As our ship enters the harbor, let’s ask an intriguing question: How close are we to end times?  You see, just as our ship is nearing the dock, the Bible seems to indicate that Jesus is ready to “dock” with His people once more by snatching us out of here to join Him in the air!  We won’t forget the lessons of yesterday, namely that no one except the Father knows the day or the hour, but that we are to be discerning of the season!  Whether or not you believe we’re in the midst of that final season on earth, I think Eugene Peterson’s admonition in Luke 12:54-56 is worth noting.  Here it is from The Message:

Then He [Jesus] turned to the crowd: “When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, ‘Storm’s coming’ – and you’re right.  And when the wind comes out of the south, you say, ‘This’ll be a hot one’ – and you’re right.  Frauds!  You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now.  You don’t have to be a genius to understand these things.  Just use your common sense.”

Friends, let’s use our common sense!  Do you believe that the return of Jesus is soon?  I don’t know about you, but I can hardly look around today without seeing evidence to support that idea.  No one knows the day or the hour, but we have studied Revelation 17 and 18 this week, and have found evidence in today’s news that we are in that season!  The things we’ve studied don’t happen until The Great Tribulation…at least 3 ½ years after The Rapture!  If we’re that close to The Great Tribulation, we must be very close to The Rapture (which happens first)!

There is another key prophecy that helps us use our common sense in discerning the God-season in which we live.  That prophecy is found in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.  The apostle Paul is winding down his second letter to his young disciple, Timothy.  At this point, he is instructing Timothy regarding difficult times that will come in the last days.  Can you identify at least 20 moral failures of which Paul warns?  Are you able to identify examples from today’s society?

That’s a very long list, and unfortunately I doubt any of us had trouble coming up with examples from the world we live in today.  Many believe that morality in America has never reached such a low.  Though America is certainly not the hour glass through which the sands of time flow, what are your thoughts about morality in America, as it relates to end times?

Believers, it is time to wake up!  When the Son of Man returns, will He find our nation faithful?  Will He find our state and our city faithful?  Will He find our church faithful?  Will He find you and me faithful?  Let’s be among those found faithful in living out the truth of His Word in our own lives, and faithful to be available and useful for His kingdom work.  I want to be faithful in looking for the Blessed Hope.  How about you?

Well, we’ve sailed back into harbor…did you feel that bump?  I think our ship has docked!  However, there is a surprise ending to our journey together, and to miss the de-briefing tomorrow is to miss the entire objective!  There is an interesting twist to it, so be sure not to miss it!  Meanwhile, be diligent to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.