God's Textbook

Man has plumbed the depths of the oceans, climbed the highest mountains, journeyed across vast continents, and soared into the heavens landing on the moon in a search for treasure, excitement, fame and glory. But no journey, no trek, no search is so exciting, so thrilling, so dangerous, or so ultimately rewarding as the adventure that lies hidden between the covers of the Bible.

As we enter our biblical journey, God displays his creation of the heavens and the earth. And later, how the round rotating sphere of the earth revolves around the sun. He reveals the plates that protect its surface, the springs and trenches that reside in the depths of its seas, and the great rivers that flow through its oceans.

As we progress on our biblical journey, God shows us his creation of man. Eventually He becomes so repulsed at the evil of man that, finally, he brings forth a flood so mighty that it swamps the earth. He brings men and nations to power and brings them down again. He brings worldwide ruling empires forth from the pages of the Bible, marches them across the breadth of the earth, and then retires them to the dusty pages of history books in a mighty demonstration of his incredible power.

Then, in the most shining moment of all our yesterdays and all our tomorrows, God dispenses himself of his godly form and is born as a human being. This is so that during our trek through life, he can come to us on a personal level, one of us, face to face, so that he might tell us of his kingdom, and offer us the opportunity to enter into its eternal life. In the most selfless act of all time, He, who was without sin, was offered as a sacrifice in the most humiliating and excruciatingly painful death imaginable so that we who are guilty are cleansed of sin. Thus, we might have entrance into eternal life in his glorious kingdom.

But now, as the time of the end draws near, our journey grows ever more perilous, infinitely more dangerous as prophecies spill forth from the pages of the Bible to form a nightmarish reality. Rather than a peaceful world, now that communism has collapsed, our journey to win the eternal prize will encounter an increasing number and intensity of wars, famines, pestilence, and natural disasters.

We will face not a new world, but several major world wars. The first war will use weapons of a chemical nature that will inflict excruciating pain. Then next, a war that will kill a third of the people on the earth. After that, an evil empire will arise and rule the entire world, dominating every people, language, tribe, and nation. Then, the earth and the heavens will shake, the sun will turn dark, and the moon will become as blood as nations join in a battle so ferocious that the world will be literally set aflame.

No greater drama has ever been written than that which takes place in the Bible from the creation of the world to its flooding. God has brought forth people, nations, and empires only to retire them to history. Then, he brought forth his Son to take away the sin of the world.

Now the final perilous stages are upon us, with more intense suffering to come than man has ever before experienced. But, withal, we need not travel through these remaining prophetic years alone. We can take comfort in God's word,

"Even though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, "Psalms 23:4, and "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you," Hebrews 13:5

For those who persevere through to the end of life's biblical journey, there is a reward that makes insignificant all earthly prizes of wealth, power, and fame. The scriptures says,

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him- . . . ."-- I Cor.2:9