Smoke This

March 15, 2023

The apostle Peter wrote this warning, “Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, ‘What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created’…But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:3–4, 8–9

“The word scoffer refers to one who denies the truths of Scripture and entices others to go along with [his/her] error. Scoffers have been present since the Garden of Eden. Satan’s first temptation of man was in the form of scoffing at God’s command: ‘Did God really say — ?’” (Genesis 3:1) -- https://www.gotquestions.org/scoffers-in-the-last-days.html

Also, “empaiktés: a mocker, i.e. by implication, a false teacher” Strong’s Concordance, ref. 1703.

What’s my point? Well, here’s an example from my hometown NFL football team. The “Bill’s Mafia” never give up, never surrender. They prove over and over that it’s not over til it’s over. They continue to root for the success of the team. Then there are people like myself who occasionally cheer and even hope for victory, but are more likely to throw my complaints at the TV. Overall, I’m not very fanatical or loyal… But I won’t miss a game.

Isn’t that just like the reaction of people whenever God, Jesus and/or the Bible are mentioned? Not a whole lot of true fans, but a whole swarm of critics. Besides, most all of those critics don’t have much of a clue what they are railing about… but they love to puff themselves up to be authorities and scoff all day long with many words mocking Jesus and His followers.

Jesus. Jesus who wants nothing more than to save them from themselves and from this corrupt, corrupting, and self-destroying and imploding world!

So their comeback is something akin to “Who needs to be saved?!? Not me!”

They apparently haven’t looked around, certainly not outside their confined little world! Does anybody look, let alone realize, the ever increasing mess that Mankind has been generating with their own grand ideas?

God maybe should hurry up to bring His judgment on the Earth. Mankind seems to be in a big hurry to do it all by their selves. Maybe that’s why God promises to shorten the days in Matthew 24:21–22, “…For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”

Worse, if that is possible, and I propose much more importantly, many individuals have learned that looking at their own lives, the condition of their lives, is inconvenient, and so they don’t. Neither do they take responsibility for the harms they have done to themselves and to their neighbors. That is also inconvenient. They exempt themselves from self- evaluation. Their intellectual “talents” are reserved only for evaluating others, especially those trying to follow Jesus.

Am I right or wrong?

Ironically, so many like to accuse followers of Jesus for being too judgmental! Ironic, yes, and not at all fruitful in regards to self-improvement or improving society.

Seeking righteousness? Finding the path to transcendent transformation? Seeking truth? Cultivating beauty? Seeking peace? Upholding love? Seeking God? These pursuits have all become passé. Most eyes are focused elsewhere as Mankind pursues absolute domination in the visible Material World- the only world they can see.

Okay then.

Smoke this:

2 Peter 3:10–13, “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.”

Like in the movie, “Don’t Look Up,” whatever you do, don’t look around and definitely, don’t look up. You might not like what you see. So try to hide if you want, but the truth will find you out, and there’s no calling, “olly-olly in free!” Doesn’t work.

Please know that it won’t be big rocks coming from Outer Space. It will be Jesus Himself, Creator of heaven and earth who has been appointed Ruler and Judge.

Nevertheless, you still can choose to hide or buy a seat on a spaceship to Mars. I’m sure that will work. Well… maybe.

Nah! Not really. There is no “maybe.”

Remember, everything is always a choice, your choice. So, choose.