The departure time is nearly on us – are you ready?
Published 12:01 am Saturday, August 20, 2011
Most of us have not seen our world in the condition that it is in today. There seems to be uncertainty in everything we deal with in life. Things are spinning out of control.
Jesus warned us of these dangerous times in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. It is in these dangerous types of times Jesus told us He would return to catch away the Christians and take them to be with Him.
To the unbelievers, it sounds fictional and like something Hollywood would come up with, but to the followers of Jesus Christ it is our hope. It is what we’ve been waiting for. The people in Noah’s day did not believe the message that it was going to rain. It did not change the fact that it did rain. The unbelievers drowned in despair.
The Apostle Paul states in 2 Timothy 4:6, “I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand.” I am convinced, by the signs Jesus gave us, that is departure time for the followers of Jesus.
By the looks of our churches we can see it is departure time. In 1 Timothy 4:1 and 2, the Bible states, “Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Speaking lies in hypocrisy having their conscience seared with a hot iron.”
Many of our churches are empty, struggling to pay their financial obligation. This is a sign it is departure time. Many church attendees living a lifestyle that is not scriptural and, being deceived by the devil, believe that they are OK.
Look at the Living Bible translation of 2 Timothy 3: 1-5, describing our day. “It is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be proud and boastful sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them and thoroughly bad. They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel and sneer at those who try to be good. They will betray their friends. They will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride and prefer good times to worshiping God. They will go to church, yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear…” This, to me, sounds very descriptive of the times we are living in today.
Paul said, “I am now ready to be offered.” Are you – should Jesus come today? He could come today. Jesus said in Luke 21:28, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
It’s departure time.