“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1)
Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Do you remember where you were when you heard the fretful news?
Whenever there is a national tragedy, we always seem to remember where we were when we learned of it. I remember where I was when President Kennedy was assassinated, when the Challenger exploded, and when the Edward P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed.
Isn’t it astonishing at how accurate the Bible portrays the times in which we live? “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:2-5)
When Billy Graham spoke at the memorial service held in honor of those who died in the Oklahoma City bombing, he reminded us that evil is a mystery that will not be fully understood until we get to Heaven. We may think we know why people do the things they do, but God’s Word cast doubt on that claim. “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7)
The Bible also promises that God will reveal himself in great ways in the end times. “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams…And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Acts 2:17,21)
I believe that promise more than ever since last week. You see my church played host to over 10,000 people who came to see God’s Plan: Redeemed, a story that explains the importance of Easter.
I witnessed almost 500 salvation decisions. The truth is I have never personally seen so many people get out of their seats at one time and seek God’s forgiveness and saving grace. Now I understand what Paul meant when he said, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ.” (Colossians 4:3) Indeed, God’s mercy and grace can be hard to understand.
We shouldn’t be sad about the times in which we live. There isn’t a better time to be a Christian. We have joy in the midst of a world that is only now beginning to realize that happiness is short-lived. We have peace in a world that is at war with itself. We live in an age when our faith will be tested to its limit, but it will also be deepened beyond measure. We have the opportunity unlike any other time to tell and show to others than the same joy and peace that we exude is a free gift and can be received through a simple prayer to a powerful God. Yes, these are great times for Christians, even if we are living in the last days.
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