Saturday, October 10, 2015

Armageddon?

Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Revelation 16:16 (NIV)

There’s always been an interest in the End Times, especially when there are movies and popular books available that contain fictionalized portrayals of those events. Just like we want to know how we got here, we also have a desire to know how it all will end. I remember back in the 1970s and 1980s that whenever there was trouble in the Middle East, people would say, “Armageddon.” It was sort of a knee-jerk reaction.

Today, I’m beginning to think that Armageddon may not be too far in the future. Obviously a number of things must happen first according to the Book of Revelation and other apocryphal books of the Bible. Nevertheless, with Russia now involved militarily in Syria, and ISIS a factor, an Armageddon-like battle doesn’t seem so remote any more. We could see the End Times play out in our lifetime. Are you prepared?

My advice is to grow closer to God by weekly worship, daily prayer, reading your Bible and maybe even attending a Bible study. If you are interested in the End Times, get a book on the subject by a reputable Christian author. Those who have a personal relationship with God have nothing to fear from the End Times. Indeed the End Times will usher in a whole new era, with a new heaven and a new earth. I’m looking forward to it. Are you? Read this description from the Book of Revelation:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4 (NRSV)

Friday, October 9, 2015

Head for the Hills!

There are people who plan for catastrophes by keeping stocks of food and water. They are called survivalists, because they plan to survive any disaster that may result in disruption of the supply chain. There are any number of possible disasters of that nature, such as trucker strikes, massive crop failures, widespread power outages, communications systems shut down, oil shortages, and a host of other calamities. These can be man-made (such as strikes) or natural (such as solar flares disrupting communications and frying electronics over a wide area).

These risks have been with us for a long time, but there’s a new risk which is difficult to defend against. I’m talking about a cyberattack. As I understand it, the technology exists to disrupt electronic communications, bring down the power grid, and shut down much of the electronic activity of a country. When Russia attacked Georgia a few years back, they shut down Georgia’s electronic communications in a cyberattack.

I’m not an alarmist, but I think these are real threats. I’m especially worried about North Korea and ISIS. The leadership of North Korea is unstable, and ISIS consists of fanatics. Moreover ISIS is well-funded and is sophisticated when it comes to communications. From what the experts say, the U.S. is woefully unprepared to weather a cyberattack. The world is a dangerous place, with technology allowing countries or movements to do all kinds of damage that was unheard of just a few years ago.

So what can we do? We can and should pray for our country to be protected from such devastating attacks. Rather than turning our backs on God we should be seeking his protection and drawing closer to him. We should also stock up on non-perishable foods like MREs, freeze dried foods, and canned goods. Rotate your stock because these items only last for a limited time (MREs last about 5 years).