Darkness Before the Dawn

“And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” (Isa. 42:16)

I am writing this article at the beginning of December 2012 and as I believe many things could happen before the end of the year I am writing as I know them to be now. We are soon beginning a new year and the world does seem like a very dark place in so many ways. There are many bright spots of course and even in this fallen world God has blessed us with many things to be thankful for. Unfortunately though, there is much darkness, like the darkness before the dawn, we know this will be the case before the Lord’s return.

I believe this is a time where the sheep and goats are starting to be defined. Jesus said, “And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”(Matt. 25:33). The righteous under Jesus Christ are on his right (the sheep) and the wicked are on his left (goats). This is similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matt: 13:24-30, “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Does this not seem like the times we are in right now? I have heard people say and read articles by a number of people who seem to recognize that things are not as they seem and that many things we are being told in the media, etc. are not as things really are. Are some of the lies being exposed? Is that possibly why we are having so many controls put on us as we start to learn more truths about what is really happening to us? Many people are starting to realize that what our children are being taught in the schools and universities is not right and it has many of signs of Marxist, Socialist agendas. Free thinking is losing the battle with those who are in power and many laws are being made which take away so many of the freedoms that our Israel nations were created under. There is much darkness and so many people are suffering under the burden of financial debt, or, loss altogether, loss from environmental disasters, loss of life of loved ones, loss of health and there is much despair.

Where do we go from here? We are to be a holy people and to be a separate people. Our Israel people were to be a holy people and an example to the rest of the world, “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”(Ex. 19:6); Jesus came to take away our sin and to show us how we were to live, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”(Eph. 1:4). We may no longer be able to be separate physically but we can be separate in our thinking and in our relationships with others, because we are with our Saviour Jesus Christ. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). We can live our lives the way Jesus told us and showed us by His example while He was here on earth. Through His death and resurrection Jesus has made all of us who believe in Him righteous. We give Him all the glory and honour. It is through nothing that we have done but in Christ alone. God’s mercy has given us the opportunity to live in God’s grace and because of His grace through Jesus we have the ability to live the way Jesus wants us to live. Through this ability in God’s Grace the world has no power over us. I believe that is one of the reasons Christianity is under such attack right now. They know the power in the name of Jesus. They tell us that if we can wipe the name of Jesus off the face of the earth that there will be peace. Our enemies know the power of Jesus better than we do at times. Luckily we know the outcome and that His return to rule and reign is not far away. There is much happening and there are many signs in the sky and in the earth.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”(Luke 21:25-28)

Editor: Our correspondent, Holly Mills, in this months’ article seems to think 2013 might be a year of revealing. What a blessing that would be, to think that our Israelite brethren around the world might have their blindness lifted. It kind of reminds me of the beautiful tidbit by Waldo Emerson:

“Our eyes are holden, that we cannot see things, that stare us in the face, until the hour arrives, when the mind is ripened, then we behold them, and the time we saw them not is like a dream.”