The Bridge is Out

“And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.”  Genesis 19:14

 

Imagine that you are driving in a rural portion of the United States, perhaps near Cut Bank, Montana.  There you see a car in the distance, a mile or so ahead on the road.  You are slowly gaining on the vehicle and as the car is in your sight, suddenly it just disappears!

 

You look over at your passenger, to ask if they just saw where that car went, but they weren’t paying attention.  Perhaps, if you are like me, you have actually heard some stories of bridges out and someone trying to warn people as car after car goes over the edge.  Now you are watching the road carefully, ready for whatever may be up ahead (Matthew 24:42-44) and you start to cautiously slow down, taking heed (Matthew 24:4), as a bridge comes into view…

 

For most, this is going to be a situation that will never happen.  Though probably a large percentage of our fellow mankind will have one story or another of how they were ‘almost’ in the wrong spot or barely averted some sort of disastrous situation, perhaps sometimes for a reason (Hebrews 1:14)???

 

What happens when a warning can be given regarding a future problem and no one listens.  There are those stories too!  A ‘smell’ of smoke and a blown fuse, no problem seen, an hour or so thereafter and the whole house is on fire, with us not at home and the neighbors asleep!  A warning not heeded, one that I can attest to first hand, as it happened to my family around 20 years ago.

 

Yet prior to that there had been a fuse that had kept blowing (this was a rental with five units, a converted older home), a sign even prior to this final warning where the fuse would not turn back on this time.  You might add, what was the excuse for the smoke smell? 

 

Well the smoke wasn’t seen (it was in the attic, smoldering electrical wires, perhaps from a squirrel that was known to be able to access the attic), it was late at night, around 11:30pm, the neighbors had just lit there fireplace across the street, with smoke billowing into the air.  Still not an explanation for the fuse not turning back on inside the house.  God had foreknowledge, for just two weeks prior it had been on my mind to increase our renter’s insurance, which was done.

 

There are other times, one where I warned a county in Michigan that there was this section of highway that was ‘no passing’, but the lines were painted as if it was a ‘passing zone’.  I waited for about a month, driving often through that area, but finally someone fixed it. 

 

Well the Bible clearly gives warnings, fulfilled prophecies providing the proof that unfulfilled prophecies will also be fulfilled, as well as clear guidance for how each individual can inherit Salvation by repenting towards God and by faith believing into Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (Acts 20:21).  Very few actually take that warning seriously or their precarious situation (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30-31), though most will ponder their eternal destination as some point during their lifespan here under the sun (Ecclesiastes 4:15).

 

For quite some time All Will Stand’s ministry has been often used by God to warn people that ‘the bridge is out’ up ahead.  To tell people to be watching and ready, warning that each individual will stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment and that if their names are not written in the Book of Life they will be cast into Hell for all eternity…serious things.

 

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief comes, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be dug through.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an hour you do not expect.”  Matthew 24:42-44

 

“And the devil, who led them astray, was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away. And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, out of the things which were written in the books.  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one, according to their works.  And Death and Hades were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.”  Revelation 20:10-15

 

The problem is when a person has a legitimate reason for concern, essentially someone who is watching and ready, not knowing for sure, but simply warning others that their current trajectory appears to lead to disaster and people are not willing to listen. 

 

Ever since I was younger and became aware of such a thing as the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Antichrist, the mark of the beast, these things were always interesting to me.  Though it wasn’t until around the year 2000 that I began to understand these things and then it would take studying to ascertain what was the correct take on the Rapture, pre, post or mid, eventually settling that it was certainly a pretrib Rapture.

 

As time went on, I would study topic after topic in the Bible, sometimes the topic might include an end-times scenario, though I became satisfied just understanding the basics:

 

Rapture – Tribulation (Antichrist in power, mark of the beast, Armageddon) – Second Coming – Millennial Reign (1,000 years)

 

I used to look at these fancy timelines that had been made that would show the three sets of judgments.  I pondered much on how the mark of the beast would work (looked into the ‘grain-sized’ implantable chips that was popular on forum boards in the early 2000’s), wondered if the Antichrist was about ready to be unveiled, pondered and took seriously that the Rapture could happen at any instant (1 Corinthians 15:52). 

 

I watched the European Union get setup in power, their new currency (that actually had one where a ‘woman was riding the beast’ (Revelation 17:7)), starting with 10 nations.  Exciting times, back then there was a lot of talk about being ready, watching, debate, preaching, conversations amongst friends, a frenzy with even the unsaved staying away from things like digital fingerprinting, not due to reverence to God, but fear that His Word might be true!

 

People spoke of the peace deal with Israel brokered by former President Bill Clinton.  Some thought that we were already in the Tribulation, some didn’t know.  There was discussion, people were ready, but 2000 came and went, some held on (“perhaps it started and 2007 the Lord will come?”…they stated), others began to see 2005 as the start of the Tribulation with 2012 (Mayan calendar) being the end.  In fact many somehow just assumed when 2000 came and went that it was now for sure 2012, December 21st to be exact.  Then that came and went.

 

The other day I was thinking about the blood moon prophecies that were popular back just after that time period, in 2013 and 2014.  That was one that had my interest as well, this ‘tetrad’.  Though I recall looking up and finding out that not all of these events were visible in Israel and scratching my head how then it would still matter.  (If anyone pays attention, there are a bit more than usual lunar events, visible in Israel in 2028 and 2029, which with their calendars are always landing on holy days.)

 

So there were some that held on to this notion, that I also found interesting, a wait and see scenario, but nonetheless, the Bible had simply said to be watching and ready, we wouldn’t really be able to actually guess such a date, would we?

 

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  Luke 12:40

 

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, but My Father only.”  Matthew 24:36

 

Yet Israel being back in their own land, a nation again (Ezekiel 37) is a sure sign to be watching and ready, we have other things also are stated as warning signs:

 

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”  Matthew 24:36

 

“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even in the same way will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”  Luke 17:28-30

 

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near; at the doors.  Truly, I say to you, This generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”  Mark 13:28-31

 

Then years passed and finally the Lord led me and another to actually write a book, The End, that spoke about these things that will eventually come to pass and that required A LOT of studying (Acts 17:11). 

 

You see my interest never waned when someone pointed out something like the blood moons, a peace deal with Clinton, the EU, or other things that didn’t come to pass.  Even the ‘implantable’ chip that here 20 years later has not become popularized in our culture, with the exception of people chipping their pets, this didn’t diminish my interest or belief in what God had stated will come to pass, in His own timeframe. 

 

Yet what is disappointing is trying to warn people, as most gave up quite some time ago (2 Peter 3:3-4).  Knowing these things and seeing the writing on the wall about what appears to be able to happen at any instant is quite mind-boggling, especially when the FAR VAST MAJORITY of people have only a very small interest or no interest whatsoever!

 

Imagine knowing that nothing else needs to take place, prophetically speaking, the world is simply waiting for the ‘starting gun’ of the Rapture, but seeing, as the Lord tarries, the world literally preparing for all of these things that are prophetically spoken to happen during the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7) and no one listening!

 

Having the knowledge, but unable to effectively warn most!

 

“For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”  Ecclesiastes 1:18

 

Perhaps, Lord willing, in the near future, some of these things will be discussed, explained and if you are able to bear them, you will see that a trap is being set all around you, the prison walls are going up, the ‘nowhere to run’ world is getting ready and the watchmen are nearly absent, with those whom they do shout out to not paying attention, including pastors and others who name the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

 

The bridge up ahead shows signs that it could go out nearly any second, are you watching and ready so that you are not left behind with a pile of wreckage?

 

I might doubt the timing being so soon, if people were actually hastening to preaching like this, for in them largely ignoring such warnings, they are just putting a little more emphasis on the seriousness of each individual in Christ, being found watching and ready for His appearing (2nd Timothy 4:1; 1st Thessalonians 4:17).

 

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, slanderers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good,  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.”  2nd Timothy 3:1-5

 

 

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own lusts, desiring to hear pleasant things, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to myths.”  2nd Timothy 4:3-4

 

Amen!