May 2011

Hello Everyone!

Wow, what a spring! So many things going on around the world are proof to me that we are in an important generation… perhaps the one that will witness the return of the Lord. These things are both amazing and frightening. Amazing if you know your Bible, frightening if you do not.

We were reminded of these things the other day as a family, doing our devotionals together over the Easter holidays. Heather was reading from her Bible (NASB) in Luke 21:25-26: "There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world…” I was taken by the verses and commented to the children about how accurate Scripture is even mentioning the roaring of the sea and waves. Hannah and Abbey have both recently reported on the Tsunami in Japan for school and were well aware of the devastation it brought. We also spoke of the recent earthquake in Haiti where 200,000 people perished in 60 seconds, the tsunami in Indonesia that killed a quarter of a million, the volcano in Iceland which stopped global air traffic last year (particularly in Europe where many travellers were caught away from home taking them weeks to find their way back by trains, ferries, etc,… many were out of money and away from work and children), as well as the terrible effects of the global recession.

Last Winter it was 20 degrees colder than normal here in Ireland, froze everything, broke pipes all over the place and one half of the country’s residents (2 million people) were without water for nearly three weeks! Today many nations are, as the Scripture teaches, “boiling”. There are wars and rumours of wars. More foreboding still, is the promise of Jesus that these things would be the “beginning of sorrows”. The Greek word here for “sorrows” is interesting and important. It literally means “birth pangs”. This means that, once these things begin, they will continue to increase in frequency and in magnitude, becoming more and more severe (just like birth pangs) until Jesus returns. We have certainly witnessed an increase in severity and magnitude of these troubles… and much, much more to come.

Yet, in the midst of these terrible and terrifying things, He says in Luke 21:28, “and when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws nigh”. Should these dangerous times frighten us, or encourage us? He has even included a promise of protection in the same passage: “not a hair on your head will perish” (v 18). As incredible as it may seem, there is truly a difference between the people of God and the unbeliever. As the final judgement descended upon Egypt, God said, Exodus 11:7 “But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” Imagine, as the fear and the torment and the angel of death worked its way through the streets, God’s people were safe in their houses. How? Well, there was only one thing between God’s people and the death and fear that was without: the blood of the lamb! What made the difference for them then was the blood of the lamb. This is what happened at Passover (Easter for the Christian which we just celebrated).

We have an even better covenant based on better promises. We have the Blood of Lamb of God! Can it make a difference today? I would bet my life on it… and have! I am trusting God for His promise to make a difference between us and the world, even in such tumultuous times. How about you?

God Bless!
Kevin, Heather and family