Meaningless, but... Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 "Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun." "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going." I'm honestly not expecting that Sheol part, Derrick, even though my Rapture expectation track record has been 100% wrong so far. Still just relying on God for anything, "...who richly provides us with everything to enjoy." So far, so good. No? Amen, amen, all good replies. Sometimes I feel like the scoffers argument is the scoffers best argument - “All things go on as they have always been since the fathers fell asleep” The truth is, all things are not going on as they have been since the beginning, as so many of you so adequately pointed out - but sometimes it still feels that way, even we as watchers are susceptible to the old frog in the pot of warm water syndrome - for instance, when the “supremes” said it was ok for gay marriage in 2015 we all thought that was awful, and surely we are in the days of Lot since our country is now embracing the acts of Sodom and Gomorrah, but then what? Nothing, true justice from on high deferred yet again and slowly society changes to give that abomination the ok and deteriorate into worse abominations where now in our day it is obvious that children are being groomed. Sometimes I certainly can feel like John the Baptist in prison “Are you the one to come or do we look for another?” Or in today’s terms “are You still coming Lord?” But as we look around, indeed the manifold signs all around us scream that indeed we are the generation an we do not need to look to another. But I guess my wrestling started as I started thinking, boy oh boy, God sure does have a way of dragging this thing out doesn’t He? Its like a rubber band getting pulled ever tighter that never seems to break. So then after my mom passed, I thought I am in my 50s and I have been actively watching since the late 90s so even though to me I had a lot of reasons to think He was coming “this year” for the past 30 years- I have also seen how good God is at hitting the pause button and stretching it out a little longer and certainly that is His prerogative. But I thought if He is able to stretch this thing out another 30 years that would put me in my 80s and I might be in the same boat as my mom and go by the natural way, so that’s what gave me pause to think I had better pace myself in my race and run with endurance and consider, do I have enough faith to make it the next 30 years if I had to? Even in these wicked days? I sure hope so. The truth is I don’t know, because my heart is deceitful and desperately wicked and only the Lord knows the man I will be 30 years from now if I am still here. But I am purposed to run a good race, and trust that the Father will keep my heart true to Him. Yet, thank you fo the reminder that this race is probably coming to a close, the sun is about to set on history and so many of the things that you all wrote are reminders of that. I also really think it will be this year, but I am cautious in allowing my heart to hope too much because so many other times I have had reason to really think “this has to be it” and yet my heart deceived me, so I am a bit more reserved and tempered in my resolve. Personally, I am really hoping for Second Passover in May to be a date to watch, I know some have already given reasons for it on this forum, and I have a few of my own that I might post about as the time gets a little closer. If we are still here, lol, it would not hurt my feelings at all if we didn’t make it that far. ...do I have enough faith to make it the next 30 years if I had to? Of course we can't store up enough faith to last 30 years, nor should we. Think "Manna." Daily bread... But it's hard to stop wondering / hoping about the yummy Rapture, isn't it? We're wisest to avoid the thought of quail, regardless of it's imagined yumminess. Okay, Mom. I'll take some manna. Thanks. Blessed art thou oh Lord, for the manna we are about to enjoy today. When you said …. the “supremes” said it was ok for gay marriage in 2015 we all thought that was awful, My mind initially went to Diana Ross and “the Supremes” singing “Stop in the Name of Love before you break my heart” :scratch: Then I realized you were referring to the Supreme Court. Well don’t get discouraged in watching … many of us have been faithfully watching since the 1970’s and we haven’t thrown in the towel yet … this year we expect GREAT things and are almost home! Keep your eyes on the sky :whistle: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: :flyup: Great word Dan! Man o manna! TR
