Do You Trust Me?
April 9. The date that I knew was coming, but really didn’t want it to come. Yesterday was the day of the Great American Eclipse. This eclipse, I firmly believe, was a sign from God, and I was really praying that April 8 would have been the date that we went home.
I have been so excited in the past few days. I described it to Fire Lizard and Bear Bear as the hour in church on Christmas morning before we could go home and open our Christmas presents.
God is moving…
It is so very obvious to me that God moving in the world. The fact that this solar eclipse completed an “X” across the US, along with all of the planets and the sun and the moon completing a line through the heavens. With The eclipse 7 years ago (6 years, 6 months, 6 weeks, and 6 days) and the annular eclipse last October created the Hebrew letters Aleph and Tav across the United States.
All of the signs that Jesus said would come to pass in the end times are here. The dark clouds of the Tribulation are all around us. It is coming. And I know that the Rapture has to come before the Tribulation. But those scoffers that Peter warned about are not only all around me, but they are inside my head. They keep saying, “Yup, you see the clouds all around you – the signs are here, but I think you might have misinterpreted them. God really isn’t coming to take you home, at least not yet.”
I see the Lord’s blessing on my life everywhere. The place that I live in the United States is somewhat sheltered. I don’t see a lot of the violence and insanity in my little corner of the world. Life is, for the most part, just continuing as it has for all the time that I have been here.
Holding on to this world very loosely…
The only thing that has changed is that I have become tired of this world. There is nothing here that is worth anything and everything is meaningless. The only thing that matters is my family, and they are the only thing that I can take with me when I do go home.
So on this day after, I am wrestling again with my own fears and my own doubts. The same thoughts and questions travel through my mind. What makes me so sure that the Lord is going to take us home in my normal lifetime? The end times have been going on for 2000 years, why couldn’t they go on for 2000 more years? Is the Lord really eager to come and get us? How much longer do we have to wait? If Jesus is coming soon, then what is the point of all the academics and concerts and awards and everything that we would normally value in this life? What does the word “begin” really mean? When they are saying, “peace and safety” – they have been saying “peace and safety” for multiple years now. He commands us to watch for His appearing, but the days, weeks, and years of watching can be very discouraging sometimes.
The other side of my questions…
Here’s the other side of this wonderful coin. All of these questions are pounding inside my head, and yet on the other side is the thought that “well, you’re questioning and doubting God, so I’m not sure how eager He is to come and get you. How dare you question? Yes, the rapture is coming, but God is always going to put it just out of your reach, like the horse trying to get the carrot , but the carrot is always moving. I’m sorry, but I think that God has had enough of your questions. You’re now on your own.”
How do I cope with all of these headache producing questions? How do I hold on to the hope of His coming for another day? The day after? How do I trust?
The only thing I can do is to go back to God’s Word and remember all of the promises that He has given to us. So for the rest of this post, this is what I am going to do.
More of God’s promises…
Then the Lord answered me and said, “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time. But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it, Because it will surely come, it will not tarry
Habakkuk 2:2-3
I have always struggled with the meaning of “soon”. I know that other Christians have as well. But the Bible says that Jesus will come back “soon”. But that was 2000 years ago. What is soon? Anyway, I was listening to Habakkuk on my walk this morning and I remembered this verse. Even though this verse applies to the Jewish captives in Babylon, I think that I could also hold on to it. The Rapture will come for sure…it is not a myth. God promised that He would rescue us, and I can hold on to that promise.
An you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
Matthew 24:6-7
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. From such people turn away!
1 Timothy 5:1-5
We see these things happening…
All of these things are happening every day. You almost might think that Paul read today’s news. Anytime that I look at the world around me I am shocked at the insanity of culture and the people in the world. Never in a million years would I have ever thought it would be like this. Common sense is no longer common. Good is being called evil and evil is being called good. But I take comfort in the fact that Jesus knew that all this stuff was going to happen, and yet he told me not to be troubled.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will be no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
The Rapture is Sure…
The Rapture is certain and sure…even when I feel like it will never come. I can hold on to this promise…it will surely come.
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-4
The Lord told us that we would know the season of His return, and I firmly believe that we do. All of the signs that Jesus told us would be taking place at the time of the end are taking place now, all at the same time. Our world is not sustainable the way that we are going. God has given us many warnings that His judgment is coming, and the shadows and clouds of the Tribulation are all around us. We are in the season of His coming. I believe that the Holy Spirit is letting so many of us know and understand that.
God is the only One to be trusted 100%…
I listen to pastors and people that I trust who I know are grounded in the Word of God. My biggest downfall in this, though, is I find myself trusting their reasoning and thinking. While that is OK, I operate under the false assumption that they of course are closer to God than I am, that they are smarter and more important to the Lord than I am. That gives them more “authority” in my thinking. But today, once again, the Lord reminded me that while it’s good to listen to people who are grounded in the Word of God, it is most important that I only trust in Him and His Word. He is the only one who will not let me down.
So now, I am coming back to the original question at the top of this post. Do you trust me? No matter how many doubts I have, no matter how many questions I pose to the Lord, deep down I know that I do trust Him, even if only a little bit. He is the only Rock that I can stand on. Everything else around me is shifting, moving, and changing. He is the only one who is trustworthy. I am so thankful that the Lord can handle my questions and my doubts, and He always listens and brings His Word back to the forefront of my mind and my heart.
Just in case you are interested…
Here are a couple of links to people that I like to listen to….those people who are fully grounded in the Word of God
JD Farag – the pastor of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe
Watchman River – a man named Tom who goes down to the river in Connecticut. He spends half an hour each day sharing the Gospel.
Generation 2434 – Tyler posts videos explaining the Gospel and why he believes that we are in the very last days.
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