The Late Hour Of
His Glory
I write this
at a time when the world is crying out for answers to many varied and
vexed questions.
The date is October 10, 2001.
One month ago we watched our
television screens, in absolute horror, as three fuel laden aircraft
were deliberately flown into the financial and political heart of
America. This week we have seen The United States and her allies
attack ‘strategic targets’ in Afghanistan. No one can know how this
situation will develop and how this war will escalate! I have heard it
said recently that 'the
white horse of
Revelation 6:2 has been released'.
Whether this is true or not, I really don’t know.
I do know however, that man alone, despite his sophisticated weapons
of mass destruction, his technology and his advanced communication
systems is totally incapable of resolving the problems facing
planet earth.
The end time
clock is ticking. We are seeing biblical prophesy unfold before our
eyes. Jesus Himself foresaw the things we are now seeing;
“For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places. All these are the beginning of sorrows”
(Mat 24:7-8).
As God begins His final judgment of the world, we have clearly entered
that period of history Jesus calls the ‘time of sorrows’. We, the
church, must also realize that when God judges the world He judges the
church first;
'For
the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if
it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
gospel of God'?
(1 Pet 4:17)
The world may not be aware of what is
happening in the heavenly realms, the church certainly should
be!
Sadly, it is my belief that the vast majority of
the army of God, who should by now be in the front lines of the
battlefield are either on leave, still in barracks or not aware where
the battlefield is. A former pastor of mine, a man I dearly love and
respect, once said to me “the world is not afraid of the name Jesus
but they are afraid of the word church”. How true this is!
The church is regarded by many as a
staid institution, no longer relevant to so called modern society.
The
limited media coverage the church receives, only adds to this
perception.
For so long
elements of the church have been isolated from each other because of
their doctrinal differences. This has led to fighting within the ranks,
rather than waging war on the real enemy of the church.
We seem to
have forgotten (or never learnt) God’s purpose, mission and vision for
His church. If we are incapable of reflecting the glory of God to each
other, how can we possibly expect to be true image bearers of Christ,
pointing the way to the truth and the life to a world in desperate
need of His way, His truth and His life giving Spirit?
This all may
appear to be ‘bad news’ and we have more than enough ‘bad news’ each
time we turn on the television or pick up a newspaper. Jesus commanded
His followers to proclaim the ‘good news’
"The
time has come" He said. "The
kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the
good news!" (Mark 1:15).
The
good news is that He is risen, and that He is in charge of world
history. We who truly believe in Him have nothing to fear
because we know He will not tarry. We the church, must seek His face,
repent on behalf of the church and stand in the gap between the wrath
of God and the peoples of the world, always remembering that His heart
is that none should perish (see 2 Pet. 3:9). The ‘good news’ is
that whilst we are experiencing the ‘time of sorrows’, we are also
experiencing THE LATE HOUR OF HIS GLORY. He is renewing and
restoring His church in preparation for a new and wonderful
empowerment of the church in order that the mature bride (wife)
would make herself ready for Him.
W. Joe Ingram
EVEN SO COME QUICKLY LORD JESUS AMEN.
Return To Top Of Page
