Things to do Before You Fly Away!

Discussing current events and how they relate to Biblical prophesy. What are some critical signs are pointing to the imminent Rapture of the Church?

Our lives last seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow; indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10) 

The bucket list can also be called “things to do before you die” and is derived from the English idiom – ‘to kick the bucket.’

When thinking about your bucket list, you might consider going on a cruise, or traveling to some exotic location, like the Pyramids of Giza.

You might want to experience a unique outdoor activity like skydiving or scuba diving, or learn how to play a musical instrument.

But, these are mostly frivolous activities, things that will give you short-term pleasure. You want to do them “someday” but they pale in comparison to doing something worthwhile. The bucket list has a basic problem in that it is completely self-centered. The  bucket list attempts to answer the question, “What do I want to do with my life before I die?”

 The world system tells us that this life is all there is, and that we must therefore fill our shrinking allotment of time with activities and experiences guaranteed to make us “happy.” What did Jesus say about that?

Someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

“Friend,” He said to him, “who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”

Then He told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very productive. He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’

“That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21)

A bucket list for a Christian is often radically different from that of the world. We value a relationship with Jesus Christ as of supreme importance, over doing things we’ve never done before. For us, like Paul: …I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Our time of Rapture can literally happen at any moment. It probably will not be when you expect, like your favorite Jewish Holiday: You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” (Luke 12:40)

On February 6, 1999 I was sitting on my bed praying and the Lord spoke to me in a loud voice. He said, “Tell them that I love them. Tell them that I care. Tell them that I am coming for them. Prepare, like a man who has been told he has just a short time to live. Heal, forgive, and perform those acts of charity that you have been putting off. Tell everyone that I am coming soon for My bride.”

In this message, the Lord gave us clues for our bucket list:

Prepare, like a man who has been told he has just a short time to live

“Lord, reveal to me the end of my life
and the number of my days.
Let me know how short-lived I am.
You, indeed, have made my days short in length,
and my life span as nothing in Your sight.
Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor. (Psalm 39:4-5)

My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. (Philippians 1:20-21)

Be ready for service and have your lamps lit. You must be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. (Luke 12:35-36)

Heal, forgive, and perform those acts of charity that you have been putting off

The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. (James 5:15-16)

For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing. (Matthew 6:15)

…if you offer yourself to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
and your night will be like noonday.
The Lord will always lead you,
satisfy you in a parched land,
and strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden
and like a spring whose waters never run dry. (Isaiah 58:10-11)

When praying for the sick, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. The words we use, the commands we give, and the authoritarian actions we take are infused with much greater power if the Holy Spirit directs them. Seek specific insight from the Holy Spirit on what and how to pray. Perhaps there are ‘hidden’ causes to the person’s condition, and without the Holy Spirit’s insight, those ‘hidden’ causes may never be addressed. If the sick person is an unbeliever, healing can provide you with an evangelistic entry point into their lives.

Forgiveness is not a mystical, unattainable thing. If you are holding a grudge against anyone for anything, then admit that you are hurt or angry. Take your decision to forgive to God, and through the Holy Spirit, let go of the offense. When past offenses come to your mind, say, “No, in the name of Jesus, I forgive that person.” All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Practical acts of charity can include holding open a door for someone, offering assistance, and helping someone trying to get a stroller down the steps. Every small interaction with another is an opportunity to have a positive impact on both of your lives. When you look, you’ll find opportunities to perform random acts of kindness:

• Donating to your favorite charity
• Letting someone else go first in a line
• Giving someone a compliment, and spread encouragement online
• Lending a hand to a neighbor or coworker
• Volunteering at a local charity or church
• Paying for the person behind you
• Giving a big tip to someone who served you

One of the most important and fulfilling parts of being a follower of Christ is leading someone to receive salvation and start a relationship with the Lord. Leading a non-believer towards Christ is an extremely rewarding experience. As you operate in a selfless mode, the ways to help others is endless!

1 Corinthians 13:4 — Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant … 

This was taken about halfway up the block on the east side of Broadway, between 79th and 80th Street. It’s at the north end of the “Filene’s Basement” store on the corner, and it’s a place where I’ve often seen homeless people holding up a sign that asks for assistance…

With very rare exceptions, I haven’t photographed these homeless people; it seems to me that they’re in a very defensive situation, and I don’t want to take advantage of their situation. But something unusual was happening here: the two women (who were actually cooperating, and acting in tandem, despite the rather negative demeanor of the woman on the left) were giving several parcels of food to the young homeless man on the right.

I don’t know if the women were bringing food from their own kitchen, or whether they had brought it from a nearby restaurant. But it was obviously a conscious, deliberate activity, and one they had thousght about for some time…

What was particularly interesting was that they didn’t dwell, didn’t try to have a conversation with the young man;they gave him they food they had brought, and promptly walked away. As they left, I noticed the young man peering into his bag (the one you see on the ground beside him in this picture) to get a better sense of the delicious meal these two kind women had brought him…

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This is part of an evolving photo-project, which will probably continue throughout the summer of 2008, and perhaps beyond: a random collection of “interesting” people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan — between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.

I don’t like to intrude on people’s privacy, so I normally use a telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they’re still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what’s right in front of me.

I’ve also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting — literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I’ve learned to keep the camera switched on (which contradicts my traditional urge to conserve battery power), and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture … after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it’s pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject.

For the most part, I’ve deliberately avoided photographing bums, drunks, drunks, and crazy people. There are a few of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don’t want to be photographed, and I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of them. I’m still looking for opportunities to take some “sympathetic” pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. We’ll see how it goes …

The only other thing I’ve noticed, thus far, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, *far* more people who are *not* so interesting. They’re probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I’ve photographed … but there was just nothing memorable about them.

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1 Corinthians 13:6 — Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.

Galatians 5:22 ­— But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness

2 Timothy 1:7 — For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. 

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1 Corinthians 13:8 — Love never fails…

1 Corinthians 13:13 — And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Psalm 91:14 — “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.”

John 15:13 — Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

We must heed the warning that James, the brother of Jesus, gave to us:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him?

If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.

Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26)

Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)

If the Rapture happened next week, what could you do now that would bring true happiness?

If you are not sure that you are a member of the family of God, you can accept Christ into your life right now, by praying:

“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.  Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life.  I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior.”

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Current events are aligning with Biblical prophecy

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