Subject:

       WE FACE THE FUTURE by Bertrand L. Comparet

   Date:

       Fri, 30 Mar 2001 22:30:49 ‑0800

  From:

       "Bob Jones" <[email protected]>

    To:

       <Undisclosed‑Recipient:;>

    CC:

       "Pastor Bob Jones" <[email protected]>

         WE FACE THE FUTURE

               by Bertrand L. Comparet

                    This is unquestionably a time of deep and growing

danger, all over the world.

                    Facing this, many people either close their minds and

refuse to believe the facts,

                    or else they become panicky with terror. Both reactions

are wrong. Truth must

                    always be faced ‑‑‑ and this is most imperative when

truth is unpleasant, for it is

                    only unpleasant when there is something you should be

doing about it.

                    Christians should have no fear of the future, but should

act boldly for the right, and

                    more so in proportion to the danger. We have the

Bible's clear assurance that our

                    victory is predestined. For example Psalm 139‑16, "All

the days of my life were

                    foreseen by Thee, set down within Thy book; ere ever

they took shape, they were

                    assigned to me, ere ever one of them was mine." Again,

Isaiah 44:8, "Fear nothing;

                    dread not in the days to come: have not I foretold it and

announced it long ago?"

                    Also, Proverbs 16,3‑4, "Trust your affairs to the Eternal,

and your plans will prosper,

                    The Eternal has made everything for an end of its own

‑‑‑ yes, even the wicked for

                    their day of doom." And Paul's comforting assurance in

Romans 8:28‑31, "And we

                    know that all things work together for good to them that

love God, to them who

                    are the called according to His purpose. For whom He

did foreknow, He also did

                    predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, *

* Moreover, whom He did

                    predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called,

He also Justified; and

                    whom He Justified, them He also glorified. What shall

we then say to these things?

                    IF GOD BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?"

                    What then? Pray earnestly to God for instruction. Don't

look for it in the

                    left‑wing‑slanted newspapers, but in the pre‑written

news of the Bible. Psalm 25:14

                    tells us that "The secret of the Lord is with them that

fear Him; and He will show

                    them His covenant." In Psalm 32:8, He promises, "I will

instruct thee and teach thee

                    in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with

mine eye." And II Esdras

                    16:75 reminds us, "Be ye not afraid, neither doubt; for

God is your Guide."

                    The first instruction will be in the warning signs to

watch for.

                    Jesus Christ Himself told us that "As the days of Noah

were, so shall also the coming

                    of the Son of man be." .(Matthew 24:37) How was it in

the days of Noah? Noah

                    received two different warnings: first, a long‑range

warning, of coming destruction,

                    with a command to start building the ark. (Genesis 5:32,

6:22); then a final "This is

                    It" warning, telling him the flood would come in 7 days.

We also have received our

                    long‑range warning, in the 24th. chapter of Matthew,

where Jesus Christ told us the

                    seven signs which would indicate that His second

coming is near. We have already

                    seen the first six of these: False Christs and false

prophets; great wars, unlike any

                    ever before; great famines, pestilences and

earthquakes; persecution of Christians

                    all through the Communist half of the world;

widespread lawlessness; and the fact

                    that this Gospel of the Kingdom is being preached.

There remains only one sign to

                    come: the abomination which produces desolation

standing in the holy place ‑‑‑ and

                    that could come in the short time it takes for Jewish

troops to fight their way just

                    a few hundred yards in a surprise attack in Jerusalem.

                    But if we are alert to see it, we will receive our

Immediate warning. Daniel 12:10

                    says, "Many shall be purified and made white and tried;

but the wicked shall do

                    wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but

the wise shall understand."

                    What to do? Don't try to dodge it by hiding under the

bed. With Gods protection,

                    what have you to be afraid of? Isaiah 43:1‑2 tells us,

"But now, thus saith the Lord

                    that created thee, 0 Jacob, and He that formed thee, 0

Israel: fear not, for I have

                    redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art

Mine. When thou passest

                    through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the

rivers, they shall not

                    overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou

shalt not be burned,

                    neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." And Psalm

37:39‑40 "But the salvation of

                    the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength In the

time of trouble. And the

                    Lord shall help them and deliver them, because they

trust In Him. The victory was

                    that of His almighty power, incomparably greater than

that of our enemies; but on

                    our part, we have had to show our confidence by

coming boldly to do our part. It

                    was always so. We were told, "Set yourselves, stand ye

still, and see the salvation

                    of the Lord with you, * * * * fear not, nor be dismayed;

tomorrow go out against

                    them: for the Lord will be with you." (II Chronicles

20:17)

                     Yes, God fights for us: but we must take our places in

the ranks of His armies. And

                    the Lord said unto Moses, 'Wherefore criest thou unto

Me? Speak unto the Children

                    of Israel, that they go forward." (Exodus 14:15) So that

they would know that It was

                    God who gave the victory, God made Gideon send back

all of his army but 300

                    men; but Gideon and the 300 had to move boldly into

battle.

                    This is still an eternal truth. Jesus Christ said, "For

whomsoever would save his life

                    shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for My

sake shall find it. For what is a

                    man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose

his own soul? Or what shall a

                    man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:25‑26)

Psalm 118: 6‑7 tells us "The

                    Lord is on my side: I will not fear: what can man do to

me? The Lord taketh my part

                    with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire

upon them that hate me."

                    One of our Pilgrim ancestors was walking to church, on

Sunday morning, Bible in

                    one hand, rifle in the other, when a friend said to him,

"John don't you believe

                    that until your time comes, nothing can kill you; but

when your time does come,

                    nothing can save Thou?

                    John said "Yes". "Then, John, why are you carrying that

gun. John said, "I might

                    meet an Jew whose time has come." Therefore, be like

John. The victory is

                    absolutely certain, for God has promised it to us. True, it

will be His victory, the

                    work of His limitless power. But what will you be doing

while He is bringing

                    victory? When it Is all over, will He find us a people of

whom He need not be

                    ashamed. Hebrews 10:38 tells us, "Now the Just shall

live by faith: but if any man

                    draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." In

the 21st chapter of

                    Revelation, God tells how He will set up His eternal holy

city upon the earth, and

                    "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I w1ll

be his God, and he shall be

                    My son." But He goes on to list those who will not be

able to enter into that City of

                    God; and the first on the list of those who are kept out

we find "the fearful and

                    unbelieving."

                    You know what future you face, today. The enemies of

all civilization are the

                    enemies of Christ. They are mobilizing all the forces of

evil against us, in Asia, in

                    Africa, in captive Eastern Europe, even those among us

on our own continent. They

                    boast of the weapons they have prepared, the number

of slave troops they will

                    unleash against I us, the war for our destruction they

have planned. But we have

                    God s promise that "No weapon that is formed against

thee shall prosper." The war

                    they plan will be their own suicide. it will come. Don't

pray to avoid it; for God has

                    already prophesied that it will come, and that right soon.

Pray rather for God's

                    early intervention for our victory. Be like John I told you

about: Prepare yourself

                    for battle, wherever It may come. Then walk without

fear, for it is your enemy

                    whose time has come.