Escape

Our world is in a death-dive. We have peaked, and now we're plunging rapidly to the end. Moral rot and decay have so corrupted the planks of our society that they will soon crumble and fall. The only hope for escape is for Jesus Christ to snatch His followers out of this mad fatal plunge.

The rest of the world will have seven years before the end. The first three and a half years will be a period of unprecedented peace and prosperity. But during the second three and a half years, we will see God's wrath poured out upon this earth. Jesus describes this judgment to come as a time of tribulation such as the world has never seen or will ever see again (Matthew 24:21). So, how do you become a follower of Jesus Christ and escape the impending destruction?

God's Main Message

God's main message to us can be summed up in the word "repent." If we repent, then God will forgive us our sins. But what does it mean to repent? It doesn't mean just to be sorry, because you can be sorry for the things you've done and yet go right on doing them. To repent means to have a total change of heart and mind toward God. It means humbly turning away from the shallow and empty things in which we have tried to find fulfillment and to turning toward the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. This change of heart towards God will give you the power to turn from your wrong and sinful lifestyle. When you experience the goodness of God, you will also experience a genuine desire to change from your sins of the past. You will experience a brand-new quality of life the Bible calls godliness.

In Revelation 9 we are given this frightful scenario; a terrible horde of two hundred million satanic creatures will be loosed from the area of the river Euphrates in Iraq to bring mass destruction upon the earth. By this insidious force, one-third of the world's population will be destroyed. The idea of a spiritually inspired invasion force becomes more significant in light of the fact that Islamic religious leaders, who can boast of 750 million followers worldwide, are constantly threatening a Jihad (holy war) against their enemies, which they identify as the non-Islamic world in general and Israel in particular. Whatever its source, an incredible portrait of destruction is clearly predicted to come upon mankind.

Why?

Why will there be such awful judgment upon the earth? Why such horrible tribulation? Because people have been guilty of forsaking the laws of God. Sin has its own inevitable consequence: death.

God has revealed to us the way to a meaningful life. He says, "If you'll follow My rules, you'll be happy and prosperous" (Deuteronomy 30:15-16). But man has hardened his heart, rejected God, and gone after his own way. God describes for us the conditions in the world that this rejection brings, conditions that will bring judgment.

The Bible says that the people left on the earth in the last days "repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols ... neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts" (Revelation 9:21).

This picture of the character of mankind is sobering to say the least. What will people be like at the time of the end? First of all, people will be worshiping devils. God wants us to seek His guidance and His wisdom. He wants to bring direction to our lives. But today people are not seeking the counsel of God. Instead they are turning to mediums and New Age channelers for guidance. They seek the advice of psychics, fortune tellers, Ouija boards, and horoscopes. They are worshiping devils rather than God.

The New Age Movement with its growing popularity has brought the phenomenon of channeling," where supposed wise people of the past give their secrets and wisdom to present-day seekers. This is similar to the practices of the oracles of ancient times. In essence it is no more than demons promulgating their doctrines through mediums, dressed up and made acceptable to modern consumers.

In some of the public school systems in the United States, children are taught how to contact their spirit guides and receive help from the wise little man who lives in a house in their mind.

Many of the popular rock groups are encouraging children to find fulfillment through satanism. Clearly the prediction of widespread worship of demonic spirits is coming to pass.

Not only will they worship devils, but the people of the last days will also worship idols. Everyone bows his knee to some object of worship, some ideal, some principle, some goal, some ambition, or some thing. Every man must worship; this is an innate need. If he doesn't worship God, then he must and will find a substitute. In Deuteronomy 4:19, the Bible speaks of man literally being driven to worship. It is an inescapable part of our nature.

Many Christian college students are ridiculed by their secular professors because of their belief in Jesus Christ. Professors make Christians one of their favorite targets, mocking and laughing at those who believe in God. Students are told that man is self-sufficient, with no need for an outdated crutch like faith in God. But then the professor goes home and worships an idol in his backyard! Maybe it's a boat, a sports car, or a garden he's cultivating. Many of these same professors are using drugs or are involved in the New Age Movement. They flock to Sai Baba or other gurus who claim to have made the transition into the godhood. Every man has his idol.

Men in the last days will not repent of their murders and sorceries. In the abortion clinics of the United States today, condoned and in many cases financed by the government and defended by the courts, millions of babies are being murdered each year. God cannot ignore this wanton disregard for fife and will surely bring the United States into judgment for it. Perhaps this judgment is already beginning. Once disorganized street gangs have now become well-financed and well-equipped purveyors of drugs and violence. We now find addiction and wanton, senseless murder becoming commonplace in every major city in America.

Scripture also tells us that the people of the last days will refuse to repent of their sorceries. "Sorceries" in the original Greek is pharmakia, which means "the use of narcotics for thrill or enchantment." Look at the increasingly widespread use of drugs throughout the world today. Marijuana and cocaine are as easily obtained by the youth as candy. These are both personality-changing drugs. The insidious thing about their use is the effect on the brain of the user. These drugs seem to attack the centers of rational judgment so that the user is deceived into believing he is not addicted. An objective observer can see the alteration of personality and loss of good judgment quite easily. The person who is under the influence cannot assess that he is making poor decisions. He hasn't the capability to realize that his ability to make rational choices has been impaired, and is thus trapped. New research reveals that these drugs destroy a chemical in the brain that inhibits the ability to ever resist the drug again.

"Neither did they repent of their fornication." As we look around the world today, we see the lowering and ultimate eradication of any decent standard of morality. It seems that almost every mass medium of communication is being used to destroy the moral principles that our society and its people once possessed. Immorality has become so pervasive and accepted that people talk freely of their live-in partners as if the practice was beyond question.

One young lady who was about to get married went to a minister for counseling. The minister asked her, "Have you been living with your fiancé"

She said, "Of course not!"

He replied, "How do you know whether or not you want to marry him? You should live with him for a few months." He then had the audacity to charge her twenty-five dollars for his advice! This minister wears a robe and collar that distinguishes him as a clergyman. He's a minister all right, but not of Jesus Christ.

The Lord said that final judgment is coming for a variety of reasons. One is the condition of open fornication. It is difficult in this day and age, with all the pressure to the contrary from society, to keep pure. But the Word of God says that we must flee the fleshly lusts that war against men's souls (I Peter 2:11). God's laws have not changed. God's rules have not been altered. They're still the same today, and with good reason. God clearly sees the destruction, disease, and human misery that result from a life dedicated to hedonistic pleasure. People are precious to God. It breaks His heart to see the tremendous amount of suffering caused by fornication.

"Nor of their thefts." A young man was working on his doctorate in the science department of a famous university. He said that practically every bit of equipment in the science lab was stolen property. When he refused to do his project on stolen equipment, his fellow students laughed at him. They said he'd never complete his doctorate unless he was willing to steal some kind of equipment to perform his experiments.

We've come to a place where we easily justify thievery. Today it's very common to steal from the job. So-called "white collar" crime is reaching epidemic proportions. The rationale is often, "They're not paying me enough. I deserve more, so I'll supplement my income." We may see it as a small indiscretion, but God sees it as open sin. For these things comes the wrath of God upon the earth.

Perhaps the most shocking aspect of this prophecy is the reaction of the people who must endure this terror. In spite of the invasion of the demonic horde and the fact that one-third of all people on earth are massacred, the two-thirds that remain do not repent of their sins. It makes one wonder just what it takes to bring a man to repentance, to turn him from his sins and back to God. Rarely do judgments bring a person to repentance. As a general rule, judgment only hardens an individual's heart against God, as with the case of Pharaoh in the story of Moses.

It is the goodness of God that brings a man to repentance (Romans 2:4). Though so many of us have been guilty of worshiping devils, guilty of having idols, guilty of murder, drugs, fornication, or thievery, God still loves us. He loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to take the responsibility of the guilt of every wrong thing that we have ever done. Jesus Christ died on the cross in our place so that he could wash us clean from guilt forever.

But so many say, "I'll wait until I see God's judgments come upon this earth; then I'll turn to God for mercy." Allow me to speak to you personally. If you don't repent now as the result of the goodness and mercy of God, why would you repent during the time of God's judgments? If the goodness of God doesn't bring you into His family, His judgments are not likely to do it.

Repentance must be the work of God within your life. No person can bring you to repentance. Someone might bring you to sorrow. I might make you feel very sorry, but I can't make you repent. You must allow God to speak to you and touch your heart. Only godly sorrow leads to repentance.

Stop and reflect. Whatever you may be getting out of your experiences of worshiping devils or idols, committing fornication, or taking drugs, is it worth the sacrifice of your soul? Why not turn your life over to Jesus Christ? He has a much better plan for your life today and a glorious eternal future in His Kingdom tomorrow! What true profit is it if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

Take a moment in the quiet of your heart to give your life to Jesus. Acknowledge the fact that Jesus, God in human flesh, died on the cross for your sins. Humbly ask Him for the forgiveness and eternal life He so freely offers. I encourage you to do this now, lest you wake up some morning and find the church gone and yourself still here only to face the wrath of God as He opens the final curtain.