LOST IN THE DARKNESS

LOST IN THE DARKNESS 

GOD'S WORD OUR LIGHT 

                      Here is a picture of a lighthouse giving off light to the ships at sea, in a storm.     I would like to suggest that the Bible is our only source in this dark world to give hope, and light, and life.

           When Jesus comes to take His people home with Him to the Father's house, He will come and the trump will sound a blast to "come up".   There will be no sign necessary for this to happen, for Jesus said, "I will come again, that where I am, ye may be also."

John 14. 1 - 3.   

          The picture is that the Bridegroom is going to be at the Father's house, getting the quarters ready for her.    She as the Bride, is to prepare herself for that happy time, doing what she can to make herself ready, and being prepared to go at any moment, for there is no way the Bride will know when He will come for her.

           Lost in the darkness, many grope today for what seems to them a hopeless, helpless world.  They see the dreary endless line of those who are hungry, without homes or shelter, who are suffering pain and hurt, who are desolate without help, and those who are proud, rich, and need nothing who seem to just "be above" and who despise those who do not have what they have.    

            Scripture proclaims that in this dark world, Jesus came to bring the Light, even as God spoke the Light into the world in the beginning.   2 Cor. 4.6 tells us   "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."   Jesus himself said, "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."   (John 8.12)      

                  Isaiah records in the Torah - in the book of Isaiah 4.13 that God speaks saying this:   "Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel: I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.    

                 His promise to Israel is to defend her, to take care of her, to be her redeemer and as the LORD  (YHVH)  and as THE HOLY ONE and as THE REDEEMER,  we see why it was that the Holy One that was born in the manger of Bethlehem was named JESUS.   Matthew 1.21 tells us that "You shall call his name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins.    

                 The birth of a baby is a precious time in a parent's life.   And yet, interestingly enough, the time in the Last Days is called "the beginning of sorrows."   What is it referring to?   Matthew 24.8  Let us take a look at it in Joel 1.15 and in Joel 2.1,2   Alas ! for the day ! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."  "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sould an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand. A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains;"   Isaiah 13.9  God tells us here in chapter 13.verse 6   Howl ye, for the day of the LORD is at hand;  it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty."   Again in verse 8,9   Behold the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it."   

         What is God saying?    

           That there will be a time when THERE WILL BE A DAY.   

           A DAY IN SCRIPTURE BEGINS WITH THE "EVENING AND THE MORNING"  Genesis 1.5 And the evening and the morning were the first day."   So too in the LAST DAYS.     BEFORE BLESSING AND PEACE AND REWARD, JUDGEMENT ON SIN MUST OCCUR.     God is saying that there will be a time when judgment comes for sin upon earth.    

            The Book of Daniel speaks about this time.   It is very specific.   Because of the Book of Daniel we have a "time table" that is given for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.   We find that in chapter 9.26,27 that it was told that "after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; "  It also points out the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.    This happened.    Jesus was crucified, and was "cut off" but "not for himself" ....He paid the price of all our sin, and is forever the ONLY NAME GIVEN AMONG MEN by which men CAN BE SAVED.      

           When the Rapture occurs - the 70th week of God's Revelation in Daniel will begin.    The taking of the Bride, the Church is likened to the birth of a child, with the "breaking of the water."     The Holy Spirit is likened to the living water that Jesus offered in John 4.14 "whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."   Again, in John 5.24 Jesus stated  "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life."   

           When the Church is taken out of this world, having met the Savior in the clouds and being changed forever to immortal bodies, as I Thessalonians 4.13  18 declares, we will be with Christ.    Until that time, the bodies of those of us who die will be in the earth and the sea, but when that TRUMP sounds to call us up, the dead in Christ shall be raised and we shall meet them in the clouds with Christ.      

          The Blast of the LAST TRUMP before a battle in the Old Testament shows that the first blast was to GATHER THE PEOPLE IN ORDER FOR ARRAY  and then after that was done,  then the second blast  ORDERED THEM FOR BATTLE. 

           We see here that the LAST DAY OF GOD'S TIMETABLE is a Time for both judgment, destruction and desolation while there will be a Time of blessing, reward, and eternal blessings.    There will be seven years -  the 70th week - 

which will begin in chapter 4 of Revelation to the 19th chapter.   The picture is that John in the Revelation of Jesus Christ sees, is that he is caught up in chapter 4.1,2  to see from a HEAVENLY POSITION all that occurs from that point on.   Until Chapter 19 when the Marriage of the Lamb is come, John is in heaven observing what is happening on the earth with all the judgments.

            During that time it says that millions of people will come to know the Lord.   Look at Revelation chapter 6.    First - there is a lull in the storms of judgment while God sets apart  144,000 virgin, Jewish men from the tribes of Israel, to be sealed so that they can not be hurt.    These 144,000 men are sealed in the middle of the 7 years - and will be taught by the Two Witnesses - the Gospel is still the same Gospel of Jesus Christ that you and I have today - but there will be one difference.    The Holy Spirit will be given just as in the days of Enoch, Abraham and Moses and Daniel.   At various time and in many ways God spoke to His people, it says in Hebrew 1.1,2.    Yet it is still the same Gospel.    The Holy Spirit indwells the Believer, and when we leave in the Rapture - the Holy Spirit will go with us.    However, the Holy Spirit will work in ways as He did in the Old Testament days, and work in people's lives to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.    The message is the same.    Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 tell us of the Savior that dies for the sins of the lost sheep and of one who suffers for Israel's sin, and for the Gentile's sins.   Isaiah 53.6   "All we like sheep have gone astray, and he hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all."    No one but Messiah, the Anointed One, did this.

The message of Christ was believed by Jews, received by Jews and God added daily unto the Church such as should be saved.     Acts tells us in its chapters of the reality of the faith of these Jewish people.

           Paul assures us that "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation for the Jew first, and also to the Greek for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."   Romans 1. 16,17.   

        

           I present to you, dear friend, that God wants you to be ready for His return, to take the Church His Bride home to the Father's house, but that if you are not saved, I wish for you to know WHAT TO DO.   WHAT IS IT YOU SHOULD DO?  

           The very same thing that you would do now if you were to be saved.The Apostle Peter when asked "What then shall we do?"  answered by saying REPENT,  AND BE YE BAPTIZED EVERY ONE OF YOU IN THE NAME OF CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION (FORGIVENESS) OF SINS, AND YE SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST (HOLY SPIRIT)."  Acts 1.38   

           There is no Biblical indication that Baptism did anything other than identify the Believer with the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.   It does not save a person.    The repentance is the key to believing.

To repent is to "change your mind" and recognize sin as sin, and to turn away from "being in the habit of" sin.     A Believer becomes a new person when they ask God by believing Jesus paid the debt of sin fully and freely and that by claiming this promise, they receive the dear Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, to lift up the dear Savior in our lives, to enable Jesus to live in me and through me. 

            So here you have an opportunity to trust God.   

             "This Jesus God hath raised up, whereof we all are witnesses."  Acts 1.32 - 36.    Peter spoke truthfully and plainly.    

             Would you continue walking in darkness, or do you wish to walk in the light as He is in the light?