I cash out all my savings, sit on a pot of gold, and store
up millennium food? Should I gather enough ammunition to stave off the
U.S. army from my compound? Should I immigrate to some other country
where it is “safe?”
⇒ STAY
CALM. Jesus said, “When these things begin to take place, straighten up
and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke
21:28). Paul said, “That you may not grieve as others who have no hope”
(1 Thess 4: 13).
⇒ Yes, it is possible that the Antichrist himself is alive at this moment. Yes, it is possible that earth’s history will end in the next two decades (or two centuries). The important thing, however, is that I keep my eyes fixed on the eternal prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
⇒ I personally do not believe man will colonize Mars (or Christ would return to two planets!). I do not believe Israel will be destroyed. I personally do not believe Christians will endure the wrath of God. I do not believe an errant asteroid will destroy all life on this planet.
Would you care to comment on this question: “Based upon what you see happening in the world today, how do you now live your life?”
"...Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" -Revelation 22:20
ABOUT PASTOR LARRY STOCKSTILL:
Pastor Larry Stockstill is a pastor for over thirty years. His church, Bethany Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is 52 years old and has been pastored by his father, himself, and now his son.
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