Signs of the End Times? Traveling Here and There and the Increase of Knowledge

By Dianne E. Butts –

Did you ever think people traveling everywhere would be a sign of the End Times? It was about 2,500 years ago when God’s prophet, Daniel, received and wrote down the vision from God of the End Times. Toward the end of the vision, Daniel was told:

“But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge” (Daniel 12:4).

Now, frankly I have to admit that my gut tells me that phrase, “Many will go here and there” might not actually mean traveling around. To me, that doesn’t make sense in the context. But since I have yet to figure out what it does mean, let’s take it at face value for now.

Think about this: In Daniel’s time the only modes of transportation were by foot, by animal—including horses and camels—or by boat. Not long ago, it was rare for people to travel much beyond their own communities.

Today think of all the modes of transportation we have. Cars, motorcycles, and other motorized contraptions. Airplanes. Trains. Subway. Large ships and small boats. Even the space shuttle. Unless someone is about to invent the Star Trek “Transporter,” and I really don’t think that one’s possible, except for variations on what already exists such as car motors that run on different types of fuels, I can’t imagine many more modes of transportation humans might invent. But then, I’m sure Daniel couldn’t have imagined some of the modes of transportation we have now. So maybe there are some more coming down the pike before the End Times.

Also, the end of that sentence to Daniel states people would be going here and there “to increase knowledge.” Since computers and the internet have come on the scene and become used among the general population—which was, what, just since the 1980s?—knowledge has increased exponentially. We are said to be in the “information age.” We can jump on the “information super highway” just about any time we want, even through the phones we now carry in our pockets everywhere we go…as we’re going here and there.

According to the booklet 101 Last Days Prophecies by Eternal Productions, “Today we are witnessing an explosion of available knowledge. With the advent of the internet, it is estimated that our cumulative knowledge is doubling every five years” (p. 6).

And yet, “knowledge” is not going to help mankind at all. It is the knowledge of God that mankind needs to possess. In the Bible, Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Our ability to travel, the information available, and the increase in knowledge are incredible developments unlike anything we’ve seen in our human history books.

What do you think? Are these fulfillments of the prophecy in Daniel? And are they, therefore, signs we are in the End Times?

Fan into Flames

By Jennifer Slattery –

When we lived in Southern California, a massive fire ravished the San Gabriel Mountains, destroying 1,000 homes and forcing many to evacuate. Rumor had it the fire was started by a cigarette casually flicked. Others said the fire was started by an arsonist. Regardless the source, the initial spark turned exponential until it devoured 90,000 acres, becoming the largest fire San Bernardino County had ever seen.

Fire is a powerful thing. When fed, it grows to unquenchable proportions, its heat radiating for miles. We’ve all heard stories of raging forest fires started by a single match. I’m sure we’ve also all experienced the frustration of trying to set kindling ablaze.

I’ve been on a handful camping trips, and try as I might, I can barely ignite a few measly twigs. I’ll use matches, gasoline and crumpled paper. I’ll blow and fan the air. I’ve tried leaves and straw, which initially catches only to smolder into a puff of black smoke. What’s the difference between my efforts and the 2004 forest fire that raged through Southern California?

Both started with a spark, yet one grew while the other dwindled. The difference, I believe, is the forest was ripe, ready to combust. We’d had little water and intense heat, so it didn’t take much to set the trees ablaze. Then came the wind, fueling the flames with a steady supply of oxygen until the entire forest blazed.

This image came to mind when I read 2 Timothy 1:6. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (NIV).

Paul tells Timothy to “fan into flames” the spiritual gift God gave him.

In essence, Paul was saying, “Lay it all on the line, Timothy. Don’t let anything hold you back from full surrender. When others pull away, step up. Burn like a wildfire!”

Note, he wrote this letter to Timothy, a man Paul loved like a son, from a prison cell. During a time of extreme persecution, when many might’ve been tempted to slip into hiding, Paul told Timothy to step it up.

I believe God is calling us to do the same. If we’ve accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we’ve got the spark of the Holy Spirit burning within us. But our heart is much like the trees in a forest. We share the same flame, but some trees are more combustible than others. Some are doused in flame-retardants—sin, distractions, and all those temporary fillers that steal our time and dull our hearts—others are ready to ignite.

What’s your heart like? Is it prepared to be set on fire or have you allowed it to smolder? If the latter is true, will you fan your heart and your gifts into flames?

Each time we draw near to God, each time we dig into His Word and spend time in heart-felt prayer, each time we use the gifts He gives to serve others, our flame grows. Every time we squelch our flame with sin, selfishness, and those temporary fillers that distract us from our true need, our tiny flame smolders.

The match is lit. Let it burn, my friend!

Let’s talk about this.

I’d love to hear from you. What do you think it means to fan our spiritual gifts into flames? What are some practical steps we can take to ignite our passion for Christ? What can threaten to “douse” our passion?

Fine Lines—Just Walk ‘Em

By Lori Freeland –

This week I found myself thinking a lot about fine lines. While walking a fine line is a tired cliché, the words paint a clear picture that fits with my current mindset. Imagine a child following a thin shadow line down the sidewalk step by careful step, a little wobbly, yet just making that next move forward one small shoe at a time.

Here are a few of my fine lines. Can you relate?

Trust myself. Yes, I need advice. On many topics. Being a kind wife and a focused mother, keeping strong finances, crafting an engaging story, and editing and tightening my articles. Other people ahead in the journey offer wisdom I haven’t gained and skills I haven’t mastered. But I need to listen with my ears open and decide with my heart closed. I can seek out opinions and that’s what I’m going to get—opinions. There may be a small percentage of truth in even the worst advice and I try to find it. But then I need to come back home, close the door, and sift through the information alone. In my heart, I will find what’s right for me.

Love my work. For me it’s my writing. If I’m not madly in love with my story, why should anyone else be? But I can’t love it so much I close my ears to solid advice. That’s a fine line if I ever saw one! Love it, but let it go. Still working that one out!

Release my children. No, not into the wild, but my natural inclination to yell “duck and cover,” throw my body over my kids, and protect them from the world may not be the best plan to grow them into the people I want them to be. The statement, “This hurts me more than it hurts you,” finally makes sense now that I’m striding in my mother’s slippers. When my kids hurt, I ache. I’d do anything for my little and not so little people. But that may damage them the most. Failure is the first step to success. And to endurance. Real life requires both.

Set myself apart. As a Christian, I am to be different. Set apart. A light in the dark. But if I lock myself in a brightly lit room, how will I know if my light is on? I need to step into the dark and check my batteries. I also need to remember the point of my light isn’t to clear the room; it’s to provide a safe warm place for people to come together and support each other. I need to remember, “But the greatest of these is LOVE” (I Cor. 13:13 NIV emphasis mine). But means stop and go the other direction. I can sit and judge others all day. I’m not winning anyone to Christ that way. Relationship over ranting. I can do that one!

What fine lines are you walking today? Leave a comment and share!

She is a…a…Sinner!

By Kathi Woodall –

“Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is–that she is a sinner’” (Luke 7:36-39 NIV).

This story from Luke’s gospel reminds me of three different groups of people in this world.

The first group sits inside the church and thinks, “This is a good place to be. I’m comfortable here. How dare anyone come in here with their alcoholism, or drug abuse, or divorce, or this, or that.” So they sit, inside, thinking.

The second group sits outside the church and wonders, “What’s going on in there? Something is missing in my life and something deep within me thinks the church might be able to help. But I can’t go in because of my alcoholism, or drug abuse, or divorce, or this, or that.” So they sit, outside, wondering.

The third group kneels at the feet of Jesus and doesn’t think or wonder about anything. They don’t have to because their actions speak more than their words ever could. They have come face-to-face with their own depravity and recognized their inability to overcome it. Tears stream down their faces and land on the feet of Jesus. Each tear cries out, “Take my alcoholism, my drug abuse, my divorce, my lying, my stealing, my anger, my indifference, my vulgarity, my…” So they kneel, at His feet, forgiven.

This third group is much like the woman at the feet of Jesus. He says of her and to her, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 7:47-48 NIV). The third group of people knows these words weren’t just meant for the women alone but for all who kneel at Jesus’ feet and accept His gift of forgiveness.

The tender moment of forgiveness may have made a great ending to the story, but the story is not done. The third group of people doesn’t just sit there, continuing to weep and lament over their sins. With the glory and the beauty of their encounter with Christ ever forefront in their minds, they rise up and leave the home of the Pharisee. Each one goes to a different place where Christ has told them to go. Each one has a unique job for the kingdom. But they all go, and they go in peace.

“Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace’” (Luke 7:50 NIV).

Not Going Anywhere?

By Janet Morris Grimes –

Stuck. Drifting aimlessly. Going nowhere fast. Maybe going nowhere at all. Three steps forward. Two steps back. Or is it four?

And since I am stuck, accomplishing nothing, I take a look around. I no longer recognize my surroundings. How did I get here? And where is ‘here,’ anyway? Is this even the right path? Am I lost? And if so, why am I the last to realize it?

I am supposed to be somewhere. Somewhere else. Anywhere else. Accomplishing something. I am sure of it.

But I am here. Stuck. Is it getting darker? What’s that animal noise I hear in the distance? Oh wait, it’s getting closer. I should run. But where? And to whom?

How did this get to be my journey? And why am I having to travel this road, wherever it is, alone?

Stuck. I hate that feeling. Mainly because I might be the one to blame.

By following the same patterns that led me to that place, to this place, I end up with the same results. My current surroundings frighten me, so I go back. Like the Hebrews, yearning for a past where they knew what to expect. But their past required them to be a slave. They overlooked that part in their flight from the unknown.

Perhaps that’s why their journey took 40 years instead of 40 days. Two steps forward. Three steps back. I’m certain that’s not the way God mapped the rescue effort.

They were unwilling participants in their own rescue.

They were stuck. Shame on them. Shame on me.

As it turns out, the Hebrews and I aren’t the only ones who suffer with this problem.

The disciples wandered a bit as well. They doubted. They fought among themselves to be the favorite. They thought like humans, instead of like the spiritual beings Jesus was developing them into.

They bumbled around, like me, the last to figure out what was happening to them.

Bless their hearts.

It is through this bumbling around that we can learn from them. How not to do what they did. Or rather, how to do what they ended up doing. They learned. Eventually.

In John, Chapter 6, the story is told in this way. “Later that evening, the disciples walked down to the sea, boarded a boat and set sail toward Capernaum. Twilight gave way to darkness. Jesus had not yet joined them. Suddenly, the waves rose and a fierce wind began to rock the boat. After rowing three or four miles through the stormy seas, they spotted Jesus approaching the boat walking mysteriously on the deep waters that surrounded them. “I am the One. Don’t be afraid.” Jesus spoke to the disciples.

“They welcomed Jesus aboard their small vessel, and when he stepped into the boat, the next thing they knew, they had reached their destination” (John 6:16-21 The Voice New Testament).

Perhaps they should have invited Jesus into their vessel much earlier in the story. That had to be a long and exhausting three or four miles of boat-rowing.

Maybe that’s what’s missing when we are stuck. Not going anywhere.

We need to welcome Jesus into our vessels much earlier in our journeys.

Or better yet, never leave home without Him.

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