J.E. Solinski
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
  • About
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • My Favs!

Earthquakes and . . .

2/11/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
The devastating earthquake in Turkey this past week is just another reminder that we live in a fallen world AND that we are ever closer to Christ’s second coming.

Matthew 24:6-8 states: You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.


Studies have shown that earthquakes have definitely increased not just over the past 100 years, but exponentially over the past 10 years. (Science News)

Likewise, though major world wars and conflicts seem to have decreased over the past 100 years, internal conflicts and unrest are on the rise. (Vision of Humanity)

And despite the increase in world aid, increased population coupled with natural disaster or political conflict have produced six major famines in the last 100 years. (Global Citizen)

Matthew 24 has way too much to unpack in a short blog as it deals with not only wars and natural disasters but also the rise of false claims to be the Messiah. However, as always, the main point is not that complicated. Things will grow worse. And Christ will return.

Therefore, we need to be ready for that return, and we need to have a compassionate heart for a hurting world by not only meeting the physical and emotional needs but also the spiritual needs of which the only remedy is a personal relationship with the Savior of the world—Jesus.

0 Comments

The Clock is Ticking . . .

7/10/2021

2 Comments

 
Picture
I am by no means a biblical scholar, especially in the area of prophecy, but I am told to be aware of the signs of the end times so as to not be deceived (Matthew 24:4).

And although no one knows the hour or the day of Christ’s return (Matt. 24:36-41; I Thes. 5:1-3; 2 Peters 3:10; Rev. 3:3), we always have to remember that each passing day brings his return closer. Yes, I realize I am being Captain Obvious here, but a few things have happened and are happening to ever remind us that that day is getting closer and closer.

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (I Thes.  4:16-18).

First of all, I am a believer of a pre-tribulation rapture, that God will remove his church before the tribulation begins, saving his followers from the wrath to come. So the question that is always on one’s mind is—how will the world explain away the disappearance of so many people from the earth? (Hopefully, it will be a lot of people.) Good question.

One theory has always been an alien abduction. Yeah right. Like who would believe that? However, UFOs are suddenly back in the news and now with the government’s willingness to share information that they had previously held close to the vest. (See article from the NY Times below if you are interested.) So could alien abduction be plausible to many in the future? Perhaps.

Once the church is raptured, so much more is to happen, too much to discuss here, but these past years have marched us ever closer to social acceptance of the mark of the beast.

“And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17).

The technology is already in place; some businesses have already experimented with allowing their coworkers to opt for a chip (in one of those two locations) to purchase in-company; and just this past year, when the mask mandates were being lifted for those vaccinated, one official, when asked how one would know if the person walking through the door was vaccinated, innocently replied something like, “You wouldn’t unless it was marked on their forehead.”

There are many other events, attitudes, and changes in social norms that prove we are hurtling toward those final events which are primarily mentioned in Daniel and Revelation.

For the Christian this can be disheartening, exciting, and mobilizing. Disheartening to see the world moving away from God at an alarming speed; exciting in that the rapture of the church is imminent; but mobilizing in that non-believers will have to live through the tribulation. It is, therefore, important that we share the good news of God’s salvation and rescue now more than ever.

www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/us/ufos-report.html

2 Comments

Refocus . . .

5/2/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11).

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:25).

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires (Peter 3:3; Jude 1:18).

It is at times like these––when fear and the unknown rip through the world; when nature seems out of control; when factions are at complete odds with each other; when right and wrong are turned on their head––that many people wonder if the world is coming to an end. Are the end times foretold of in the Bible near? The answer . . . ?

Who knows. 

For as Matthew 24:36 says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

But we do know this. That every generation has had reason to believe that Christ’s return might be during their time, such as those who lived during . . .

. . . the Black Plague of the 14th century.
. . . World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.
. . . the rise and atrocities of Hitler.
. . . the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
. . . the earthquakes and tsunamis, human rights atrocities, and now this pandemic. 

And like every successive generation, we too have reason to believe that the end times are near, and it is definitely closer, for today there are ways to insert information into both the hand and the forehead, and the rationale for a cashless society is justifiable, both of which would facilitate the realization of the prophecy of Revelation 13. The perceived need for a world leader is getting stronger (Revelation 13). The Russia/Iran alliance spoken of in Ezekiel 38-39 is moving forward. Through technology we now see how the entire world can hear the gospel and watch the two witnesses killed and resurrected in Jerusalem (Revelation 11). And the ID2020 initiative to number everyone in the world is underway.

And yet while all of this is disturbing or enlightening (depending on what you believe or don’t believe), I was reminded during a family discussion not long ago that the when of Christ’s return is not our primary concern. That time will come when it comes.

However, times like these are to remind us that the time of His coming is near, but rather than spend our time   guessing when that time will be, we are to use this time to refocus on what we should be doing . . . which is . . .

Be ready: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 42-44).

And what does “be ready” look like?

Be holy: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (I Peter 15-16).

And if the time is near, what responsibility do Christians have?

Share your faith:  “[Jesus] said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 1:7-8).

There will be an end, and it is always getting closer. There will be a time when every person on earth will have had the opportunity to hear the gospel and then either believe or reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Once that happens, it will be time. Are you ready?





0 Comments

    Author

    Jody Eileen Solinski spent her career teaching in the California public school system where she enjoyed helping young adults take their place in society. A native Californian, she enjoys the outdoors and so loves living in Northern California where she can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation up close.

    Picture
    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All
    Anger
    Appreciation
    Art
    Attitude
    Beauty
    Belief
    Books
    Bravery
    Calm
    Change
    Christian Bloggers
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Cleansing
    Conflict
    Consistency
    Coronavirus
    Costs
    Demands
    Disappointment
    Discontent
    End Times
    Evil
    Faith
    Fatigue
    Fear
    Fires
    Focus
    Foolishness
    Forgiveness
    Frustration
    God's Protection
    God's Sovereignty
    God's Timing
    Good Intentions
    Grace
    Grief
    Healing
    Hell
    Holy Spirit
    Hopes
    Hymns
    Hypocrisy
    Ingenuity
    Isolation
    Jesus
    Legacies
    Listening
    Love
    Memories
    Money
    Mornings
    Mothers
    Music
    New Years
    Opportunities
    Order
    Pain
    Patience
    Peace
    Perfection
    Perseverance
    Perspective
    Prayer
    Pressure
    Promises
    Purpose
    Readiness
    Reading
    Reduction
    Refreshed
    Relationship
    Relief
    Remembering
    Renewed
    Reset
    Rest
    Sacrifice
    Science
    Seeing
    Self-Centeredness
    Service
    Sin
    Sleep
    Spiritual Diet
    Spiritual Life
    Storms
    Strength
    Suffering
    Summer
    Talents
    Temptation
    Thanksgiving
    The Bible
    The Tongue
    Troubles
    Trust
    Truth
    Unity
    Water
    Weaknesses
    Wise Counsel
    Worry
    Writing
    Youth

J.E. Solinski ©2015