”Can a God of all Love bring Judgment”

”Can a God of all Love bring Judgment”.

Although God is a God of all love there is another attribute of God’s character that many obviously have over looked and that is His holiness. The Bible clearly teaches both in the Old and New Testaments that God is not a sentimental God who ignores sinners and overlooks continual unrepentant sin. Because God is the Creator of Heaven and Earth and His laws which are rooted in His holy and righteous character are moral and just He expects His creation to follow His laws and to live righteously. Just as a surgeon cuts out the  malignant cancerous growth to stop the spread of disease so at times God sends judgment to stop the spread of sin or to humble a proud sinful nation in order to purge it. So severe was God’s judgment on some nations that they no longer exist today.

Proper exegesis of scripture is not taking one lone verse out of context and building a doctrine on it but it is finding out what the context says and then finding other verses in scripture to support it.

“… In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”(2Cor.13:1)

In Psalms 113 we read,

” But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”

In Psalm 103:19, we read, “
“ The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.”

In Isaiah 30:30 we read-”
“ And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.”

And in Isaiah 45:7,

” I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”

”From these verses we see that God is in control of His creation even when it appears that he is not. He established the laws of nature and is therefore ultimately behind all natural phenomena. We also see that He is not an anemic and helpless God but He uses people, nations, circumstances and natural disasters to transform a corrupt and sinful society so that good will ultimately prevail. God has given  us the freedom of our will and we experience many destructive things because of wrong and evil choices. We experience what the Bible teaches us in Galations 6:9- “ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

We are also certain that whenever God brings judgment  because His nature is all love it will be for our highest good

The following are just a few examples out of many,  more given in God’s Word of where God has brought judgement:

1.Genesis  6:12-13- “ And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

2.Genesis 18:20, ” And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;”
and in chapt. 19:24 in the same book we read:
“ Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;”(The word ”sodomy” derived from Sodom means sexual intercourse between males or between human beings with beasts).

3.Amos 5:21-6:1-7-“Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.  Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;
That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;
That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.”

The Israelites to whom this is addressed believed that their material success proved they were living under God’s blessing. They felt  God’s judgment would never come but we see that God was displeased with their religious hypocrisy, with their false religion, with their immorality, with their worldly life style with their indifference, with their materialism and greed and with their lack of concern and grief over their sins and the sins of their nation.)

4. In the New Testament Jesus prophesied of the coming judgment over Jeruslem (Luke l9:41) which was fulfilled in 70 A.D., we have God’s judgment over Ananias og Saffira in Acts 5:1-11, and over  Elymas the sorcerer in Acts 13:8-12, and over   a  man involved in immorality in 1Cor.5:3-4.

5. In Luke 17:26-30, we have Jesus teaching about the last days and saying that as it was in Noah’s days, and as it was in Lot’s days (Sodom and Gommorra) so shall it be in the days before He returns, ““Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭17:26-29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s judgment came upon the above nations because of their indifference, their wickedness and rebellion against God! Many other nations have been judged by God which we read about in the Old Testament as well as after the death of Christ.

6. In Luke 21:11, Jesus continued to teach about the last days said –“ And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” and in verse 25, ”
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;”

The increasing intensity of natural disasters, earth quakes, and pestilences are clear indications that we are living in the last days , Jesus is coming soon,  the Great Judgment day of the Lord is at hand (2Peter 3:10). God is trying to get our attention. What appears to be meaningless disasters can have meaning if they can jolt us out of our carelessness, disrespect for God’s Word, immorality, idolatry, and mad  perusual of pleasure and materialism to seeking and serving the living God. Because God is a God of all love He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

7. In revelation 8:6-9:21, we read of  God sending woes of judgments over the Earth  in the last days and warning the people to repent.

God’s Word warns us in Heb.2:2,3,

“For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;”

Kenneth Korol.

Knowing the Giver of Christmas

Knowing the  Giver of Christmas

During Christmas we hear a lot about Jesus Christ, God’s gift to the world, whose birthday we celebrate. On the other hand we hear very little or nothing about  the Giver of the gift. When we receive Christmas gifts we normally know the one who is giving us the gift very well. Perhaps it could be a fiance, a husband, a wife, a close friend etc..  Paul states in 2Cor.9:15, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” and in John 3:16 we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,…” Do we know the God who loved us so much that He was willing to give us His indescribable gift, His Beloved Son? We could read about Him in the World’s greatest libraries and attend the most famous religious seminaries and still not get to know Him. How do we get to know Him? In the Old Testament He revealed Himself to the patriarchs, His prophets, and His people by His different Names. For example one of His Names is Elohim as found in Genesis 1:26 where it is written, “And God (In the Hebrew- Elohim) said , let us make man…”. Elohim,  that can be defined as “Creator God”,  is mentioned 2570 times in the Old Testament. The name is a plural noun and can only be used when indicating a number more than two therefore  giving us proof of the veracity of the doctrine of the trinity.  Jehovah as found in Exodus 3:14 is another Name for God. It is mentioned 6823 times in the Old Testament. It is translated, “I AM WHO I AM” showing His eternal existence and His unchangeableness as one who will always be what He always has been. El Shaddai is another name for God and simply means, “God Almighty” and is mentioned 48 times in the Old Testament. Among other names for God in the Old Testament the name of “Father” is also mentioned but only 14 times. The Fatherhood of God is not a central theme in the Old Testament. In a quite a few instances God is called the Father of the Jewish nation. We never find any of the Old Testament saints address God directly as their Father. They never dared to do so as they believed it would be disrespectful. For example so sacred was the name “Jehovah” to them that the Jewish scribes before writing this name had to clean the pen or get a new one and wash their entire bodies in a pool of natural running water. God to them was to transcendent to be called “Father”. When Jesus came He astonished and even angered His listeners by addressing God as His Father and even more so when He addressed God as “Abba”.  “Abba” is the Aramaic (language spoken by the Jews during the time of Jesus) familiar and intimate  form for Father. It is a small child’s way of saying “Daddy”. There is no evidence that anyone  before Jesus used this term to address God. When Jesus came He gave us a new revelation of the character of God. He showed us that God is “God Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23) which means, “God with us”, that He is our loving Father who desires to have intimate fellowship with His children. In St. John 17:6 we read a little of Jesus prayer to the Father, “ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world…”  What Name could that be that Jesus is talking about here?  I maintain that it is the name “Father”. In the New Testament Father is mentioned about 275 times, in the Gospel of John alone He is mentioned about 140 times.

Why this emphasis of Father in the New Testament? Before the coming of Jesus we could not really know the Father in a personal intimate way. After Jesus’ substitutive death on the cross for our sins and subsequent resurrection we now can choose to receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour . After we do this He gives to us the Spirit of sonship. We read in Romans 8:15,16, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba Father”. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Just as Jesus called God, “Abba” we too can now have the same wonderful privilege as we are now a member of the family of God. We begin to live a life in intimate fellowship with God our Father.  Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit make it possible for us to come and dwell in His presence. In Eph. 2:18 we read, “For through Him(Jesus Christ) we both(Jews and Gentiles) have access to the Father by one Spirit (Holy Spirit).” In St. John 14:6 we read, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In 1Peter 3:18 we read, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to God.” From these verses and others we see that Jesus is the way and the Father is the destination. God’s  Word shows us that it is very important for us to come to the Father and to know the Father. For example in Jesus’ prayer to the Father in John 17:3 we read, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” and not children.

Millions of people are still orphans and are not  enjoying a Father-child relationship with their Creator

This Christmas may we truly get to know  our gracious and loving Heavenly Father, in a personal way and sincerely thank Him for sending us Jesus, Heaven’s greatest gift.

Forstår vi den tiden vi lever i?-Jesus Gjenkomst

Forstår vi den tiden vi lever  i?

I 1Krøn. 12:32 leser vi denne uttalelsen om Issakars sønner, “Av Issakars barn kom det menn som forstod seg på tidene så de visste hva Israel hadde å gjøre…”

Er vi i denne generasjonen klar over tiden vi lever i?

Den økende intensiteten av naturkatastrofer i de siste årene og de store ødeleggelsene som følger i kjølvannet advarer  om at en  stor historisk hendelse vil snart finne sted: Jesu gjenkomst. Det er nødvendig å være forberedt på det.

Når vi reflekterer over det gamle året vi ser det var et år som var veldig urolig som begynte med et stort jordskjelv i Haiti i januar og i Chile i februar. Hver måned i fjor har det vært naturkatastrofer som inkluderer jordskjelv, flom, ras, tørke, vulkaner, tyfoner og alvorlige snøstormer og kulde. Disse har hatt en ødeleggende effekt på de ulike landene hvor de har kommet. Sammen med de voldsomme forstyrrelser i naturen, har det også vært en alvorlig økonomisk krise Som startet i 2008 og har rammet mange land.

Det nye året, 2011, har begynt på en lignende måte med uhørt store, oversvømmelser i Australia som begynte i slutten av desember og har fortsatt inn i det nye året. Det dekker et område på størrelse av Frankrike og Tyskland til sammen og  har forårsaket enorme skader.  Brasil har også blitt hardt rammet av flom og jordskred, og ifølge noen observatører det er den “største vær-relaterte tragedien i Brasils historie”. Hundrevis av mennesker har blitt drept i begynnelsen av januar i år

Et jordskjelv med en styrke på 6,3 rystet New Zealands nest største byen Christchurch på tirsdag 22 februar 2011, den andre store skjelvet å treffe regionen i underkant av seks måneder. Det har forårsaket mye skade og store tap.
Etter New Zealand kom  Japan da 11. mars. hun ble kastet ut i kaos etter en katastrofale jordskjelv med en 9,0 magnitude den største seismiske hendelsen i Japans nedtegnet historie. Skjelvet sendte store og kraftige tsunami bølger på land på den nordøstlige kysten av hovedøya sletting av titusenvis av bygninger og slukte nesten alt i sin vei. Hundrevis av mennesker er rapportert døde med tusenvis som savnes.

Den siste var et kraftig jordskjelv med styrke-6.8 som rammet Nord-Øst-Burma på 24 mars..  Flere mennesker blir drept

I Matt. 16:2-3 irettesatte Jesus  fariseerne og saddukeerne som var i stand til å varsle været, men var ikke i stand til å skjelne tegn i tiden: ”Når det er blitt aften, sier dere: Det blir godt vær, for himmelen er rød; og om morgenen: I dag blir det uvær, for himmelen er rød og mørk. Himmelens utseende vet dere å tyde, men tidens tegn kan dere ikke tyde:”

Er det mulig at Gud prøver å få vår oppmerksomhet gjennom alle de katastrofer og vil advare oss om at den nåværende alder vil snart slutte. Det er derfor  viktig for oss  å gi akt på hva Guds ord sier om disse tingene. Bibelen seir i 2Pet. 1,19,  ”Og desto fastere har vi det profetiske ord, som dere gjør vel i å akte på som på et lys som skinner på et mørkt sted, inntil dagen lyser frem og morgenstjernen går op i deres hjerter.” Bare ved å forstå det profetiske ord kan vi forstå hva som skjer i verden i dag uten å bli forvirret og skremt

Thoralf Gilbrant skriver i sin bok “Tidens tegn,”: “Når Jesus taler om tidens tegn, peker han på en ting som ingen kan vite, og en annen ting som vi alle bør ha kjennskap til. Dette som ingen kan vite er dag og time for hans gjenkomst. ”Hin dag og time vet ingen.”(Matt. 24:36) Men vi skal alle kunne vite når denne dagen nærmer seg. ”Således skal også i, når i ser alt dette, vite at han er nær for døren.” (Matt. 24:33) Tidspunktet er ukjent, men det bestemte tidsavsnitt når Herrens komme vil finne sted, skal være kjent. Endetidens slekt skal se tidens tegn, og ut fra dette skal en kunne vite at dagen er nær, Matt. 24,32-36.

…Spørsmålet blir da: Hvor nær kan hans komme være? Det synes som om Jesus selv gir et svar på dette spørsmålet når han sier: ”Denne slekt skal ingenlunde forgå før alt dette skjer,” Matt. 24,34. …Når Jesus taler om denne slekt som ikke skal forgå før alt dette skjer, bruker det greske nytestamentet ordet ”genea”, som da synes å sikte til et bestemt slektsledd: Endetidens generasjon, som ser alt dette og derfor kan vite at Herrens komme er nær for døren.” (Thoralf Gilbrant, 1972)

I tre ulike evangelier, gir Jesus oss forskjellige tegn på endetiden og hans gjenkomst.

Jesus sa i Lukas 21:11: “Store jordskjelv skal det være og hunger og pest mange steder. Fryktelige ting skal skje, og det skal vise seg veldige tegn fra himmelen.”

Også i Lukas 21:25: “Det skal vise seg tegn i sol, måne og stjerner . Og på Jorden skal folkene bli grepet av angst og fortvilelse når hav og brenninger bruser.”

I Markus 13:8 sa Jesus videre: ”For folk skal reise seg mot folk of rike mot rike. Det skal være jordskjelv i mange steder, og det skal være hungersnød og opprør. Dette er begynnelsen til fødselveene.”

Vi leser også i Matteus 24:6-8: ”For folk skal reise seg mot folk, og rike mot rike, og det skal bli hunger og jordskjelv både her og der. Men alt dette er begynnelsen på fødselveene.”

Før en dame skal føde, øker fødselsveer gradvis  før fødselen. Jesus gjorde det til et poeng å fortelle oss at når vi ser en markert økning i frekvens  av krig, en intensitet  av naturkatastrofer som jordskjelv, sult og pest, at vi da kan vente Hans gjenkomst  i nær fremtid. Det er begynnelsen av en ny tidsalder.

La oss se litt nærmere på noen av disse tegnene.

l. Kriger og rykter om krig.  Oddvar Tegnander skrev i hans bok, Israel og Jesu Gjenkomst, (1997) at krigshyppigheten har økt kolossalt siden siste verdenskrig. Han sier, ”I de siste 50 år har det rast mer enn 400 kriger. Siden 1945 har det ikke gått en eneste dag uten at det har rast en eller annen krig et eller annet sted… I dette århundre, som går raskt mot sin slutt, har 140 millioner mennesker dødd i forbindelse med krig og krigens ettervirkninger.”

2. Naturkatastrofer.   Direktøren for Senter for forskning på Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) Debarati Guha-Sapir sa i Genève 28. januar. 2010 at det har vært en dramatisk økning i naturkatastrofer i løpet   de siste tiår. Hun fortsatte med å si at i løpet av 2000-2009 perioden, var det 385 katastrofer, en økning på 233 prosent siden 1980 til 1989, og 67 prosent siden 1990 til 1999, ifølge CRED data. Data ble først samlet i 1950. “(kilde-xinhuanet.comor english.sina.com/technology/p/2010/0128/302222.html).

3. Jordskjelv.   I følge USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) har det vært en enorm økning i globalt ødeleggende jordskjelv som målte mellom 6.0 og 8  på Richter’s skala de siste tolv årene. (Kilde: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/historical.php).
Nedenfor er det en diagram som viser denne utrolige stigningen bare fra år 2000-2008.

4. Hungersnød.  Ifølge FAO (Food and Agriculture organization av FN), påvirker sult i dag mer enn én milliard mennesker, eller en av seks mennesker på planeten.

5. Epidemiske sykdommer. (”Pest: ondartet og smittsom eller smittsomme epidemiske sykdommer som er dødelige og ødeleggende”Lukas 21:11 fra the Amplified Bible.)  En av de store epidemiene av denne generasjonen er AIDS. Ifølge Avert, en internasjonal Aids veldedighet, er det beregnet at 33.4 millioner mennesker lever med hiv / aids i 2008. De anslår at om lag 25 millioner mennesker har dødd av aids siden 1981 og i 2008 alene døde om lag to millioner mennesker  av aids.
Det finnes ulike stammer av virus som kan forårsake en pandemi i fremtiden. Svineinfluensa er fortsatt et problem og det er en mulighet for Sars  å gjennomgå mutasjoner som kan føre til en epidemi.

Tuberkulose, meslinger, malaria og andre sykdommer fortsatt drepe millioner av mennesker globalt hvert år.

6. Det skal være en verdensomfattende forfølgelse, hat og motstand mot kristne troende. Matt. 24: 9. 9. “Da skal de overgi dere til trengsel og slå dere I hjel. Og dere skal hates av alle folkeslag for mitt navns skyld.”

Ifølge World Evangelical Alliance, blir over 200 millioner kristne i minst 60 land nektet grunnleggende menneskerettigheter utelukkende på grunn av sin tro Det er anslått at et økende antall kristne, blir martyrer  hvert år.

Forfølgelse i fortid og nåtid har vært og blir begrenset til kun enkelte land, men det fremgår av profetien at det fortsatt kommer en verdensomspennende forfølgelse.

8. Falske Profeter, Messiaser, bedrag og forræderi. Vi leser om dette  i Matt. 24:5, ”For mange skal komme i mitt navn og si: Jeg er Messias! Og de skal føre mange vill.” og i Matt. 24:11  “Mange falske profeter skal stå fram og de skal forføre mange.” Og Paulus skriver i 1Tim. 4:1, “Men Ånden sier med klare ord at i kommende tider skal noen falle fra troen og holde seg til forførende ånder og demoners lærdommer.”  og i 2 Tim. 4, 3, 4, ”For det kommer en tid da de ikke skal tåle den sunne lære, men etter sine egne lyster skal de ta seg lærere i mengdevis etter som det klør i øret på dem. De skal vende bort fra sannheten, og vende seg til eventyr.”

Ovennevnte profeti  blir oppfylt i verden i dag. Det er så mange falske religioner og ismer med hundrevis av trosretninger, sekter og kulturer i kristendommen alene, samt hundrevis mer i andre religioner og kulturer, med nye religiøse bevegelser som oppstår nesten hver dag. Guds Ord advarer oss også at den usynlige årsaken til denne økningen vil være aktivitet av forførende ånder. Fire ganger i Matteus 24, hvor Jesus underviste disiplene sine om endetiden,  advarer han om bedrag (vs 4, 5, 11 og 24). Implikasjonen er at mange, til og med Guds folk vil bli lurt.

9. Lovløsheten, frafallet og umoral.  Lovløshetens ånd vil tar overhand. Vi leser om dette  i Matt. 24:13: ”Og fordi lovløsheten tar overhånd skal kjærligheten bli kald hos de fleste.”  Ordet her for kjærlighet er “agape” på gresk og er normalt begrenset for bare de kristnes kjærlighet. I denne atmosfæren av lovløshet, umoral og nedbrytning vil endog kristne troende bli berørt og påvirket, og vil falle fra. Thoralf Gilbrant skrive i sin bok, ”Tidens Tegn,” at  ”Ord for lovløsheten taler ikke bare om dette å bryte loven men å avskaffe loven.” Et annet skriftsted som stemmer godt med vår tids mennesker og som maler et skemmende bilde av sammenbruddet av de moralske og etiske normer i endens tid er funnet i 2Tim 3,1-5: ”Men dette skal du vite, at i de siste dager skal det komme vanskelige tider. For menneskene skal da være egenkjærlige, pengekjære, skrytende, overmodige, spottende, ulydige mot foreldre, utakknemlige, uten aktelse for det hellige, uten naturlig kjærlighet, uforsonlige, baktalende, umåtelige, voldsome, uten kjærlighet til det gode, svikefulle, oppfarende, oppblåste, slike som elsker sine lyster høyere enn Gud. De har skinn av gudfrykt, men fornekter dens kraft. Slike skal du vende deg fra.” Vi ser i de overnevnte versene at i endetiden vil mennesker elske sine lyster høyere enn Gud og at de vil bli uten naturlig kjærlighet. Jesus sier at slik situasjonen var på Noahs tid og I Lots dager, slik skal det være i endetiden ( Luk 17:26-28). Begge disse tidsaldrene var preget av moralsk forfall. Sodomas synd var åpen homoseksualitet. Den seksuelle perversjonen som kjennetegnet Noah-tiden og Lots dager karakteriserer på alle måter vår tid. Apostelen Paulus skriver i 2Tess. 2:3 at før Jesus kommer igjen vil det være et moralsk frafall, og mennesker vil  vende seg bort fra Guds åpenbarte sannhet som er undervist i hans ord “La ingen bedra dere på noe vis! For først må frafallet komme, og syndens menneske bli åpenbart, fortapelsens sønn.”” Ordet ”frafallet” i verset over i gresk er ”apostasia” og det betyr frafall fra sannhet, eller  å vende seg bort fra åpenbar sannhet i opprør og ulydighet. Det triste faktum er at Kirken hvis formål var å være et lys og salt og et eksempel til verden, har ledet inn i opprøret. Som følge av dette frafallet  lovløshet har  infiltrert den menneskelige rase. En av hovedmetodene  hvorved dette opprør finnes,  er gjennom humanisme.  Det moderne “new age evangeliet”  har blitt framsatt i stor grad gjennom det pedagogiske og politiske systemet og gjennom media. Dette villedende og lumske system tar bort fra Gud retten til å stille absolutte  krav til  moral og sannhet.  Menneskene selv, ofte gjennom en flertall konsensus, kan nå bestemme hva som er rett og hva som er galt.       Humanister  tro  at mennesket er sin egen herre, og han er det viktigste  i universet. For dem har en mann ingen sjel, og han alene bestemmer og styrer sin egen skjebne. Det hver enkelt velger er rett for det mennesket. Humanister mener at et sivilisert samfunn bør være tolerant og enkeltpersoner bør tillates å følge en livsstil som de selv ønsker.Denne slags filosofi  gir dem derfor rett til å praktisere abort, skilsmisse, homofili, abort, samboerskap og dødshjelp. Vår kultur har i dag flyttet dramatisk bort fra bibelske prinsipper og absolutter til fordel for egen retning og man har dessverre gått sin egen vei. Vi leser noen svært alvorlige ord i Jesaja 24:1-6:   ”Se Herren tømmer jorden og legger den øde. Han snur opp-ned på dens overflate or sprer dem som bor på den…Jorden er vannhelliget under dem som bor på den. For de har krenket lovene, overtrådt budet, brutt den evige pakt. Derfor fortærer forbannelse jorden, og de som bor på den, må bære sin skyld. Derfor brenner de som bor på jorden, og det blir bare få mennesker igjen.” Vi ser fra det overstående skriftstedet at Gud kommer til å dømme jorden med en forferdelig dom. Guds Ord lister opp tre grunner til at dommen kommer: 1. “For de har krenket lovene,” Her kan vi benevne de ti bud. Menneskheten har ikke lenger respekt for Guds lover. I løpet av omtrent 30-50 år har kristne lover enten blitt endret eller avskaffet. Et eksempel av Guds lov som blir brutt I Norge er fri abort . Ved å praktisere dette har landet brutt det sjette bud.  Vi leser i 2mos. 20,13: “Du skal ikke slå I hjel.”  Abort handler om å myrde de aller svakeste blant oss – dem som ennå ikke har forlatt mors liv. I Norge ligger abort statistikken på et uhyggelig høyt nivå, mellom 14-15000 aborter foretas i Norge årlig. 2. ”Overtrådt budet” (i Det Norske Bibelselskap 1978  er det oversatt :”satt forskrifter til side” og i den engelske, King James oversettelsen er det oversatt: ”changed the ordinances” eller den måten  Gud beordret at livet som skal leves, eller mønsteret av livet, spesielt i hjemmet og familien. To forhold som er svært viktig er måten mannen og kvinnen forholder seg til hverandre og hvordan foreldre og barn forholder seg til hverandre. Feminismen, som er bare en annen form for humanisme, har blitt populært i dette århundret. Det er ikke å likestilles med kvinners rettigheter. Enhver kvinne har rett til sin Gud gitt rettigheter. Men visse former av feminismen er farlig for  det undergraver Guds vilje for hjemmet og forholdet Gud har satt mellom menn og kvinner. De forakter autoritet, og har en tilbøyelighet mot den bibelske vektlegging av en kvinne å adlyde en mann. Å underordne seg for dem betyr å være mindreverdig og et ektemanns lederskap er sett på som diktatur. De er liberale i sin teologi og i strid med Guds Ord. De hevder at det ikke er noen unike lederroller for menn i ekteskap eller i kirken. Dette fører til kaos og forvirring i ekteskapet og i hjemmet og er en av de viktigste årsakene til skilsmisse. Norsk luthersk teolog, Carl Fr. Wisløff, skriver i hans bok, ”Daglig Brød”, ”Det kristne ekteskap har fra første stund av vært en grunnpilar i Herrens menighet. Der hvor mann og hustru lever sammen i tro på Jesus –der bor Gud’s Ånd. Slike hjem er dyrebare i Guds øyne. Alle våre ekstra tiltak og aksjoner til sammen kan ikke bety så mye for Guds rikes sak i verden, som de kristne hjem…Guds ord har noe å si til ektefolk, ”Dere hustruer! Vær deres menn underordnet som under Herren! For en mann er sin hustrus hode, likesom kristus er menighetens hode-.-Dere menn! Elsk deres hustruer, likesom også Kristus elsket menigheten og gav seg selv for den-.” (Eph.5:22-25) …Når det blir sagt til hustruene at de skal underordne seg under sine menn, så er det et ord til dem…Samtidig er det klart at Gud mener det han sier. Det er en guddommelig ordning at mannen skal være hodet…Til mennene har Bibelen et ord som så visst ikke er mindre kravfullt: De skal elske hustrene sine slik som Kristus elsket menigheten…Han skal være hodet, men det gir ham på ingen måte noen rett til å være tyrann og diktator… ” Så langt Carl Fr. Wisløff. Hvorfor ligger skilsmissestatistikken på et så uhyggelig høyt nivå i mange land spesielt i vesten? I Norge  ligger det på omkring 43% og tallet er firedoblet siden begynnelsen av 1960 tallet. Er det ikke  fordi de har forlatt Guds lover eller ,”satt Hans forskrifter til side”? Bibelen forteller oss at Gud hater skilsmisse, ”For jeg hater skilsmisse, sier Herren, Israels Gud…” (Malakias 2:16) Stadig flere unge mennesker bare flyter sammen og lever i samborskap uten å gifte seg. I samsvar med statistisk sentralbyrå utgjorde samboerpar i 2008,  22 prosent av alle par, en økning fra 10 prosent siden 1990. Blant de unge (under 30 år) er det mer vanlig å være samboende enn gift. I Dagen Magazinet, Fredag 16. Juli 2010 skriver Alv Magnus en artikkel med tittel: ”Kan man være kristen og samboer? Han skriver, ”Å leve sammen som mann og kvinne er bare legitimt etter at de to har inngått pakt med hverandre. Vi kaller det ekteskap. Det var Guds ide. Det er Guds første institusjon, for menigheten. Gud velsigner den institusjon han selv står bak. Alle andre forhold som innebærer seksuell kontakt, er ikke greit i Guds øyne. Bibelen kaller det hor. Og de som lever i hor har ingen plass i Guds rike…” 3. “Brutt Den evige pakt.” Den evige pakt er den Jesus Kristus opprettet ved sitt offer på korset. Guds ord viser at  å bryte en pakt gjennom opprør er svært alvorlig. Hvordan er Guds pakt blir brutt i dag? Vi ser hvordan dette opprøret er klart oppfylt i vår tid og alder. Enkelte ledere i de store kirkesamfunn har offentlig benektet jomfrufødselen og den fysiske oppstandelse av Jesus Kristus. Den Nye ekteskapsloven i Norge har sørget for ekteskap mellom homofile, noe som Bibelen klart forbyr.  For Gud er det bare ekteskap mellom mann og kvinne som er gyldig..” Det er trist at enda noen av dem som kaller seg kristne og er kristne ledere driver med urenhet og hva Bibelen kaller ”skammelige lyster”, (”Derfor overgav Gud dem til skammelige lyster; for både deres kvinner forvendte den naturlige bruk til den unaturlige,  og på samme vis forlot også mennene den naturlige bruk av kvinnen og brente i sin lyst efter hverandre, så at menn drev skjenselsverk med menn, og fikk på sig selv det vederlag for sin forvillelse som rett var.-Rom.1:26-27).  Guds ord kom til Hosea vedrørende troløse Israel,  ”…landet driver sannelig hor og har forlatt Herren.” (Hos.1:2) Derfor disse lederne som er skyldig i dette har mistet sin autoritet til å være ledere. Som følge, det vanlige mennesket har ikke åndelige ledere til å veilede dem. 10. . Utgytelse av Den Hellige Ånd blant Guds folk over hele verden.  “Det skal skje i de siste dager sier Gud, da vil jeg utgyte av min Ånd over alt kjød…” (Ap.gj. 2:17). Siden begynnelsen av dette århundret når Gud begynte å øse ut sin Ånd over kirken, fremveksten av karismatiske troende (de som tror at gaver av Den Hellige Ånd er for i dag og som har personlig opplevd dåpen i Den Hellige Ånd) har vokst fenomenalt over hele verden. I dag er det anslått å være rundt 600 millioner karismatiske troende over hele verden. Den første halvdelen av det tjuende århundre vokste det fram mange av dagens store pinse forsamlinger, som tror på dåpen i den Hellige Ånd med tilhørende manifestasjoner av ulike gaver av Den Hellige Ånd. Det er nok en klar indikasjon på at vi lever i de siste dagene. 11. Evangeliet blir forkynt for hver stamme og nasjon.  “Og dette evangeliet om riket skal ble forkynt over hele Jordan til et vitnesbyrd for alle folkeslag, og så skal enden komme.” (Matt. 24:14). Gjennom media, for eksempel internett, satellitt-tv radio, litteratur og Guds trofaste misjonærer, har evangeliet trengt inn, og trenger raskt gjennom mange mørke områder av verden. Et eksempel av dette er hvordan  kristendom har spredt seg i Kina. Da Mao og kommunistene kom til makten i 1949 var det trolig om lag fire millioner kristne i landet. I dag finnes det mer enn 100 millioner. 12. Farlige tider vil komme. “Men dette skal du vite, at i de siste dager skal det komme farlige tider.” 2 Tim. 3:1 (Norsk Bibel 88/07).  I det ”Amplified Bible”, er farlige tider oversatt «vanskelige tider med stor stress og uro”. Vi ser at ovenstående er svært aktuelt i dag med økning av terrorisme over hele verden, og de frykt som følger i kjølvannet og  også den økonomiske krisen som pågår i mange deler av verden er grunn til stor bekymring og uro. Ifølge Wikipedia, Siden 1964, har den amerikanske kriminaliteten økt med så mye som 350%. Her i Norge  kriminaliteten øker  for hvert år som går og de kriminelle blir yngre. 13. Israel er tidenes største tegn. Type text or a website address or translate a document. Cancel Listen En av de store profetier som har blitt og blir oppfylt i dette århundret er tilbakevendingen av jødene til sitt hjemland etter å ha blitt spredt over hele verden for ca. to tusen år. Dette er en moderne mirakel og ble profetert  mange steder i Bibelen. For eksempel i Esekiel 37:2 l, leser vi: “… Så sier Herren Herren: Se, jeg henter Israels barn fra de folk som de drog bort til, og jeg vil samle dem fra alle kanter og føre dem til deres eget land.” Og i Hosea 3:5,” “Deretter skal Israels barn vende om… Bevende skal de søke Herren og hans gaver I de siste dager.” Gjennom dette viser Gud  hele verden at hans ord er sann, at Han er den samme Gud som spredte Israel og nå samler dem i disse siste dager. Siden 14. mai, 1948  da staten Israel ble gjenfødt, og hun ble igjen en suveren nasjon i sitt eget land etter nitten hundre år av å være spredt, har hundretusener jøder bokstavelig talt vendt tilbake til sitt land fra de fire hjørnene av verden. I 2010  hadde den jødiske befolkningen i Israel nådd 5,726,000 mennesker mens i 1914 var den jødiske befolkningen   bare 85 000 personer. “Vær på vakt.” Alle disse tegn roper til oss med en røst at Jesus kommer snart. Jesus advarer sine disipler om hans gjenkomst sa,  “Vær på vakt, våk! For dere vet ikke når tiden er der…Våk derfor!… for at han ikke skal finne dere sovende når han plutselig kommer! Det jeg sier til dere, sier jeg til alle: Våk! (Markus 13:33- I denne delen av Guds Ord nevner Jesus “våk” tre ganger. Hvorfor advarte Jesus oss i sitt ord? Det var på grunn av sin store kjærlighet. Han vil at ingen skal gå fortapt. Han ga sitt liv for å frelse verden. I  Johannes’ evangelium 3:36 leser vi: “Den som tror på Sonnen, har evig liv. Men den som ikke vil tro på Sønnen, skal ikke se livet, men Guds vrede blir over ham. ” I Heb.2:2,3 leser vi disse advarende ord, “For når de ord ble talt gjennom engler, stod fast, og hver overtredelse og ulydighet fikk sin fortjente straff, hvordan skal da vi unnfly om vi ikke akter så stor en frelse?” Han venter nå av oss at vi i troen med takknemlighet skal ta imot frelsens gave og overgi vårt liv i total overgivelse til Jesus Kristus. Samtidig som vi ser disse tegnene bli oppfylt, trenger ikke vi som kristne troende å være redde eller pessimistiske. Tvertom, vi bør se med glede eller forventning frem mot den nye himmel og den nye jord som skal bestå etter at det gamle er borte. Der skal Jesus regjere og der skal rettferdighet bo. Jesus sa, “Men når dette begynner å skje, da rett dere opp og løft hodet! For deres forløsning er nær”, (Lukas 21: 28). Kenneth Korol,

Signs of the Times

The Signs of the Times

In 1Chron.12:32, we read this statement about the sons of Issachar, “And of the children of Issachar which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…”
Are we in this generation aware of the times we live in?
The increasing intensity of natural disasters, and the great devastation that follows in their wake warn us that a great historic event will soon take place, the coming of Jesus Christ, and the great necessity of being prepared for it.

We are now faced with a new year with new challenges. As we reflect on the old year we see it was a year that was very unsettled  that began with a major earthquake in Haiti in January and in Chile in February. Each month last year there have been natural disasters that include earthquakes, floods, landslides, droughts, volcanoes, typhoons and severe snow storms and cold. These have had a devastating effect on the different countries where they have arrived. Along with the violent disturbances in nature, there has also been a severe economic crisis that has affected many nations. The new year, 2011, has begun in a similar way with unprecedented large floods in Australia which began in late December and continued into the new year. It covers an area the size of France and Germany together and have caused enormous damage.

Brazil has also been hard hit by floods and landslides, and according to some observers, it is the “biggest weather-related tragedy in Brazil’s history. ” Hundreds of people were killed in early January this year.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 shook New Zealand’s second-largest city of Christchurch on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, the second major quake to hit the region in just under six months. It has caused much damage and many casualties.

The latest calamity  was in Japan when on March 11th. she was plunged into chaos after a cataclysmic earthquake with a 9.0 magnitude the largest   seismic event in Japan’s recorded history. The quake sent large and powerful tsunami waves rushing in land on the North East coast of the main island obliterating tens of thousands of buildings and devouring almost anything in its path. Hundreds of people are reported dead with thousands missing.

Naoto Kan, Japan’s prime minister, said the country was experiencing its worst crisis since the Second World War as it struggled to cope with the aftermath of the tsunami on several fronts.

In Matt. 16:2-3 Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducces who were able to forcast the weather but were not able to discern the signs of the times:

”The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.  And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? ”

Is it possible that through all these calamities, God is trying to get our attention and desires to warn us that this present age is coming to its climax? If so then it is very important for us to pay attention to what God’s Word says about these things. It is written in 2Pet. 1,19: “ We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”

Thoralf Gilbrant in his book, The Sign of the Times, 1972, said, ”When Jesus speaks of the sign of the times he speaks of that which no one can know and of that we all ought to  have knowledge about. That which no one can know is the day and the hour of Jesus’ return. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man,…” (Matt. 24:36). But we all should be able to know when the day is approaching-“ Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” (Matt. 24:33). The actual day is not known but the actual time period when our Lord is coming can be known. The generation living in the last days will be able to see the sign of the times and as a result they will understand that the day of the Lord is near, Matt. 24:32-36.

The question then is, how near is the coming of Jesus Christ? Jesus, Himself gave an answer to that question when He said: “ Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matt. 24:34). When Jesus speaks of ”this generation” He uses the Greek New Testament word, ”genea” that appears to point to a certain ”generation i.e. the generation living in the last days just before Jesus returns that see all these things taking place and therefore can know the Lord’s coming is near ‘even at the doors’.”

Every sign that is taking place in the world today indicates that we who are living at this time in history are the generation that Jesus had in view.

In three different Gospels Jesus gives us different signs to watch for regarding the last days and His second coming.

Jesus said in Luke 21:11: “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”

Also in Luke 21:25: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;”

And in Mark 13:8 Jesus said : ”For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of birth pains.”

We read also in Mathew 24:6-8: ”And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginnings of birth pains.”

Before a woman gives birth her birthpains increase gradually in intensity until her child is born. Jesus made it a point to tell us that when we see a marked increase in the frequency of war, and an increased  intensity in natural disasters such as earthquakes, famine and pestilence, that we can expect His return in the near future and the beginning of a new era.

Let us look a little closer at some of these signs.

l. First International wars. Oddvar Tegnander, in his book, “Israel and the Return of Jesus,” 1997, states that the frequency of wars has increased enormously since World War Two. He went on to say  that in the last fifty years there has transpired more than four hundred wars and that in the last century one hundred and forty million people have died because of war and war’s aftermath.

2. Natural Calamities. The director of the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) Debarati Guha-Sapir said in Geneva on January 28th. 2010  that there has been a dramatic rise in natural disasters during the past decade. She went on to say that during the 2000 to 2009 period, there were 385 disasters, an increase of 233 percent since 1980 to 1989, and of 67 percent since 1990 to 1999, according to CRED data. data was first collected in 1950.” (source-xinhuanet.comor english.sina.com/technology/p/2010/0128/302222.html).

3.Earthquakes.

According to the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) there has been an enormous rise in worldwide destructive earthquakes between 6.0 and 8 magnitude in the last twelve years. (source: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/historical.php).

Below is the chart depicting this amazing rise.

4. Famine.  According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations), starvation currently affects more than one billion people, or 1 in 6 people on the planet.

5. Epidemic diseases.  “…and pestilences (plagues: malignant and contagious or infectious epidemic diseases which are deadly and devastating)…”  (Luke 21:11, The Amplified Bible.) One of the great epidemics of this generation is AIDS. According to Avert, an international Aids charity, there is estimated that 33.4 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in 2008. They also estimate that about 25 million  people have died of Aids since 1981 and in 2008 alone about two million people died from AIDS.

There are different strains of virus that may produce a pandemic in the future.  For example sars is still an issue and there is a possibility of it to  undergo mutations that can cause an epidemic.

6. There shall be world wide persecution, hatred, and opposition toward  Christian believers.  Matt. 24:9,  “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” Under communist regimes Christians have been and even today in some places are severely persecuted. According to the World Evangelical Alliance, over 200 million Christians in at least 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights solely because of their faith. It is estimated that an increasing number of Christians, numbering in the thousands, are being martyred every year.

It appears from the above prophecy that there is still coming a world wide persecution.

7.Christians turning from the faith, betraying each other and hating each other. “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” (Matt. 24:10).  8. False Prophets and Messiahs.  We read this in Matt. 24:5, ”For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Messiah; and shall deceive many.” And also in Matt. 24:11, “ And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (”And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many in error.”- ampl. ver.) The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Tim. 4: 1; and in 2 Tim. 4: 3, 4,   ”Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” ” For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” The above prophesies are very obviously being fulfilled in the world today. There are so many false religions and isms with hundreds of denominations, sects, and cults in Christendom alone, as well as hundreds more in other religions and cultures, with new religious movements arising almost every day. 9. Lawlessness, Apostasy and Immorality.  The spirit of rebellion and lawlessness will be prevalent. We read about this in Matt. 24:12, “ And because lawlessness shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” The word here for love is ”agape” and is normally restricted for Christian love. So we see here that in this atmosphere of lawlessness,  immorality, and degradation  even Christian believers will be affected and influenced and will backslide. Thoralf Gilbrant tells us in his book, “Signs of the Times” that  the word for lawlessness has the meaning of not only breaking the law but of abolishing or changing it. We see so much evidence of this today. Another scripture that that is in line with what is happening in the world today and which paints a frightening picture of the breakdown of the moral and ethical values in the last days is found in 2Tim.3:1-5: ” This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” We see in the above verses eighteen moral defects that will be evident in the last days. Jesus said in Luke 17:26-30 that as the situation was in Noah’s and Lot’s time  so shall it be in the last days: “And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” We see in the above verses that the people who will be living in the last days will love their worldly lusts more than God and that they will be without natural affection. This was the same situation before the flood with unnatural sex relationships and  Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was shameless homosexuality. The sexual  perversion and corruption that characterized Noah’s and Lot’s time are very obvious in our generation. The Apostle Paul tells us in 2Tess. 2:3 that before Jesus returns there will be an apostasy, a deliberate turning from God’s revealed truth as taught in His Word, “ “ Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” The words ”falling away” in the above verse in the Greek is ”apostasia” and it means defection from truth or deliberate turning away from revealed truth in rebellion and disobedience. The sad fact is that the church which was ordained by God to be a light and salt and an example to the world has led the way into rebellion. Four times in Matthew 24, where Jesus is teaching his disciples of the end time events, He warns of deception (4, 5, 11 and  24). The implication is that many even God’s people will be deceived. The modern “new age gospel” is humanism and has been advanced in large measure through the educational and political systems and by the media. This deceptive and insidious system takes away from God the right to set absolute standards of morality and truth and human beings themselves, often through a majority consensus, decide what is right and what is wrong.  Humanismen’s dogma is that man is his own master and he is the most important thing in the universe. To them a man has no soul and that he alone decides and manages his own destiny. That which each person chooses is right for that person. Humanists believe that a civilized society should be a tolerant one and individuals should be permitted to pursue the life-styles as they themselves desire.This kind of philosophy therefore gives them the right to practice abortion, divorce, homosexuality, abortion, cohabitation, euthanasia and even incest if they can get a way with it. Our culture today has moved dramatically away from scriptural principles and absolutes for their direction and have sadly gone their own way. We read some very serious words in Isaiah 24:1-6: “ Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.” God’s Word lists three reasons why judgment is coming- 1. “They have transgressed the laws,” Here we can name the ten commandments . Mankind no longer have regard for God’s laws. Since approximately 1960 there has been a landslide of moral decay and rebellion and Christian laws  have either been changed or abolished. Two  examples  of God’s law being broken  are free abortion and euthanasia. By practicing this  has man broken the sixth commandment. We read in Exodus  20:13: “You shall not commit murder.” Abortion involves  killing  the weakest of the weak amongst us- those who have not yet left their mother’s womb. Euthanasia is deliberately putting to death of a person suffering from a painful and incurable disease. 2. ”Changed the ordinance”.  This is the way God ordered life to be lived or the pattern of life  especially in the home and family. Two relationships that are very important is the way  husband and wife relate and the way parents and children relate. The emerging of  extreme  feminism, especially in the West, which is just another form of humanism, has become popular in this century. It undermines the will of God for the home and the relationship God has ordained between men and women. They despise authority and have a disposition against the biblical emphasis of a woman obeying a man.  Submission means to be inferior and a husband’s leadership is viewed as dictatorship. They are liberal in their theology and contrary to God’s Word  claim there are no unique leadership roles for men in marriage or in the church. This leads to chaos and confusion in marriage and in the home and is one of the main causes for divorce 3.” Broken the everlasting covenant.” The everlasting covenant is the one made in Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the cross. A covenant is a solemn agreement and an irrevocable commitment made between two or more persons or parties. In the everlasting covenant If we, His people, keep the conditions and obey God we will experience  God’s blessing if we break the conditions by disobedience, rebellion and apostasy we will be severely judged. God considers the breaking of a covenant as a very serious matter. We see how this rebellion is clearly fulfilled in our day and age. Some leaders in the major denominations have publicly denied the virgin birth and the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. Laws in some countries have made provision for marriage between homosexuals, which the Bible clearly forbids. God’s Word clearly teaches that only marriage between man and woman is lawful. It is sad that even those who call themselves Christians and are Christian leaders are involved in this practice. We read in Mal. 2: “2:1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. 2:2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.2:7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. 2:8 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. ” and in Hosea 1:2 “ for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD…” The Christian leaders who are practicing this have therefore lost their spiritual authority. As a result the ordinary people are like lost sheep having no spiritual leaders to give them direction. The divorce rate particularily in countries in the West  are extreemly high. For example in Norway The number of divorces has increased fourfold since the beginning of the 1960’s. The Bible tells us that God hates divorce, ”For the Lord, the  God of Israel, says: I hate divorce and marital separation… ” (Malachi 2:16 Ampl. Bible). We can understand why God hates divorce when we see the sorrow and many problems that divorce creates. Jesus showed us clearly that in the beginning divorce was not God’s will for mankind. We read Jesus words in Matteus 19:8,9, “19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” More and more young people just move in with each other and cohabit without getting married.  For example, according to the central bureau  of Statistics in  Norway, 22 percent of all couples were cohabiting in 2008,  up from 10 per cent since 1990. Among young people (under 30) it is more common to be cohabiting than being married  Alv Magnus in “Dagens Avis”, Friday 16, July 2010, wrote an article, entitled, “Can one be a Christian and cohabit? He said, “To live together as man and woman is only legitimate when the two have entered into a covenant relationship with each another. We call it marriage. It was God’s idea. It is God’s first institution even before the church. God blesses the institution he Himself ordained. All other relationships that involve sexual contact, is not right in God’s eyes. The Bible calls it fornication. And those living in adultery has no place in the kingdom of God … ” We see from the above that the peoples of the world are guilty of breaking God’s laws, they have changed the ordinances and they are breaking the everlasting covenant. Israel was also a covenant people but because of their rebellion they were severely judged. For example we read in 2Chron.36:16, “ But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.” If a Holy God does not judge a world that has shamelessly forsaken His laws then He will have to apologize to Israel. 10. The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church worldwide according to Acts 2:17, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: “ Since the beginning of this century when God began to pour out His Spirit upon the church the growth of charismatic believers (those who believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today and who have personally experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit)  have grown at a phenomenal rate all over the world. Today there is estimated to be around 600 million charismatic believers throughout the world. The first half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of many of today’s large Pentecostal denominations, who believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the associated manifestation of various gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the second half of the twentieth century, the Charismatic Movement led millions more Christians in old line churches and other non-Pentecostal denominations to embrace the wonderful reality of these spiritual gifts giving us another clear indication that we are living in the last days. 11. The Gospel will be preached to every tribe and nation. “ “ And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”(Matt.24:14). Through the media, for example the internet, satelite t.v., cassettes, radio, literature and God’s faithful messengers the Gospel has penetrated and is rapidly penetrating many dark areas of the world. 12. Perilous times will come. “ This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” (2Tim.3:1).  In the Amplified Bible, “perilous times” is translated ”perilous times of great stress and trouble”. We see that the above is very actual today with the increase of terrorism throughout the world. 13. Israel is the greatest sign of the times. The survival and prospering of the Jewish people during thousands of years of brutal persecution, pogroms, and Hitler’s holocaust is a miracle unparalleled in history. Then in fulfillment of Bible prophecy and in the face of great opposition from her neighbors another great miracle took place on May 14th, 1948. It was then the state of Israel was reborn and she became again a sovereign nation in her own land after nineteen centuries of being scattered.   It is also one of the greatest proofs that God’s Word is reliable. One of the great prophecies that has been and is being fulfilled in this century is the return of the Jews to their homeland after being scattered all over the world for approximately two thousand years.  This is a modern day miracle and was predicted in many places in the Bible. For example in Ezekiel 37:2l, we read, “…This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.”  We also read in Jer. 31:10, “Hear what the Lord has to say, O nations. Proclaim it in the faraway lands along the sea. Say, “The one who scattered Israel will regather them. He will watch over his people like a shepherd watches over his flock.” In Isaiah 43:5-6 we read these amazing words: Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, `Give them up!’ and to the south, `Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-“ Isaiah’s prophecy was also correct in saying that the Jews would return “from the ends of the earth,” and Isaiah said that many centuries before the Jews had been scattered to the ends of the earth. During the past 100 years, Jews living literally in the far flung corners of the world have moved to Israel. Through this God is showing the whole world that His Word is true, that He, the same God who scattered Israel, is gathering them in these last days. In Jeremiah 23:3-6, which was written  some time from 626 to about 586 BC, there is a prophecy that indicates  the Messiah will appear in the land of Israel after the exiled people of Israel return to their homeland and will rule the whole earth. “ And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” In 1914 the Jewish population of Palestine (The name that was given for the land of Israel by the Romans in the first century) was only 85,000 people but during the past century hundreds of thousands of Jews have literally returned from the four corners of the Earth. By the year 2000-01 the Jewish population in Israel had reached 6.3 million people. Jesus warning His disciples of His second coming said, “ Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” (Mark 13:33-37). In this portion of God’s Word Jesus mentions ”Watch” three times. Why does Jesus warn us to watch (be on your guard).  It is because of His great love. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should be saved. (John 3:16). In Heb.2:2,3 we read these words of warning: For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” At the same time as we see these signs being fulfilled we as Christian believers do not have to be frightened or pessimistic. Rather we ought to look forward  with joy and anticipation toward a new heaven and a new earth that will abide after the old is gone. There Jesus will reign and there righteousness shall prevail. Jesus said in Luke 21:28: “ And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” The following are five ways in which we can prepare for that momentous event: 1.   By giving now of our time and our finances in helping those who have needs and in spreading the Gospel. 2.  By surrendering our lives totally to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 3.   By warning others and sharing the gospel with our friends, neighbours, relatives and making ourselves available to go with the Gospel wherever God leads. 4.  By repenting  of every known sin and all unrighteousness and lukewarmness  and getting right with God and with each other. 5.  By dedicating ourselves to prayer and intercession.