Abraham's Children and Modern Terrorism

The death of Usama Bin Laden, has brought great joy to the U.S. and the west in general, however is hasn't done much to thwart terrorism in general. Recent events in Egypt, Libya and the like, has heightened our awareness once again of the threat of terrorism. One can hardly think of Arab states, the Middle East conflict, or terrorism without Israel becoming an issue. Our support for Israel through the years has been the supposed cause of contempt coming from the Muslim world, and especially Muslim terrorists.  Recent documents found in Bin Laden’s hideout, show him musing over just how many Americans he must kill to force the U.S. to withdraw from the Arab world. One would assume that this battle of ideology began with Israel having raised her flag and become a sovereign nation, in 1948. The truth is that this war has been going on for about 4000 years.

Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all share one common thread. We all claim Abraham as our father. Each can substantiate that claim. Abraham was born around 2000 B.C. In the process of time, three Children set the stage for conflict. The descendants of Ishmael, Isaac, and Keturah, make up, the predominant population of the middle east. Isaac was the promised Child and Ishmael was the child born out of a direct lack of faith in God’s promise. Keturah was one born form a concubine. Ishmael’s disdain for Isaac was passed down to His descendants. Muhammad, who didn’t live until the 7th century A.D. claimed to be an Ishmaelite descendant of Abraham. In fact the Ishmaelites along with intermarrying with the descendants of Keturah, make up the Arab world. The problem lies in the fact that it was the children of Isaac, (the children of Israel) who were promised a land. Ishmael, and His descendants were a nomadic people. While Israel has fallen prey to many intruding controlling forces, they as a people, occupying one land, are one of the oldest nations on Earth. The long and short of the problem is that these two boys hated each other, and their descendants have been fighting ever since. Politicians, and governments have again and again sought to bring peace to the middle east region, but it simply has not happened. Those of us who accept that Scripture is truth, understand that peace will not come until Jesus returns. Try as we may, and pray as we must, this is a war that will only be decided by God himself. America, is involved in this war simply because we support Israel’s right to inhabit the land that God gave them.

There are many lessons to be learned from this, but one stands out. We cannot fathom the full consequences of our sin. Abraham was certainly a great man of God, however he was a sinful man, He and Sarah both suffered a crisis in faith. The entire world has lived with the results of His adultery ever since. Modern terrorism is the result of Abraham’s infidelity, and the birth of one illegitimate child.   

Gene Hawks : https://www.facebook.com/gene.hawks1

                      

Dealing with Doubt Part III The conclusion

I.                 The Key to Contentment                      “blessed is He…”    

It is at this point that the story takes a turn. We enjoy studying about Christ and His power to
intervene in our lives, but what happens when he does not? John may have had His mind eased
by the message of His disciples, but His circumstances did not improve. Yes John, Jesus is the
Messiah, but you ain’t getting out of that cell. If I may differ from the name it and claim it
theologians I want you to see the whole issue clearly. God does have the power to get you out of
whatever problem you have, but He is not obligated to. I feel the need to depart from the study
on doubt long enough to clear something up. To knock you off of the pedestal you may have
placed yourself on. I have been asked many times how I maintain such deep seated beliefs, and
such close ties and friendships with those in other denominations. To put it simply, I came to
grips with one fact. Put everything aside and get this if you do not learn anything else. God has
bound Himself to His Word by His choice, But God is never bound by my theology. Much
like this God is not bound to move in any particular way when it regards a circumstance in our
lives. God is still in the healing business, but He is not mandated by anything he said, to heal
you. God has certainly made certain promises in his word. Some of these have conditions placed
on them, and some are unconditional. God always keeps His promises. God has promised to
meet our needs. The problem is that in our society we have confused need with greed. We can
question why God would choose to allow such a great man as John to meet with such an end. It
really doesn’t seem fair does it? We certainly do not know the mind of God, and some things He
does are beyond comprehension. In John’s case one thing is clear. His mission was over and the
Lord would soon call Him home. It is not so clear for the rest of us. Much of what we go through
is simply punishment for sin and or simply stepping out of His will by misreading what he wants
for us. We know that God always supplies exactly what we need to be able to do exactly what he
wants. It is not what we want. It is not always what we think He wants. It is pure and simply
what He wants, with nothing more and nothing less. We certainly miss out on the supply by not
doing the will of God.  Sometimes God allows us to endure some things in order to teach us, and
prepare us for something special. To say that experience is the best teacher may be a little
overblown but it is true anyway. I remember hearing Dr. E.V. Hill talking about the evangelism
committees at His church. They’d divided up the circumstances which people live under and
formed specialized teams to do evangelism. He said, “ now, you can’t be on my hooker
committee unless you used to be a hooker.” There is something to be said about the connection
of like experiences. It is easy for a rich man to say, “you hang in there, the Lord will meet your
need.” It’s easy cause He has no clue what you are going through. The picture looks pretty bleak
now. We have come from understanding our doubt, to seeing that God is still powerful enough to
meet your need, to now reconciling the idea that he does not have to. What does all this really
mean? What are we to make of it all, and how do we find solace in Christ, without knowing for
sure that what we ask of him is going to happen? The greatest happiness comes in understanding
Jesus’ next statement. “Go tell John……..And blessed is He who is not offended because of Me.”
Vance Havner has called this the forgotten beatitude. We understand that blessed in The New
Testament means “Happy”. Where is the happiness in what we call needs that go un-met. Where
is the happiness in the worry that life is falling apart. I myself have seen when God paid the bill
by seemingly miraculous sources, and I have seen when he didn’t. Paul in chapter 4 of
Philippians noted that he had learned contentment, with whatever state he was in. he went on to
say that he knew how to abound and to suffer need. If I may indulge to simply put the passage
into laymen’s paraphrase, Jesus said, “ Blessed is the man who doesn’t get upset by the way I run
My business.” You see it truly is His business. If you are a child of God, then you are His
business.

A.)         Realizing whose we are

We as human beings accept things, even bad things much better if we can reconcile the
reason for it. We as Christians must come to grips with God’s Sovereignty. To take Sovereignty
a step further, we need to realize that God owns us. We belong to Him. I Corinthians 6:20 and
7:23 reveals to us that we have been bought with a price. Jesus Christ shed his blood in the
payment for our sins and to purchase our redemption. He is mine, but I also am His. The truth is
that His ownership of us allows Him do use us in any manner he sees fit. He can do with us as
He wishes. I cannot forget the times when my son was small and I would not let Him do
something He wanted to do. He had the same response every time. _____gets to do it. My
response was pat as well. He’s not mine, You are and I said no. We command our children when
they are little. We expect them to do as we say. Like children many times we find ourselves un-
appreciative of the direction God might send us in. Like a parent though God will never send us
in a direction that will end up in our harm. Even in those things that we might consider
unanswered prayers, we find God’s hand, simply raising us up to be what He wants. One of the
greatest blessings of my life came at the death of my mother. She had a rapidly growing brain
tumor. She had reconciled herself to the fate that God would bring. It had been a very stressful
time for all of us, but especially for one aunt. She held from the beginning that God was going to
heal her sister. She even took it as far as accusing any who would listen of not doing enough in
seeking extreme treatments, that mom didn’t want. The night Mom died, we all filed slowly out
of the room. My aunt said, “I just think God could have healed her if…” My best friend was
there and interrupted with, “He just did.” What better healing than to fall asleep peacefully here
on earth and wake up in Glory. The bottom line is that She belonged to God and it was not my
business or anyone else’s when or how he chose to deal with her. He certainly did not do any
harm to her in the end. Understanding that we belong to God brings comfort in that He does meet
the needs of his children. It brings comfort in that, when he allows unpleasant things into our
lives, he is doing it for our good in the end.    

B.)         Realizing what we are

Besides being children, the relationship between us and Christ is that of a servant. It is good
to remember that Christ did not save us simply for our own good but also to serve him. Notice
closely Paul’s writing to the Roman 12:1. “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of
God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, Holy. Acceptable, unto God, which is your
reasonable service.”  Two things ring out here. One thing is that this is our service to Him. The
other is that it is reasonable. God has never asked to do that which we are unable to do. He calls
us into service and blesses our efforts only when they are for Him. The Apostle Paul was so
absorbed in servant=hood that he began most of his writing with the same salutation, “Paul a
servant of Jesus Christ..” Paul spent more of His time speaking of our responsibilities to god tan
he did any other subject. He certainly entertained the struggles of life, and the promises of God,
but His focus was in service. Actually when we consider our own psychological make-up, then
God has once again met a need in our lives. Service in and of itself is a basic human need that
sits deep in the heart of man. A wise man once said, that there were three basic needs we have.
These things are, someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward too.  Did you
know that  being hated is not the saddest state a man can find himself in. The worst state we can
find ourselves in is insignificance. We all need to matter to somebody. I once saw a sign in a
funeral home that said, “ Your legacy will be determined by who notices that your gone.” We
celebrate the supremacy of  God and that he has called us to be servants. Jesus said, “ A disciple
is not above His teacher, nor a servant above His master.” (Matthew 10:24) He continues to
explain the goal of the disciple becoming like the teacher and the servant like the master. We do
the same thing with our children whether intend to or not. How many times have you heard or
even said, “ He’s just like his father.” I serving Christ, and doing that which he called us to do,
we become more like Him. In service to Him we also see His work in and through our lives.
When we see His work in and through our lives it gives evidences that strengthen us and in turn
conquer doubt. When the moving of God is not evident in our lives, it is not God with the
problem. Servant-hood fulfills the need in our lives to be needed and opens the door to
possibilities we never dreamed of. It has been said of George Muller that he prayed one million
dollars form God without ever asking man for a dime. When coming out of His church, and
being heart broken by the orphans one the street. He made a promise to God, that if he would
supply the need he would feed those orphans. Shortly thereafter He became the founder of the
Ashley Downs orphanage in Bristol England, which still exists today. He had a burden for a
particular area of service, and God blessed it. He had His own need met when he first had the
heart of a servant. I wonder if Muller ever doubted God, at least after seeing what God had done.  
I wonder if he ever doubted His own abilities, after seeing how that God had blessed Him.
Hebrews 11 show us how that through weaknesses we are made strong. Certainly it would do us
well to not be offended by How Christ chooses to run His business. I like to say that God never
asks for my opinion before he makes a decision, even when it’s about me.  

      Conclusion:

John found himself in such dire straits that he began to question the very things He had
confessed publically. We too allow the pressures of this world and society’s expectations to
weigh us down. Satan is the driving force behind it. It is His effort to stifle the movement of God
in our lives. He desires to destroy our testimony, and prevent others from believing. We can if
we will, overcome these insecurities, and become a force in God’s kingdom. Whether we can
rejoice in victory or we remain suppressed for some reason only God knows, He is still God.
Whether the source of our doubt is the fault of circumstances or our own sin, he is still in control.

 

 

Dealing with Doubt--Part 2

A.)         The seller of Doubts        

When we discuss the causes of doubt, we would be remiss if we ignore the original source,
and that is Satan Himself. Satan has been planting seeds of doubt in the minds of people since his
first encounter with Eve in the Garden. Genesis chapter three records the conversation. Satan did
not begin with the accusation or denial, but rather a seed of doubt. The question comes, “ Did
God indeed say…?” It was only after He got Eve questioning God in her own mind that he
moves on to the lie. It’s noteworthy to see that even then he did not tell a blatant lie, but rather
twisted the truth. That’s certainly just as bad, but isn’t nearly as subtle and dangerous. He said,
“You will not die.” From a physical standpoint this was true for the moment. His promise to
know good and evil was also true. They had never known evil so they could not possibly know
the difference. You see a blatant lie is much easier to detect. It is the seed of doubt and twisting
of truth that ensnares us. I Peter 5:8 admonishes us to, “be sober, be vigilant for your adversary
the devil, walks around seeking whom he may devour.” The word sober that is used here of
course refers to our minds. We are to be thoughtful or “sober minded.”  Satan knows our
weaknesses better than we know ourselves. He knows those things in our lives that he can use
against us. The writer of Hebrews talks about laying aside the sin which so easily beset us.
Everyone has standards, and Satan know what not to waste His time with. He is not going to
tempt a happily married man, completely in love with His wife, to commit adultery. That man is
not interested in that. That man also has something that is a weakness. It is something which
easily besets him. When Satan is successful in using our own struggles, to plant seeds of doubt in
our minds, he has neutralized the work of God in our lives. He has won. Satan uses those things
that we care most about in life against us to create worry, and doubt, and thus accomplish his
overall purpose. The purpose is to weaken the believer, to render Him useless to the kingdom of
God. If He can push it far enough to get us acting on our own, he can ruin the testimony of Christ
in our lives.

B.)         The consequence of Doubts

Satan plants the seed of doubt in our minds because he seeks to destroy the relationship that
we have with God through Christ. We are told in Scripture how that doubting hinders our prayer
life. Consider Paul’s command to Timothy. “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere,
lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” (I Timothy 2:8)  Jesus said that we should
not seek after what to eat or drink, and not to have an anxious mind. (Luke 12:29 NKJV) In the
Old King James language it is referred to as a doubtful mind. He tells us in Matthew 21:21-22
that we could move mountains if we have faith and do not doubt. He says that we have whatever
we ask if we ask believing. Prayer is simply communicating with God. Consider the most sinister
aspect of doubt. If God has promised He would do something, and we doubt, isn’t that the same
as calling God a liar. When we say to anyone, I don’t believe that, or I don’t believe you, we
bring their character in question. At its best we are suggesting that they are mistaken, and at
worst that they are lying. Looking at it that way, we can easily see why we have a strained
relationship with Christ. God is never mistaken and never lies. Prayer is the source of our
direction from God. We cannot properly interpret what God is speaking through His word when
our minds are full of doubt and fear for the future. We cannot reach our desired destination
because we cannot properly read the roadmap. When Peter tried walking to Jesus on the water,
he sank. He was doing fine until he took His eyes off of Jesus and began to look at the raging of
the waters in the storm. Jesus indicates to us that the reason he sank was doubt. (Matt 14:31)
There are many other things we could look at in regard to the issue but suffice it to say that we
are sinful creatures, and we experience doubt even in the face of what Scripture says. John knew
who Jesus was personally and he went through it. He even got to the point he wanted re-
assurance from Jesus Himself that he was the Messiah.

I.                 The Revealing Answer                         “ Go and tell John…”

Is it just me that noticed, that Jesus never came out and answered John’s question? John’s
disciples went to Jesus as instructed and asked a yes or no question. Jesus could have answered,
yes I am and sent them on their way. Jesus chose rather to let them make up their minds based on
he facts. There just some things that our Lord wants us to discover without being told. Instead of
the answer they wanted to hear, Jesus simply said, “You go tell John the things which you have
seen and heard…” The old saying, “talk is cheap” was true in Jesus’ day and present on His
mind. I could say I’m the Easter bunny, but that doesn’t give me big floppy ears, fur, and a
cotton tail. In a real life scenario, anyone can say anything, but without the credibility of some
proof it falls on deaf ears. So, Jesus just simply says to messengers, look around you.

A.)         Outside testimony            

It is no coincidence that John sent two of His disciples. All throughout Scripture the number
two seems to indicate the number for the testimony. Jesus sent His disciples out two by two on
each of their missionary journeys. You see most of the characters in the New Testament traveling
in pairs when they ministered for the Lord. This is an evangelistic practice that churches still use
today when doing door to door witnessing. Paul instructed Timothy not to accept an accusation
against an elder except by two or three witnesses. Jesus had told them to tell John what they saw
and heard, and in fact that is the key to our own Christian witness. Peter said in Acts 4:20, “for
we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” In a legal sense when we are
witnesses in court, we cannot speak things someone told us, or something we think to be true, we
are only to testify as to what we have seen and heard ourselves. In the life struggle we call the
Christian life we are not only to be witnesses, but at times in our lives we need the refreshing
witness of others around us. When life starts to close in and our minds become cluttered with
doubt, fear, and other damaging emotions, we need the witness of our brothers and sisters in
Christ. When we are not thinking clearly it can be a simple word from a saint of God that allows
us to see what was obvious from the beginning. I have such a personal story form my own life
when God called me into ministry. It was not long after I was saved that I began hearing the
Holy Spirit’s voice. Looking back it was not the voice of God that I doubted, but my own ability.
I was, in my opinion, the least likely candidate that God could choose. That is still true! As I got
closer to understanding God’s call on my life, and more resistant in my spirit, I sought out a
relative I was very close too. I said to her, “you’re gonna think I’m crazy but I feel God calling
me to preach.” With laughter in her voice she said something I never expected. She said, “are
you just figuring that out?” I soon realized that those closest to me could knew the whole time
what I’d wrestled with for months. They could see what my fear would not allow me to see. That
night her spirit bore witness with my spirit. So then we are witnesses of the grace of God in our
lives and when needed we seek solace in the grace of God in the lives of others. Now Jesus
command is clear, but what are we witnesses of. John’s disciples were to tell of the things they’d
seen and heard. What exactly was that?

B.)         Irrefutable evidence      

Jesus begins to remind them of what had been happening. You tell John, the blind see, the
lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. His
evidence was the miracles that were taking place. We need to take a few minutes to discover
what a miracle actually is. From a human perspective, when something impossible for us
happens we call it a miracle. God does not even consider these things. They are not miraculous.
He created the Sun and Moon, so when He made it stand still it was not hard. He made our
bodies so when we need healing it’s not difficult to alter our bodies. These miracles that we see
all throughout the Scripture are there for one specific reason and that is to stimulate faith, in the
unbeliever, and to increase the faith of the believer. Jesus’ first recorded miracle at the wedding
of Cana of Galilee, tells of the entire purpose. John 2:11 says, “This beginning of signs Jesus did
in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed on Him.”  For those of
you still holding on to your Old King James, the word is miracle. Miracles are signs. They are a
demonstration of his power. Seeing really is believing. I get amused whenever I hear some dear
old saint talk about stepping out on blind faith. That’s not a Biblical concept. Jesus proved who
he is, and even though I haven’t seen Him with physical eye, I believe the eye witness testimony
about Him. I also see His hand working in the lives of believers. The writer of Hebrews said in
chapter 11:1 that faith was substance and evidence. It is evidence of the things I cannot see. John
20:30-31 declares, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which
are not written in the book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the
Son of the living God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”  The key to
understanding John’s Gospel is in the phrase, “that you may believe.” Sometimes we as humans
can be kinda thick. It’s like the cop that sees you speeding down the highway, then has the nerve
to say, ‘Are you in a hurry?” Some questions are answered much better by what we see. Jesus
leaves them to their own hearts and imaginations to decide who He is, based on the evidence in
fact. It would seem good at times of our greatest doubt for us to simply look around. Look back
at what God has done in our lives. If God took care of you in the past he can do it again.  Let’s
consider the greatest miracle of all. I have already suggested that what we call miracles are not at
all miracles in the mind and power of God. They are ordinary occurrences for one as powerful as
he is. The miracle is when God, wrapped himself in flesh, allowed Him-self to suffer humiliation
and then died. God died! We know thank God that he rose again and lives forever. That is the
miracle. It is that the giver of life could die. I write that to get to the comforting point I learned
from a friend many years ago. God has too much invested in you to let you go now. When we
find ourselves questioning what is going on in our lives, and everything seems to be falling apart,
we remember that God is in control. He hasn’t suddenly lost power. So then, He has shown us
and continues to show us who he is and more for our benefit what He can do. We do at troubled
times lose sight of this. Probably the most frustrating thing in life is to know these things and yet
cannot break through to find the will of God in a situation. This is when we need more than ever
the witness of other brothers in Christ. Those who may not be so emotionally attached to the
problem, are often more able to see the solution better than we can. Remember here that John
was not capable of confronting Jesus on His own. While He was bound by a prison cell and
could not get to Jesus, many of us are in prisons of our own. We are being blocked off from
seeing clearly and hearing the voice of the Lord. Jesus may not have given a straight yes or no
answer but he clearly answered the question. John, the blind, deaf, and lame, are experiencing
healing. The most important thing, John, is that the Gospel is being preached. So with all the
evidence you see, in the words of a famous commentator, “what say you?” When we clear out all
the little details, and all the obstacles, and get to the real point, Jesus is either who he said he
was, or he is not. He can either do what he said He can do, or he can’t. He gives evidence and
then by the Spirit’s drawing we must decide for ourselves.

"Dealing with Doubt" an exposition of Matthew 11:1-6 Part 1

All of us experience doubt. We doubt ourselves and our abilities. We doubt decisions we   
 make. We doubt others. Certain doubts in and of themselves are not innately sinful or
harmful. Doubt can be a mechanism to prevent us from making mistakes, and being taken in by
others. As a Christian the problem comes when we Doubt who we are in Christ, or what He
wants for our lives. We may experience doubts about our own salvation. We may in fact get to a
point in life where we doubt God, Himself. There is probably no more destructive force in our
lives than unresolved doubt. There are many Biblical characters which could be the focus of this
study, however one rings out loudly. John the Baptist (More correctly, John the Baptizer) gives
us the perfect example of the issue and God’s desired response, when we experience doubt.
John’s experience in prison leading up to His death, provides a rich learning experience. It also
provides comfort, in the thought of who John was. If a man as mighty in the Lord as John was,
can experience doubt, then who are we? We find comfort in finding out that what we experience
is normal. We also find the solution to the problem, as Jesus gives a roadmap out of doubts.

 I.                 The Telling Question                           “Are you the coming one…”   

What is significant about this particular passage, and where do we see such a crisis of faith
that creates doubt? It comes in the person asking such a question. It would be an appropriate
question for most of the crowd, having been recently introduced to Jesus and His ministry. The
Jews had been promised a messiah; would it be out of line to ask, “Are you the coming one or do
we look for another.” This would be a normal and acceptable question for almost anyone except
John. The truth is that John knew explicitly who Jesus was. John’s appearance on the scene was
the fulfilling of Scripture. ( Isaiah  40:3 ) He was the one who was to prepare the way for the
Lord to come. Remember that since the death of Malachi, God had been silent. No prophet had
prophesied. John came to turn the folks attention back on spiritual matters. Remember also the
force with which this man came. He is the one the Scripture says came in the spirit of Elijah.
(Luke 1:17) John was the only child of the priest Zacharias and His wife Elizabeth. Both he and
his wife were well beyond normal childbearing years. He was in fact the cousin of Jesus. These
Guy’s had met. John knew who Jesus was. The most telling of all things and that which is most
memorable was that it was John who had Baptized Jesus. It was John who had been the first
person to publically recognize Jesus for who He really is, the Messiah. John’s Gospel describes
the scene, as John the Baptist looked up and saw Jesus coming to Him. He turned His disciples to
Jesus saying, “behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29-30)
John was so serious about this that Matthew, Mark and Luke all record John protesting Jesus
baptism, insisting that He should be baptized by Jesus. Yes John knew clearly who Jesus was and
why he was there. Why then is the ominous question coming from such a man as John? How can
he now wonder if Jesus is the Messiah? He not only wondered, but was so upset by the thoughts
in his mind that he sent two of His own disciples to question Jesus. “Are you the coming one or
do we look for another?”                       

A.)         The Source of our doubts      

To understand John’s doubts we must examine John’s life. John was born into the priesthood.
We are not sure by what method God’s Sovereign hand prevented Him from following in His
father’s footsteps. We can conclude that he was well educated in the religion of the Jews. We
find John coming out of the desert, where his diet was locust and wild honey, and camel hair
made his clothing. Much like the Apostle Paul this is probably where God taught Him the real
spiritual things of God. This is where He prepared for His ministry. It is intriguing that most of
the more influential servants of God in Scripture, spent time wandering in the wilderness alone.
It is not in our mountain top experiences that God teaches us the most. Many times it is our hour
of greatest despair that God prepares our hearts for what He has in store for our lives. John did
come out of that wilderness. He emerged from the desert in the time God had planned. He came
with a new and fresh message. He turned the people’s attention to the promises God had made.
The time was right. The Messiah was coming. His message was simple, “Repent for the kingdom
of Heaven is at hand.” His message focused on the coming of the Messiah all the while knowing
that Jesus was about ready to make His appearance. John was reaching His potential in the
ministry of the Lord. Let’s remember though that all John was to do is prepare the hearts and
minds of the people, for when Jesus came. He in fact would hand over the reins of ministry to the
Lord Himself. In the providence of God John will have trials and tribulations to endure. When
we pick up in this particular study, we find John in prison, for rebuking Herod on his sinful
lifestyle. John the Baptist, the great man of God, having come in the spirit of Elijah, now sits in a
prison like a common criminal. It’s not clear if at this point He knew that His death was
imminent, but He probably expected it. Suffering and rejection became the source of His greatest
faith crisis. It is also the source of ours. I’m sure that John went through a series of questions in
His mind that never made it in the printed word. “Lord, I did what you wanted me to do, so why
am I in this prison?” “Lord if I am in your will why am I being persecuted and rejected?” Lord if
you love me…?” How many times during times of trouble, suffering or grief have we made
statements just like this. There may have been times in your life when, simply seeking direction
and not finding it becomes cause of doubt. We may say, “ Lord I am here, and I want to do your
will, and am open to whatever you want, So why won’t you show me your will.” This can be a
vicious cycle we get into. We expect God to answer and when we cannot determine His will, we
allow ourselves to be clouded with doubt, making it even harder to hear the voice of the Lord.
John the Baptist could very well have said, “ If you are the coming one, why am I in this
prison?” This is much the same way we might say, “ Lord if you are who you say you are, why is
my life such a mess.”

Waiting For Christ's Return

While recent prophecies of doomsday have failed, the majority of the world continues to be fascinated by the idea of judgment day.  To these people, we simply use Jesus’ own words, when He said, “but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but My Father only.” (Matthew 24:36 NKJV)   What does all this mean? What is the true believer in Christ to make of all of it? I would not pretend to be a scholar on the apocalyptic literature of the Bible. In fact if anything I would tend to remain silent on most of it, having realized that most of the theories of Christ’s return have such inaccuracies that even our best and brightest have no clue what Jesus has prepared. I would much rather, look forward in anticipation, eagerly awaiting Him, however he chooses to make his appearance. The circumstances surrounding His return are in fact dealt with in Scripture, therefore we cannot ignore them.

    Jesus himself gives us the things to look forward to in the lead up to His ultimate return. Many scholars believe that Jesus will rapture, or call His saints out prior to what will be a great tribulation, while others have a different take on this. Having done extensive study on all these theories, there is one thing I am sure of. God has a lot of surprises in store for all of us. If I were to venture an opinion on the matter it would be something like this. While the world is in fact shaping up for the return of Christ, Things have not gotten bad enough just yet. If you go outside, around three or four in the morning and get away from all the lights, you will notice something amazing. The darkest part of the night comes just before the dawn. From a Spiritual perspective, things will get a lot darker. The one thing I am sure of is that if we keep our eyes on the Middle East we can see things preparing. Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “…when shall these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming…?” (Matthew24:3 NKJV) Jesus had sparked this question by His preaching not only on his second coming, but His warnings of the upcoming destruction of Israel. Jesus talked about many things: wars, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, and other things. At the end of the discourse He says that the end is not yet. In fact we as a people of the earth have suffered these things since the beginning of time. The one thing that we await is found in Matthew 24:15. He says specifically that we shall see the abomination of desolation, which further study reveals is the destruction of Jerusalem. We need only to listen to the news, and follow politics to realize that this is ever heading toward becoming reality. When one follows Jesus story in Matthew 24, it is after this event that Jesus return and the ultimate climax of the world begins.

     Regardless of the school of thought we subscribe to, it will be a horrific day. Those who have scoffed, laughed, and refused to believe, will face judgment. Those of us who believe will surely be ushered in to eternal glory, but without many that we love. Instead of stressing about dates and times, we should focus our efforts on those who are unprepared to meet Him when He comes.