Date of message: 30 March 2003
Subject: The Sign Of The Times - We Are The Salt And The Light

Shalom, Boker-tov (good morning),
The world had gone through some trying moments this past week. First, the SARS saga had gone worse around the world with more people reported to have been infected and Singapore had reported its first two deaths from the disease. Of course the news of the closure of all schools in Singapore until April 06th by the Singapore government could be taken as yet another measure to contain the spread of the disease. When will the disease be eradicated?

Next, the casualty figures for the Allied forces in the Iraq War II climbed over the past few days and are expected to go even higher as the advancing allied forces approach Baghdad where the fighting is seen to be intense. The question on most lips is, "when will the war ended"?
Where are we heading? Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24: 7-8,
7. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

8. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
"Nation" in the original Greek (the New Testament was written in Greek) refers to tribe and race and have we seen racial disharmony and wars and they are still continuing right now. It is not something new that will take place at the end times but these will intensify. Wars between nations or countries will be more frequent according to Jesus and we are right in the midst of one big Iraqi War and prayerfully we do not have another potential war on the Korean Peninsular.

Jesus also prophesied that there will be famines and there are some places in the world where famine has become a way of life and that is very disheartening. The World Health Organization does not have sufficient funds to feed everyone who is suffering from famine. There will be pestilences; AIDS, malaria, TB, various types of cancers and now SARS, just to name a few, are rampant and the Lord prophesied that there will be more sever ones in future. Earthquakes with magnitudes in excess of 6.0 on the Richter scale are taking place on a more frequent basis around the globe.

And all these are signs pointing to the end. They are not the end in themselves but they are markers to tell us that the End is near. It is as if the whole planet Earth is in labor pain and the baby will be delivered very shortly. Just as the pregnant mother can feel the contractions in her womb and know intuitively that the time for the delivery of her baby draws near, so all these signs tell us that we do not have much longer to wait for the End. And the devil is aware of this because it is in the Word of God, the Bible.

Why does God not make the End come faster? God is sovereign. As the Creator, He has the power to accelerate things but He does not because of His mercy and His grace. The apostle Peter put it in 2Peter 3:9 that "the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance". He wants to give everyone an opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus His Son and to be saved. The Bible tells us that He is longsuffering and merciful and He had waited for over two thousand years now.
And one more important indicator for the world that the worst is yet to come - Believers are still around on this planet. Jesus admonished His disciples in Matthew 5: 13 that we are the salt of the earth and in Matthew 5:14 that we are the light of the world.

Salt has both medicinal and preservative values. When one has a cut and there is no medicine available, salt is applied to the wound and the blood will clot quickly thus preventing more loss from the veins. Before refrigeration was discovered, our forefathers used salt to preserve their food from decay. Christians are called upon to be the medicine in conflict resolution and we are also called to preserve the peace and the values in the world. Because of these two important properties, salt was used in some places as a measure of wealth. Believers, we are blessed by the Father so that we can be a blessing to those around us.

We are also called to be the light of the world. Light is meant to shine in places of darkness; the darker the situation, the brighter will be the light and Believers are called upon to be just that - shine in dark places and point the way back to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As long as the Believers are still on this earth, the wrath of God will be restrained. In the Book of Revelations chapters 6 to 10, we read of the breaking of the seven seals and the outpouring of the wrath of God. Whether it is exactly seven different kinds of judgments I am not sure but they represent all the judgments that God will unleashed on this earth and they are horrifying.

Because of what Jesus had accomplished for us on the Cross, Believers will not have to be around to experience these Tribulation years but we will be in heaven as both guests and participants of the Great Wedding Banquet that Jesus had alluded to so very often in His teachings.
That is the reason why the apostle Paul taught the churches in his letters in 1Thessalonians 4: 16 - 17 that we, who are Believers, will be caught up into the heavens to be with the Lord forever. While we are being 'transported' up, our physical bodies will be changed into our eternal spiritual bodies which will not suffer decay or be subjected to aging. We will all put on this eternal body and we will be forever young. Everyone will look handsome and beautiful at the prime of our lives at the age of around 30 years.
Inevitably the next and most important question, that had been asked in the past and continue to be asked down through the ages is this - when will the Rapture or Taking Up of the Believers take place? Nobody knows for a fact. Jesus Himself told His disciples that no one including Himself knows the exact day except the Father. It could come today or tomorrow, next week or next month or it might come next year. But before it comes, are you ready for the Rapture?
After the Rapture of the Believers, the full force of God's wrath will be poured out on this earth and it will be terrible times to be around on planet Earth. The magnitude of the problems will be many times worse than what we had experienced.
I implore you; please do not be left behind at the Rapture. The invitation to join in with the celebration of the Wedding Feast of the Bride (the Church) to the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, has been extended to everyone. All that is needed is for you to believe in Jesus, the One Who had died for you and taken away your sin and He will come into your heart and give you eternal life. By believing in Jesus and receiving His Holy Spirit into our lives, God confers on us the position of sons and daughters in His Family, special positions reserved for those whom He loves dearly. (John 1: 12)
The Lord cannot lie. For Him, whatever He speaks come to pass and He had promised us in the Bible that those who have put their trust in Him will not be condemned but have passed from death into life (Romans 8: 1).
Pray this simple prayer of faith and invite Him into your heart and immediately you will experience the peace coming your way.
Our Heavenly Father, thank you that You love us so much You sent Your only Beloved Son Jesus into this world to take our place and to die for all our sins.
Lord Jesus, thank you that You came, You obeyed the Father, You died for all on the cross, You conquered death and You rose again on the third day. And now, because of Your death and resurrection, we, who believe in You as our Lord and Savior, will no longer have to die but we receive Your eternal life. Thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart Your home.
Thank you that what You have accomplished for us on the cross has qualified me to become a child of God the Father. Thank you that I am now eternally forgiven, greatly blessed, highly favored, deeply loved and completely protected in the Lord and in Your most precious Name, Yeshua Ha' Meshiah, I pray. Amen.
If you have prayed that prayer for the first time, welcome to the Family of the Father (and it is a very large universal family). It is important that you are not alone facing your personal trials but that you can obtain good help wherever you are. Why not take the time to find your own local Christian family (local church) and worship the Father together? You will be greatly encouraged when you meet together to worship the Father, for fellowship and for the study of the Word of Christ.
Start receiving the blessings of the Father as you walk with Him in faith. It is your inheritance in Christ and He wants you to start enjoying these blessings right now and there is more from where they come from.
The Lord blesses you and keeps you,
The Lord makes His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and all your loved ones,
The Lord lifts up His countenance upon you and gives you His shalom peace.
Numbers 6: 24 - 26
Have a blessed week ahead, Shavrou-tov
Shalom,
Andrew L W Lee
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