Exposure

June 1, 2023

Recently, I wrote that everything today is going sideways. To be clear, it is referencing the Bible record of Jesus’ forewarning of what the end times would be like and specifically, that things would continually get worse and worse. To be very clear, I was not aligning with the political blatherings of the small-minded and self-promoting individuals dominating communication platforms today, including television news programs.

These are the things Jesus warned would be “sliding sideways,” as I have worded my thoughts:

Matthew 24:4–14 — “Watch out, and do not let anyone fool you. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will fool many people. You are going to hear the noise of battles close by and the news of battles far away; but do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come. Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be famines and earthquakes everywhere. All these things are like the first pains of childbirth. Then you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and be put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. Many will give up their faith at that time; they will betray one another and hate one another. Then many false prophets will appear and fool many people. Such will be the spread of evil that many people’s love will grow cold. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the world for a witness to all people; and then the end will come.” (Good News Translation)

Furthermore, the apostle Paul explained what is meant by the phrase “the spread of evil,” and it is where I have been using the phrase “sliding sideways” :

1 Timothy 3:1–5 — You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! (New Living Translation)

You may not know what is going on around the world, because worldwide reporting is extremely limited and in the public media, non-existent. For example, is it in the public view that Christians are being executed in places such as India and Muslim countries? Well they are, and this is part of the warnings quoted above.

In this country and most of the Western World, we live overabundant and sheltered lives, and we are mostly numb to the desperate and exposed lives experienced by people in the rest of the world.

Come out of your shelters…

John 3:16–19 — For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (New International Version)

Come out of your shelters and into the daylight.