The Euphrates River is Drying Up!

The July 14, 2009 issue of The New York Times had a very interesting article, and one that relates to Biblical prophecy. Written by Campbell Robertson, the article is entitled “Iraq Suffers as the Euphrates River Dwindles”.

The report gives its location as Jubaish, Iraq. It begins by telling of “reed gatherers” who are standing on land they once floated over, crying out to visitors, “There is no water!”

There is no water due to the water policies of Turkey and Syria, a two-year drought and misuse of the water by Iraqi farmers. The great Euphrates River is half the size it was just a few years ago. Fear is that in another year it will be half the size it is now – a stream rather than a river, apparently.

This is interesting news. But what really caught my attention was what The New York Times proceeded to print. “The shrinking of the Euphrates, a river so crucial to the birth of civilization that the Book of Revelation prophesied its drying up as a sign of the end times, has decimated farms along its banks, has left fishermen impoverished and has depleted riverside towns as farmers flee to the cities looking for work.”

By the way, the underlining is not mine – it is part of the article appearing in the paper.

In case you are wondering, the passage in Revelation was left uncited, but is 16:12 – “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.”

It is safe to say that the Lord is preparing the world for the coming of Christ. That the drying up of the Euphrates is mentioned in Bible prophecy, and that we see it happening presently is no accident. Ever since the unbelievably exciting establishment of the Israeli state in 1948, the end-times prophecies of the Bible have been slowly but surely unfolding before our very eyes. The groundwork is being laid for the “taking up” of the church, mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (the word “rapture” is rapturo and is translated “caught up” in verse 17. Hence, the usual expression for this event is “the Rapture”). The Rapture is the next epochal event on the calendar of Bible prophecy.

It is after the Rapture that the complete fulfillment of the prophecies in Revelation will occur – right now what we witness are the preliminary stages. The foundation is being laid and after the Rapture – well, just hope you are not left behind. There will be a period of time called “Tribulation”, a period of man’s sinfulness given its full expression. Finally, and mercifully, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth to put an end to unrighteousness and begin a reign of righteousness.

Which brings me to the point of this entire article: are you ready for the Rapture? You can be by making sure you are in a right relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And by the way – don’t put this decision off. One of the world’s great rivers is drying up. The New York Times recognizes it as a fulfillment of Bible predictions.

The Euphrates River is drying up!

Choose to be Happy

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most people are as happy as they choose to be.”

I’ve been thinking about that quote a bit lately. It seems to me that there are a lot of unhappy folks today – and many of them are in our churches! Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, has written “The most unhappy people in the world are not the unbelievers, many of whom are ignorantly and blissfully happy in their sin, albeit temporarily. The most unhappy people in the world are Christians who resist the will of God for their lives! The Christian who refuses to do the will of God must be prepared to pay the price of disobedience. Whatever we sow, we reap, the Bible tells us. It has long been my conviction that I have never met a happy, disobedient Christian or an unhappy, obedient one” (from The Most Unhappy People by Bill Bright, copyright 2003 and reprinted in Pulpit Helps magazine, August 2009).

What Bill Bright is saying is pretty simple stuff. It is, “Look – you want to be happy? Then obey God. You want to be unhappy? Then disobey God.”

I am not an advocate of a Pollyanna naiveté that would ignore tragedy or injustice. These things do not make us happy. But I do advocate a trusting and obedient spirit toward God – this generates a deep happiness, or joy, regardless of circumstances.

“Joy-stealers” are those things that strip joy away. These “joy-stealers” are the things that motivate us to disobey God – envy, worry, fear, unforgiveness, perfectionism and inability to control others. This list is incomplete, but covers a lot of ground. It is time for each of us to purge these joy-stealers from our lives, begin living in obedience to God, and watch our attitude become one of happiness.

Reuben A. Torrey, a Christian educator from another era, told of a lady who came to him and stated that she was not happy – she had tried the Bible’s promise that “whatever you ask believing, you shall receive” but that it had not worked. To this lady Dr. Torrey showed the verse from 1 John 3:22 – “we receive from Him (God) anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him.” He then asked the lady, “Were you keeping His commandments and doing those things pleasing in His sight?” She confessed that she was not. Dr. Torrey then gently pointed out her problem, the same that plagues many of us – the reason her prayers were unanswered and she was unhappy was due to her disobedience to God

“O how happy is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But whose delight is in the law of the Lord…” Psalm 1 begins.

Disobedience to God is the source of unhappiness. Obedience to God is the source of happiness.

Choose to be happy by choosing to obey.

Happy Birthday, John Calvin!
July 10 is an important day. It is the birthday of John Calvin. Calvin, one of the great Reformers, was best known for his Biblical and philosophical analysis of Christianity that has become known as “Calvinism”. The reformers who preceded him were mostly known for their zeal. Calvin provided a distinct theology. John Calvin was born in 1509, and this year (2009) is the 500th Anniversary of the man’s birth.
One of the best known of Calvin’s sermons is entitled “What It Is to Know God”. Sermons were written out word for word in his time, so it still exists. Calvin begins, “By the knowledge of God, I understand that by which we not only conceive that there is some God, but also apprehend what it is for our interest, and conducive to His glory, what, in short, it is benefiting to know concerning Him.” He proceeds to share how we come to conceive that there is God, how we begin to understand God, and what it means to glorify Him.
Now, keep in mind, this was one sermon. Read over Calvin’s proposition again.
The fact is, this one sermon contains almost the whole of the purpose of Christian ministry.
I was thinking about this recently, while rereading Calvin’s sermon. So much of what is presented in churches today is either unbiblical (which means it is not Christian, incidentally) or it is baby food. No wonder so many American Christians are spiritual babies. Hebrews 5:12 – “You ought by now to be teachers, but you have need that one teach you again the first principles of the word of God; and are become such as have need of milk, rather than strong meat.”
Here is what I have concluded – and you may disagree if you like. John Calvin (and others from time to time) became a mature and great Christian because he had a great understanding of a great God. He disciplined himself to be aware of God’s presence at all times and in all circumstances of life. His life is an example for us all.
Human that we all are, apart from such self-discipline we bounce to extremes. It is easy to forget God in good times. And when times are difficult, we think God has abandoned us.
One thing John Calvin did not do was forget God. Nor did he ever consider that God had abandoned him. He reaped the benefits (called “blessings”) of this God – awareness, too. His heart was kept grateful, his ego was kept humble; his life was kept faithful, his mind was kept sharp. The greatest benefit was that Calvin’s influence has and will live through the ages.
Happy Birthday, John Calvin!