The End IS Near!

by Sarah Earlene Shere

The latest world news in the media is devastating…and yet, for the Christian, it is bittersweet! We hear of wars and rumors of wars, but these are the birth-pains. And we recognize birth pains, while feeling devastating at the moment, are the preliminary to New Life!

When I was a little girl (a very small child), I was fascinated by end times prophecy, and wanted to be here to see its fulfillment. I wanted to be one of the ones who never died, but was simply “caught away”! When I wished these things, over thirty years ago, it was debatable that they could really, feasibly come true. But, now, I doubt any scholar of the Bible and end times would argue that, indeed, we may be called away at any moment, now!

Now that I am an adult, with a better understanding of scriptures, I believe that God placed within my child-heart these longings to see prophecy fulfilled; just as he promised Simeon that he would not die before he saw the redemption of Israel, then granted him to hold that Infant Redemption in his arms! I see every prophecy, up to the point of the rapture of the church, has been fulfilled; Jesus may take us away at any moment, on any day now!

What does this mean to you? “Good! I’m out of here!”….But what of those we leave behind?….WAKE UP! THIS IS REAL!! The world news is more than “fascinating”; it is a call to battle for the true follower of Christ! In the light of the book of Revelation, nothing else matters! Here is the end of one world and the beginning of a new! Look around you! IT’S REAL! IT’S HERE! IT’S NOW!

The book of Revelation is not a dark mystery, only to be understood by those with a degree in theology. While there is much in it that seems mystical and allegorical, there is much to be taken in and understood, especially now, as we can line it up with our current times!

We are commanded to not seal up the truths contained in the book of Revelation, for the time is near (Revelation 22: 10)! On the contrary, we are blessed if we observe and lay to heart the truths contained in this “little book” (Revelation 22: 7)!

It is not called, “ the Book of Concealment”, it is called “the Book of Revelation”! Read it, bit by bit, while praying that God will open your eyes, mind and heart! For now, lay aside what you don’t understand, and cling to and carefully study what you do understand! With so many commentaries and studies on Revelation and Biblical prophecies, there is no excuse to enter these end times blindly!

Let it change your life and your relationships toward others! Do not be ruled by your fleshly desires, such as satisfying yourself with possessions and physical pleasure! The time is too short to be wasted on the temporal! It doesn’t seem likely that this present world has a hundred years before the Antichrist is revealed. But, even if it does have a hundred years, you and I don’t!

To all those who claim Christ: THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION, TO SPIRITUAL BATTLE! Don’t make your brothers and sisters stumble and trip over your lazy body sitting and complaining in the trenches; get up and fight! Understand, I am not encouraging violence. I’m calling us to action: Pray, Encourage, Give Financially, Evangelize, Preach, Teach, Entertain, Write, Draw, Perform, Heal, Serve, Govern, Be a Parent, Be a Grandparent, Be a Sibling, Be a Child, Be a Friend….all for God’s Glory and the Furthering of His Kingdom!

Soon you will be gone from this earth, and some of whom you love will be left here during the reign of Satan, himself! The only thing they will have to cling to is the hope you gave them, that they can be forgiven and guaranteed a place in Paradise! Scraps of scripture found in the ash heaps will be like jewels to these, your family and friends! And when they are murdered for their rebellion against the great dictator of the earth, they will be instantly granted a place in our Loving King’s presence!

I am aware that not all left behind will so quickly (or ever) turn to the Truth. But I feel (looking at my family and friends), if they were to be left behind, they would soon find no pleasure in the parties, no gratification in the illicit relationships and no fulfillment in the possessions.

Think about your own family and friends. Although living in sin and selfishness, not many of them are pure evil. You can see that they know they are lost, guilty and empty. That is why I have every hope that such as these will turn quickly to Christ, once Satan is given free reign of this earth!

But, although I believe that day is eminent, let us do all we can to bring them to that saving Faith, now, so that they may join our rising in the air, to meet and dwell with our Lord and Savior, Forever! The earth’s time is quickly coming to an end…so is yours…so is the time of your family and friends. As long as you have breath, breathe out truth, for Christ!

I challenge you to look at your unbelieving family and friends (and all unbelievers) as God does: with love, patience, as sly as a fox and as gentle as a dove, because the end of this present age is so near! May each of us be found to be faithful in this task!