Success and Failure Blog

The  massive 9.1 earthquake in Japan recently has many people fearing the worst-world end!  Combined with other world earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, famines, global warming , and extreme weather conditions there is evidence of other troubling issues across the globe.  There have been out breaks of new health threats like H1N1, and terrible diseases without known cure, pestilence problems like the recent epidemic of bed bugs, and a surge of violence and criminal activity greater than ever before.  Our economy seems to get worse by second and the crippling effects of hard financial times can be seen and felt all over the world.  Many fear these terrible things are clues that point out disaster.  Could this be a severe warning of catastrophe?  What can be done to prevent this horrible outcome, and is it too late?  What can we do as individuals and families  to ready ourselves and be prepared for the future?  Can anyone escape from this terrible threat?  With so many gripped  with fear and bracing for worst, these are the type of questions that fill the hearts and minds of people today.  The answers to these crucial questions have been discovered and the outcome is astounding and may come as quite a shock . 

 The bible warns of these same concerns and very issues.  It is written clearly for all to read.  These hardships and major world issues should not come as a surprise to the discerning person. All of the events that are taking place have been foretold in the bible and if you have not yet read these scriptures, you may be surprised to see how accurate and detailed these prophetic messages actually are.

Matthew 24:5-8 (Amplified Bible) ⁵For many will come in (on the strength of) My name [^[b]appropriating the name which belongs to Me], saying, I am the Christ (the Messiah), and they will lead many astray.   ⁶And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place; ⁸All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the ^[c]birth pangs [of the ^[d]intolerable anguish].

 It is amazing how these prophecies, written so long ago, so accurately depict the picture of our world condition today.  This world is definitely spiraling towards a great tribulation.  As seen in the previous scripture of Matthew 24:8 all of these things are just the beginning of a time of  the intolerable anguish that lie ahead.  As terrible as things are today, they appear to be just a taste of the great tribulation to come.  These words and promises are not meant as a source of fear and dismay.  On the contrary, these prophecies are words of hope and offer peace in a world of a turmoil.  There is another scripture that reveals salvation from the aweful terrors that are to come.   You see if we can identify the truth in these prophecies we should also not be oblivious to the hope that is available.  There is hope and there is a way of escape from the terrible times that are most certainly and rapidly approaching.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18   ¹³ And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died^[f] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.  ¹⁵ We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.^{[g] 16} For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died^[h] will rise from their graves. ¹⁷ Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ So encourage each other with these words. 

Clearly the ultimate source of hope for humanity is found in Christ Jesus.  He lived here on this planet amongst us and performed many great miracles.  He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, restored hearing to the deaf, cast out unclean spirits and raised the dead and still His greatest miracle was His greatest sorrow and greatest joy. 

He gave up His life for us.  He was brutally beaten and mocked and hung on the cross for death.  He died there in a place called Calvary.  Despite the fact that He had never sinned and remained clean His whole life, He took all of our sins upon Himself.    He  was buried in a tomb. Then just as it had been pre foretold, on the third  day He rose from the dead.  Jesus was resurrected from the dead!   Jesus is alive!  He later ascended to heaven and can now be found at the right hand of the Father.  He is our mediator, and friend.  He represents us earnestly with love and compassion.  That is the true message of Easter and by far the greatest news of this day and age. 

The events that are taking place right now in our world herald a great tribulation to come.  These events are the direct result of sin and evil.  No one on earth is perfect or without sin but according to bible there is a way to be saved from sin and the terrible events that are now unfolding right before our very eyes. 

Hebrews 9:28 (New Living Translation)²⁸ so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

1 Peter 1:5 (New Living Translation)⁵ And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

Receiving the salvation and assurance of eternal life is as simple in believing in Jesus Christ and accepting the fact that you are in need of saving.  All one must do to be saved is ask Jesus to come into their heart and forgive   them of all their sins. Then God will make you a brand new creation and if you truly believe it, God will transform you and lead you and guide you during these uncertain times that we face.  Although we are not promised that we will not have to endure trials and tribulations, we are promised ultimate salvation through Jesus. 

Now is the time to pray and Jesus come into your heart.  He understands what you are going through and He will not be hard on you.  Jesus wants to save you.  But there is no guarantee how long we have before Jesus returns to get His people.  According to Matthew 24:36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
  All those wait, thinking that time is on their side live in jeopardy and face the dangers of judgement and punishment for all eternity. 

Please take time right now, while there is still a chance and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.  Tell others about the ,hope and love you have found.   Want to learn more?  Read the bible and begin attending church and studying God’s word daily.  Read more articles like this on the Success and Failure website. You too will learn that no matter what terrible fate this earth may face that there is truly great hope and complete assurance in God.   

 Yours in Christ Jesus,

Pam Shekailo

Please write to me if you more questions or concerns.  I would be happy to hear from you.

First Haiti has a devastating earthquake. Then, a large quake hits near Japan. Now, Chile has one of the largest in recorded history, at 8.8! The number of major quakes in recent years seems to be increasing. These three came in just 2 months. An enormous 2004 quake not only caused the Asian tsunami, it sped the earth’s rotation momentarily. It’s enough to make people wonder if the end of the world is near.

Earthquakes are scary, as unlike bad weather, they come without warning. Aftershocks can occur for days, weeks, sometimes months. They cause terrible destruction. The increase in intensity in recent years is much like that of birth pangs that a woman feels before giving birth. Interestingly, Jesus uses the same analogy when he speaks of the end. And, “earthquakes in diverse places” – very different places, some of which don’t normally have them, thouhg some will – are one of the signs.

In Matthew 24, Jesus tells his disciples of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. They ask Him several questions. First, they ask when that destruction would happen, and then they ask about the signs of the end of the world. Jesus takes much more time on the second question than the first. He knew He would inspire His Word to be written, and that it was much more important to answer the second. Matthew 24-25 and Luke 21 each cover different aspects of what Jesus said.

Notice, first, that He answers the part about the destruction of Jerusalem in Luke 21:9. This is important because it gives us context to assure us that Matthew 24-25 is about the future, His coming and the end of the world. There are false Christs now, but there were also false Christs back then. There was lots of commotion, but the end – that is, the end of the world – did not come in 70 AD. Luke 21 talks more about the end, but also says that “before these things” – before the great earthquakes, famine, etc. – the disciples would be persecuted, and there would be a time of great trouble in Jerusalem.

However, the destruction of Jerusalem was horrible, but it was not the worst ever in history, as Mat. 24:21 says the end will be. That event in 70 AD was a picture of something that would happen in the future. We know because Matthew 24:15 says that before the end – during the Tribulation – there will be another temple. An abomination – a horrible, blasphemous thing – will be set up in the temple. That didn’t happen in 70 AD. Quite the opposite, in fact; no stone was left upon another. (The “Western Wall,” or “Wailing Wall,” now in Jerusalem is from an old Roman fort built after that.)

There’s another reason we know Jesus is speaking of the end of the world in Matthew 24. the first word of Mat. 25 – “Then” – shows Jesus is talking about the same subject. He’s drawing an analogy to situations in the end times. Yes, the parable of the talents later in that chapter has numerous spiritual applications for the Church, but there is a plain, literal meaning to Scripture, too.

“So, wait,” you ask, “you mean these earthquakes in diverse places are a sign we’re definitely near the end of the world?” Not quite. We are close – I don’t know how close. It is not given to us to know the day or the hour.

But, other signs also point to us being near, if not in, the end times: Famines, pestilence (major diseases), iniquity (lawlessness) running rampant, the love of many becoming cold (we talk about love, but that true, unconditional love isn’t there), and so on. These things are increasing more and more, just like birth pangs. There is, in fact, a site called “Rapture Ready” with a “Rapture index” that measures all of these. (The entire site is filled with good material, and forums, for those who wish to know more.)

“So, wait,” you ask, “are we really that close to the end? How do I prepare?” Like Jesus with His disciples’ questions, I will only gloss over the first, because the second is most crucial. Yes, we are getting close, but unlike a sonogram, these “birth pangs” can only be estimated. We just know they keep growing.

As for how to prepare, be confident that the Church has not replaced Israel. There will be another temple – in fact, Israelis have been preparing for it for years. God will once again deal with his chosen people as a nation, not just as individuals. Before He does this, though, something will happen which you can prepare for: The Rapture. “For the Lord Himself will descend with a shout, and the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then, we which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to be meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:16-17)

To know you’ll be caught up with Him, it’s as easy as ABC.

Admit you’re a sinner, that you fall short of God’s perfect glory. When sin was brought into the world through man’s disobedience, it spread everywhere, and caused all things to start decaying. We all fall short of His perfection through our sin. We don’t’ always mean to sin, and some people try really hard to be nice al the time. But, we can’t; we’re not perfect. That sin keeps us out of Heaven, except a price was paid to get us in.

Beleve that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead. He is God in flesh, and he paid that price to get you into Heaven. It was the perfect sacrifice, the just for the unjust. He took the punishment you and I and everyone else deserves for our sin – for the fact we fall short of God’s perfection.

Choose to receive Him as your Savior by simple faith. That means heart knowledge, not just head knowledge. Call on Him to save you from your sins, receiving what He did by simple faith, as being for you personally. Because, He died for each of us personally. He had each person on mind who ever lived when he died on that cross, and frose again. All you have to do is receive Him.

If you do, He will come into your heart and change you on the inside, helping you be more like Him in His love, compassion, goodness, peace, and so many other wonderful things. He’ll give you peace so you wojn’t have to worry about all the problems of this world, and so you can get through them with His help. Because, we don’t know how long it will be before He comes for us. But, whether we rise first, or meet Him in the air, we have His promise that He will come for us before things get as horrible as it will in the Tribulation.

These things we see here, these massive earthquakes and such, are only the beginning of sorrows. But, Jesus has promised to help us through, if we just trust Him – with our souls, and then with our lives. And, if He says it’s our time to leave this world, by knowing Him as Savior, we can be certain that we will be forever with Him, in that awesome place where there is no pain, no suffering, and no tears.