A Christmas Thought

As the Christmas season falls upon us once again, is there anything that feels different this year to other years?

I suppose the simple answer would be yes. If we simply look out of our front doors, or walk our streets and town centres, if we turn on our television sets, or spend even a minute online or on our smart phones, we see that the world has changed. Yes, it has been changing rapidly since lockdown, but it seems to be speeding up at quite a pace. The prevailing mood and feeling amongst the people is not one of seasonal joy and goodwill, but ever increasingly one of hardship, suffering, despair and hopelessness as we see everything that was once called good turned on its head. Evil is promoted everywhere from the top levels of government to our schools. Laws are continually introduced to limit our personal freedoms and take control of our lives. The cost of living is starting to dictate how much meat you can consume, something well in line with the global elite’s plans. Freedom of speech seems to be the main target.

All that was once called good is now called evil.

There is a lost generation of children that seemingly have no hope for the future, no understanding of who they are and where they came from, let alone where they are going. Mental health issues are at epidemic levels as people lose sight of what it is to be human. It is to be honest the most depressing time that many of us have lived in, and it would be easy to lose hope even as one who believes.

However, we as believers have an advantage for we have been warned that such terrible times would come. The apostle Paul commented to young Timothy that terrible times would come before the end of the age, and that people and society would change for the worse. Well, here we are my friends, but then so is the imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

If you are like me you may have had to listen to more ‘enlightened’ Christians repeating their mantra of 'no man knows the day or hour' as an excuse to brush off any talk of bible prophecy and the ‘signs’ of the times. Well, I’m sorry to have to tell them that we're now living in the 'times' of the signs right now and you can almost hear the trumpets blowing in the distance.

Brothers and sisters, friends, all Christians have clear warning in scripture to WATCH! This world is moving with an increasing speed to global governance and a new world order where one man will hold sway over the earth for a season. It will come as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow, and so we need to be prepared and not caught without any oil in our lamps as I believe many will.

The days are shortening, and the light is diminishing with great rapidity. Indeed, we are warned that the time will come when it be so dark no man will be able to work. While my view on the timing of the rapture is somewhat fluid and I in no way believe that we fall under the wrath of the lamb, I do not believe we will escape all persecution on this earth before the Lord comes for his saints, something that is clearly in evidence with Christians praying and preaching in public places facing constant harassment and persecution from the authorities.

So dear friends, my hope for us all this Christmas season is that we meditate on these on things. Give them our attention and start to prepare ourselves for at least some of what will unfold in our world in the next few years. We need to be armoured up, sword in hand, helmet on, shield to the ready. We also need to put away all things that will slow us down in the battlefield, be they bad habits, carelessness in prayer, worldliness, lack of bible study and the list goes on.

The good news friends is that the King is coming!

When our Lord Jesus returns, he will take back the title deeds of the earth and establish his righteous kingdom for a thousand years and beyond. No spiritualising of his kingdom here. It will be a tangible earthly kingdom, and we will reign with him. Believing this then, should spur us on to his service all the more as we enter one of the final years of the age of man.

I know this post seems cast a shadow over the season, but we have plenty of reason to be of good cheer friends. Our Lord is bringing his rewards with him, every eye shall see him, and every knee shall bow, be they in the White House or Downing Street! Let us therefore busy ourselves with this message of the good news of the Kingdom. Let us pluck brands from the burning. Let the triumphant message of Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead go out clearly to a lost and dying world.

And whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I pray that you find peace in our Lord at this season and that he will continue to sustain you and hold you up by his glorious grace in 2026 and beyond.

Mark