How Shall We Escape?

   Two great calamities await the earth. I'm not talking about earthquakes, or epidemics, solar flares, or other Hollywood scenarios. I'm not talking about natural disasters at all. Doomsday preppers build themselves shelters, stock up on food & ammo, train themselves in survival skills. The very wealthiest have built themselves entire underground cities where they suppose they shall be safe from the coming crises. Skeptics wrap themselves in a cloak of denial, mocking the doomsayers and scoffing at prophecies.
   But none of this shall avail: the wisdom of the wise will not deliver them, nor the riches of the wealthy. Strength, courage, ingenuity, perserverance, luck--what shall they profit? "For except those days were shortened there should NO FLESH survive", Christ warned. So what is coming that is nearly universally destructive? Two things.
   The first, is that mankind shall almost unanimously officially enthrone Lucifer as ruler of the world. Yes, he's been running a lot of things behind-the-seens for centuries, but soon man shall welcome and embrace him as their god, and practically hand him the keys to the planet.
"For,behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people" says Isaiah. Adds Joel, "A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness".
   Funny thing about darkness: when you first walk into a dark place, it's almost total blackout. But slowly, your eyes adjust, and after awhile it doesn't seem quite so dark anymore. The level of light hasn't changed, only your perception. Spiritual darkness is the same: the more time you spend in it, the less you notice it. And so people of this generation adore the darkness, imagining it to be pure light.
   When Antichrist arises, he won't have to twist arms to get people to follow him----he will be a Rock Star to them! He'll be a Disney princess! A superhero! That is the first calamity.The second is that God won't tolerate the first.  His wrath, restrained for 2,000 years, will come down with unstoppable force.
   IN the nearly 40 years I've been walking with the Lord, studying His word, I've learned a few things. God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. There's only one place we will be safe, folks, and that's in Jesus.

"Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, whose heart departeth from the LORD ...Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is."  Jeremiah 17:5,7