Footprints . . .

As I write this entry the world is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing tomorrow, July 20th, 2019. I remember my parents allowing my brother and I to stay up way past our bedtime to watch the grainy footage on our black and white TV and listen to the immortal words of Neil Armstrong as he became the first human to walk on the moon. I remember watching his boots sink into the moon surface as he descended from the Lunar Explorer and thinking, "I wonder how long those footprints will last?" And my second thought was more reflective, "I wonder if I will do anything in my life that will outlast my years on this planet?" Weird thoughts for a nine-year old I know but trust me, if you asked anyone who knew me as a child, this is pretty typical for how my childhood brain worked.

One of the many stories celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing had to do with preserving the artifacts that are already on the moon. This includes the Lunar Modules, Lunar Buggies, American Flags and the footprints of the astronauts themselves. Without interference by man, those footprints will probably last as long as the moon itself. The reason they will endure is because unlike on Earth, there is no erosion by wind or water on the moon. It has no atmosphere and all the water on the surface is frozen as ice. We actually have more to fear from aliens or astronauts from other countries on earth erasing the footprints than the natural processes of the moon itself.

Joy In Suffering

"Joy" and "Suffering" are not words that most of us would group together. In fact, with the state of the world around us, joy would seem to be in short supply. But just like most things in this life, the Bible teaches us a different truth.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1: 2-4)

James is telling us that apart from trials, our faith and character will never achieve their full potential. In fact, he is promising us that our suffering will result in our characters being perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. God is promising us perfection through His glorification which can only be brought about through the testing of our faith. But this is not the only verse discussing the binding of suffering and the deepening of our faith . . .

Missed It By That Much . . .

One of my favorite television shows growing up was "Get Smart". The hero in this show, Max, stumbled into victory despite his best efforts, and uttered these words several times due to his propensity for clumsiness, "Missed it by that much!".

I wanted to start with this humorous anecdote because the rest of this blog addresses a more serious topic. It is of little surprise to anyone who is paying attention to world affairs that this world is more divided than ever before. I'm not talking about politically, socially or even economically. I'm talking about the great divide, between those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and those who do not. There appears to be three cultural camps holding sway in the world, two of which are opposed to the truth of Jesus Christ. This puts most of the world in direct conflict with everything I believe.

He Who Will Emerge From The Sea

The number 13 is a number that usually brings forth feelings of trepidation, certainly not feelings of comfort and protection. Chapter 13 in The Book of Revelation is no exception. This chapter describes the height of Satan's rebellion against God, a rebellion that begin before the dawn of time. Imagine, in all of history there has never been an influence of evil such as the world will experience in the Great Tribulation.

Chapter 13 begins with the rise of the Antichrist, the beast who will emerge from the sea. (The sea refers to the Gentile nation - Revelation 17:15) The ten horns that the beast has are affixed to a composite body which combines the appearance of a leopard, bear, and lion. In military terms, this suggests that the Antichrist will have the staggering speed of an leopard, the overwhelming power of a bear, and the ferociousness of a lion. And the ten horns represent power and kingdoms, and the Antichrist will exert his power like no other ruler in history. He will wield absolute power over ten nations and kings who will exist to do his bidding. The False Prophet, (who will emerge from land - referring to the Jewish nation) only has two horns. But make no mistake, that is an strategic deception. His power exists in a different realm. Where the Antichrist will utilize his power with a sword, the False Prophet will accomplish his means using his amazing charisma and persuasion. He will speak like a dragon, using lies, threats, deceptions and coercion. His appearance as a lamb will disguise his true intentions. Great miracles will accompany the False Prophet as he works in conjunction with the Antichrist to deceive and command the world.