Climate and Much More!

Rev. Sudha Mehta©

The link below is to a compliation of natural disasters around he World.

Note the dates and locations. You will find on their channel other videos well worth watching.

This is the newest volcano eruption:

These are warnings in line with what Jesus said. Their intensity will grow, and they will come in quick clusters. Like labor pains when a woman is birthing a child.

Matthew 24: 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.(ESV)

Even though we see a convergence of all kinds of natural catastrophies, wars, ethnic divisions, false messiahs and more, Jesus assures us that these are but a sign of end times, it is not the end itself yet.

Jesus gave this teaching to His Jewish disciples shortly before He headed to the Cross. Their hope had been that He would reveal Himself to the Nation and take the throne by force, when He did not, they struggled to understand. By now they understood that He had to go away (John 14-17), and that He would return again, but struggled with understanding the “how” of it.

A Jewish Rabbi, (Jesus) talking to Jewish disciples, told them of horrific persecution yet to come. This part has been fulfilled many times over. For two thousand years Israel not even a nation. They were exiled from their homeland in AD70, and just recently in 1948 did they have a miraculous rebirth. Something that has never happened before, a Nation reborn with it’s original name, and language. Only God could have done this, and He foretold it.

Isaiah 66:  8Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For as soon as Zion was in labor
she brought forth her children.(ESV)

Jesus addressed them as Jews, but they are His disciples . . . which meant they were His foundational class and hence the first Church. The first Church and the early Church was Jewish. So, what Jesus said was said to Jews and to the Church. This prophecy therefore applies to the Church as well. It too is true that the Church has seen and continues to see persecution around the World. Islam saw the Church and the Jews as a threat and still does. Communism likewise has worked to eradicate Christianity.

In History much blood has also been shed in the name of Jesus by so called christians. I say so-called, because Jesus never sanctioned the atrocities done in His name. These were false teachers, leaders, messiahs, prophets that Jesus warned against.  Whole movements and denominations have been formed in the name of Christ that actually fit the definition of a cult entirely.

vs: 10  10And then many will fall away^a and betray one another and hate one another. 11And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 

Crusaders by jooinn.com

These had nothing in common with this early Church save the name they adopted. History in the Middle East is replete with examples, as it is in Europe and more.

Jesus warns in this passage that things will get so bad thay many (not all) will turn on each other (verse 10). They will not be united, their purpose will change. Purpose changes when quest for power and influence come in. Power corrupts, and desire to influence leads to use of force for the corrupt of heart. On the other hand, fear does much the same thing. If you are the oppressed by powerful people you also are likely to do the same to others out of fear, especially if you are opressed by others in the name of God.

The dark ages are not called the dark ages without reason. The Catholic church very early on developed a hierarchical structure based on power was never approved by Jesus. The few held power over the masses. The masses were deemed ignorant and disallowed learning. Reading and writing was available only to the privileged, so the ignorant masses were left to depend upon the vicar to tell them what “God said.” The edicts originated from the papacy, and the Popes had power. Any study in the Catholic history will affirm that.

The reformation brought change when Martin Luther discovered that Salvation came only by faith and not by rituals, works and money. Sadly, Martin Luther himself corrupted his own teaching when he tried to separate Christianity and Judaism by becoming antisemitic.

Nonetheless, the movement overall took off and spread abroad. This is what is called Protestantism. The movement of protest against the status quo. Change never comes easy, Countless paid the price just like the early church, burnt at the stake, beheaded, tortured, homes burnt and families killed  . . . utter destruction.

It was a repeat of Hebrews 11.

You will find some prophecies are fulfilled again and again!

Vs 11And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 

In the present Era, this is still being fulfilled. Remember the 23 men that ISIS marched out to the beach in orange jumpsuits and beheaded simply because they were Christians?! I get newsletters from several organizations that report constantly on persecution around the World.

Vs 12And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Has anyone noted the increase in law-less-ness lately? Wonder why there is such an increase in crime all around the Globe? The USA has been a wonderful haven, but that is changing now. Again, prophecy in the Bible always tells the truth. Jesus said it would be. He didn’t make it be, He knew humans would choose lawlessness! Cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago bear witness.

Recent decades have even revealed a lot about many Ministries . . . false teachers abound. Sadly today, with information being readily available with a click on the phone/computer or TV, the Church cannot feign ignorance.

Bibles are available to anyone who wants them . . . even for free. In my own device I have more than twenty translations downloaded, all without any cost. This is avaialble to anyone all around the World who has a phone linked to the Internet. Vast libraries are online free of cost. I find for much of my research I do not have to open many books, I just need my trusted sources on line. I have a vast library at home, yet, I use the Internet more.

Church attendance in the US has dropped dramatically in just the last two decades. The average Gen Z individual has little knowledge of basic Bible stories and knows little or nothing about Salvation. Parents who have raised children without giving them basic knowledge of the faith they supposedly espouse will give answer to God for they are without excuse.

Amazingly, churches are working hard to accomodate the culture which is largely godless, by watering down the Gospel instead of preaching the Truth forcefully.

2 Timothy 4: 3For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.(ESV)

Even in the church money seems to be the god of many, rather than Christ. Many churches have become social clubs with coffeehouses and elaborate concerts in order to draw people and have forgotten the message of the Cross. What is being presented is by and large entertainment and  fluff . . . gods of affluence and comfort . . . gods of revelry and debauchery. . . not the God of the Cross!

Hillsong Christmas concert photo pinterest

Exodus 32: after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. ⁶ And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. (KJV)

The above photo more reminiscent of the Golden Calf worship in the wilderness and a far cry from the humble manger which causeda one bow to God in reverence and take somber self inventory.

christmas nativity photo kempierpoint.org

The leaders/ pastors and false prophets themselves have sold out to Mammon and in some cases debauchery and revelry. They have managed to reimagine Christ according to their own wanton desires for influence and power, and have misled many. So, the love of many has grown cold. They have lost all understanding and the power (2 Timothy 3: 5) of that Name, the Name forever to be lauded with ernest love for His sacrifice.

Another evidence of this is sadly found in the substitution of the Christmas story of the birth of Christ, with FUN christianized stories like Scrooge, and the transformation of churches into dinner theatres for the presentation.

I myself finally decided to attend one such show this Christmas just to gain an understanding of this phenomenon after having resisted for a number of years.

Truth be told it was a wonderful presentation. With limited resources, this small town church put up a grand show, and our dinner tickets were reasonably priced. I personally know and love many of the cast. This was a church I proudly called home for many years. It was good to greet and to be greeted.  That said, my objection to the presentation was actually fortified further.

Aside from the critque that churches shouldn’t be transformed into theatres, I woefully noted that no mention of the Christ-coming story was made. No angels, no manger, no wisemen or shepherds were deemed worthy of mention save the “funny angel” that came to guide Scrooge himself. The central figure was Scrooge, not Christ! It was a Christain message of love, but there was no telling of that Bible story that is the hingepin of all history and all future. There was no alter call, no reading of the story from the Bible, and people like myself said it was a “good SHOW .”

You get the point! This is a way to draw people to a SHOW, not to disciple them for Christ. Pastors do their communities great disservice by treating them with cultured casualness, and they disrespect God showing disdain for His word by not giving out the Gospel as is written. Christmas is a time for the Bible story not fiction or personal stories.

This is where we are at this point in history. On the one hand an unrecognizable gospel, and on the other persecution of the truth-tellers and followers.  Yet Jesus said:

 13But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.(ESV)

More has to be done yet.

At this point I will stop and introduce another event foretold by Jesus in John 14:1-3 that many of you may never have heard of . . . The Rapture, or. . . as Hal Lindsey calls it . . . “The Great Snatch!”

from raptureready.com

Next week we will talk about that . . . stay turned.

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PS: The persons of the week that I would like to introduce to you today are:

Hal Lindsey: hallindsey.com

Amir Tsarfati: https://beholdisrael.org/about/amir-tsarfati/

Jack Hibbs: https://jackhibbs.com/

For information on Earthquakes the following :

USGS: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/maps

National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/

https://www.seismo.berkeley.edu/seismo.real.time.map.html