Have you wondered what is going on with the Earth? Last week alone, there were 1,090 earthquakes 1.5 or greater. There are 40 to 50 active volcanoes, with 20 erupting on any given day. There are hurricanes and typhoons pummeling the Pacific and Atlantic, and if that isn’t enough, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current is slowing down. There’s no doubt about it; our Earth is groaning.
Why in the world would the Earth be groaning? Because long ago, in the mists of time, something terrible happened. The Earth was created perfect, and then sin entered the world, and the creation was changed in an instant. Originally, there was no death. Man and animals coexisted in peace. Man was a vegetarian, and the animals also ate grass and plants.
When sin and death entered the world, it all changed. Think about all the earth has endured. We’ll skip the pollution and ecological disasters we have witnessed, but if nothing else, think about all the wars that have happened on the earth. Think of all the blood that has been spilled on the earth over the millennia, all of the humans buried in the earth, all the animals that have died. Not a pretty picture. The earth has absorbed the results of the follies of man, and it is ready for a change.
I don’t completely understand how the Earth knows, but it knows that a change is coming. It knows it is going to be free from the bondage of sin that it has endured these millennia. It longs for a time when Christ will return and set things right on the Earth. Scripture says, “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” Romans 8: 19-22
There will be a time on the Earth when all will be made well. Christ will return, and then rule and reign on the Earth, and all will be as He made it to be before man corrupted it. Scripture also gives us a beautiful picture of what it will be like. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat. The calf and the young lion and the fatling together.; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11: 6-9
Some of you reading this may not believe any of this. But have you ever been to a funeral and watched them lower a casket into a grave? Instinctively, you know something is not right. You know it because we were never created to die. Death is an intruder and a destroyer, and there is no way that we can become comfortable with its effects.
A change is coming, and we must get ready for it. The Earth is groaning. It is letting us know that the time has almost come for it to be set free. Can you hear the groaning? I can. It’s telling us that it is time to get to know The Liberator, Jesus Christ, the one who will make all things new again.
“Confirmation bias is the human tendency to seek, interpret and favor information thatconfirms or supports one’s preexisting beliefs or values. This cognitive shortcut leads people to overlook or dismiss information that contradicts their views, reinforcing what they already believe to be true.” Google
We all have a tendency to listen to information that confirms what we believe. If you don’t think so, think about the news station you watch. Does it have newscasters that support the political views you already hold? Whether you are on the left or the right, it is easy to find a news source that will reinforce your own particular bias.
While confirmation bias keeps us from opening our minds to information that doesn’t match our political views, my biggest concern is for those who are in the church who hold rigid views on upcoming prophetic events.Many of us have our favorite teachers who expound on the subject…I do too. But if we only listen to those who believe the way we do, we may end up disappointed or worse, losing our faith if future events don’t play out the way we are expecting them to.
The subject that concerns me the most is that of the rapture. So many people in the church believe in a pretribulation rapture. There is nothing wrong with this as long as you know that many legitimate scholars hold different views. In other words, some very learned men (and women) in the church believe in a mid-trib or pre-wrath rapture. Still others favor the view that Christ will only come one time for his church and that will happen at the end of the tribulation.
You see, no one really knows for sure how prophetic events will play out. We all hope that the church will be raptured (taken to heaven to be with Christ) before the seven-year tribulation occurs, but what if it doesn’t? Are you one who is so entrenched in your view that you won’t consider another alternative? If you are, how will you react if the rapture doesn’t happen when you think it should? Will you be in shock, dismayed, and disillusioned? Will you fall away from the faith because events didn’t happen the way you believed they would?
We need to ask ourselves serious questions and be prepared for prophetic events however they play out. Remember, the religious scholars of the day couldn’t accept Jesus because he didn’t come in a way they believed he would. They were so sure He would look a certain way that they missed Him when he was standing right in front of them.
We can take comfort in the fact that Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” We must remember that he is faithful and will be with us. He will help us navigate whatever circumstances we find ourselves in the future. What is important is that we live in a way that prepares us to be ready to meet him whenever he comes.
