THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR

As we go from one year to the next, it always seems like a time for reflection and anticipation. For most of us, 2023 was not an easy year. The whole earth is still feeling the effects of covid and the hard times it brought. Inflation has hit many hard. What can be bought for a dollar or monetary unit, is far from what it used to be.

In the physical, it might seem like things are falling apart. Spiritually though, I think things are falling into place. No matter what one’s view of when the rapture will happen or whether there will be one at all, I think most of us believe we are truly living in the last of the last days and strongly looking to see Jesus as soon as possible.

In Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 we can read about what precludes the gathering of the saints unto the Lord. In 2 Thessalonians 2, we can see that there must be a falling away and the son of perdition be revealed, before that great day.

The Lord described in Matthew 24:6-7, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” He went on to say in the next verse (8) “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” The original word for sorrows was “odin” meaning like labor pains, commonly used with the travail of childbirth. In other words, we need to keep our seat-belts on. There is still time to go.

Why did God have us born at this point and time? He could have had us born sooner, later or not at all. But He brought us now into this world in His wisdom. Whatever we have accomplished so far and whatever is yet to go, has been and will be purposeful. We are not accidents.

What we need to do, way more than prepping for emergencies, is draw close to the Lord. Read and study our Bibles. Get in the Word and listen for the Holy Spirit. Without spiritual discernment, I doubt anyone will make it. And we cannot discern truth from lies, without knowing the truth so that the lies are recognizable. And sometimes, we need the discernment from the Holy Spirit much more than our eyesight or even our hearing. We are living in an age of great deception.

I may do an article on it, but I can tell you from studying about what is known about the preflood world, that the devil desperately wants to ruin God’s plans. He wants to corrupt anything and everything. Individual identity in whoever God made us, the sexuality of male and female, make a mockery of marriage and family. Most educational systems have turned into indoctrination instead of education. It is all part of the devil’s plans. And while some know who they are the tools of, most of the people under influence of the devil, do not even realize what is going on.

• Matthew 24:37-39 “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

The time is short. And I wish I could say, “let’s just relax and put it on cruise control until the Lord comes for us.” But what we need to do is determine in our hearts to resist corruption and lies and be prepared to stand for our faith and righteousness as needed. And hold on to our DNA and all that is wholesome. Educate our children in God’s Word. We need to be doing family Bible study. We need to be testifying to what the Lord has done to show His reality and the reality of His Word. We need to do everything possible to see that our children, grandchildren, parents, and grandparents make it to heaven.

In conclusion, the calendar may be changing from one year to the next, but our mission is the same. And we know in our hearts that the days of man are growing shorter. It may mean rough seas or hard times for a while, but in the end, for those that endure to the end, the result will be worth it and in fact, glorious. Come Lord Jesus and help us to fulfill whatever Your purpose is for each of us!
 
 
 Eli Cockrell
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