As the Nighttime Begins...

God is a passionate God. He is a jealous God. He is a vengeful God. We live in a world where millions of people are in physical bondage in some form or another. Many will not be rescued, but die in their physical prisons. Children and women are held prisoner by evil of the worst absolute sickness, sold for sex to the highest bidder. Violence, hatred, wars, rumors of wars...Earth is filled with evil that is slowly eating away at humanity's chance for survival into the future. Millions are in physical captivity, and billions are in spiritual captivity. Held captive to their own lusts, exacting revenge and satisfaction of themselves on the other helpless ones in the world (Think it's not too bad? Take a flight out of the US and visit a 3rd world country. America is not just an exception, it is the exception) And this slavery is right in our own country too. The blackmarket is rampant with Satan and his demon's devices of revenge against God. Many people today think that we can change this. Philanthropy is the newest fad; in the liberal and conservative camp. But the Bible is very clear on what we are called to do and what we are capable of doing. We are called to stop it under the Holy Spirit while knowing this: WE CAN'T STOP IT BY OURSELVES. If we could, Jesus never would have put his Spirit on John to write the book of Revelation. It will take Jesus' return to stop this madness. In each other and in ourselves.

We must join hands, as brothers and sisters, warriors in the Kingdom of God, angels beside us, the Holy Spirit inside us, and walk into the darkness. There are billions of people starving physically and spiritually and they need Jesus Christ right now. They need the Savior for themselves. And we have to bring Jesus to them. We are the lampstand; it's nighttime and if we do not let the Spirit's light shine through us, how will anyone find their way in the dark? God entrusted us to each other in the Second Great Commandment in that we will love each other as we love ourselves. We love ourselves enough to keep in the bosom of our Lover Jesus; we must love others enough to bring them with us to our Father's house. We are warriors of hope, life, love, and healing; we are warriors of our Father, we are warriors of Jesus, we are warriors with the Holy Spirit today and tonight. We must fight until there is nothing left and Jesus takes us home. Our quest is nothing less than the complete reconciliation of the world with God. To those wrecked by natural disaster, we must bring restoration and hope. To those destroyed through slavery, we must bring freedom and healing in Jesus Christ. Jesus said he wouldn't return until the Gospel was preached across the world:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 (NIV)

All this is about Jesus Christ. He is to us the Lamb of God (Revelation 5:6). To this world, to those who have forsaken him, hated him, not known him, and destroyed his earth and his children, he will be known as The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). A God who has passionately loved us as our Lover, who also is the most powerful being, with power beyond power, he will exact his revenge on those he loves that have been hurt. The poor children and families in Sudan that are dying of hunger, he will not let stay hungry forever. The women and little girls being transported across continents to be sold as sex slaves, will not be in bondage forever. War is not eternal. God is. And he will come home one day. To us, we know him as our passionate Lover, our Lamb. But to everyone else, he is the Warrior Lion. A final battle is coming. And it will be called The Day of the Lord.

Here is a montage of just some of the verses that have speak of the day of the Lord in them:

Proverbs 21:31, Isaiah 2:2, 2:6, 2:11, 2:12, 2:17, 3:18, 4:2, 13:6, 13:9, 13:13, 22:5, 24:21, 27:1, Jeremiah 7:32, 9:25, 23:20, 30:8, 30:24, 46:10, Hosea 3:5, Joel 1:15, 2:1, 2:11, 2:28, 2:31, 3:14, 3:18, Amos 2:16, 5:18, 5:20, Mark 13:20,1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Timothy 1:18, to name a few...

It's destiny. God coming home to earth where he will establish heaven forever with us (Revelation 21:2). And him rescuing and establishing justice against those who are not covered in his Son's blood. The battle will be a "day of tumult and trampling and terror in the Valley of Vision" (Isaiah 22:5. NIV) It's destiny.

As Christians, we live with this nightmare around us. Our hearts break for others who are dying at the hands of a godless, nihilistic world. In body, in spirit, or in both. We are given God's Spirit in us and are made in Jesus' image to love others just as we love ourselves (even those we fail to that standard so many times - I know I have more times than anyone else). But it can be so hard, almost futile in some ways. There are always people dying from hunger, people dying from sin, people dying at the hands of others. Even though if the world accepted Jesus and gave up their money we could fix many problems instantaneously. The problem is that will not happen.

God our Father wants his children safe with him. He's coming to make it so. Very soon. Jesus is our Lover. And he's been involved in a one-sided broken romance with millions of people who have turned from him and chosen this dark world, begging them to chose him. That is why God has not returned yet.

2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. NIV

But he won't let Satan and his demons continue this madness on his earth forever. He is a jealous God, filled with passion toward his beloved, and rage towards his enemies.

Jesus will return one day and passionately sweep his beloved off our feet and into our wedding and honeymoon with our Spouse! And then it will begin on the earth. World War III will break out, pandemics will be let loose, inflation will go through the roof, the world economy will be destroyed, and through the mania, the Antichrist will take power. And that's just 1/2 of the first chapter of what happens during the end times. Jesus was very honest when he said in Mark 13:20 that if he didn't cut short the end times, no one would survive.

Half way through the seven year tribulation upon the earth, Satan will lose his final war in the heavens to the Archangel Michael. And then it is said by the Spirit,

"Therefore rejoice, you heavens

and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short." (Revelation 12:12, NIV)

God will use Satan to begin the end. And then Jesus will end sin and madness himself when he returns in power to take his kingship of the earth.

And it will begin as soon as he comes home to take us to his Father's house forever.

But, in the meantime, we must fight.