“The coming of the Lord draweth nigh”, James 5:8
(Extracts from the Editor’s book, ‘The Shadow of the Antichrist’ – Part 1)
This is a time when natural phenomena are manifested all around, with ‘disasters’ of every form hitting nations and causing death and destruction at levels that are most uncommon.
These events have aroused a world-wide campaign, led by the likes of David Attenborough, based upon the premise that mankind’s actions in more recent times have so damaged the earth’s environment as to bring about its utter demise!
There is no doubt that man is the author of his own destruction but it is not so much his selfish and greedy abuse of earth’s natural resources that is bringing disaster upon this world but rather his defiance of the moral standards that God has instituted for mankind and epitomised in the Ten Commandments. That is the reason behind what are the mere ‘firstfruits’ of a coming judgment!
Mr Attenborough, far from being the ‘saviour’ he would have people think of him as, is one of the leading proponents of what is bringing this world into collision with its Creator. He is an atheistic evolutionist, whose view dismisses the existence of a Creator and replaces Him with the absolutely ludicrous notions of invented by his fellow-evolutionists. Their notions are not only ludicrous but forever changing with disagreements aplenty within their ranks!
The rejection of the Bible’s revelation of God and the origin of all things, always a factor in human thinking since the fall of Adam, but which in these lasts days is becoming the dominant view of humanity, is the source of the lawlessness and moral mayhem we see daily reported on the various news outlets.
That in turn, will bring God’s final judgment upon mankind. The Bible’s warnings of this are despised and mocked but the reality of it is manifested before our eyes! The ‘perilous times’ prophesied in Holy Scripture (2 Tim 3:1) are breaking forth all around!
The Lord has clearly revealed events that will take place as a display of Heaven’s displeasure at the moral direction humanity is taking. There are many place where these signs are warned of, none more so than the last book of the Bible, the Book of the Revelation.
The opening words of that book are significant.
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass,” Revelation 1:1.
The meaning of the words may be expressed in this fashion: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must come to pass in a short time.”
The Bible clearly bears out this rendition of the words by repeatedly indicating that the end of the age will reach a swift climax in a brief period of three and a half years of unparalleled defiance of God and rebellion against Him and His people. That period is underscored by being referred to under three different definitions of the length of it.
- A thousand two hundred and threescore days, Revelation 11:3, 12:6.
- A time, and times, and half a time. Revelation 12:14.
- Forty and two months. Revelation 11:2, 13:5.
The Lord has underscored the duration of the ‘tribulation’ of the final days of this age by defining it in three different ways so that there can be no misunderstanding of what it is He is saying! Or perhaps I should say, that there can be no EXCUSE for anyone misunderstanding the duration of time stated!
That time of atheistic defiance of God and all that is of Him, the hatred of every mention of Him and any acknowledging of His existence, no matter how mixed with falsehood that acknowledgement may be, is drawing near. We can see its approach daily reported in the news with legislation in this country obliquely designed to hinder any acknowledgement of Him. A recent headline in our local press stated: DUP MP says the UK ‘losing its freedom of religion and expression’ after man ordered to pay over £9,000 for praying near an abortion clinic.
There is none who can really disagree with that assessment, even though the incident referred to was not in keeping with Scriptural behaviour. Protesting against abortion by the unscriptural practice of praying for the dead, is near enough a witness to the existence of God for the government to ban it!
In the light of this approach of the end of this age and the signs which the Lord will send upon this earth to indicate that approach, I wish to publish in a series of articles, part of my expositional commentary on the ‘Book of the Revelation’ which I entitled: ‘The Shadow of the Antichrist’.
Here is the first extract from the chapter entitled, ‘The Opening of the Seals’. I have mounted the book in PDF form on ‘The Burning Bush’ website. — ‘The Shadow of the Antichrist’.
THE OPENING OF THE SEALS.
Chapter 6.
The explanation of the significance of the sealed book was seen in our consideration of Jeremiah, chapter 32. The Church of Christ is a purchased Church. Its members are a redeemed people awaiting the day of their entering into the full experience of their redemption.
That day will dawn with the return of Christ to this earth in glory.
For that day we watch. The phrase Come and see is repeated by one of the four living creatures or angelic beings, as the seals are opened, verses 1, 3, 5, 7. It is God’s will that we know something of the events that will take place before the coming of the Son of Man.
The believer should observe the times and seasons in order to mark the approach of that day. When the signs, that the Saviour has told us will herald His return, begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh, Luke 21:28.
The Holy Ghost’s work is to seal us in Christ and our partaking of His grace is the earnest, or the down-payment, of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, Ephesians 1:14. (more…)
