By: Larry Young
I hated History class in high school, mainly because my teacher made it incredibly boring… just a collection of names and dates that I was forced to memorize to get a passing grade. But after I came to God and opened the Bible, only then did I realize through my thick skull just how incredible and awesome that history is, and the critical lessons in its pages that apply directly to us in the here and now.
Early the morning of December 7th , 1941, the United States was a bustling and relatively safe country, unaware that a Japanese surprise attack and slaughter was about to fall upon Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. World War II had already begun in the European theatre in September 1939, but our country was caught off guard by what was coming at us later in the Pacific theatre.
Early the morning of October 7th , 2023, Israel was a bustling and relatively safe country, unaware that a Hamas surprise attack and slaughter was about to fall upon them from their next-door neighbor. Sporadic attacks by Iranian proxies had already begun clear back in early 2012, but Israel was caught off guard by what was coming at them later from the Gaza strip.
Similar stories abound throughout history; there is nearly always an element of pre-meditated surprise, but only for those who weren’t paying attention to the warning signs along the way. Governments understandably don’t want their people to panic if there’s an attack, even if it means that a few may end up sacrificed as the situation unravels… or more commonly, people are purposely distracted to look the opposite direction. Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat It. Unlike the governments of mortal man, God has given us ample written warnings regards world and end times events, so that nobody needs to be caught off guard by an element of surprise or a man- made distraction. “You shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:6.
How different are we here in the United States as a nation today, from when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, or Israel in 2023? In each instance nations of regular people were focused on living their daily lives, even as wars and rumors of wars were happening around them. That’s where you and I are at this moment. Wars and preparations for nuclear war are worldwide; lies and deceptions are everywhere and truth is getting so hard to find. However, God’s written warnings jump off the pages of the Bible and the warnings of prophecy are imminent and sure.
So here we are in the middle of all this, knowing that as a nation we’re about to be caught off guard and surprised like so many others before us, in line with pre-meditated coverups, distractions, and lies. So what are you doing during these last moments? Aren’t we inclined to hang on to the status quo, hoping that this is just going to pass us by, or that our government has everything under control, so we don’t have to worry about stuff? Does the Bible say that our government is going to protect us and come to our rescue? Does the Bible say that God is going to prevent bad things from happening to God’s people?
Folks, it's past time to come out of our Laodicean slumber. Are you going to wait till it’s too late to let go of your self-focus, distractions, and/or hatred?... and start clinging spiritually to the loving Jesus, and start to live your life selflessly for others? Look around you. What do you see at church? Are you majoring in minors… and minoring in majors? Are you still busy protecting your turf and your self- interests… and doubling down on your view of what is important? Should anyone still be bending the knee to mammon… or should we be bending the knee to our Lord and Savior Jesus?
The “Shaking” is occurring now in churches and countries worldwide. Going on now, 7,000 died by machete, torture, and forced disappearances by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) [Amnesty International and the BBC]. How far away from our doorstep is that type of evil and insanity? Shortly, you won’t be able to fake it anymore or “play church”. The middle ground is crumbling; everyone will soon enough be off the fence and make an irrevocable decision… for or against the real Jesus…the real God of love. Eternity is a LONG time to be LOST… or gloriously SAVED. Will you be surprised and ready… or surprised and lost? “Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2), because we are not promised tomorrow!