Date: 1 May, 2011

I am quite happy there was no catastrophy in England on 29 April. I am happy to have not gotten this right. And I pray the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a loving and lasting marriage that restores some of the integrity and dignity of the Royals in Great Britain.

However, it is quite another thing to dismiss the deeper warning as the raving of a lunatic. And here is why.

I may have been off about the terrorist attack on London during the Royal wedding. But I do not believe I am wrong about a nuclear terrorist threat or, sadly, a very real nuclear terrorism event in a major metropolitan population center somewhere, happening sometime in the near future, possibly within the next two to three years. With the Arab world now embroiled in civil unrest and governments changing, coming under attack, even attacking and killing their citizens in more than one Arab nation, the prospects of a 'stable' Arab world are not good.

Arab cries for 'freedom' and 'liberty' do not mean the same thing to them as with people in the West. In the Arab world, liberty and freedom are most often tied to their religious perceptions and beliefs. Liberty and freedom to them quite often means that Shariah Law should be more favourably viewed by even the secular leaning governments.

The one thing I can say with complete surety: For many nations, the United States included, life is changing, and not for the better. There may be brief pauses in the slide into unrest and darker times, even a perceived "light" at the end of some dark tunnel, but it is a false hope and will soon disappear.

I am not a pessimist. I am rooted in biblically based reality. We know the prophesies, we've been taught about them (sort of) and they have been the topic of many sermons by John Hagee (though I do not necessarily agree with his views in all these matters). They have been taught by Hal Lindsay and Grant Jeffreys (again, I do not necessarily agree with their views in all matters). Others in the past have also taught on the End Times events. Many teachers have had no idea. A few have been bold enough to declare that they cannot truly understand, but that it is important we study these things in the hope that those who will be alive during these coming times, often called "the time of Jacob's Troubles", might remember these things and begin to understand, based on events unfolding around them, what these often oblique passages really mean.

Another thing I do know for certain: it is a fool's errand to assume we will not endure suffering and persecution as we approach the time of the Great Tribulation. We would be as foolish as the five virgins who failed to secure enough oil (faith) to be sure their lamps (the light of Christ in them) would be lit at the time of their Master's return (the second coming).

Jesus was very concerned about the believers in the time of the End. So much so that He asked the question, "Will the Son of Man find faith on the earth when He returns?"

If we adopt the 'escapist' belief, the idea that we Christians will be spared any suffering and persecution, such as was endured by the first century believers, we in effect have no oil for our lamps. If your faith is weak, how will you be able to endure imprisonment, interrogation, even torture, if your relationship with Christ Jesus is not fully developed, if your knowledge of His Word, the scriptures of the Bible, is not deeply embedded in your heart?

The great Apostacy of which was spoken in scripture is even now in process. People are abandoning their beliefs, they are joining into a distorted and perverted belief that wants to call itself Christianity, but is a false gospel, a false religion. People are changing the meaning of Christ's words, all the stories of the Bible, to have different meanings than the context in which they occur truly reveals. The stories of the Bible are now being called "truth stories", which is to say that you can take some kind of truth away, but the context no longer applies. These stories are examples and ideas, and you now get to interpret how you will make them apply in your life in whatever way works for you.

The Apostasy is in full bloom, but people have not seen it because they have become ignorant of the Word of God, preferring to allow others to tell them what it means, how it applies, if it applies at all, in their lives.

Is that how you live? Do you allow others to tell you what stuff means? Do you rely upon others to give you understanding? Why then do the scriptures say that we, individually, must work out our salvation every day? Why did Jesus say that everyone, individually, must deny themselves, pick up their cross (individually), and follow Him -- daily? So many other passages are clear: only you are responsible for your salvation, your walk in Christ, your learning, that you should question your teachers to be sure you are learning the right meaning of God's Word.

And we have the Holy Spirit, which we are told would teach us, remind us, and correct us, in matters of the Spirit...but only if we are willing and truly given over to serving the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings.

So, how about it? Are you ready to endure unto the end? Do you even understand what that means? If you do not, if people are telling you that you won't have to worry about any of that Antichrist stuff...don't take their word for it. Why? First, they don't actually know, either. Second...

What if they are wrong?

Believe me, I want to believe the whole 'pre Tribulation "rapture"' thing is true. But the scriptures tell me not to put my hope in false things, in things that we do not know be true. I know, I know, you can quote me myriad scriptures that point to a pre Trib "rapture". But I can point to many scriptures that 'contradict' such a belief. If I'm wrong, well, then we get to go Home 'early'. But if I'm right... So who is right?

Therein lies the question.

I would rather store sufficient oil to be sure my lamp will be lit when our Saviour does indeed finally come for us. But that time may be far later than my heart desires, or my potential ability to endure might last - left to my own devices and the 'assurances' of people who, quite frankly, don't actually know. Only the Father in heaven knows of the day and the hour of our Lord's return.

So, rather than put our hope in an 'escape plan', such as the whole pre Trib idea, or in teachers who cannot possibly know with absolute certainty, I would caution you to store your oil (faith) and be sure your lamp (Christ in you) has enough of that oil to endure, even unto the end of the world - which may a) be later than we hope and, b) require we endure some very horrible persecution and worse.

May the truth of Christ and His peace be your guiding principles.