Nougat 29

So we know that Daniel prophesied about the End Times, and we have spent some considerable time simply reflecting on Jesus prophesies of His Return, but did we realize that Paul also had visions of the End? Please consider today’s Holy Nougat

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Rough patches ahead

Like Jesus, Paul had his own inner circle. In several of the epistles (ie apostolic letters) to various churches, we can see special mentions offered at the end. Some good, and even ones who had deserted him and/or the faith. One could say that they were his disciples. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul makes his stance clear: ’Follow me as I follow Christ.’ He was actively discipling others.

And then there’s Timothy, his mentee. Evidently, Timothy was part of Paul’s inner circle. The one on whom the mantle was placed as Paul’s successor, in a manner of speaking. Not only was Timothy an ardent disciple, but he also had a key leadership role in Ephesus during Paul’s time (in prison); and he received quite a bit of instruction and encouragement from Paul. It is not very surprising then that when Paul wrote prophetically, Timothy would have been included.

Whether it was his intention or not, Paul’s words in our nougat seems to be very descriptive of our times. It seems that we are inundated with ‘bad news’ moment by moment. Recently, I shared news of an acquaintance’s death with a friend; and the response was that it was the 3rd death news received on that day.

Once again we face global recession (and the pundits have not yet compared it to the Great Depression of the previous century). Coming hot on the heels of a global pandemic that resulted in death of more than 6,000,000 (six million), there’s no doubt that we are facing difficult times.

Why the consistent doom and gloom reflections, you might ask. Enough already. You might even have opted to tune out notifications of all the negativity from your social media and news sources. But what if it’s a case of forewarned is forearmed? What if, like inside traders, we might take this knowledge and use it to our advantage? (For sure, there are folks who capitalize on disappointments and negativity; hence generators, tanks, arms dealers, and security firms.)

What advantages are there for us believers, you say. Well, we most definitely can take the prophecies as warnings and ensure that we are ready to meet our Maker. And, we can also use the time to ensure that all is in order, including our task of discipling others. Most of all, we recognize that we need not get weary or worried about the difficulties, even if they are directly affecting us; because these are like labor pangs – there is joy up ahead.

I recently traveled in stormy weather and my seat mate noted that the body wasn’t as open to flying, especially under those turbulent conditions. Nevertheless, we were both in the air, flying to our destination. We did not lose faith in flying despite our one (actually many) experience. We continue to fly, having faith in God, the pilot, and air traffic control. It’s the same way we ought to be with Christ. When the difficulties come, we don’t bail out on our faith. Rather, we stay buckled in by God’s Spirit (our Seatbelt), and trust our Pilot, God Almighty, to see us through.

Difficult times ahead: Seatbelt? Check! Safe travels!

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May all we seek be found in Christ