|
July 22, 2024 a fire broke out in
Jasper National Park, Western
Canada. In the park is a little
town called Jasper and as the fire
increased, police and park rangers
went around the parkland among
camping sites that were unaware of
the approaching imminent danger,
telling people to leave their homes
and camping sites or be prepared to
leave in moments notice. There was
little time for a relaxed packing of
suitcases. Time was of the
essence. It was a matter of
grabbing passports, important
papers, basic clothing and hoping
the car or camper had lots of gas
and, “Let’s get out of here”.
Today, humanity stands on the brink
of a greater fire than that in
Jasper National Park. Graphically
God gives a description of it when
He has its features recorded, “The
day of the Lord will come as a thief
in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat, the earth also
and the works that are therein shall
be burned up . . . . the heavens
being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat?” (2 Pet. 3:10, 12).
There will be no escape for the
entire world will be on fire.
This sphere called earth was
distinctly set aside for humanity to
dwell in, and more, as he lived here
man was meant to be in perfect
fellowship with God His creator.
Unfortunately, man chose present
delights over the perfect purpose of
God.
God’s ideal was for man to rule the
earth in harmony with God himself,
in harmony with creation, with
fellow man (Eve) and having peace in
himself. However, there came a day
when a choice was presented to man,
“disobey God and experience death”
or “choose your wife and lose the
harmony and tranquillity of life you
know. Humanly speaking, it was just
a matter of taking a piece of fruit
and having a bite of it. Doing so
was an activity of disobedience to
God, a siding with Satan. In taking
that bite, that act of disobedience,
he brought all humanity into being
damaged human beings. Gone was his
fellowship with God, with creation,
his fellow man and in Himself. He
was afraid and tried to hide from
God. Quickly Satan indicated to man
he did not need God, He could enjoy
the fine arts, music, poetry and
farming. In time he
physically died under divine
condemnation, but in the meanwhile,
it was a good life.
Then we read, Adam lived and he died (Gen. 5:5); Enos lived and he died
(Gen. 5:11); Mahalaleel lived and he
died (Gen. 5:16-17). Each
generation since then did that which
we have all done in our lifetimes,
looked on the face of a corpse and
sought ways to cancel it’s power,
but there was no cancelling for the
decaying “germ” of sin ravaged every
human body, making man debased and
morally corrupt.
Time passed and man could not
change. God gave him laws, but they
could not be kept; God poured
blessings of goodness on man, but he
attributed the benefits to himself.
God was being left out of life. He
began to fear thunder so he made a
god call Thor whom he would try to
please. He wanted to soar like the
eagle so he made a carved piece of
wood like an eagle and it became his
god. He found nature was beyond his
understanding and began worshipping
it. Today, when a message from God
occurs it is attributed to “Mother
Nature”. Man is back to worshipping
nature.
As this world increases in
degradedness it is as dry wood ready
to be consumed. Morally the amoral
world has been corrupted by man’s
blasphemy, satanic indulgences, and
religious deceivers, and humans are
flocking to paganism irrespective of
how God seeks to alert him. The
same thing happened in the days of
Joash when Amos prophesied. God
sought numerous times to get man’s
attention to repent, but repeatedly
man refused to repent and turn to
God even when God virtually pleaded
with him, “Seek the Lord”. There
was a lack of bread but man did not
return to the Lord. A drought came
by a lack of rain and no water, yet
man would not return to God. There
were plagues, as in Egypt, but still
man would not turn to God. At last,
God proclaimed, “Prepare!” “Prepare
to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). Man
had spurned God’s opportunity for
the last time and judgment fell.
Today God is longsuffering and not
willing that any should perish (2
Pet. 3:9) or be banished into the
caverns of the lost, is
still lovingly calling
individuals to repent and prepare to
meet God. God does not make threats
but gives promises. It is either
accept His way of salvation or
suffer the wrath of God for all
eternity. This is not an idle
threat but a solemn warning. The
rejection of God’s way of redemption
and cleansing from sin’s penalty is
exclusively through the work of
Christ on the cross.
“The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to
repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).
|
