As we observe and contemplate all of the signs pointing to the Rapture, let
us be mindful of
the fact that just as we serve a Good and Gracious God,just as we are saved
by virtue of our
faith in Jesus Christ and His Redeeming Blood; that we are opposed by an
enemy that has
a great deal of knowledge about us personally - we know that the Devil and
his demons have
lost none of their power and abilities as supernatural beings, and we know
that they yet retain
all of their knowledge and awareness.  We should not live in fear of them,
because if we are
in Christ, we have the Assurance of knowing that Victory is already delivered.

I believe that our enemies were very accurately portrayed by the great writer
C.S. Lewis, in
'The Screwtape Letters' (and if perchance you have not read it, by all means
do so), they are
continuously and desperately in search for souls - OUR souls, and for the
truly damned who
end up spending an eternity in Hell, I believe that such lost souls will be
devoured just as one
would consume a meal - the horrors that await the lost are simply too
overwhelming for most
of us to contemplate. But I mention such horrors because we must remember
that the Devil
and his demons KNOW that they are already defeated, they KNOW that Jesus
Christ IS King
of Kings and Lord of Lords and that they will all bow their knees, and their
tongues will confess
it whether they wish it or not.  And because they know they are defeated
already, that is why it
is so vital to them to try and lure, deceive, trick or whatever tactic works
to drag as many souls
into Hell as possible.

So knowing this, what 'warning signs' might we as Christians want to consider
as the days grow
shorter before our Lord comes for us?

The Devil knows our weaknesses, and knows how we can be distracted and where
we are most
vulnerable.  Do we have financial worries?  Don't be surprised if you
suddenly receive some sort
of monetary windfall, unexpected and out of the blue.  Are we saddened due to
our failure to find
a husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend?  We might walk out our front door one
day soon and find to
our delight that we have been 'found' by the most attractive, sensuous, and
perhaps (even on the
surface) 'spiritual' person, THE 'person' we have been waiting our whole life
for.  Do we have any
concerns about our jobs, employment possibilities, etc?  We may amazingly be
offered what we
might consider our 'dream job', with an immense salary, benefits we dared not
hope for, and that
helps us realize that we can now afford a nicer home, a newer car, some more
stylish clothes, etc.

To sum this up: it is true indeed, that the Devil is able to provide all
sorts of worldly goodies, since
he is in temporary (not permanent) possession of this world and all of it's
riches and treasures. It
has been fashionable for too many years for some so-called 'evangelists' to
preach what is known
as 'prosperity doctrine', that if you send in 'seed money' to them, that God
will in turn pour out His
riches upon YOU...and I daresay that God does not need to use such
self-appointed 'evangelists'
if it is His intention to bless you and your house.  God will do it, because
He has already said in
His Word that He knows your needs, and the example given of God knowing when
even a sparrow
falls from the sky should affirm to us that God is going to take care of His
children, no "ifs, ands or
buts". The fraudulent 'prosperity preachers' we've witnessed on TV and/or
Radio are just a latter day
manifestation of the corrupt moneychangers that Jesus drove out of the Temple
when He walked
the Earth in His Day. Now there are Christian preachers who do ask for
financial support to keep
their programs on the air, and one must pray and seek discernment from the
Holy Spirit regarding
a decision to contribute or not.  But the important point is to remember that
if we suddenly begin to
experience unexpected worldly blessings, financial, social, professional, if
our lives are suddenly
turned upside down with good fortune coming out of nowhere, if we start
thinking that 'our luck has
changed for the better'?

LOOK OUT !!

All of the worldly treasures and goodies are temporal and will be ultimately
destroyed.  Nothing will
last, nothing can endure.  This world is destined to pass away, and all of
the corrupt materialism we
see today with it.  All that will ultimately survive is the Kingdom of God,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, and
we who hold fast to Him, clinging to His Robe, trusting Him to deliver us out
of this earthly plane and
into His Eternity.

I believe that we can expect the Devil to pour out his ill-gotten gains NOT
upon those who serve his
evil purposes, NOT those who don't believe in God, NOT those who are wicked
beyond belief, (and
that is because the Devil already HAS those lost souls in his clutches) but
worldly riches will fall
upon US - The children of the Most High God, because WE are the targets which
the Devil desires
most - it is our SOULS that the Devil covets, not only because he views us as
souls to devour, but
due to the fact that we have known Salvation, that we have been covered with
the Blood of Jesus,
that we have accepted Christ as our Personal Savior. That makes us an
especially appetizing menu
item in Hell's Buffet, and I believe the Devil will spare no effort nor
expense in trying to lure us OUT
of our Lord's Kingdom, and INTO his evil hands.

Now you may ask "so, if we suddenly receive a big gift of cash, or win some
kind of prize, should
we give it away?"  and only you can answer that question for yourself. I'm
not saying that we must
impoverish ourselves, but IF such sudden good fortune begins to manifest
itself in your lives, fall to
your knees in prayer, and ask God to cover you beneath His Mighty Wings.  If
such sudden good
fortune causes you to take your eyes off Christ, then by all means - get rid
of it. Remember though,
that the Devil will focus upon your own PERSONAL weaknesses - whatever they
may be, and they
may be financial, or perhaps some other vulnerability.  Remember that before
we were saved, we
were in the enemy camp, either by default, or by design. And thefore, the
Devil knows us well. We
all have such weaknesses and anyone who says that they don't, is a liar. It
is because of our human
weaknesses (i.e. SIN) that Jesus died on the Cross for us, so that we might
be Saved.

As we watch and wait anxiously for our Lord to come, don't forget that we
have a real enemy who is
eager to distract us and to try to take our eyes off Christ, so that IF we
are unready, in a backsliding
condition, and (Lord forbid!) left behind, that gives the Devil an extended
opportunity to try to capture
our souls while we endure and suffer during the time of Tribulation.

Consider the words of the late Johnny Cash, i.e. "keep our eyes wide open all
the time", and keep
our 'eyes on the prize', and be not distracted by anything which seeks to
take our focus off of Our
Lord and King Jesus Christ.

Euliss Dewey