Quickly

Last December 26, Texas experienced four seasons in one day. This [which no longer displays - I'm sorry] graphic showed up on FB, but it really didn’t explain that as we sat in our house in one spot, we had a warm day followed by rain followed by a tornado watch (that turned into a valid warning for Rowlett) followed by a winter storm that laid down ice. It took two days for us to experience all of that, but it certainly was real.

Weather stations were able to forecast because the had learned the signs of coming changes. There were warnings available because people paid attention, used technological tools and shared the information.

Christian (should?) do that, too. We’ve been given signs that will forecast changes:

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be . . . . (2 Timothy 3:1-5 KJV)

Today we are closer to Christ’s return simply because another day has passed, as have thousands upon thousands since His resurrection, so we can continue to look forward to times that shall come. Now look at the description of men in verses 1-5 that Paul gives us:

Lovers of their own selves,
covetous,
boasters,
proud
blasphemers,
disobedient to parents,
unthankful,
unholy,
Without natural affection,
trucebreakers,
false accusers,
incontinent,
fierce,
despisers of those that are good,
Traitors,
heady,
highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof

No – I’m going into detail about each one of those attributes. But putting them in list format does make each one of them stand out. Please take a moment to look over that list and tell me if there is one item on there you do not see in our world today.

For me, the last two are the saddest. Putting pleasure before God could be at the beginning, especially since it breaks the first commandment. But the last is the scariest. To deny the power of God does come easily, doesn’t it? We can say He’s simply not interested in everything we do and we haven’t had punishment when we did deny Him, but we know we are deceiving ourselves.

“Without natural affection” is explained as:

The verb στέργω is "to love," used primarily of the natural affection of parents to their children and children to their parents. And στοργή is that natural love. These persons were without this στοργή, of which Plato says, "A child loves his parents, and is loved by them;"

Christians should be as filled with love as they are filled with God:

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:8-11 KJV)

Showing God’s love in our lives will take care of the other items on the list, too, won’t it? But if we find those who will not respond to love, what are we to do?

. . . from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:5b KJV)

Things may appear to be slow, but they can happen as quickly as the graphic above. Besides, aren’t we asking Him to come quickly?

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20 KJV)