Bring It On!

There’s a group of people in the U.S. who are trying, or so I’m told, to bring about Armageddon. They want to manipulate events in the Middle East in such a way as to bring about the final armed conflict and ultimately the return of Jesus.

Most people are repulsed by this and rightly so.

According to the Bible, there will be a final armed conflagration in the Middle East.
According to the Bible, this will precede the Second Coming of Jesus.
According to the Bible, we can hurrying this day along.
According to the Bible, these people are going about it all wrong.

There’s an interesting couple verses in Revelation 6 that help explain what I’m trying to say. The first is verse 10 -
“Then they (those who had been killed because they were Christians) called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth (those who hate God or deny His existence) and avenge our blood?”” (As a point of interest, the blood of the innocent has been crying out for justice since the murder of Abel (Genesis 4:10)

Regardless, our human focus is, “Hurry up! Bring the end before more are killed.”

Listen to Jesus’ focus. Verse 11 -
“They were told to wait a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed, as they had been, was completed.”

Us - “Hurry up before more are killed.”
Jesus - “Wait until more are killed.”

There are some who would use that as evidence of God being cruel. If you knew Creator God as His children know Him you’d know,
(a) this actually points to His love, and
(b) God and only God has a right to make a decision like that; to wait even though it means the death of more Christians.

Why? Because it was this same Jesus, the One who says ‘Wait a little longer,’ who Himself came to earth with the expressed purpose of allowing us to reject Him, humiliate Him, torture and ultimately kill Him. We killed Him for no other reason than He represented Creator God. That’s the same reason these martyrs of whom Jesus speaks, are killed.

But why wait until more are killed? Well, the number to be killed is secondary to the main reason for the wait. The main reason for the wait is found in 2nd Peter 3:9-
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish.”

Everyone who wants to be saved will have that opportunity.

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people and language" (Rev. 7:9).

No one is going to be left behind who doesn't want to be left behind. However, while God is waiting for all who are going to come to Him to receive salvation, a known and finite number of Christians will be killed.

. More people have come to salvation in Christ in the last 150 years than in the previous 1,800 years. Present estimate is that 30,000 / day in China and 15,000 / day in India are giving their lives to Jesus.

. More people have been killed because of their relationship with Christ in the last 150 years than in the previous 1,800 years.

We CAN hurry the coming Day of the Lord.

Not by inciting conflict but by bringing the Good News to all those who are going to hear and accept God’s message of salvation.

None of those who are going to be killed have escaped God’s knowledge or attention.
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Death is a part of life.
“Do not fear him who can kill the body, but fear Him who can kill both the body and the soul.”

These martyrs are not victims. They are victors.

These martyrs have not been overcome. They are over-comers.

Every soul that is won for Christ is one soul closer to that final day when the glory of God is revealed to all.

Every soul that is won for Christ is one soul closer to the day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of lords and King of kings.

So, you know. Bring it on!