You need be neither Prophet nor paranoid to recognize how perilous times are. I was talking with a sales person this week when she mentioned that my voice sounded like Bill Clinton's. "Yeah, I hear that a lot," I responded, "but the similarities end there." She picked up my meaning and that was all the introduction needed to launch a discussion that went from prophecy to the meaning of the Sabbath.

She told me she is a born-again Christian and it was quickly evident that she is intelligent and knows her Bible well. She also believes we are living in the prophesied last days. I quoted C.S. Lewis who asked why the church had ignored one of the core teachings of the New Testament, namely that Jesus Christ is returning to this earth. She seemed surprised but did not disagree that "the meek shall inherit the earth." She also knew that the angels told the disciples that Jesus would return in like manner as he left. She was looking at familiar scriptures from a new perspective. She seemed to know that Jesus will rule for 1,000 years so I told her "The seventh day of the week is the prophetic symbol of that event. There is no other day of the week to which God gives such meaning as the Sabbath." She was speechless. "Why have I never been taught that?" she asked.

She talked about her concern for her father who is a non-believer. She believes his inevitable fate is an eternity burning in an unquenchable fire. "What scripture is that," I asked. She couldn't answer. I reminded her that Jesus said he would show more mercy on the people of Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for people who refused to see truth. (Luke 10:7-12). If there is hope for some of the most depraved people on earth that are long since dead what about the living?

We talked about the second resurrection. She wanted to know why churches don't teach these things. "How have they gotten things so confused?" she asked. And that is a curious thing. The Prophet Isaiah said, "The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. (Isaiah 1:3 KJV)

Isaiah is expressing a sad phenomenon of human nature. We are slow to admit obvious truth and quick to embrace absolute fantasy? It's always curious why people put faith in evolution but express skepticism in intelligent design. We believe buildings require an architect but the earth happened by accident. Go figure.

A recent PBS documentary broadcast an interview with an 80-year-old Cuban praising the pretended virtues of Fidel Castro. Imagine a man sitting in absolute squalor and admiring the tyrant that caused it. Maybe he couldn't remember Cuba's former wealth or maybe he is senile... or maybe he was afraid to be honest. After all he's seen a lot of people die in the past 50 years for telling the truth.

But it's shocking to see citizens of the U.S.A. such as Norman Mailer quoted as saying "Fidel Castro is one of the wisest men of the 20^th Century." Can such a man be convinced of truth?

In spite of such close-minded thinking, there are those whose minds are open to God. When truth is presented to them they will respond. They will believe be baptized and converted. Those are the people we seek to reach. Our job is to present such truth unimpeded and trust the Spirit of God to bear fruit. Maybe we can call it the plain truth. Might even be a good name for a magazine.

Until next time,