The End of the Age: Commentary

[B/W Photodude]

I posted an "End of the Age" posting and may do many more. I have a different take on prophecy than HCH and do not like to attempt prophesying in a "micro" way such as trying to guess who will be the last president or where the next war will break out. One prophesy that seems to drive everyone crazy is the "five were, one is, and one is to come" or some such description. It seems like the one "that is" has been the "is" forever! I suppose that "one is to come" may be seen as an invitation to start trying to cipher out the meaning of the phrase. 

I tend to look at prophecy as more of a way to see where we have been than to see where we are going. In a way, going into the future looking into the rear view mirror. An example would be the 1260 day prophecy. Who knew what it meant until it was already completed?! One of the reasons I like Jonathan Kahn in his books (Currently reading the "Harbinger"). He does not seem to try and guess where we are going but more how what we are doing today has already been done before. He illustrates the saying of "Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It" very well.

Nevertheless, Sister Ellen suggested we be good students of history to understand what is going on around us. So, it behooves one to know their Bibles, know their SOP and a number of students writing on the Bible, and know current events, and even actually having been awake during civics class. This does not mean that we will always be totally current in what is happening as some will be perplexed until that time as God shall make it plain to us. 

And so, this year, 2020, has been a year of watching and pondering. At the start of 2020, things were very well for the USA in a wide variety of ways. But look what has gone on during this year. One yard sign near me reads, "2020, OMG, make it stop!" We have been going thru a pandemic, an election has been held which heavily appears to have been a stolen election (a coup according to some), spirituality has been heavily damaged in terms of declining church attendance and giving (I refer to the SDA church and not just the nation), hatred in many forms runs throughout the "people of God." One conference has laid off many pastors. Members won't come to church because fears of getting Covid, but some of the same members have no problem going to theme parks for an entire day. 

At the time of Noah, before the destruction of the then world, conditions were such that Jesus said times would be like the days of Noah in our day. That makes me wonder just how we can compare our day to Noah's day. My personal take on the comparison is the ark has been built, the animals are nearly finished entering the ark, and Noah is giving his last appeals to enter the safety of the ark. It may seem that the animals entering the ark has little to compare to today, but God has compared the nations to animals before. Peter saw a sheet come down from heaven full of animals and we all know the interpretation of who the animals are. Likewise, today, in other lands people are having visions direct from Jesus bringing people into his kingdom, just as the animals entered the ark without human direction. The western world (conferences of NAD, TED, and SPD) seem to be missing the work that is rapidly going on around the world and it is amazing. So, shall we in the Laodician world stand around watching the animals entering the ark and ignoring Noah while we fight over trivial issues of no importance?

I have long felt that as the people of the time of Jesus earthly ministry had no clue what He was there for. They totally missed the point of His ministry. I also believe that the majority of the world, in and out of the church, will no more understand what the issues are or the significance of end time events than the First Advent. So, one command stands out - :"watch and pray."