Prepare Your Luggage

I want to star today asking a question. How many of you have ever traveled? Let’s think about this for a moment, let’s think about all of those times that we have traveled in our vacation. What is the first thing that we do before we travel? The first thing we do is chose where we want to go, correct? After we choose we then begin to plan out what we want to do, what we want to see, and the places that we want to visit. Immediately thereafter, we make the hotel reservations, and we buy our airline tickets and so forth. These are things that we often do with plenty of time before the trip, and we do it because we want that our stay in the destination that we have chosen will be something pleasurable and comforting. But, what other thing must we do prior to our trip that will ensure our comfort? The thing that we must do is pack our luggage. Depending on how long our stay out of our home will be, will determine how much stuff we will pack. That is, unless you are like my family, that for just one week we almost have to rent a moving truck for the luggage. We even take the pots and pans from the kitchen. We pack everything that we think that we will need, in other words, the essentials, and a few more as well. This is exactly what I would like to speak to you about today, today I want us to determine how well packed are we for the trip. What trip am I talking about? Let’s now turn to the Word of God.

Luke 17:26-36 – And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 32Remember Lot's wife. 33Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 34I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Why did I choose these verses? I don’t know how many of you here have been paying attention to the events that have been unfolding in the Middle East and around the world in general, but I can tell you that in the last two or three weeks, I have received a large number of emails from people that are very worried and alarmed with the things that are happening in Israel. Although the correspondence was generated by people from different parts of the world that do not know each other, they all had something in common. The common denominator in all of them was that they all wanted to know if the things that are transgressing are a sign of the end times. Many are very preoccupied with this because based on current events and news, it is easy to appreciate that on a daily basis new enemies of Israel surface that only desire to see it completely destroyed. The reality of it all is that most if not all of the Arab countries want the nation of Israel to cease existing, while the majority of the countries en Europe offer absolutely no help what so ever, and all they do is criticize and condemn the actions of a nation that is only seeking to protect and defend its citizens. Part of this preoccupation also comes from the fact that there are some people out there that are declaring that all of these events are the beginning of the third world war. But there are also some that state that based on the number of nations that are at war with each other, we are already in the middle of the third world war. Now, before we proceed with our study today I want to make something very clear. Today we are going to be dealing with a very serious problem that with frequency alarms a vast majority of the people; I say this because today we are going to be dealing with prophecy. Therefore, I want it to be very clear that what we will be covering today is only a very brief study of the end time prophecies. The reality of it all is that I am NOT a prophet, NOR am I a great theologian, but as I have said on other occasions, I can read.