THE LAST DAYS - a "great!" look at the word!
2 Timothy 3:1-9 - KJV - "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. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead
captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning,
and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres
withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate
concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall
be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was."
2 Peter 3:3-10 - KJV "Knowing this first, that there shall come in
the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is
the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue
as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are
ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth
standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was,
being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which
are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the
day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant
of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as
some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
***The cover of Time magazine this week is about the "End of the World". I have to admit I was laughing as I opened to read how even those in the "world" without Christ understands that one day this world as we know it will end. The sad fact is, it doesn't have enough reality to the average individual to make them realize the days of this world are numbered, more important the days of each one of us are numbered, and have them search for the TRUTH God has provided to us. This Devotional was originally written 5 days before 9/11. No doubt, God was already trying to warn His CHILDREN to WAKE UP!!!!
The last days. One topic I never discuss in these Devotionals is eschatology, or the study of the end times. Bible prophesy is a fascinating subject. One of my dearest friends in the ministry is Perry Stone Jr. from Cleveland TN. If you enjoy Bible prophecy, please visit Perry's website at www.perrystone.org . Perry is one of the world's finest Bible prophecy teachers. My ministry was responsible for producing television specials with Perry over the years that were viewed by millions of people on Christian and secular television.
As much as I love Perry, prophecy is still highly subjective. There is much mystery in the Word, and many,many differing views on this subject. It is the one subject that you really cannot say someone is wrong, since it is yet to happen. While I have personal views on the end times, and while I enjoy Bible prophesy, my emphasis has always been on NOW!!! Those things that we absolutely know for sure from God's Word and our personal daily walk and responsibilities as His children.
In light of the latest terrorist attacks on the US oversees, (the attack of 9/11), and the escalating problems in the Middle East, many people are seeing history, even bible prophesy unfold before their eyes. If these events mean anything to you personally, this is the message they are screaming out. There is no more time to play. There is no more time to be apathetic about our faith. There is no more time to allow ourselves to be distracted by the enemy who uses division in the body, our own personal weaknesses to keep us from serving God.
My friend, the battle cry has clearly sounded. The trumpet of warning is clearly being blown for all to hear. The events that are unfolding in our nation, around the world, right before our very eyes is God's way of saying..."NOW my children, prepare yourselves and this world for the return of Christ!!!". We can never lose sight of the big picture. Jesus Christ is coming soon. In the twinkling of an eye. Are we really ready for that? Is this world really ready for that?
One of my number one goals as I have shared before, is to help you translate your faith in Christ into your daily, real world, life. You see, the enemies #1 weapon is to get us so caught up in our weaknesses, problems, cares of this life, that we become virtually ineffective for service in God's army. When he can get your focus on yourself instead of your service, he has won. He has taken you out of the game. That is why we must get a handle on our own lives, so that we can effectively minister to others. We must rise above our problems, so that we can effectively help others rise above their problems.
Let me simply say this. Only God knows the hour, minute, second of Christ's return. Until then, He has given us very clear instructions that we are to be about His business until that glorious moment. You do not have to be a Biblical scholar to read passages ( Matthew 24, 2 Timothy 3, 2 Peter 3) that tell us clearly we are in the last days. His coming is very soon.
Now more than ever we need to get past our own problems, because God needs His children, all His children on the front lines. Just like our brave men and women of the armed services put their lives on the line daily in defense of our great nation, our Commander in Chief is asking each one in His army to do likewise. This is not a video game. The stakes are eternal life versus eternal damnation. Too many of God's children are AWOL at this critical moment. I pray today that you will hear His call to battle and understand that answering that call is not an option. It is something each and everyone of His children, His army is required to do each day. Answer the call, fight the good fight of faith, these my friend...are the last days. Now..is the time!!!!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller