Something to Think About...

There's an old adage among Christians which generally comes up in the face of catastrophe and essentially says there is no reason to fear because we know how the story ends and God wins.  


Amen to that, right?


Well, yes. 


 And no. 


I've started to realize that not many Christians (including myself) really know how it's going to end.  We simply know that God wins.  However, I've felt compelled to learn more than that and while, in reality, I know so little about prophecy and the end times, the more I learn, the more I want to know.  Thankfully I have a good friend who wants to learn about this too and we often have conversations about what is going on.  And from conversations with her, listening to online sermons by Pastor Ray Bentley, reading books by Chuck Smith and Joel Rosenberg, and reading through numerous websites, here is what I know and why I am SO EXCITED to be living in this generation:


Signs and Seasons:
Genesis 1:14 - "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. ' "


That word signs means "signals" and the word seasons literally means "appointed time."  So let the lights in the sky be for signals and for appointed times.  


The Lunar Zodiac contains 12 constellations which most of us are very familiar with.  If I asked you your zodiac sign, you could probably tell me.  However, this mindset is a warped interpretation of what these stars are actually telling us.  


In Psalm 19:1, David says that "the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the works of His hands."  And he's not lying.  The Lunar Zodiac gives a wonderful depiction of God's story, starting with Virgo, the virgin, and ending with Leo, the lion of Judah.  


Feasts:
Leviticus 23:4 says "These are the appointed feasts of the LORD...which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them."  


That reference to "time appointed for them" is the same word used in Genesis 1:14 for seasons.  Basically, each feast has been given a season, an appointed time, to happen.  The other key element in this verse is that these feasts belong to the LORD - not necessarily to Israel, despite the fact that they are often referred to as the Feasts of Israel.  If we belong to the Lord, these feasts should mean something to us as well.


Now, if you know nothing about these Feasts, here is a basic summary:


There are 7 feasts: 4 spring and 3 fall.  These feasts are celebrated every year on specific days, however they also represent major prophecy fulfillments and, so far, those prophecies have happened on actual feast days.


1. Passover - fulfilled, by Jesus at His death
2. Unleavened Bread - fulfilled, by Jesus at His burial
3. First Fruits - fulfilled, by Jesus at His resurrection
4. Pentacost - fulfilled, by the Holy Spirit at the Day of Pentacost


Summer Harvest


5. Trumpets - unfulfilled
6. Day of Atonement - unfulfilled
7. Tabernacles - unfulfilled


Now, before I go into this next part, I must pause and say I do not know when Jesus is going to return.  It could be tomorrow, it could be 50 years from now.  However, I do believe it is soon - if not within my lifetime, then very possibly within my childrens'.  


Like I said, all feasts are given appointed times.  However there is one feast - the Feast of Trumpets - where a precise date could not be given because it was determined by the new moon.  To solve this problem, this feast was (and currently still is) celebrated over the course of two days.  In other words, while we know the feast is coming, we don't know the exact day or hour of this Feast.  Verses to keep in mind regarding this feast:


About the day of Christ's return, Matthew 24:36 says "No one knows about that day or hour."
I don't necessarily think this implies Jesus will be returning during the Feast of Trumpets (though, hey, He could!), but 1 Thessalonians 4:16 tells us that Jesus will return with the sound of a trumpet so I do believe there is some sort of a connection here.   


Miscellaneous


There is a lot more I could go into, such as Palestine's attempt to separate out from Israel, the return of many Jews to Israel (including Russian and Ethiopian Jews), South Sudan becoming its own state, the massive size of China's army, etc.  There is just SO MUCH going on right now and I only know a small percent of it.  But MAN is it exciting to hear about!  




(Note:  I apologize if this post seems to come out of left field.  I know it doesn't fit in the context of anything else I've written, but as a Christian, I cannot help but take notice of all that is happening right now and that excitement found its way here.)

In Case of Emergency

In case you weren't around, Southern California had a power outage a week ago.  This meant we didn't have electricity in our home for SEVEN HOURS.  I thought we were going to die.  Yet leave it to the loss of our indoor lighting to motivate us enough to go outside and meet our next door neighbors.

Aaand, yes, also purchase some necessary equipment in case of an actual emergency.  Here is some of our loot:

 Non-perishable food.  Okay, technically it is perishable.  But not for quite awhile.

Honey, on the other hand, NEVER EXPIRES.  So I bought these little puppies.

Tools and basic essentials, including flashlights and batteries, a tarp and bungie cords, lighters, markers (not sure what these are for, but the list said I had to have them), and of course duck tape.

First aid kit, iodine tablets (for water purification), emergency blankets, and hand sanitizer.

A large blanket (we need more, I know) and basic toiletries, including toilet paper, chapstick, toothbrushes, feminine products, etc.

Here is Stuart's favorite part:  the crank radio.  This awesome thing will also charge our smart phones!!  

Water!!!  I read that water should be kept in sturdy containers (preferably not the one gallon jugs as those can easily get punctured) so how happy was I to find these 5 gallon jugs.  I bought 2, but will probably grab a couple more as its recommended to store at least a weeks worth of water, 1-gallon per person per day.

And a rolling trash can to store everything in.  This makes for easy transport and keeps it out of the way.  Of course the water won't go in here, but everything else will.  How clever is that?

Not pictured:  Yes, I also ordered some potassium iodide in 2 different doses (for the kids and for us).  Not that there will be another radiation scare but if there is, we won't be panicking and spending hundreds on a couple tablets. Which did happen after Japan's earthquake.   Also, I only pictured a portion of the food.  I have duplicates of nearly everything, plus some instant soup.  All in all, I'd say a solid weeks worth of food for our family of 5.

You know, as I was walking around the store piling my cart high with food, first aid stuff, and camping gear, I know I must have looked a wee bit insane.  I have no doubt my cart was a tell-all for what my intentions were.  But so what.  There is something remarkably comforting in knowing you've made preparations to safeguard your loved ones in the event of a disaster.  I kept talking about making an emergency kit, but never made it further than an extra jug of water housed in our garage.  But talking and doing are not the same thing.  So I'd encourage you to print out a basic emergency kit list and buy one or two things on your next shopping trip.  Keep it in a box either in a closet, a garage, or in the trunk of your car.  I guarantee if an emergency ever happens, you won't regret a cent of what you put into that kit.