I think most will agree: evil is more rampant today than at any other time in our lifetimes. We see persecution, evil schemes and shameless war on the other side of the globe. But is our western world any less evil? I think not. In fact, Amir Tsarfati addressed the issue in a recent email update. Many of you may have read it, but it bears repeating, as he hit the nail squarely on the head. So, I pass along his thoughts:

What a week this has been! Watching the aftermath of the major earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and their many aftershocks has been gut-wrenching. I’ll talk about it in more detail below, but here I want to focus on the big picture. This massive natural disaster has been eye-opening in two major ways.

First, it contrasted the culture of life in the Middle East with the culture of death in the West. Why were so many children killed, hurt, or trapped in Turkey and Syria? Because in the Middle East, children are highly valued. Abortion is rare and the idea of allowing a child to die either inside or outside of the womb without the greatest effort being taken to save it is anathema to the society. Compare that to the laissez faire attitude toward unborn children in the West. If a mother feels that the child will be inconvenient to her life, killing it is not only acceptable but in many circles it is applauded.

This is because in the West, “me-firstism” is the prevalent attitude of the culture. What an incredible victory this is for the enemy, who himself fell when he took his eyes off of God and his created role of being a servant of others and put them on himself. Is it any wonder that between the first and the second major earthquakes last week, the world was exposed to a celebration of Satan at the Grammy Awards in Southern California? While there are certainly many faults in the culture of the Middle East, the relegation of a child’s life or death to the simple whim of another person is not one of them.

Second, the earthquakes have reminded the church that we are squarely in the “birth pangs” that Jesus spoke of to His disciples in Matthew 24. In the last three years, we have had a global pandemic that has killed nearly seven million people. We are seeing a WWII level military conflict in eastern Europe that has claimed hundreds of thousands of casualties. And we are seeing an increase in strength and frequency of earthquakes, including last week’s temblors in Turkey that will likely see well over 20,000 dead by the time all the missing are found. But, if you think that what you have seen thus far is overwhelming, just wait. Dr. Ata Richard Elias from the Lebanese University in Beirut has said that one more shift of the Arab plate would erase Lebanon off the face of the map.

I’m not saying all this to frighten you. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you should have no fear. I am telling you this to remind you that the time of Jesus’ return is coming soon. What we are experiencing now will pale in comparison to what those left behind at the rapture will endure. Use this moment as motivation to share the truth with your friends and family members who have not given their lives to Christ. As we look around, it is quite evident that the time is short. Do it today!

I believe it wholeheartedly and could not have said it better. Believers, if you had the cure for cancer, would you share it? What about the cure for sin? We all have family and friends who are sin-sick and lacking the antidote. Give them the Gospel! It they take it, it will literally save their lives for eternity! Let’s not keep it to ourselves.

In a similar vein, some have shared concern about our upcoming tour to Israel. Believers, there is no need to fear…and I will tell you why this afternoon, so drop in again later today.

Blessings to all, and may your life and your words be the Jesus that so many need to know!