Please Sober Up!

“Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to 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 creation.’” ─2 Peter 3:3

I sincerely think there are thousands upon thousands of us that are drunk on the Kool-Aid thinking that this is a normal time in our lives. Despite the many dark an ominous signs to the contrary, there is something in us that wants to cling to a hope that this world is going to get better─despite what God has so graciously and lovingly warned us about:

“In the last days perilous times will come.”

I understand that desire. I’m a carnal man living in a world that is all I’ve ever known. I have an awesome wife, three kids, a home, a career, “The American dream.”

“Tim, just keep your head in the sand and enjoy the ‘here and know’ besides….
People have been preaching Jesus is coming back for 2,000 years.”

Man, if there was ever a broken record in the church, it is: “Jesus is coming.”

Then there is the divide among believers, seriously, about who is right: Pre-Tribulation, Pre-Wrath, or Post-Tribulation. You might say: “Ahhh, that is so confusing, I’m just a Pan-Tribulation person. I’ll just leave that to God and believe it will all ‘pan out.’”

But there is a kicker to all that─Jesus would call you a hypocrite.

“Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming;’ and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather;’ and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?’”(Luke 12:54 -56).

Sobering words if you think about it. Jesus saying that people who aren’t paying attention are hypocrites…why? Because if you say you are hanging out with Him You would be hearing what is on His heart and Jesus is heavy-hearted for the times we live in.

It’s very much on the heart of our God that His people would know His voice and what is on His heart. Noah is a picture of someone being able to discern the times and be prepared, as is Lot and his family. It’s imperative that we know the times we are facing!! Now before you pass that off as just cliché, the Scriptures about Noah and Lot are warnings or pictures of people we are told to emulate, “as it was in the days of Noah,” and “as it was in the days of Lot.”

There is a work of preparation that needs to be taking place in every believer and one thing that needs to happen is a major sobering up from being drunk on this life! I’m sorry if this sounds like bad news but if you will hang on…there is some great news coming.

Now I can hear the skepticism from the verse in 2 Peter screaming at me, “all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
Ok, well I’m all about keeping it real, keeping it simple. Number one: Jesus told us that when the fig tree (Israel) blossomed in the desert that THAT generation would not pass away! Before 1948 there was a time that Israel ceased to exist as a nation…up until that time I can understand how there were those who believed that the church had “replaced” Israel. But once the rebirth of modern Israel took place in 1948, I have got to believe that anyone who had a Bible and studied it would have considered that a monumental wake- up call:

“Oh snap, Israel’s a nation again!!” Holy Moly! Jesus said that would happen and that it would be a major signal that the end of the age (Church Age) was at hand and that “the time of the gentiles” was being fulfilled! Daniel had said of this same time in history, that things would change in a major way in relation to how people traveled and there would be a dramatic increase in knowledge.

For thousands of years travel was with horses, donkeys and camels but then, boom, in the same century of Israel’s rebirth we see the crazy changes in travel. You can literally ship packages around the world in three days and can talk instantly globally through text, tweet or chat. Knowledge increasing? Satellite TV’s in SUVS with GPS talking to you while you listen to a song just downloaded seconds ago via iTunes in the UK…need I say more?

When I attended Bible school and listened to my professor talk about the “last days” I would say, “Please, please just cut to the chase.” Patience is not my strongest suit. I remember being blessed to get to sit in a one on one session with eschatological scholar, Dr. George Westlake Jr. in Kansas City and ask: “Pastor Westlake, in lay mans terms how will we know?” I remember hearing “We are not to look for the Antichrist, but we will see his stage. He will solve two major global problems and because of it the world will worship him. The two issues will be a global economic crisis and major volatility in the Middle East that is wrecking havoc on the whole world.”

continue at RaptureReady.com:

http://raptureready.com/soap/cameron18.html