MM#99 – ASTEROIDS, part two METHUSELAH Enoch, at the birth

MM#99 – ASTEROIDS, part two
METHUSELAH
Enoch, at the birth of his son Methuselah, made a specific prophecy by calling his
boy by this unusual name. And it certainly was unusual, for “Methuselah” means,
“when he dies the waters will come.”
Enoch was, in fact, prophesying that the flood would come to judge the world
shortly after the death of his Methuselah.
Many times the young fellow must have been embarrassed by his name. Can you
imagine him being enrolled in school, and the teacher asking him, “What’s your
name?”? To which young Met would reply in a nervous little voice, “When I die, the
waters will come.”
Can you imagine the ridicule, the laughter and the abuse he must have received?
Just name your child Methuselah today, and see how it goes!
Everyone knows the expression, “as old as Methuselah.” It comes, of course, from
the fact that Methuselah was the oldest man who ever lived. He died at the age of
969 years. (Genesis 5:27). And the year he died was the very year of the Great Flood.
(See Genesis 5:25,28 & 7:6, and chart below)
The prophecy of his name was fulfilled exactly.
Enoch, the man who so closely walked with God, was taken to Heaven long before
the flood - when Methuselah was a young man of three hundred years. (Genesis
5:21-24)
Enoch was one of the two men in Scripture who went to Heaven without dying. The
other was Elijah. Both men were caught up to heaven, in a way that is similar type
to the endtime Rapture when Y’shua, Jesus, catches all His true people up to
heaven. It’s prophesied:
“For the Master Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. Then the dead in
Christ - those who died in union with the Messiah - shall rise first. Then we, the
living believers who remain, will simultaneously be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air. And so we will be with the
Master for ever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
In fact, the catching up of Enoch before the flood, is a scriptural type of the church
(the corporate body of believers who belong to Christ) who will be caught up to meet
the Saviour before the Great Tribulation.
969 YEARS IS NO JOKE!
Now, have you ever wondered why Methuselah lived so long? 969 years is no joke!
Whoever would want to live that long? And even though godly men did live to great
ages in those days, surely 969 was stretching the limit.
It was because of the patience, love, and long-suffering grace of God. When
Methuselah dies, the Lord must send the judgment; so God kept Met alive as long as
possible to give the people a chance to repent and be saved. As we read in I Peter
3:20, “the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah.”
I don’t suppose Met wanted to live so long. I can well imagine that after his father
was caught up to the heavenly mansions, Methuselah was rather keen to go too.
When Methuselah was 369 years, his grandson Noah was born. When Methuselah
was 400 years, he must have been praying, “God, I’ve had enough of this world.
Take me home, Lord.”
And God must have replied. “No, no, Methuselah, for when you die, I must send
the flood.”
At 500 years of age, Met must have been complaining, “Lord, take me home, please.
I’m a half millennium. I’m getting too old. Look Lord, I’ve got no teeth left.”
“No, no, Methuselah, not yet. I must give these doomed souls a little longer to
repent. I’m a merciful God.”
At 600 years Methuselah must have been rather blind. He must have been longing
for release from his house of clay. But no! God was still striving with men.
Seven hundred, eight hundred years - by this time Methuselah must have thought
that he would never leave this world. He must have felt a real prisoner in his frail
body. And yet he knew that his father had prophesied his death and the waters
of judgment.
Methuselah had watched the deteriorating conditions in the world. He saw the
increase of wickedness, the explosion of corruption, and saw morality sink to rock
bottom.
When he was about 869 years old, Methuselah saw the arrival of his three great
grandsons- Shem, Ham, and Japheth (the sons of Noah). He must have been praying
that these three babies would grow up straight. And he had hopes that they would,
for they did have a godly father.
Methuselah must have been losing hope for the rest of his tribes - he had other sons
and daughters besides Lamech. And Lamech had other sons and daughters besides
Noah. And just about all of the tribe had gone the way of the world. They had all
become unprofitable. They all got caught up in this marrying-building-plantingeating-drinking-enjoying business. None of them had time for God.
THE GENERATIONS - ENOCH TO JAPHETH
Lamech died when he was 777 years old, and now Noah was Methuselah’s one
hope. And if Noah and his three youngsters would follow on to know Yahweh the
Almighty LORD, there was hope that at least a remnant would be saved.
About that time Noah started building the ark. God had a plan and a provision to
save a remnant. “Yes,” thought Methuselah, “the time of my departure is drawing
near. As soon as that ark is completed, I can expect to leave. I am one person who
would sure appreciate a berth in that ship, but I must go first. The waters won’t
come till I have gone. But now things are taking shape.”
I can imagine old Methuselah adding his toothless voice to Noah’s, to give an urgent
warning of the impending judgment. But who would listen to” the ancient one”? If
they would not listen to Noah, how would they listen to a man going on 1000 years.
I can well imagine some young freak aged 50 years, just out of college, standing on a
soap box and denouncing the madness of the prophets. “What we need today, is
some new modern thought,” he would cry. “We must build a new world order. We
must do this and that. We must do whatever we feel like - but let us be rid, once and
for all, of this superstitious nonsense about God, hell and judgment. Reason tells you
it is absurd. Scientific fact tells you it is bogus. Education tells you it is mythical.
And besides, we don’t want it anyway. We want to enjoy ourselves.”
“Cheers, cheers!” says the crowd.
But Noah still kept on hammering the nails into his wood. The ark was taking shape.
The length of the ship was 450 feet. Its breadth was 75 feet, and its height 45 feet,
(maybe not quite the dimensions of the “Queen Mary”, but Noah’s ship was not
intended to sail the seas - it was just meant to float.)
The ship was built with three decks, so that all the animals could be accommodated.
Modern sceptics have objected, saying that two of each species of animals and seven
pairs of all clean species could never have fitted into this ark. But computations have
shown that there was not only sufficient room, but space to spare. Space was
available also for many, many, human beings.
When Methuselah was 964 years, he saw his son Lamech pass on into eternity.
Now that the ark was about finished, Met was expecting his home-call at any time.
By this time though, he may have been looking forward to his 1000th birthday, and
to being the first man ever, to attain to a millennium.
“Sorry Methuselah! The appointed time is 969 years - not a year more, and not a
year less. God’s wrath will tolerate evil for one moment longer. Methuselah, you are
now 969 years - come on, my son, come up home now!”
So Methuselah died. Then Noah gave his last call to the decadent society. It
continued to scoff. So finally Noah called the animals.
How Noah got a whole zoo into the ark in one day, I do not know. But God was
with him. The fact that we can visit a zoo today, is evidence of Noah’s success in
preserving the wild life. (See Genesis 7:13-16)
It was God who closed the door behind them. The day of grace was over! The
invitation was over. The open door was closed. Time up! Now it was too late for
anyone else to be saved!
Can you feel the tragedy, my dear reader, of that closed door? The ark was the only
provision in the whole world for people to be saved. But now the door was shut.
Oh it will be like that in a near future day, when the Lord Jesus calls His people
home. Once more, the door of grace will be closed! Can you anticipate the agony,
the anxiety, the despair, the cries of those left behind?
“Lord, Lord, open up for us,” they will wail. But He will answer, “Too late. Too
late! I do not know you. You have had your chance. For long ages, I pleaded with
you, but you spurned My love and My grace. It’s too late!”
Oh these words will spell the death knell for multitudes on that day, and plunge
souls into depths of despair. “Give us another chance,” they will wail. But it will be
too late. The Lord has given every chance, but for men whose hearts are bent on
iniquity, even an hour’s extension of grace, would be abused and utilised for riotous
living and treachery.
“But,” some will suggest, “if God simply closed the door, and then opened it again
for a short time, multitudes would flock into the kingdom.”
No, my friend, they would not flock in, even though God gave them a “second
chance,” or a “third chance.” Rather, like the hardened Pharaoh of old, they would
continue to pursue their evil course.
The door of the ark was closed! The window at the top of the ship was closed.
Can you imagine the terror of those outside the ark as they observed an awesome
object enlarging in the sky? For seven days a gigantic asteroid began to fill the sky.
Day by day the light was increasingly blocked out until total darkness covered the
land. Meteorites began to pellet the earth, shaking the cities and turning them into
infernos.
The ark was no longer open. Now it was too late. The cries of the doomed people,
and the noise of their fists bashing on the ark, and their cries calling on Noah to
open the door went unheard, as the sky came down, and the earth was shaken to its
very foundations. As the Scriptures say:
“All the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky
were opened.” (Genesis 7:11)
The waters surged around the ark. Even the highest trees were no refuge. The terrorstricken people slipped one by one into the tempestuous waters. Those who
managed to flee to the mountains could find not refuge for long, for the surging
waters pursued and sucked them into a muddy grave.
The highest hills were covered by about twenty-three feet of water, and all life on
earth perished, except for one family, and the collection of animals on board.
Now my friend, hadn’t God warned those people who perished? Had He not warned
them for nearly a thousand years? Had He not striven with them? Or was He an
annihilationist? No! Just like He does today, He cried out from a longing heart ...
“Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked, rather than that he
should turn from his ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23)
The saving grace of God is a major thread going throughout the Scripture, for God
made man for Himself. But if man will NOT accept deliverance, then he must
perish.
Now, as our present generation is soon to be judged, God is giving men an adequate
warning. He is doing that today. The disastrous earthquakes, cyclones, floods,
famines and plagues, are warnings of the wrath that is to come.
11
THE GREAT TRIBULATION
God has been giving clear warnings of the coming Tribulation judgment, for the last
three thousand years. It’s no secret. It’s in black and white, in numerous prophecies
of Scripture. Look at some of them:
Isaiah 13 is a chapter that speaks about the Day of the LORD, the end times. The
Day of the LORD begins with the Great Tribulation, and goes on into the time
when the Messiah reigns in righteousness.
“Wail, for the day of YHWH is near! It will come as destruction from the
Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will
melt. They will be terrified; pains and anguish will take hold them; they will
writhe like a woman in labour; they will look aghast at one another, their
faces aflame.
“Behold, the day of YHWH is coming; cruel, with fury and burning anger,
to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it.
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their
light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its
light.
“Thus I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I
will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, and abase the
haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold,
and mankind more rare than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I shall make the
heavens tremble; and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of
YHWH of Hosts, in the day of His burning anger ... Their little ones will
also be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and
their wives ravished.” (Isaiah 13:6-13, 16)
“Thus says the Lord YHWH, ‘Wail, Alas for the day, for the day is near;
even the day of the YHWH is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom
for the nations’.” (Ezekiel 30:2-3)
“Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of YHWH is
coming; surely it is near; a day of clouds and gross darkness. As the dawn
is spread over the mountains, so there is great and mighty people coming.
There has never been anything like it, nor will there ever be in the ages to
come.” (Joel 2:1-2)
“Alas, you who are longing for the day of YHWH; for what purpose will the
day of YHWH be to you? It will be darkness and not light.” (Amos 5:18)
“The great day of YHWH is near, It is near and coming very quickly.
Listen, the day of YHWH! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. That day is a
day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and
desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick
darkness.” (Zephaniah 1:14-15)
“For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to fight against it ... then
YHWH will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day
of battle.” (Zechariah 14:2, 3)
“Surely the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and
every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,
says YHWH of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
(Malachi 4:1)
“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has never occurred since
the beginning of the world until now, and there will be nothing like it again.
And if those days were not shortened, no one would survive.”
(Matthew 24:21-22)
“For you yourselves know very well that the Day of YHWH the LORD will
come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’
then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a
woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3)
“By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being
kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But the day of
YHWH the LORD will come (unexpected) like a thief in the night, in which
the heavens will disappear with a roar; and the elements will be destroyed
with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” (2 Peter
3:7, 10)
“Look! The Judge is standing right at the door.” (James 5:9)
12
THE SECOND SHAKING
“For thus says YHWH of Hosts, ‘In a little while I will once more shake the
heavens and earth, the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all the
nations’.” (Haggai 2:6-7)
Scientists are saying the planet is already sitting in the middle of a “shooting
gallery.” They are more right than they realise, as we also will realise as we look at
a very specific prophecy concerning the stars falling.
The apostle John has recorded the visions and prophecies given him by the Messiah.
These are some of the fullest and most vivid descriptions of the wrath of God that’s
to come upon this world.
Chapter 6 introduces the seven years of worldwide disaster. In this chapter we have
also the shaking of the planet - the result of a bombardment of asteroids. This is
during the first half of the Tribulation. John writes:
“I watched as He opened the sixth seal; and there was a great earthquake;
and the sun turned black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon
became blood-red; and the stars of the sky fell to earth, as a fig tree casts its
unripe figs when shaken by a strong wind. The sky vanished like a scroll
being rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of its place.
“Then the kings of the earth, the great men, the generals, the rich, the
mighty, and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and
among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and to the
rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the Presence of Him (the Almighty) who
sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His
wrath has come; and who is able to stand before it?’” (Revelation 6:12-17)
The expression, “the sky vanished like a scroll being rolled up,” is to do with the
shaking of the Universe. This upheaval causes the stars to strike the earth.
The stars here are undoubtedly asteroids, meteorites, or comets. And notice, it’s not
just a single, stray asteroid. It’s a bombardment. The stars here are likened to a figladen tree that’s shaken in a strong gale. The “figs” wallop the earth, so that even the
great men cry out in terror, seeking death to escape the wrath of God.
Yes, the people at that time will recognise that it is the wrath of Yahweh coming
upon the earth, and not just a natural calamity. They will begin to realise that they
are on the losing side; that they are sinners in the hands of the Almighty God. They
will realise that things will never be the same again. Time is up. It’s now the
judgment time!
The prophet Isaiah uses harsh words when he says:
“Look! The day of YHWH is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to
make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it.”
(Isaiah 13:9)
That’s a hard word, isn’t it? Exterminate!” God is going to exterminate the sinners
from off the face of the earth. You may say, “Why should God exterminate people?
He only has created us! So why should He seek to exterminate us from off the face
of the earth?”
Good question! You do recognise, don’t you, that we are sinners, one and all? We
have sinned against the Holy, Eternal Sovereign. We have sinned by our words,
thoughts and deeds. Our standards have become corrupt. Our morals are corrupt,
our speech is perverted, and our dealings are perverse. We utilise cunning as though
it was the source of wisdom. We stockpile missiles of slander, hatred and deceit to
defend ourselves from the rockets of treachery manufactured in our neighbour’s
backyard.
We paint our faces with religiosity, and grease our hands with “charity,” to make a
show of “righteousness” before the Almighty, and before anyone else who might be
observing us. And our lives are so selfish, proud and conceited that we would even
deem ourselves worthy to tell God what to do. We take delight in ungodliness, and
teach others to do likewise. We say, “every man for himself,” and we slave to make
others bend to our wills.
We take the law into our own hands, and become a law to ourselves. We change
good to evil, and evil to good. Righteousness, we mock at it; filth, we revel in it.
Lies; we use them like a carpenter uses nails. Murder, rape and violence; it’s alright
as long as you get away with it!
Alcohol, drugs and nicotine are assets to help calm ourselves, and to reinforce us for
our continuous round of “give me, give me.” This is our 21st century society in
general.
Oh my people, hear the Word of the LORD! THE GREAT TRIBULATION IS
THE JUDGMENT TIME - the judgment of this sin-sodden generation. Another
writer has described our present age as, THE TERMINAL GENERATION.
I’m fully aware that judgment is not a popular subject, but I must declare what God
has declared:
“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands
all people everywhere to repent (that is, to change their minds and to amend their
ways with abhorrence for their sins), because He has fixed a day in which He
will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has
appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the
dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)
13
THE EARTH WILL BE SPLIT THROUGH
The Almighty says He is going to shake the heavens and the earth. He’s going to
make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place. And the sun
will be darkened.
In Isaiah 24, we have another shocking prophecy concerning the shaking of the
heavens and the earth. Again it is speaking about this Day of Yahweh the LORD,
the Great Tribulation:
“Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit, and he who climbs
out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for the windows above are opened,
and the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken asunder. The
earth is split through. The earth is shaken violently. The earth reels to and
fro like a drunkard, and it totters like a shack, for its transgression is heavy
upon it, and it will fall, and not rise again.” (Isaiah 24:18-20)
THE INCREASE OF EARTHQUAKES
Can you imagine the earth splitting in two? On September 1, 1975, TIME magazine
had a cover article called “Earthquake.” Depicted on the front cover was the earth
split through. The article spoke about seismologists’ predictions of an ultimate
earthquake for California. which they say, is already overdue.
Below there’s a listing of some of the world’s major earthquakes, and the
approximate damage in terms of lives lost. The increase became very evident in the
second half of the 20th century.
You will notice that the most intense quakes have not always taken the most lives.
There have been many other great earthquakes which are not listed because they
have taken fewer lives.
SOME OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST QUAKES
856
1556
1737
1755
1819
1883
1897
1902
1905
1906
1908
1915
1920
1922
1927
1932
1933
1934
1935
1939
1939
GREECE
CHINA
CALCUTTA
LISBON
GUJARAT
DURCH INDIES
SHILLONG Plateau
MARTINIQUE
HIMALAYAS
SAN FRANCISCO
ITALY
ITALY
CHINA
JAPAN
CHINA
CHINA
JAPAN
INDO-NEPAL
INDIA
CHILE
TURKEY
8.0
8.7
8.0
8.3
9.0
7.9
8.1
8.3
7.6
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
killed
45,000
830,000
300,000
60,000
2,000
36,000
542
40,000
20,000
700
100,000
29,900
180,000
143,000
200,000
70,000
3,064
10,000
30,000
30,000
23,000
1950
1960
1960
1962
1964
1968
1970
1972
1976
1978
1980
1988
1990
1993
1999
2001
2003
2003
2004
2005
2008
ASSAM
8.5
killed
MOROCCO
killed
killed
CHILE
9.5**
IRAN
killed
ALASKA
8.4
killed
IRAN
killed
PERU
killed
IRAN
7.9
killed
CHINA
killed
IRAN
killed
ALGERIA
7.5
killed
ARMENIA
6-7
killed
IRAN
7.7
killed
MAHARASHTRA
6.4
killed
TURKEY
7.4
killed
GUJARAT
7.9
killed
BAM, IRAN
6.5
killed
JAPAN
8.3
killed
INDONESIA
9.0
killed
PAKISTAN/Kashmir 7.6
killed
CHINA
8.0
killed
** World’s biggest recorded quake.
532
12,000
2-5,000
10,000
114
11,500
66,700
5,000
750,000
25,000
20,000
25,000
40,000
7,600+
20,000
30,000
41,000
???
150,000 (and tsunami)
74,000
90,000
In 1964, the Alaska earthquake took only 114 lives, but it was one of the strongest
quakes ever measured, with a magnitude of 8.4 on the Richter scale. It was felt as far
away as India.
The 6.8 earthquake in February 2001, in Washington State, although it caused
several billion dollars worth of damage, took only a few lives. A quake of about the
same intensity in 1988 in Armenia killed 25,000 people.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was on the average, one major
earthquake every two to three years. Now we have at least eighteen 7.9 quakes, and
up to a hundred major earthquakes, and tens of thousands of smaller quakes and
tremors every year. Many large quakes are often not reported in the news media
because they do not strike populated areas.
DIVINE VISITATIONS
Although scientific reasons may be given for earthquake occurrence, it is God who
“upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3), and no event can occur
outside His permission. Earthquakes are sometimes “acts of judgment.” Sometimes
they may be described as “acts of warning.”
In 1750, Thomas Sherlock, the Bishop of London maintained that two earthquakes
at that time were warnings so that Londoners should atone for their sins.
In a letter of 1777, John Wesley wrote, “There is no divine visitation which is likely
to have so general an influence upon sinners as an earthquake.”
The ultimate earthquake is ahead, and I expect it will blow the top off the Richter
Scale. Here's the prophecy:
“Then there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and
there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to
be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great
city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And
God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the
wine of His furious wrath and indignation. And every island fled away, and
the mountains could not be found.” (Revelation 16:18-20)
14
THE SUN TURNED to BLACKNESS,
and the MOON to BLOOD
There’s also this phenomenon prophesied in Revelation 6:12:
“I watched as He opened the sixth seal; and there was a great earthquake;
and the sun turned black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon
became blood-red.”
Several Old Testament prophets foretold this disastrous endtime phenomenon:
Isaiah said:
“For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their
light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its
light.” (Isaiah 13:10)
The prophet Joel in describing “The Day of Yahweh the LORD,” tells of this same
upheaval:
“Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all
who live in the land tremble, for the Day of YHWH is coming! Surely it is
near - a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and gross darkness. As
the dawn is spread over the mountain so there is a great and mighty people
coming. There has never been anything like it, nor will there ever be in the
ages to come ... before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun
and the moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine.” (Joel 2:1-2, 10)
“I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and billows
of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the great and awesome Day of YHWH comes.” (Joel 2:30-31)
Y’shua the Messiah reiterated what Isaiah and Joel said, when He also foretold the
upheaval to come:
“And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon earth
despair among nations, with perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.
Men’s hearts will faint from terror, being apprehensive of what is coming
upon the world; for the very powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
“Immediately after the Tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and
the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the
powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will
appear in the sky and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they
will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and
great glory.” (Luke 21:25-26. Matthew 24:29-30)
How it is possible for the sun to be darkened? A scientist told me it is through a
phenomenon called “the popping of the core,” which is actually an explosion of the
core of the sun.
SCIENTISTS ALARMED
Scientists today are alarmed, not only because the sun is wobbling, but because of
other developments in the sun, which they believe are a prelude to the sun’s
explosion.
For the past fifty years, scientists have observed that the sun has been contracting by
thirteen kilometres every year. It burns itself away at an estimated 240 million tomes
every minute.
They have also observed an increased heat and brightness in the sun. And in the last
ten years there has been a 20% increase of ultra-violet rays from the sun which is
affecting our atmosphere, and causing chaotic weather patterns. Is it surprising that
we also see strange epidemics, viruses and diseases, including skin cancer, today?
Signs are already happening in the universe.
Out there in space, many stars (suns) are exploding. The hydrogen of a star
gradually burns up and becomes helium. When the core of the star becomes 40%
helium, the star explodes. Our sun’s core is already 50% helium, and the question
scientists cannot answer is; why has our sun not already exploded?
The only answer is that it is not yet God’s perfect time. But it does mean that our
sun could pop at any time!
Immediately prior to the explosion, the sun will turn savage, intensifying its heat.
This also has been prophesied:
“The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and the sun was given
power to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with fierce heat;
and they blasphemed the Name of God (Yahweh) who had control over
these plagues; but they did not repent and give Him glory.” (Revelation 16:89)
An explosion of the core of the sun will not mean the end of life on our planet, but
for a period of days or weeks, almost total darkness would prevail; normal light
would not be emitted, but ultra-red rays would keep the world from freezing. These
red rays would also cause the moon to appear as dark crimson.
Can you imagine a black sun rising? Well, the sky would be so black, you would
hardly see the sun at all. Probably the sun would be outlined by a red ring caused by
ultra-red rays. Can you imagine the eerie darkness?
This explosion will be part of the shaking of the heavens towards the end of the
Great Tribulation. The darkness will go on for some time until “the sign of the Son
of Man” appears in the sky.
The Messiah Himself will then descend from heaven in great glory, as you have just
read above, in Matthew 24:30.
And we are also told that the Heavenly City will come down out of heaven. We
expect the City to be stationed above the earth, for we are told the nations will walk
by its light:
“And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God ... The nations made up of those who are saved, will walk
by its light ...” (Revelation 21:2, 24)
So the Heavenly City will give light to the earth, but in the meantime, the helium in
the sun will be redistributed until the sun comes back to life, as Messiah returns with
healing.
“But for you who revere My Name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with
healing in His wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from
the stall.” (Malachi 4:2)
15
AN UNPRECEDENTED
PERIOD OF JUDGMENT
The Scripture leaves us in no doubt that the coming judgment is an unprecedented
period of sorrow, tragedy and remorse. According to the word of Y'shua the
Messiah, the coming Tribulation will be far more terrible than the Flood. He said:
"There will be great tribulation, such as has never occurred since the
beginning of the world until now; and there will be nothing like it again."
(Matthew 24:21)
Noah's flood was over in a year, but the Tribulation to come will span seven years. It
will not be a single judgment like the flood, but will include earthquakes, pestilences,
cyclones, famines, pollution, poisoning of water supplies, wars, nuclear weapons,
upheavals in the universe and atmosphere, plagues, scorching heat, malignant sores,
and a ruthless Satanic dictatorship.
THE END WILL COME LIKE A FLOOD
(Daniel 9:26)
And Y'shua the Messiah said the endtimes will come in like Noah's flood:
"For the Jays of the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of
Noah. For as in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking,
they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered
the ark. And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all
away. It will be like that at the coming of the Son of Man. There will be two
men in the field: one will be taken, and the other left. Two women will be
grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and the other left. Therefore be on
the alert, for you do not know which day your Master is coming." (Matthew
24:37-42)
WHEN WILL THE "FLOOD" HIT?
The Great Tribulation, my reader, is not something in the distant future, it could
start any day! As we view current conditions around the world, we can only ask.
"How long can God hold back His wrath?"
Although we cannot predict the day nor the year, we would not be wrong in saying
time is running out for this present generation.
Y'shua the Messiah indicated that when we see certain things occur, we will know
that His coming is "right at the door."
As well as the increase of earthquakes, cyclones, floods, famines, plagues, diseases,
and rock-bottom social and religious conditions, other major signs of His coming
and the approaching Tribulation, would be ...
*
the restoration of the nation of Israel
*
the rise of a Russian-led confederation of nations
*
the emergence of a framework for World Government
*
the resurgence of occultism and widespread practice of Satanism
*
the surge towards a one-world religion
*
the revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe
*
the rise of powerful nations in the East, such as Japan and China, and their
growing co-operation.
*
the strategic emphasis on the Middle East
*
Jerusalem as a burdensome stone for all nations.
Most key pieces of the endtime world jigsaw puzzle are now falling into place. The
stage scenery for the world's greatest drama is rapidly being set. Soon the curtain will
rise, and the Revelation will be enacted in all its horrific reality. Soon the
depopulation of the earth will begin. Soon the purging of Planet Earth will be under
way. Soon the prophecies will be history, and those who are not prepared will hear
the cry, "Too late!"
The good news is that at this moment, we are not yet too late. We are in the age of
grace. The door of salvation is still open. The door of the kingdom of God is still
open, and God is still striving with all men everywhere. And He is still commanding
all men everywhere to repent. My reader, can you not feel God striving in your
heart? Through the pressures and problems. He is seeking to turn you to His grace.
Through exhortations and entreaties He is calling you to receive His mercy.
16
IS IT
?
It may seem that some of the prophecies I’ve been quoting, concern the ultimate
destruction of the world. But no!
The Great Tribulation is a purging, a cleansing of the world in preparation for the
Messiah's Reign of Righteousness. The destruction of the physical universe will not
occur until after the 1,000 years of Messiah's worldwide reign.
I once used to think, "Wouldn't it be nice if the Lord Jesus came and took over the
governments and financial institutions of the nations and straightened things out."
Nice and simple!
But there's no way the Holy One is going to rule over a rebellious planet, where the
standards and ways of the Heavenly Father are rejected, and where His Name, and
everything He stands for, is blasphemed. He must first cleanse this planet of the evils
that are ruining both its environment and its people.
At present God is allowing the nations to experience the bitter disappointment that
is produced by human passion, brutality, covetousness, and self-centredness, and by
a human logic that is devoid of the wisdom and guidance that He is willing to
supply.
The Messiah is not interested in merely reducing crime, corruption and pollution.
He's going to eliminate such evils, and build a glorious new world of peace and
justice? He is going to replace man's manipulation, his exploitation, his degrading
entertainment, and his soul-destroying lifestyle, with a brand new life - a life of joyful
fulfilment and a wholesome fullness, through the believer's participation in the
Rivers of spiritual life.
The Messiah must first judge and bring an end to men's corrupt systems. As the
ancient Enoch prophesied:
"Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied of these: 'Look,
YHWH is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones, to
execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their
ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the
harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 14--15)
WHY DO CHILDREN GET KILLED?
People often ask me, "What about the little ones in the world? Why should they
suffer in the Tribulation?"
It is a tragic fact that babies and little children do suffer, both in all natural disasters,
and in man-made atrocities.
In the Great Flood, every baby on earth was destroyed.
When Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, it was not only the adults
who were slaughtered: babies were taken from their mothers’ arms and thrown from
high buildings to the streets below. They were dashed to pieces.
At Hiroshima, the atom bomb did not fall on adults only, but on the little ones too.
TIME magazine (Jan. 11, '82) devoted 23 pages to its cover story, entitled, "Children
of War." It dealt with the tragedies affecting children in Ireland, Israel, Lebanon,
Cambodia and Vietnam. It quoted a poem by a girl in Israel, which expresses the
feelings of many:
If there is a God, and yes, many claim there is.
Then how does it happen that little kids get killed?
It's the same question; why does God allow disasters to affect little children?
The tragic fact is that children suffer because of the sins of their parents, and of their
nations. It is because of the wickedness of society in general. Long ago God said:
"YHWH is longsuffering, abounding in steadfast love and mercy and
forgiving sin and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty
unpunished; He punishes the children for the sins of the fathers to the third
and fourth generation." (Numbers 14:18)
Yes, it seems very wrong that children should suffer because of their parents' sins.
But this is the natural, and tragic, repercussion that follows a man's evil living.
You cannot commit sin without it having some impact upon others. While it helps
to destroy you personally, the evil in you helps to destroy others in your circuit.
If a father is a drunkard, do you think his children will not be affected? Or if a young
person is a drug addict, do you think that he is not going to adversely affect his
family and friends? If a man drives recklessly and kills the family in his car, can we
ask, "Why did the baby get killed?" ?
Is a person's wild behaviour simply his own choice of a lifestyle that affects no-one
but himself? No! Nearly everything a person does, whether good or evil, affects
others.
Isaiah warned the nations of the consequences that would come upon their families
because of their reprobate living:
"Thus I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity.
... Their little ones will also be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their
houses will be plundered and their wives ravished." (Isaiah 13:1 I, 16)
It is not God's will that little ones suffer. And neither is it His will that parents
should live in a way that brings tragic results upon their children.
Parent, if you want to save your children and grandchildren from much suffering,
then repent of any evil in your life. And don't teach your children your devious
ways, otherwise they will soon be walking in the same ways as you.
OUR SINS AFFECTS OTHERS!
Oh man! When we sin, we sin not only against our own selves; we sin against our
neighbours, our families and our nations; and, of course, we sin against the Holy
One, for all sin is an offence against God. And the wages of sin is death. (Romans
6:23)
Let us not wink at sin, or turn a blind eye to it, or brush it off with the comment;
"Oh, everyone's doing it." And don't expect the Holy God to wink at sin!
17
THERE IS A NEW WORLD COMING
The popping of the core of the sun and the shaking of the earth is imminent, but the
sun and the earth are not going to be completely destroyed - not yet. Several
passages we have read indicate that beyond the Tribulation, there is a renewed world
over which Yahweh the Almighty God reigns through Y'shua, His Anointed
Messiah.
Isaiah and Haggai describe the violent shaking of the earth, followed by the reign of
Messiah.
"YHWH will punish the host of heaven on high, and the kings of the earth .
... Then the moon will blush and the sun will be ashamed, for YHWH of
Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem." (Isaiah 24:21. 23)
"For thus says YHWH of Hosts, 'In a little while I will once more shake the
heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all the
nations; and the Desire (the Saviour} of all nations will come; and I will fill
this house (the temple) with glory'." (Haggai 2:6-7)
It is likely that during the shaking-upheaval, the earth will be set back onto its
original, or a more suitable, axis, which will cause the world to become a Garden of
Eden once more.
The new world of righteousness will be populated by a remnant of saved people who
have embraced the Messiah, and His righteousness and authority?
The Messiah is to reign from Jerusalem, and His glory will fill the House of God,
and the whole world.
"And truly as I live." YHWH said, "all the earth will be filled with the glory
of YHWH." (Numbers 14:21)
Yes, there is a new world coming, and blessed are all who share in Messiah's
kingdom, either on earth, or in the Heavenly City.
18
WHERE IS THE ARK TODAY?
If you are looking for the ancient flat-bottomed wooden ship of Noah, you can find
the remnants of it on Mount Ararat in Turkey. It is encased in icy crevasses on that
mountain. It has been spotted by planes flying overhead, and exploratory teams on
ground have claimed sighting it. The ark is a historical fact. But what we need today
is not the historical Noah’s ark, but a spiritual ark - a provision to literally and
physically save us from the coming Tribulation.
Let me emphasise that the Tribulation is not merely trouble; it’s the wrath of God.
If it were merely persecution of believers, we would not expect to escape from it - for
persecution is a participation in the sufferings of Christ, and Messiah’s Body (His
church) in general, shares in that suffering. But the Tribulation is judgment of
unbelievers, and every true member of Messiah’s Body (the Church) will be saved
completely from it.
But for the world there is no exemption. This is “the hour that is about to come
upon the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10). This
is the time to ...
“FLEE FROM THE WRATH TO COME”
God does not want anyone to perish! But how? Where to flee? How to be saved?
What provision is there for us? Where is there an ark of safety today?
The ark of safety for us today is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is God’s
provision. He is the One who can, and will, save us from the coming wrath, if we
call upon Him, and trust in Him.
The Lord Jesus gave a promise to all His people:
“Because you have kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep you out
of the hour of trial which is about to come upon the whole world, to try
those who live on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)
This verse is not saying our being kept from the Tribulation is based on our
endurance. No! Y’shua is the One who persevered - He endured unto death.
“Messiah, Y’shua, who, although existing in the form of God - being in very
nature God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped, but
emptied Himself (of all rightful dignity), taking the form of a bond-servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself (still further) by becoming obedient to the extreme of
death, even death of an execution stake - a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)
To keep “the word of His endurance,” is to obey His Word, the Gospel of Christ’s
sacrifice at Calvary, by believing and receiving Him as Saviour and Lord.
The “hour of testing” or “trial” is the seven-year Tribulation. And how will the Lord
keep His people from that trial? It is implied in the next verse: “I am coming
quickly.”
The Lord Jesus is coming before the Tribulation, to deliver His people by catching
them up to Himself in the spiritual place He has prepared for them. The Lord
promised clearly:
“In My Father’s House are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would
have told you; for I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself;
so that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)
How will He actually do this? Like He took Enoch and Elijah to heaven - by
physically transporting them to the Father’s House. Paul’s prophecy explains how it
will occur:
“For the Master Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. Then the dead in
Christ - those who died in union with the Messiah - shall rise first. Then we, the
living believers who remain, will simultaneously be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air. And so we will be with the
Master for ever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
“Impossible!” says the sceptic, “How can a physical body be caught up into the air?”
Paul gives the answer to that question also;
“Listen! I tell you a mystery, a secret truth; we will not all fall asleep, (that is die); but we will all be changed, transformed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised
incorruptible and imperishable, and we, also, will be changed - transformed.
For this corruptible, the perishable part of us, must put on incorruption, and
this mortal part of us - that is capable of dying, must put on immortality.” (1
Corinthians 15:51-53)
Believers will have bodies like Y’shua had when He rose from the dead - bodies
unlimited by time and space; bodies unlimited by the physical realm; bodies capable
of inhabiting both earthly and heavenly spheres.
The catching up of believers to Heaven will be similar to the ascension of Y’shua
Himself, of which we read:
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was
caught up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9)
The “catching up,” to meet the Saviour in the clouds is commonly called the
“Rapture.” It will truly be a rapturous event. It will be the means of deliverance for
all who belong to Jesus; and it will take place before the Tribulation begins.
A type or picture of the Rapture is seen in the story of Lot and the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot, his wife and two daughters were taken out of the city
and up to the mountains before the fire fell on the wicked cities. The Lord Jesus
draws the parallel in Luke 17:28-30.
“It was the same in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking,
they were buying and selling, planting and building; but on the day Lot
went out of Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and
destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is
revealed.”
When the Master comes to the clouds, He will first catch His people away to
Heaven; then the judgment will begin on earth.
What a fate is in store for those left behind; suffering and for most, death in a
Tribulation such as has never occurred in human history.
The coming of the Master brings blessing and preservation to those who have been
wise enough to enter “the Ark,” but it brings wrath and damnation to those who are
outside.
Y’shua said: “I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will
be taken, and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding at the same
place; one will be taken, and the other will be left.’ Two men will be in the
field; one will be taken and the other will be left.” (Luke 17:34-36)
A prophecy of Paul also emphasises the contrasting result:
“This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you may be
considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are
suffering. For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction whose who
afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted along with us when the
Master, Y’shua, is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in blazing
fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who
do not obey the gospel of our Master, Y’shua.
“And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the
Presence of the Master and from the glory of His power, when He comes to
be glorified in His set-apart people on that Day, and to be marvelled at
among all who have believed - for our testimony among you was believed.”
(2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)
At this present time, the followers of Jesus are being afflicted in many parts of the
world. In fact there is more persecution of Christians today than at any time in
history. Currently, 160,000 people are killed every year because they are Christians.
Yes, believers are called upon to share the reproach and the sufferings of Christ.
Millions are despised and afflicted; many are imprisoned and murdered. But soon
the believers’ afflictions will be over; they will be delivered by the Master at the
Rapture. And then the affliction for the persecutors will begin. Messiah, the Judge of
all, will deal out retribution upon the world, not for an hour, not for a day, but for
seven long, cruel years.
How blessed are those who are taken to be with the Heavenly Master! What a
privilege; to be caught up without dying; transported to the mansions of glory, where
they will share the life and eternity of Almighty God.
19
?
WHAT TYPE OF GOD IS
YAHWEH, THE ETERNAL ONE
Many scoff at the possibility that God should judge the world. But I want to ask you,
what kind of God is Yahweh Elohim - the God of the Bible? Is He some senile
grandfather sitting up in the clouds? Is He some kind of doting deity of whom we
may beg and demand and receive lots of goodies?
Or is He like a servant; a God who does everything to please us whenever we call
out ‘Oh God!’? Is He there for our benefit; to solve the problems we create? Or is He
a figment of our imagination, to be ignored and discarded as we see fit?
No! No! Yahweh Elohim is the Holy One; the Eternal One; the Righteous Ruler of
this whole Universe.
God created us for Himself. All mankind was created for the glory of God, but long,
long ago, we went astray and turned to our own ways; and this is what man is still
doing today - turning to his own way. Look at our sick society today - our sin-sick
society! What is the attitude of modern man towards the Messiah - the Anointed
One?
“We will not have this Man Y’shua, Jesus, to rule over us! ... Who is God? Who is
He that He should tell US what to do? We are advanced, educated, scientific, and
technological. We don’t need God to tell us what to do! We are quite capable of
deciding our own standards, of guiding our own lives, and of deciding our own
future.”
The attitude of many self-assured today seems to say:
“Away with God, away with the Bible; we don’t need them, and we don’t want
them, and we won’t have them!”
And what is God supposed to do? Tell me! Should He wink at the iniquity that is
throttling our society, and say:
“Oh these dear, naughty children! Boys will be boys, and girls will be girls!”?
Or shall He chuckle at our antics, and say: “Oh they’re so cute! It doesn’t really
matter if they can’t see what they are doing to themselves.” ?
My reader, let us recognise that God is the Holy One, and He’s not only the God of
Israel. He’s the God of all the earth. And let us humble ourselves and confess that
we, mankind, have grievously offended His holiness. We have turned against our
Creator, by our rebellion, our unbelief, our disobedience, and by our utter
indifference to His voice.
My reader, you’ve heard of Moses. You have heard of the commandments Yahweh
gave to Israel. No doubt you remember the first two commands:
1. “I am YHWH your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house
of slavery. You shall have no other gods before or besides Me.
2. ‘You shall not make for yourself any graven image - any idol in the form
of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them nor worship and serve them; for I, YHWH
your God, am a jealous God ...” (Exodus 20:2-5)
But what does most of the world care about the commands of the God of Israel?
They might be applicable to Israel, but not for us! And so we cram our lives with
gods of gadgets and gimmicks - as many as we feel we can safely accommodate gods of ambition, goals, money, possessions, business, home, family, people, sport,
entertainment, sex, pleasure - and of course, SELF, our principle object of devotion.
Today the world is in the grip of a demonic plan to bring the whole world in
obeisance, to the feet of Satan. What we see in society today is not happening by
chance.
Satan is at work to destroy faith in Yahweh the Almighty.
The increasing crime and violence is not happening by accident; the drug addiction
afflicting our young people is not by accident; it is a satanically-inspired business
promoted by criminal networks around the world. The increase of alcoholism and
the collapse of morality are not by accident. The pernicious pornography plague that
is sweeping the world is not by accident; it is big business, and pushed by the devil
and his minions.
Now, on video, the most depraved entertainment since the Roman Empire is
available at a small price. XXXX-rated films have gone as far as it’s possible to go;
with sadistic and snuff movies at the end of the line.
This is the 21st century world, my friend, and we can’t blame God if we drown in
our self-hewn pits of slime. “We the People” have created our society, and have
fashioned it according to our own tastes.
A majority seem to love the depravity.
A minority are vexed by the moral corruption.
Others accept it, or shrug it off with a “what to do?”
Those who love the Word of God, and who seek to practise the ways of Godliness,
are a small remnant - they seem to be the “odd ones out” these days.
Listen! Y’shua is indeed a God of Judgment, but He is also a loving, compassionate
Saviour.
“For when we were still weak, the Messiah at the right time died for the
ungodly. Now very rarely will someone die even for a righteous man,
though possibly for a good man someone might even have the courage to
die. But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still
sinners, the Messiah died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)
20
GOD IS NOT WILLING
THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH
This is a fearful subject, my friend, but before I finish, let me emphasise once again
these facts:
* The judgment is appointed.
* The day is fixed.
* It is fast approaching.
* It will surely come, even as the great flood came.
Today the wicked seem to be prospering; but it will not be so for much longer. The
fruit of the nations is almost ripe; the horrific climax of the age is near.
The grace of God is holding back the time of judgment only until the appointed day.
In the meantime, the Holy Spirit is striving with souls, to deliver them from the
wrath to come.
At present it is a hard road in many places for the followers of Christ today. BUT
The Rapture draws nearer every day. For the believer, total deliverance from
affliction is imminent. For the world affliction will come suddenly like an avalanche.
My reader, can you not see that the mercy of God is striving with men today? Can
you not see that He is not willing that a single soul should perish? He has no delight
in the damnation of souls, but longs that everyone will respond to His provision, and
be saved.
“Turn ye, turn ye, for why will you die?” He cries.
We were created by the Eternal One, and we were created for Him. He loves us!
Why should we be a loss to Him? Dear reader, He loves us! You and me! And the
whole world!
He loves that despised beggar squatting in the dust. He loves those lonely street kids
living in awful squalor and poverty. He loves even those renegades who press their
noses through iron bars. The “down and outs” are also objects of His love.
The common and crude, the degraded and despised, the fornicator and the fool, the
ungrateful and the greedy, the heavy-hearted and the heartless, the jealous and
joyless, the kidnapper and hijacker, the murderer and plunderer, the prostitute and
professor, the treacherous and terrible - all may find that they are objects of grace if
they just call upon the Name, and the great love of God.
My reader, God loves. God loves the rich, the poor, the ruler, the peasant, the
righteous, the perverted, the respectable, the proud, the reputed, the deprived, the
regal, and the fallen. God loves them all! And He is not willing that any should
perish.
Be sure, none of us deserve His attention, nor His blessing, His care, His delight, His
embrace, His favour, His grace, His help, or His invitation, but He loves us each
one, regardless of our standing and stature, regardless of our achievements and
attainments, regardless of our failures and frustration, regardless of our religion and
race, regardless of our position and place, regardless of what we have made of our
lives, and regardless of the environment in which we live.
He loves us with an everlasting love, a love that is patient and enduring, that’s tender
and compassionate; a love that groans and suffers, that pleads and perseveres.
But there may be one of my readers who really doubts the love of God. Someone
says:
“How has God helped me? In which way has God proved His love in my life? No!
Look at my sorrows and sufferings; look at my problems and poverty; look at my
trials and temptations! Where is the love of God in my life?”
It’s there, my friend. The love of God is in your every circumstance and situation,
and you would recognise it if you simply called upon His Name, and looked to His
Anointed One - Y’shua, Jesus the Messiah. If only you would respond to His call,
you would feel His arms around you; you would find His eyes guiding you, His ears
listening to your prayer, and His power at work in your life.
To prove God’s love for you, my friend, I urge you to take one long look at the
Cross of Calvary, where the Saviour paid the penalty of your sins, and died for your
redemption. Look and see just how much He loves you!
“For YHWH, the Almighty God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten (His one and only, unique) Son, so that whoever believes in Him,
should not perish, but have eternal (everlasting) life.” (John 3:16)
“For when we were still weak, the Messiah at the right time died for the
ungodly. Now very rarely will someone die even for a righteous man, though
possibly for a good man someone might even have the courage to die. But
God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners,
the Messiah died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His
blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son,
much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
(Romans 5:6-10)
“HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US.” (1 John 3:16)
Jesus was wounded for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquities. He was
scourged for our healing. He was nailed to the cross for our salvation. He shed His
blood for our forgiveness, for the remission of our sins. He died to pay the penalty of
our evil. What more? Yes, He rose from the dead for our justification, He ascended
to heaven to intercede for us with the Father. He lives to keep us, to lead us, and to
satisfy us. He sent His Spirit to live in us, to comfort us, to empower us, and to make
our lives a blessing.
So much, and much more He has done for us. But His work for us, and His love
towards us, becomes effective in our lives only as we believe and trust in Him. If we
are willing, He is more than willing to save us. If we don’t want Him, He will not
force His way into our lives. If we would rather continue on our own way, to enjoy
the pleasures of sin and selfishness, and to reap the results of our sin, He will not
force us to walk the straight and narrow way. God wants people who want Him people who want to share His life, who want to share His plans, His goal, His
character, His home and His eternity.
The day will soon come, however, when God must say, “Time’s Up!” The
countdown is getting lower every day. Soon the trumpet will shout, and Master will
shout from heaven, ‘’Come up.” Then all those who belong to Him will rise, in their
instantly-changed bodies, to meet the Saviour in the air, and to disappear with Him
into the spiritual realm.
And on earth, the judgment will begin. I repeat, it has been appointed - scheduled!
The very day is fixed. God will not strive forever. He must fulfil all righteousness, as
righteous, spiritual and omnipotent Ruler of this Universe. And what He has said,
will be done!
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness
against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear
falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the
widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien, and do not fear
Me, says YHWH of Hosts.” (Malachi 3:5)
“Surely the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and
every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,
says YHWH of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
(Malachi 4:1)
TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION
What a relief it is to know that we are at present in the day of grace, and not in the
day of judgment. What a relief to know that we can make our peace with God; we
can be included in His people; we can enter the ark of His provision, and be saved.
Today the door is still open!
My friend, let me ask you, quite frankly; “Have you come into the ark? Have you
come into the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you made your peace with God?”
If you are not sure you are “in Christ,” if you are not sure your sins have been
forgiven, if you are not sure the Saviour will preserve you from the wrath to come,
then please go carefully over the following seven simple but essential steps, which
show you how to enter the Ark.
21
HOW TO ENTER THE “ARK”
TO BE SAVED
STEP ONE
ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR NEED OF THE SAVIOUR
We must start with our condition before God. We must own up to the fact that we
are sinners in God’s sight.
The Word of God says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God.” “There is none righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:23. 3:10)
“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are
like filthy rags. All of us shrivel up like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind,
sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)
Our first prayer should be, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
The Lord will definitely pardon and blot out our sins from His record, if we receive
His provision for our pardon - the sacrifice of the Messiah on the cross.
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let
him return to YHWH, and He will have compassion on him; and to our
God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)
STEP TWO
BELIEVE IN Y’SHUA AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOUR
We are called to believe in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the way
to God.
“Y'shua answered him, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no-one
comes to the Father, except through Me.” (John 14:6)
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men - the Man,
Messiah Y'shua.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
The Word of God gives us many wonderful promises:
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe
(trust in and obey) the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God remains
on him.” (John 3:36)
Y’shua Himself said:
“I tell you the truth, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent
Me, has eternal life, and will not come into judgment, but has passed out of
death into life.” (John 5:24)
“I am the door; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will go in and
go out, and find pasture. ... I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; and no-one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:9, 28)
“I am the Resurrection, and the Life; he who believes in Me , even though
he dies, he will live; and whoever is living and believing in Me will never
die.” (John 11:25 & 26)
To “believe in Jesus” can be amplified by five simple terms:
1 CONFESS JESUS AS LORD
2 BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART
“If you confess with your mouth Y'shua as LORD, the Heavenly
Master, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from dead, you
will be saved.” (Romans l0:9)
3 CALL ON HIS NAME
“For whoever will call upon the Name of the LORD will be saved.”
(Romans 10:13)
4 TRUST IN THE LORD
“Trust in YHWH with all your heart, and lean not on your own
understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
It is a simple thing to ask or to call on the Saviour. And yet some people are too
proud to ask; and some are too shy, to do so. We need to come humbly, without
fear, simply trusting His promises.
Recently I gave my car to a mechanic for repairs. We got to talking about salvation.
To make it clear to him, I said, “It’s a matter of simply trusting the Saviour. Look, I
gave you my car to repair. You promised to look after the car, to find the problem,
and fix it, to keep it locked up at night, and to charge me a reasonable price. I’m
trusting you to do that. And I believe you will. Likewise, you need to simple trust in
the Lord Jesus to do what He has promised to so - to save you from your sin, to
make you a child of God, and to give you eternal life - all freely, by His grace.
This is a definite step of faith you must make. It is as simple as a drowning man
calling out, “Help, save me!”
5 FAITH
“For by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God - not as a result of works, lest anyone should
boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Two simple equations which may help you to understand more clearly:
BELIEVE (CALL + TRUST - CONFESS) = FAITH
GOD’S GRACE --> MAN’S FAITH = SALVATION
My dear reader, the Almighty God is waiting and longing to hear and answer your
prayer - to save you this day.
My friend, when you were a child, you trusted your parents to give you daily food.
Now just trust the Heavenly Father to give you His salvation.
And here is another promise for you to cling to:
“Commit your way to YHWH! Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”
(Psalms 37:5)
STEP THREE
SETTLE THE MATTER BY PRAYING TO YOUR GOD AND SAVIOUR
The third step, my reader, will bring your through the door into Christ, into the
family and Kingdom of God. If you have not yet come, take these three simple steps,
and settle the matter of your salvation today. They involve a great decision - the
greatest decision you could ever make - to enter the Ark of God’s provision. Don’t
remain outside the ark to perish along with the Christ-rejecting crowds, but step into
Y'shua, Jesus. The Saviour will come into your life and give you eternal life. He
will change your life and destiny; and make you a new person. He will also seal you
with His Holy Spirit, and keep you from the wrath to come.
Come to the Heavenly Father just as you are, in a simple prayer.
The Decision Prayer below may help you to express faith in Christ. Pray sincerely,
trusting God to save you right now.
DECISION PRAYER
Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I come to You, Heavenly Father, just as I am,
confessing my need of your grace and salvation.
I believe in Y’shua, Jesus the Messiah, Your eternal Son, whom You sent to earth to
be the sacrifice for my sins and for the sins of the world. I believe He died for me on
the cross, and that He rose again on the third day, and is exalted at Your Right
Hand. Father I believe You will forgive my sins this very moment, and make me
Your true child, and a new person “in Christ.”
Y’shua, my Master, my Saviour, I yield my life to You, and I trust You to fulfil
Your promises in me this very moment; that You will save me and dwell in me; that
You will make me a temple of Your Holy Spirit; that You will give me the gift of
eternal life, and will save me from the Great Tribulation.
Master, make me Your true follower. Deliver me from all my sinful and selfish
ways, and reign in every part of my life. By Your grace, I will own You as my
Saviour from this day on.
Thank You, Master for bringing me to this decision.. Thank You, Father for hearing
and answering my prayer. Thank You for saving me, and writing my name in Your
Book of Life in Heaven. Thank You, Father. I pray in the Name of Y’shua the
Messiah. Thank You. Amen.
NOW JUST THANK THE MASTER
AND FOLLOW HIM
A few final instructions to help you:
1 Keep on thanking the Master for His answer, for His salvation, His forgiveness,
and eternal life. Eternal life is the wonderful gift of God. It is not some small favour
He is doing, but a tremendous miracle in your heart. Thank Him, not once, but a
hundred times.
“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Messiah
Y'shua.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
2 Try to tell someone, today of your decision to follow the Y'shua, Jesus the
Heavenly Master.
3
Study God’s Word, the Bible ardently, and talk to the Master regularly.
4 Count upon Y’shua and His power to keep you in all difficulties that come along
your way.
5 If you have prayed the decision prayer and received the Lord Jesus as your
personal Saviour today, will you write to let me know so that we might pray for you
and send you some literature to help guide and strengthen you in your faith.
Write to me, Don Stanton, at …
Maranatha Revival Crusade,
Western Australia.