Thanks Sandy Howard for your fascinating article about your experience with the “dark side.” I think we as Christians in these days are feeling that oppression all around us, but your experience was a close encounter that I’m sure most of us hope to avoid. It is inexplicable, the supernatural world. The things that God is revealing to us as we near the end of the Church Age would have been too much for us to handle, even just a few years ago.
But things have changed so rapidly in the past couple of years, and evil is upon us. I am convinced that there is even a cable TV channel that is set-up for the sole purpose of revealing many of these mysteries, although I cannot say they have gotten it quite right. These misguided “scientists” or as the TV shows call them, “Ancient Astronaut Theorists,” are describing extraterrestrials as beings that have genetically altered our DNA and possibly had a hand in our creation.
NOT MY creation, they didn’t!
But we know as believers in THE Creator, God Himself that any ET out there would be demonic, and therefore possibly had a hand in the bloodline of evil that is consuming the world today─just my theory. But that is a whole new can of worms, or should I say serpents?
We, as Christians, are fortunate enough to have the almighty power of God protecting us as we face the final days before we are raptured. I imagine His mighty angels are pulling double duty to protect us as the battle for the souls rages on this planet. Yet even in the midst of the most culturally depraved times that I can remember in my nearly 50 years (50 looks worse in print than it does in my mind), I am confident that many Christians feel more peace than ever before, as we know we are nearing the finish line in the most important race of our lives.
And we know that as we cross that line, our glorious Savior, Jesus Christ, will be the one to give us our heavenly reward—eternity with HIM! Can anything be more incredible? That makes facing the, shall we say, unpleasantness, that we will certainly experience in the near future, much more palatable. And with that promise, we persevere, all the while, listening and looking up! And that is exactly what I do, every day, look up.
Last summer, I started a rather ridiculous, somewhat obsessive walking program, and can I tell you, I am outdoors more than I sometimes care to be, but I have seen some pretty incredible little “signals” which I choose to believe are from God, that I want to share. Maybe I am just looking too hard, but the other night, the sky was completely clouded, and two large jet contrails were perfectly intersected in the sky.
The top crossbar was shorter than the other and it made an incredibly enormous “rugged cross” floating over my entire backyard for nearly thirty minutes. The kicker? I was listening to a Gaither gospel song called, “He’s Alive” and as I came around the bend at the climactic chorus of the song when David Phelps sings, “He’s Alive,” I looked up and there was that beautiful white cross against the gray backdrop. It brought me to tears! I kept walking, looking up, with tears in my eyes, and a gigantic smile on my face. And this is just one of several incidents.
A couple months ago, I looked out my kitchen window to see a very strange cloud formation, what looked like an “I” and a “C” right next together in the sky. Well my mind immediately registered it as Jesus saying, “I’m coming.” And just yesterday, while walking on yet another 100% cloudy day, as I was listening to Jason Crabb sing the chorus of, “I Know My Redeemer Lives,” the sun came out for the first time all afternoon, and I said to myself, “If it gets cloudy again after this song, this is a sign”…and of course it did. (Smile.)
Yes indeed, the sun stayed out the entire song! (Chills.) I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten a little blue about the times, but I always get that little “nudge.” A gentle reminder and encouragement that I believe is meant to keep me focused and let me know that we are close. He IS coming. He is coming very soon. I am more convinced than ever that we don’t have much time left.
So friends, I believe the command is to “occupy.” Whatever that means in your life, figure it out and begin occupying. Read and study the Bible. Talk to those around you. Consult with your fellow-believers and keep comforting one another as Jesus told us to. And hone those witnessing skills. Pray diligently that the Holy Spirit will guide you in your words (I can assure you this will happen like clockwork) when you talk to unsaved friends and relatives.
We haven’t much time. We do fight against enemies who are not of this world, but then the moral to the story is that, in the end, it is those of us who follow Jesus Christ who will not be of THIS world. We will be of HIS world and there is where I want to be!
I cannot wait for that day.