They had not yet discovered the impartiality of death.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (How the West Was Won)

    “O Death, where is your sting?  O Hades, where is your victory?”
              –1 Corinthians 15:55 (NKJV)
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What can happen in a year, a day, a moment?  It only takes a second for an accident to happen.  We may be going along on our merry way, when suddenly disaster strikes.  Out of the shadows, the enemy lurks and then strikes.  Even when we are alert and wary sometimes things happen that we cannot foresee.
    It was a nice, cool evening, the type where a person can sit and watch a ballgame, or play in one.  I remember it well, I was 14 when a flash occurred.  It took less than a second, but lightning had hit.  I looked around and everyone, including myself was on the ground, knocked there by the impact of the lightning.  Another time, another ballgame, a line drive came my way while playing shortstop.  I had caught thousands of them before, but something happened–I didn’t catch the ball and it blasted me in the eye.  There was a day, I remember not so long ago, where I was sitting on the sofa at my daughter’s house when “WHAM!” out of nowhere something slammed into my chest–a heart attack.  None of these were planned, none were expected, but they happened all the same.
    Let me draw your attention to a story that happened from 2 Kings:

         “But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.  And the child grew.  Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers.  And he said to his father, ‘My head, my head!’  So he said to a servant, ‘Carry him to his mother.”  When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.”
                   –2 Kings 4:17-20(NKJV)

A headache, being comforted by his mother, then death.  All within a morning.  It just happened.  No one was the cause, no one was to blame, but suddenly the mocker of life came and the child was dead.
    Life is frail, it lasts only so long.  Isaiah tells us that, “All flesh is grass…the grass withers…” (40:6-7)  Jesus makes a referral to the grass, “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven…” (6:30, NKJV)  Things happen, accidents happen, life happens, and therefore, so does death.  Jesus tells us not to be concerned over such things for we have a heavenly Father who is watching over us.
    There is the story of the rich man, told by Jesus, who went about pulling down his old barns and replacing them with newer and better barns and he said, “there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.'” (Luke 12:18-19, NKJV)  Perhaps you recall the answer that was flung at him–“But God said to him, ‘Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'” (Luke 12:20, NKJV)
    James tells us that our life is only a “vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'” (James 4:14-15, NKJV)  Alive in the morning, but death comes.  Are you prepared?  We are to walk warily through this world.  We are to be alert.  We ought to recognize the signs, obstacles, and pitfalls that may be before us.  Most of all we should have faith and trust in the Lord.
    There is a happy ending.  The boy, in 2 Kings, was placed on the bed of Elisha.  He then was able to raise the boy from the dead.  There is a happy ending, for if death does overtake any of us, and we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be raised and found walking with Him in that heavenly city.

There are too many folks who spend their time doing too much talking about things they don’t know anything about.  But they’re sure willing to let the world know its shortcomings.”
              –Lou Bradshaw  (Big Man’s Keeper)

    “Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is.”
              –1 John 3:2 (HCSB)
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         “And they said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.'”
                   –Acts 1:11 (NASB)

We live in strange, unique, and difficult times.  Therefore I ask, what is your view of the world?  What are your reactions to the things that are happening?  What are you expecting of life?  Ask these questions to anyone, Christians included, and you will quickly learn the depth of their Christianity and relationship with Christ.
    We may wonder why things are happening.  Why are there such fools that are definitely antichrist in their beliefs and actions in leadership positions in our country?  Why are their riots, thugs roaming the streets, and terror spilling forth into everyday life of the people?  If you know the Bible, that is readily and easily answered.  “The whole teaching of the Bible, from beginning to end, is that the trouble with men and women, with life and with history, is radical.  The real problem is sin.  Sin is something that does not merely affect the surface of life; it affects the very source.  And the result of all this is that the life of this world is under the control of sin, under the control of Satan.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
    There is a kingdom of light and a kingdom of darkness that are on this earth.  Both are working.  This is proclaimed throughout the Bible and Jesus spoke to it in John 8, saying that the Pharisees were of their father the devil. (John 8:44)
There is a clamor about a worldwide revival (not the term, revival).  Christ did not come to reclaim the world; He did not come to bring a worldwide revival.  He came to redeem the world, which He did at the cross.  That is the good news, accept Christ and believe for redemption has taken place.
    There is no hope for the world.  Sin is here and will remain until the new heavens and new earth are created.  Education programs will not help nor eradicate sin.  Housing programs will not help for they are like a bandaid placed on a sore that quickly falls off.  Food programs are good, but they will not stop sin.  Vaccines–ha, there is no vaccine against sin.  The only hope is to accept Jesus and be ready for Him when He comes or when you take your last breath.
    Too many people, including Christians, are looking for cures in the world while the world belongs to the devil.  The world is cloaked in sin.  We should be looking for the coming of the Lord while going about our daily duties for Him.  We should be “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God…” (2 Peter 3:12, NKJV)
    I have borrowed many thoughts from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, so let me leave you with the following words by him:

         “I suggest to you that, in the midst of the darkness and the confusion and the uncertainty of this modern world, if you want rest, if you want peace, if you want quietness of heart, you will not find it by trusting to ideas as to the reformation of this world, for these are all being falsified before your eyes.  No, you will find peace only there where you will find this assurance that whatever may happen to you in this world of time, nothing, nothing, shall be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord and the glory of being with Him for ever and ever.”

Learn to see what you are looking at.”
              –Louis L’Amour (The Cherokee Trail)

    “Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world.”
              –1 John 4:1 (Amplified)
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Richard Lindsay, a voice I respect and trust, wrote a good synopsis regarding prophecy and prophets on Facebook.  If you can grab hold of it, do so.  But I want to echo some of what he said, and add some to it.  I am not going to repeat what he has said, except where it fits in my thoughts.
    In recent weeks and months there has been much clamor in churches and in the media regarding prophecies.  Some of it was true, time will tell, some of it was misguided, and some outright bogus.  First of all, let me say that I believe there is the office of the prophet in the New Testament church.  This is clear in Ephesians 4:11-12.  The purpose of the office is to equip and edify the church.  
    We often have the wrong idea of the role and function of a prophet.  Prophecy is simply “telling the truth.”  In that definition I would hope and pray that each Sunday when the message is pronounced from the sacred desk that the minister is in a sense giving forth prophecy–telling the truth.  A prophet is not a soothsayer, nor a medium with the spirits.  He speaks for the truth.  Most of it is for the current day, some may be for the future.  Let me, at this point, pass on some of the words from Richard Lindsay.

         “There are several classes of ‘prophets’ within the gathering of believers.  There are the genuine speakers of prophetic words from God Himself that serve to strengthen, guide and direct the body.  There are categorically identifiable false prophets who have malicious motives with what they say, claiming to be the voice of God.  There are wannabe prophets who think the office of Prophet is something to be sought after, but clearly are not called of God to prophesy.  Then there are prophets who may have heard something or other from God and in their exuberance to inspire, added elements of their own making to the ‘prophecy.'”

    God does not want us to be confused.  Check all prophecy, first of all against the Scriptures.  If any part of it is contrary to what the Word of God says, discard it immediately.  Second, and this is the hard part–wait.  Much futuristic prophecy has a waiting period.  How long the wait?  We are still waiting for much of the biblical prophecy to come to pass.
    One more thought, or question:  Does prophecy always come to pass?  Hmmm, I believe there is an “if clause.”  Let me give you two examples.  God came down to visit the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to see whether He should destroy them or not.  Now, there is much to say about these verses (Genesis 18-19) but He does tell Abraham that He will not destroy it if there are only ten righteous people living there.  Think of that–ten!  Will judgment fall upon America?  In some ways it already is happening, in other ways, it might depend upon how many righteous are living here.  With that, if the Rapture would occur tomorrow, how many righteous would there be?
    A second example is found in Jonah 3:4, “Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, ‘Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.'” (NASB) Nothing was said by Jonah about repentance.  However, the people repented, God heard their cry and did not destroy the city.  In my mind there is the “if clause” of repentance.  God had compassion because of their repentance.
    Do not disregard the voice of a prophet, however, be much in discernment over what they say.  Not only their words, but the prophet themselves.  What I have seen in studying the scriptures and those I have witnessed in my life who were “prophets” is that they are humble people.  They did not choose to be a prophet, but did so at the calling of God.  So don’t heed every voice that cries, “Thus says the Lord.”  Know the Scripture, be full of the Holy Spirit, then you will not jump to conclusions and you will know the true Word of God.

I was always told to look hard at what you can see, but harder at what you can’t see.”
              –David W. Bailey  (Jericho James)

       “And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?'”
              –Luke 24:38 (NKJV)
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Don’t let one event overwhelm you, or let one day dictate your life.  When you do that you are saying that circumstances control your life.  A failure or victory does not say who you are in the long haul of life.  Let me draw your attention to the last verse of that great hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” written by T.O. Chisholm.

         “Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
          Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
          Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
          Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!”

    God is with you, therefore, there is peace for this day.  Jesus even tells us not to worry about tomorrow, that there is trouble enough for today (Matthew 6:34).  However, in regard to tomorrow, have hope for He will be with you as you enter a new day.  When we believe in God we are not becoming people of renown faith, but rather we are grasping hold of His faithfulness to us.  We are certain of Him!
    We are not to let life overwhelm us.  It seems that is the lot of many, “Woe is me.”  This is not proper in the life of a Christian.  Instead we are to face life holding on to His hand.  Part of our problem is that we look at the events of this life rather than looking at things with eternity in view.  This world is transitory.  Everyone is only passing through this life on the way to eternity.  Everyone!
    As believers in Jesus Christ, we are but strangers here.  Pilgrims moving on to a heavenly city where we will spend eternity.  Lloyd-Jones writes, “Life in this world can only be viewed truly in the light of the next world…  Whether we like it or not, life itself has a way of forcing us all to consider what lies beyond it.”  This is not escapism, but a real way to look at our lives.  Things that come our way can make us either bitter or better.  
    Lloyd-Jones says, “The most important thing for us to concentrate on is the life of the soul.”  Since life is uncertain, since there are calamities, accidents, disease and pestilence, terror and war, we have to realize that it is the soul that is important.  The soul goes on and on and on…  Concentrate, therefore on the inner life, the life of the soul.  Maybe we spend too much time looking at the evil side of the world.  Look at how the media is focused on the negativity, the wickedness, and the sordid.  Perhaps we should be looking forward to our new home.

         “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”  –Psalm 23:6

Heaven, the place where God dwells, the place where Jesus went to prepare a place for us.  Heaven, the home of the soul that is born-again.  In the midst of the political whims of the bureaucrats get a view of your new home–heaven.  Look at the news and we can become alarmed.  Disappointment is sure to come if we look to the world for answers.  Happiness and joy is only but fleeting if we depend upon material things.  But our home is in heaven.  Because of that we can live this life with joy unspeakable.  Hmmm, I wonder if the Lord, being a carpenter and is building my home, uses golden nails?