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Repent! The End is Near!
by Donna Wasson Sometimes I feel like that dirty, unkempt, questionably psychotic man on the street corner, holding the cardboard sign that says, "REPENT! The End Is Near!!" You know the type of person; the one you always have to stop beside as you wait on the next green light. The one whose feverish eyes you don't want to meet. And then there is the other guy, the one who always used to sit behind 1st base at televised major league baseball games, holding a large sign that said simply, "John 3:16." Remember him? Although I noticed him dozens of times over the years, I couldn't tell you what the dude looks like. That's because what he was doing was not about him. He wasn't sticking his neck out, looking like a nut-case for his own sake. He was serving his Lord, just like the grizzled man on the corner was trying to do. I can absolutely identify with both of those guys, whoever they might have been. They didn't care what people thought about them. They showed love for their neighbor by being willing to look like a fool so they could proclaim the message God had laid on their heart; that God loved the world SO much that He willingly gave up His own son to die in our place so we wouldn't have to spend eternity in hell, enduring the punishment we deserve. The raggedy curbside man obviously had a burning need to warn the lost around him that they needed to repent of their sins before God's wrath descended on mankind, as the Bible says it will. People kept driving by, day after day. And they kept watching the ball games, snickering at the doofus in the stands with the stupid sign. There are lots of ways to spread the good news of the Gospel. We can preach, teach, care for children in the nursery or serve in Christian community centers. We can share what God has done for us at work or at school, knowingly taking the chance of being expelled or fired. We can write books or start a blog or write articles we hope might pique someone's interest long enough for them to want to know more about Christ. We can simply intercede in prayer for the lost, which is a powerful ministry indeed. The point is, when the Lord is truly number one in your life; when there are honestly no other Gods before Him in your heart, you cannot help but want to proclaim from the rooftops what you know to be true. It's very much the same compulsion you feel when you want to announce to everyone you've fallen in love with 'the one!' This is it! I finally found my soul mate! And, brother, you want everybody else in the whole world to feel the way you do! It's not bragging; not at all. You feel enormous pity for those around you who are racing through their busy lives, day in and day out, without the anchor or real hope you have. I see strangers wandering around the aisles of the grocery store, yapping incessantly on their cell phones and mindlessly tossing stuff in their carts. I see them sitting in Starbucks, staring at the screen of their laptops as if the secrets of life are held within. They stand on the subdivision curb, waiting for the school bus, gossiping and planning their next tennis match. And my heart breaks. So many are lost and on their way to hell. They are wrapped up in their self-absorbed, overscheduled lives and have no clue of the terror headed to this earth. If I went up to them and announced, 'Repent! The end is near!' or 'John 3:16,' they would look at me with wide eyes of disdain or fear my mental state. It's very frustrating trying to convey to readers the enormous danger they face in these last days and the horror that is soon to come. I can't even explain to my own satisfaction how screwed up this world has become; black is white, up is down. Even the historic beacons of normalcy and morality, the church and Christians, have morphed into something unrecognizable! So many are now mired in the pig pen of post modernism and emerging New Age lies. How can I convince unbelievers that the ONLY source of truth they can trust in a world that is spinning out of control, is the Word of God? How is the boring old Bible supposed to compete with Oprah and Rick Warren?? It's not 'up to date' and cool. It was 'written by man.' (*So lame!*) Many readers mistakenly think I'm judging them when in reality, I'm trying like mad to send them a strong warning that they are already condemned by Jesus Christ, the only one qualified to judge. They have no concept of what Holiness is. They have bought into the lie that 'God is love and would never send anyone to hell.' That one makes me want to scream! Well, they're partially correct on that point; God IS love and doesn't send anyone to hell. In fact, He's gone to the ends of the universe and paid the ultimate price so they don't HAVE to go to hell! They must understand that by not accepting Christ they will, by default, end up in the eternal torment designed for satan and the fallen angels. Their own choice or lack of choice will be responsible for sending them there. Then there's the whole issue of time. Unbelievers gleefully dance on the precipice of eternity every day, not realizing how the political and economic landscape is gelling into that socialistic lie of a New World Order. The United States as we have always known it, is gasping its last breaths of freedom, never to be the same again. Our lives are about to change and not for the better! Having read about Biblical prophecy regarding the last days for many years, I can see the puzzle pieces falling into place a little more every single day. It shouldn't be much longer before a catastrophic event occurs that will rock this world and change international relations forever. I won't even pretend to know when the doo-doo will hit the fan, but every person on this earth seems to have a nagging sense that something is about to happen. They are right. *Sigh* I'm sure my fellow Christians will agree that it gets darn exhausting to constantly proclaim the in-your-face, politically incorrect truth. To swim upstream against the current of popular opinion and the increasing hatred of all things Christian. We keep working because we care and grieve for the lost and what they are facing. The only thing that keeps me going is the knowledge I am obeying my Master. I rest in the fact that HE is quite capable of taking my marginal writing skills and questionable grammar and blessing and multiplying their effects for His use and glory. He has to because, quite frankly, I'm not that great a writer! Oh yeah, I can certainly identify with the 'John 3:16' guy and the bum on the corner with the scary sign. I know the things I write can sound crazy and mean and insulting. But, if it gets your attention and causes you to begin to question your relationship, or lack of relationship with God, then I've done my job. If I can strongly point out and warn against the false teachings of the emergent church and its preachers, then maybe at least one person will see them for the wolves they are. Speaking the unvarnished truth has never been the popular thing to do but then again, I'm not out to be elected prom queen. Which, at my age, is a moot point anyway! You can reach the author at: [email protected] Donna Wasson is all of the following: Married. Mom. Hospice RN. Avid reader. Animal lover. Needing to spread the Gospel while there is still time. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |