Day 206 "If my heart is with Him, my eyes will be on heaven, and His love will flow through me."

Day 206 Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Over my quickly growing lifetime, I, as many of you, have heard of numerous cults or groups of people who have predicted the day and hour of the return of Christ. Some have sold all of their earthly possessions and gathered on mountaintops waiting for the glorious return. Others have sold all of their belongings and moved to communes where they yet wait upon the return and, yes, some have even committed mass suicides believing that they had need to do so. I heard of one group that actually went to a mountaintop at sunrise to wait for the Lord. Besides all of the other reasons that this is foolish, I have a question, "Why would God come to the USA at sunrise? If Jerusalem is His chosen city, and He is returning at sunrise, wouldn't that be a different time here, like around 11 hours, give or take?" Generally speaking, there are a number of common factors with these cults and movements; the first being a leader. Someone had to come up with the plan to deceive others for their own gain or possibly, in some cases, they actually believed their wacked-out plan. Secondly, there were people willing to believe the lie and follow someone who espoused a new form of hope, tranquility, or eternal bliss. Thirdly, it seems that they needed to disconnect from all of their earthly goods, generally to sell them and give the money to their humble leader for safekeeping or proper use after they were all gone. Then we throw in the need for some twisted ideas about sex, procreation, or whatever else the leader has dreamed up and, yes, now we have it, the great one with all of the answers has arrived. But, what about the local respected pastor who has never asked any of these things from folks nor does he now; he simply states that, for whatever reason, God has given him the time and the hour of His return. Is he wrong as well? The answer, of course, would be yes, if for no other reason than the fact that Jesus said ‘no man knows the hour.’ Simply stated, that is exactly what it means, no one knows! When anyone begins to contradict the Word of God in such a blatant manner, red lights should begin flashing and alarm bells should be going off, no matter who they are. Yes, there are signs, and, yes, we should be ready, and, yes, it could be today; however, when someone defines the day or the hour, they have crossed a line. So, what do we do when people have crossed the line? First, we pray for them and then we confront them when we can, first with another believer and then, if need be, we take them before the elders; however, we do not sit idly by and watch while people are led astray or deceived. After all, haven't there been enough people led astray by wackos speaking in the name of our God while we, as the church, sit by and watch, doing nothing to stop them? Call me a rebel, call me judgmental, or whatever you like, but I, for one, am truly tired of people using my savior’s name to fulfill their own agenda, all the while furthering the fear of Christianity. We have the truth on our side, we have direction from the Lord, and we are called to make a difference. Why not rise up and speak the truth in love? Ezekiel 33:1-6 is a great passage for every believer to read. As a matter of fact, here it is. Read it for yourselves, and then ask God what you're to do when people are obviously being led astray. Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’” Daily Prayer: Father, I pray for wisdom and strength to do all I can for Your kingdom here on earth. I pray for the words to speak and the heart of love to speak them through that You may be glorified and that I might be used by You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "If my heart is with Him, my eyes will be on heaven, and His love will flow through me." Gene Burroughs, Pastor