Message to My Family

As I study the Bible, and as I watch events that are happening in the world, I can’t help but come to the conclusion that difficult times lie ahead.  The world that we grew up in no longer exists.  Changes in the way people view marriage and family, the acceptance of abortion, sex and violence in movies, television and the internet, and legalization of drugs are not changes for our good.  I realize that some of you may not agree with that opinion, but I ask you to consider this: What lies ahead for your children or grandchildren?  What values do you hold sacred? What will our world look like in 10 years?  20 years?

God says that there will be an end to the world as we know it, when Jesus returns to judge the earth.  How will we know when that will be and what are the implications for us and our loved ones?  This is what the Bible says, “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…” (2Timothy 3:1-4)  I think that these things are evident in our world today and will only get worse as the time of Christ’s return approaches. When we see these signs, along with others mentioned in the Bible, we will know that the end is near.  God is a loving and forgiving God, but He is also a God of judgment—there will be serious consequences for those who reject Him, and great suffering lies ahead for those who do not acknowledge Him in those last days.

When you see the ultrasound of your unborn child or grandchild, the beauty of a sunset, the uniqueness of every animal, plant or person, the majestic mountains or the rhythm of the ocean, the sun, moon and millions of stars and galaxies,  can you really question the existence of an amazing, creative, all-powerful God?    

The God who created these things is the author of the Bible.  Maybe you find that hard to believe.  God says it takes a child-like faith to believe in Him—like a child trusts his or her father.  This is one case where our education and intelligence can hinder us rather than help us. But, that doesn’t mean we have to abandon our intellect—many brilliant men and women have set out to prove the Bible false and ended up knowing it was true.  We are human, He is God—what makes us think we can explain everything He is and does? 

My beliefs have absolutely nothing to do with the Mayan calendar and the prediction of the end of the world on December 21, 2012.  The Bible explicitly states that no one but God knows the time of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:36).  If you haven’t read my blog, I hope that you will. I love every one of you and want you to be ready for the difficult times that are coming.  “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)