Love grown cold

10/9/10 Saturday
Good morning God, Good morning world. Woke up at five this morning so went online to start studying on the concept/doctrine of the rapture. Come to find out this idea is a relatively new one in the church with the concept showing up and gaining widespread acceptance in the 1840’s. Like many doctrines in the church it has been taught and accepted as the official view or interpretation of the scripture, and like many doctrines anyone who presents a different view is seen as a trouble maker. The debate of a pre tribulation, mid tribulation, or post tribulation return of Jesus and the resurrection of the saints is an ongoing one in many circles of the church. I have a general feeling that the pre tribulation rapture where we all escape the horrors to come is a symptom of the feel good gospel that’s commonly preached but need to study on it, because general feelings aren’t a good thing to rely on. What I need to rely on is accurate handling of the scriptures instead of just accepting what I’ve been told. So I’ve got some studying to do.

Read online about the teen suicides in Medina, Ohio, that are a result of the bullying from fellow school students. There have been four in that town alone. What disturbed me deeply was reading that after a beautiful young lady had hanged herself they had an open casket funeral. They had dressed her in the prom dress she’d picked out for the prom that was to come only a week or two after she committed suicide. What appalled me was that some of the very girls who had harassed and bullied her came to the funeral and gathered around the casket, laughing and making fun of how she looked. It’s hard for me to even comprehend this. I would think, and hope, that her death would stir up some remorse in those that bullied this poor girl but even in death the cruelty remained. Here they are, at the funeral, with all the grieving family and community around, publicly displaying their disdain for life and all that is good, evidently proud of their deeds and perhaps their power to take life. It brings to mind the words of Jesus in Mathew 24:10 “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold”

It’s incredible, the thought that anyone could look on the body of someone who had once been alive and full of life, who danced and laughed, who brought joy to her family and those around, and laugh about it. The more I see these things, the more I must believe in God, for it was all foretold, along with the rise of Islam and so many other things. I see so much that is written about, written thousands of years ago, that the handwriting is on the wall, so to speak. There is a stirring in my spirit these days, a rising need to sound the alarm, to wake people up and let them know there is a God and He is coming. Hard times are here already in many parts of the world and some might think it’s hard in the US but, to quote Bachman Turner Overdrive “You ain’t seen nothing yet”. We’ve already seen false prophets, people who are deceived in themselves and carry a spirit of deception with them, thinking they are Godly but in reality are following, no pursuing, their lusts and desires, justifying in their own minds what they do.

Here’s what Jesus said just prior to the words I printed before this As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Here’s a thought on this. Perhaps when they say “I am the Christ” they are not claiming to be the returning messiah but will say that Jesus is the Christ and thus gain the trust of many in the church. Many of Jesus’ warnings, and the warnings of the apostles too, regard the wolves in sheep’s clothing who sneak in the church and deceive many. People who say they are followers of Christ but in reality are followers of their own personal desires and greed, thus are easy, and willing, tools of the enemy.