BIBLE REFERENCE:
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
ENCOURAGING WORD:
We are certainly living in a time where people are asking a lot of questions. One question and a very timely and concerning question is, “what lies ahead for America?” I can tell you what ultimately lies ahead for America, and so do all those that have been studying Bible Prophecy and what will take place in the end days, but, as for the next five to ten years, only God knows.
I hear a lot of conversation on both sides of what people believe lies ahead and they all hold validity. I, myself have two very strong arguments for what I believe is in the very near future. Both of my views come straight from the scriptures of the Bible. First of all, let me say this, there are those that say there is no hope for America and there are those that believe America will see a revival. Those that say there is no hope, obviously do not know the God of the Bible. As long as Jesus Christ is on the throne, and He still is, and always will be, there is always hope. I side with those that believe we are going to receive a huge blessing from God. There are people that say, it would take a miracle of biblical proportion to heal our nation, and I agree. For those that haven’t noticed throughout Americas two hundred plus years of existence, we have had miracle after miracle and that is why we are still the most powerful nation on earth. Most people do not have any idea why God has put His hedge of protection over our country like He has. There is one main reason and let me say this, it will be rejected by a lot of denominational churches. It is because of our stand and support for the nation that God put His stamp on, and that is Israel. When we pull our support from Israel, and that looks like it is happening as we speak, I believe we will see judgement come swift and hard to our once great nation. The following verse explains this fact without argument. Genesis 12:3; where we read, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."” This is a promise that God made to Abraham regarding the Jews of Israel. You can look back at history and come to the simple conclusion that God says what He means and means what He says. Every nation that came up against Israel, no longer exists or is a no longer a nation to be feared. This is why I believe America still has hope. When we pull our support of Israel, and there are a few reasons why that could happen, Gods hedge of protection will be lifted from America. One reason is explained in Ezekiel, chapter 38. This chapter prophesizes about a day when the nations of Islam will come up against Israel led by the forces of Russia. Sound familiar? Actually all these nations are in place and ready to attack at any given moment. What has been stopping them? Well, So far America has been the reason. I believe that as long as America stays a supporting ally of Israel, we will continue to be blessed with Gods hedge of protection. Previously, we had an administration that has done more for Israel than any other administration in the relatively short history of America. I’m not going to expand on this because I do not want politics to enter this message. I just wanted to give you something to think about!
I will share another scenario as to why I believe we could possibly see a revival. There are two verse in the scriptures that jump right out at me regarding this issue and once again, they are highly disputed among the denominational churches. I tell you this because I want you to be aware of where you’re church most likely stands on these issues. As always, believe what you will, I’m just sharing my thoughts of what I believe are in store for our nation. The first one is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, where we read, “ If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” I have never in all my days seen such an uprising of Christians coming to the Lord as I have seen lately, turning from there wicked ways and calling on the name of the Lord. They are gathering in huge groups all over America. I believe God is hearing our prayers and will stay faithful to His Word. The second reason comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3; “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” My reason for bringing this up is because right now, we are not living in peace and safety and people think that the catching up of the saints’ to meet the Lord in the air is going to happen because of all the turmoil that surrounds us. What does Jesus say about this? When we least expect it, that is when He will return for His church. If we have a revival and things are going well, that is when I believe the verse above will happen. Could I be wrong, of course I could, once again, I’m just giving you food for thought and encouragement for you to do your own research.
Now, my final thought on all this. If you are truly a Born-again believer, you have nothing to fear with what is coming to the world. If you know the truth of the scriptures and Gods promises to His church, you should not be running in fear as most of the people in the world are. Here is a verse that should bring you comfort if you are scared and unsure. God has given us this promise in 2 Peter 2:9; “then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the “Day of Judgment,” See, regardless of what Gods plans are for the world, if you are true to Gods Word, you will not face the tribulation this is about to come to the whole world. When we read the following verse, most people do not really understand what they are reading. John 8:31-32; “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Most people do not know how to apply this to their lives. This verse does not mean that you will be free from trials in your life and everything will be peaches and cream, it just means you will be free from the sting of death that will come to all those who reject the truth of God’s Word and do not receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. God has given us so many verses in the Bible that are meant to bring His children comfort. Therein lies the problem. Almost everybody owned a Bible at one time or another in their life, but very few people ever picked it up and read it with sincere intensity. God gave us a blue print as to how we are to live our lives and when you really understand His course for each and every one of us, we should all be comforted beyond words. So when I said above, ““Our hope is in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone”, that is exactly what I meant. If you put your faith in any manmade object or any other so-called god, your faith is empty and will produce nothing of value. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the only God that came to earth to make reconciliation back to Him through the personage of Jesus Christ. The only way to be saved is by the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. See, we are all infested with an incurable disease, it is called “SIN” positive. If we die with that disease still in our blood, we forfeit all the promise that came from God to enter His kingdom. We cannot pay for our own sins, therefore it had to be paid by someone who Himself was without sin. There was only one that can make that claim, which was our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So you see, it is really quite simple, believe and be saved or reject and be condemned for all eternity. Once you breathe your last breath here on earth, your choice will have been made. So, my last bit of advice for you is this, stop worrying about what is taking place in the world and do what the following scripture tells us to do, Matthew 6:33; “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Stop thinking about the things that are temporal and focus on the thing that are eternal. You will find comfort in God’s Word and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Go to the Lord in prayer and give all your cares to Him, He will be with you always, here is His words concerning this, Hebrews 13:5;“I Will Never Leave You nor Forsake You.” Do you believe this, if so, then live like it. Either you trust in God’s Word or you don’t. There is no middle ground.
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