Last Days? (NIV)

Are we in the Last Days? But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. –2 Timothy 3:1-5 What’s going on? We can go on blindly traveling our individual existence, pretending all is well, ignoring all the signs around us, or we can stop for a moment, think, and ask some questions. Chaos lurks around every corner, causing stress and uncertainty to fill the hearts of humanity. Our courts have purposefully made decisions, dismissing God from the premises, while changing the fabric of our society. It seems as though the further we push God out, the worse the symptoms of sin’s disease manifest in our midst. Our citizens comprise the most depressed and overly medicated society in the world today. People are desperately scurrying for help and persistently attempting to numb their pain—all the while pretending that there is not an eternity down the road. Is it possible that we are living for the wrong thing? In other words, is it possible that our thirst to make self happy while disregarding God is leading us down a never-ending path towards perilous, terrible, difficult times? Furthermore, is it possible that God is real and our rejection of Him and His word is resulting in Him allowing humanity to be turned over towards their own desires, resulting in the fruit of sin, resulting in the fruit of destruction, resulting in mankind calling the opposite of God GOOD? Man separate from God is spiraling down! The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness…. God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened…. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie…. Should we believe the recent court or God’s eternal Word? Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done…. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. –Romans 1:18-32 What a sobering jolt from God’s word! With everything going on in the world today, it’s as though this word spoken 2,000 years ago is unveiling before our very eyes. What is the driving force behind these developments? I believe there is a real devil at work and his goal is to bring humanity into rebellion against God Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. –1 Peter 5:8 What is the answer? There is a lie circulating in the air that true love accepts all and won’t try to say that other people’s actions and faiths are wrong, but: Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.All who have come before me are thieves and robbers…. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. –John 10:7-9 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. –John 14:6 My question is, “Who is lying—Jesus or humanity?” He is the only way and time is short God has a gift for you. It’s called righteousness and eternal life! All gifts are free to the recipient but purchased by the giver. While this gift is free to you, Jesus purchased it with His blood—the price was His life. Your value, in God’s eyes, is the life of Jesus, for that is the price He paid for you! But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. –Romans 5:8 God is waiting for you to repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ as savior. Please invite Jesus into your heart and ask forgiveness for your sin. Times are perilous and the time left is short: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 6:23