Dearly beloved in Jesus Christ our Lord.

As we look around us we see that Our nowadays world is very much like it was in the “days of Noah,” where in “the earth was filled with violence,” Sin has multiplied and exceeded any time in the past.. Doesn’t that sound familiar?  Therefore, God will soon pronounce judgment on the world.

God warned man in the past: He said “My Spirit shall not always strive with man…I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy” (Genesis 6:3 and 7:4) But man did not listen --- and he does not listen now.

Thousands of years after that had passed when Jesus the Lord said, “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage… and Knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so also will the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:38-39).

In Noah’s days, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth” (Genesis 6:5). The flood came, and destroyed them all except for those who were sheltered with Noah inside the ark. Then, there was no other hope for man to escape the wrath of God. It was too late.

Is it different nowadays? Now, two thousand years more have passed since our Lord Jesus said these words and the atrocities of man are still committed each day. God sees them all and His judgment shall come one day, and the world will be taken all of a sudden as in a great surprise exactly as it was in Noah’s days. But only those who would be sheltered with the blessed Savior would escape.

Wars and rumors of wars, horrible as they are, wouldn’t be but preliminaries to what would have to come ahead. It will not be a great flood as in Noah’s days, but far more worse; the “…great tribulation, such as has never been since the beginning of the world, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

The Man of Calvary, the Gracious Savior shall come again, but with glory, power and majesty of His Godhead, to judge the living and the dead… Wise men realize these times. For there will be “….Upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the see and the waves roaring (like in Tsunamis) men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on earth” (Luke 21:25-26).

Notice the most privileged nations have become so materialistic and pleasure-loving that they act in all aspects as if God’s existence meant nothing to them… God gave man a mind, but unfortunately, man is using it against God’s existence. And today, even more than ever, man invents more diabolical weapons to annihilate his fellowman!

However, God who said to Cain, the killer of his brother Abel: “the voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground”  (Gen 4:10) shall  punish the world as Isaiah the prophet says  “I will punish the world for their evil” (Isaiah 13:11). And until that moment, Jesus the crucified remains the only ONE through whom man can escape the wrath of God: “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

Many are those who ask, “Why is heaven silent in view of all the evil that is happening?”  Others ask, “What in the world is going to happen next, or what does the future hold???”  In answer I say people should be thankful that heaven has not yet acted but it will answer to the evil around us, and when it does, it will be terrifying beyond any human imagination and expectation. The present relative silence of heaven, if we may so call it is another evidence of God’s patience and desire that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Of course, Heaven’s silence is not absolute for from time to time, there had been reminders from God about His displeasure with man’s sin. This has been in the form of tornadoes and tsunamis, floods and fires famines and diseases, earthquakes and pestilences,, and other catastrophic events that Man should be reminded of a greater power than his, and that God, the Almighty still rules in the kingdom of men as prophet Daniel says in 4:17 :”that, The  living might know that the Lord is the Most High over the kingdom of man.”  However, we do live in the age of grace, the age where God still calls: “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (Mathew 11:28). In spite of the exceeding sinfulness of our time, and the disgusting disregard to God’s rights, God still does not desire that anyone perishes but that all should come to repentance. This door of grace which still is opened however will suddenly be shut out, and the unprecedented tribulation will fall from heaven on this earth and its dwellers. This will happen when the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a mighty shout and with the soul-stirring cry of the archangel and the great trumpet-call of God. And the believers who are dead will be the first to rise to meet the Lord. Then we who shall  remain alive shall be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air to remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with this news. (1 Thessalonians  4:13-18.

When is all this going to happen?

Well, we  know  that no one knows when that day shall come. However it shall come unexpectedly like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “All is well, everything is quiet and peaceful” – then, all of a sudden, disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman experiences pain at the time of her delivery…At that time people will not be able to get away anywhere  because– there will be no place for them to hide. (1Thessalonians 5:1-3).

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ: you are not supposed to be in the dark about these things which are to come. You have to be prepared that you may not be surprised when the day of the Lord comes. For you all are the children of the light. Your are the children of the day, and you do not belong to the darkness of the night. So you should be awake and not asleep. You have to watch for His Second coming and stay alert. “The night is far spent, and the day is at hand, therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). Let us put on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with Him. So let us encourage each other to build each other up, just as you are already doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-11).

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, which walks about, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him and be  steadfast in the faith. (1Peter 5: 8,9).

Dear Brethrens, warn those who are lazy; comfort those who are frightened; take tender care of those who are weak; and be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil to evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  (1 Thessalonians 5:14-18).

Meanwhile, we are to care for the salvation of souls, while we ourselves are living a holy life.

THINE IS THE POWER AND THE GLORY, THE BLESSINGS AND THE MAJESTY O GOD FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN.

                                       Elen Saleh