"All the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD!"

There will come a day, says the prophet Habakkuk, when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14).  That should give all who know the one true God a reason to have hope and to rejoice in His grace and mercy to His children every single day!

Our tendency is to forget about God's plan unfolding as we live in this world day after day.  It is so easy to be distracted and to get caught up in the advance of evil that we who have the Spirit of God within us can see so clearly.  I think of what the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8 when we says, "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved" (Romans 8:22-24).  "Groaning" is a part of the life of a Christian as you live in this world, longing for Jesus' return.

"Change" is hard for most of us, and the changes we have seen in our nation and in the whole world over the past year have been and are dramatic.  There will be more!  God says so.  Many in the visible church are looking for the Rapture and expecting the Rapture to be the next event on God's prophetic time clock, but I encourage you to study God's Word and to be prepared for a time of tribulation such as the world has never seen.  Jesus speaks about this in Matthew 24:15-29.  You can read that whole passage, but I point you especially to verses 29-31.  Jesus says,

"Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  THEN will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then ALL THE TRIBES of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, FROM ONE END OF HEAVEN TO THE OTHER."

I know that some believe this is a "second" rapture that is only Jewish people, or they have some other explanation, but what is being described here is the same as what Paul describes in I Thessalonians 4:13-18, the Church being gathered together to meet Christ in the air.  God is preparing the world for the coming of Jesus Christ and the Church must be ready to endure the beginning of the reign of the Antichrist, who together with the False Prophet (see Revelation 13) and the leaders of the world WILL set up some kind of one-world government and a one-world religion.  Most people already see this happening and welcome it!!

Meanwhile, those who know the one true God who has revealed Himself in His Word, the Bible, and in the living Word, Jesus Christ, must believe all He reveals and be ready to endure.  It is clear that most are NOT ready as they "melt" at the least trial that they are called to face.  Suffering and trials and struggles of all kinds are real, BUT God is with His children and we have a heavenly home if we leave this world before Jesus returns.  God says in Psalm 37:1-2, 8-9:  "Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!  For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. ... Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.  For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land!"

We who believe will reign with Christ for a thousand years and will then inherit the new heavens and the new earth, and "All the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord!"  That day IS coming, and if you have placed your hope in Jesus Christ YOU will SEE it!!!  Until then, be strong in the Lord and set your heart on serving Him.  He will give you what you need, one day at a time, and will carry you through the times of trial.  Rejoice in His goodness, trust in His promises and give thanks for His gift of life through Jesus Christ!

If you want to know more about the unfolding of God's plan you can purchase a copy of " ... the end." by emailing me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org.  Study God's Word and pray for wisdom, for every prophecy you find in the Bible will happen, just as He says, and for those who know Him ... it will be GOOD!!!