As I read the passage below, written by the apostle Paul to the church, I am struck by his genuine concern for the emotional and spiritual well being of his fellow believersƒ_"and future believers.  He had read the prophecies and knew Jesus' teaching of what the world will face before His second coming; "The beginning of sorrows," Jesus described it (see Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13).  Paul likened this time as "labor pains upon a pregnant woman."

He knew that the days leading up to Jesus' return could be terrifying and dangerous.  But that is why he so earnestly exhorts us to be prepared!  And why he reminds us that the day will come "like a thief in the night.'  His tone is one of compassion, caring and warning.  Be aware, be faithful, watch and pray.  But remember most of all that God comes to save us and loves us. 

Please read the passage below, pray and meditate on it.  I hope you will join us Wednesday nights, online or in person, as we study the prophetic book of Daniel and prepare ourselves, with the most current information on world events and prophecy, for the coming of the Lord.  It should be an exciting and fascinating study!

"Dear brothers and sisters...you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.   When people are saying, 'All is well; everything is peaceful and secure,' then disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman's birth pains begin when her child is about to be born. And there will be no escape. But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.  For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to darkness and night.

"So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober. Night is the time for sleep and the time when people get drunk.  But let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-9).

God bless you,
Pastor Ray