Subject:

�� WE FACE THE FUTURE by Bertrand L. Comparet

�� Date:

�� Fri, 30 Mar 2001 22:30:49 ‑0800

� From:

�� "Bob Jones" <[email protected]>

�� To:

�� <Undisclosed‑Recipient:;>

�� CC:

�� "Pastor Bob Jones" <[email protected]>

��

�� WE FACE THE FUTURE

�� by Bertrand L. Comparet

�� This is unquestionably a time of deep and growing

danger, all over the world.

�� Facing this, many people either close their minds and

refuse to believe the facts,

�� or else they become panicky with terror. Both reactions

are wrong. Truth must

�� always be faced ‑‑‑ and this is most imperative when

truth is unpleasant, for it is

� ��only unpleasant when there is something you should be

doing about it.

�� Christians should have no fear of the future, but should

act boldly for the right, and

�� more so in proportion to the danger. We have the

Bible's clear assurance that our

�� victory is predestined. For example Psalm 139‑16, "All

the days of my life were

�� foreseen by Thee, set down within Thy book; ere ever

they took shape, they were

�� assigned to me, ere ever one of them was mine." Again,

Isaiah 44:8, "Fear nothing;

�� dread not in the days to come: have not I foretold it and

announced it long ago?"

�� Also, Proverbs 16,3‑4, "Trust your affairs to the Eternal,

and your plans will prosper,

�� The Eternal has made everything for an end of its own

‑‑‑ yes, even the wicked for

�� their day of doom." And Paul's comforting assurance in

Romans 8:28‑31, "And we

�� know that all things work together for good to them that

love God, to them who

�� are the called according to His purpose. For whom He

did foreknow, He also did

�� predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, *

* Moreover, whom He did

�� predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called,

He also Justified; and

�� whom He Justified, them He also glorified. What shall

we then say to these things?

�� IF GOD BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?"

�� What then? Pray earnestly to God for instruction. Don't

look for it in the

�� left‑wing‑slanted newspapers, but in the pre‑written

news of the Bible. Psalm 25:14

�� tells us that "The secret of the Lord is with them that

fear Him; and He will show

�� them His covenant." In Psalm 32:8, He promises, "I will

instruct thee and teach thee

�� in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with

mine eye." And II Esdras

�� 16:75 reminds us, "Be ye not afraid, neither doubt; for

God is your Guide."

�� The first instruction will be in the warning signs to

watch for.

�� Jesus Christ Himself told us that "As the days of Noah

were, so shall also the coming

�� of the Son of man be." .(Matthew 24:37) How was it in

the days of Noah? Noah

�� received two different warnings: first, a long‑range

warning, of coming destruction,

�� with a command to start building the ark. (Genesis 5:32,

6:22); then a final "This is

�� It" warning, telling him the flood would come in 7 days.

We also have received our

�� long‑range warning, in the 24th. chapter of Matthew,

where Jesus Christ told us the

�� seven signs which would indicate that His second

coming is near. We have already

�� seen the first six of these: False Christs and false

prophets; great wars, unlike any

�� ever before; great famines, pestilences and

earthquakes; persecution of Christians

�� all through the Communist half of the world;

widespread lawlessness; and the fact

�� that this Gospel of the Kingdom is being preached.

There remains only one sign to

�� come: the abomination which produces desolation

standing in the holy place ‑‑‑ and

�� that could come in the short time it takes for Jewish

troops to fight their way just

�� a few hundred yards in a surprise attack in Jerusalem.

�� But if we are alert to see it, we will receive our

Immediate warning. Daniel 12:10

�� says, "Many shall be purified and made white and tried;

but the wicked shall do

�� wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but

the wise shall understand."

�� What to do? Don't try to dodge it by hiding under the

bed. With Gods protection,

�� what have you to be afraid of? Isaiah 43:1‑2 tells us,

"But now, thus saith the Lord

�� that created thee, 0 Jacob, and He that formed thee, 0

Israel: fear not, for I have

�� redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art

Mine. When thou passest

�� through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the

rivers, they shall not

�� overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou

shalt not be burned,

�� neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." And Psalm

37:39‑40 "But the salvation of

�� the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength In the

time of trouble. And the

�� Lord shall help them and deliver them, because they

trust In Him. The victory was

�� that of His almighty power, incomparably greater than

that of our enemies; but on

�� our part, we have had to show our confidence by

coming boldly to do our part. It

�� was always so. We were told, "Set yourselves, stand ye

still, and see the salvation

�� of the Lord with you, * * * * fear not, nor be dismayed;

tomorrow go out against

�� them: for the Lord will be with you." (II Chronicles

20:17)

�� Yes, God fights for us: but we must take our places in

the ranks of His armies. And

�� the Lord said unto Moses, 'Wherefore criest thou unto

Me? Speak unto the Children

�� of Israel, that they go forward." (Exodus 14:15) So that

they would know that It was

�� God who gave the victory, God made Gideon send back

all of his army but 300

�� men; but Gideon and the 300 had to move boldly into

battle.

�� This is still an eternal truth. Jesus Christ said, "For

whomsoever would save his life

�� shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for My

sake shall find it. For what is a

�� man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose

his own soul? Or what shall a

�� man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:25‑26)

Psalm 118: 6‑7 tells us "The

�� Lord is on my side: I will not fear: what can man do to

me? The Lord taketh my part

�� with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire

upon them that hate me."

�� One of our Pilgrim ancestors was walking to church, on

Sunday morning, Bible in

�� one hand, rifle in the other, when a friend said to him,

"John don't you believe

�� that until your time comes, nothing can kill you; but

when your time does come,

�� nothing can save Thou?

�� John said "Yes". "Then, John, why are you carrying that

gun. John said, "I might

�� meet an Jew whose time has come." Therefore, be like

John. The victory is

�� absolutely certain, for God has promised it to us. True, it

will be His victory, the

�� work of His limitless power. But what will you be doing

while He is bringing

�� victory? When it Is all over, will He find us a people of

whom He need not be

�� ashamed. Hebrews 10:38 tells us, "Now the Just shall

live by faith: but if any man

�� draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." In

the 21st chapter of

�� Revelation, God tells how He will set up His eternal holy

city upon the earth, and

�� "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I w1ll

be his God, and he shall be

�� My son." But He goes on to list those who will not be

able to enter into that City of

�� God; and the first on the list of those who are kept out

we find "the fearful and

�� unbelieving."

�� You know what future you face, today. The enemies of

all civilization are the

�� enemies of Christ. They are mobilizing all the forces of

evil against us, in Asia, in

�� Africa, in captive Eastern Europe, even those among us

on our own continent. They

�� boast of the weapons they have prepared, the number

of slave troops they will

�� unleash against I us, the war for our destruction they

have planned. But we have

�� God s promise that "No weapon that is formed against

thee shall prosper." The war

�� they plan will be their own suicide. it will come. Don't

pray to avoid it; for God has

�� already prophesied that it will come, and that right soon.

Pray rather for God's

�� early intervention for our victory. Be like John I told you

about: Prepare yourself

�� for battle, wherever It may come. Then walk without

fear, for it is your enemy

�� whose time has come.