The Siren Is Blaring

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;” (Joe 2:1 AV)

What a verse!  Recently, I read an article on another Christian blog sight that reflected the view of those under 40 years of age.  There is this idea that our age is not different than any other age.  The horrible things we see going on have always gone on.  This is true to a point.  However, the Bible clearly teaches that things do go from bad to worse.  The concern from the younger generation is the older generation is giving up and waiting for the LORD’s return.  I am sure for some of us, that is true.  But not for all of us.  For most, the imminent return of Christ has only served to make us more vocal.  Not less.  Paul tells us we should anticipate and look forward to the coming of the LORD.  In his letter to Timothy, he warns of perilous times that are coming.  If every age is the same, there would be no differentiation between the times Paul was in, and the perilous times that he says are coming.  Regardless of how close or far away the coming of Christ is, the fact that He is coming should be a great source of strength and hope!

A siren is a great sound.  That is if you are in need of the vehicle to which it is attached.  If you are in a car accident and are in need of an ambulance or rescue vehicle, hearing that siren is a great comforting sound.  Many years ago, I was having what I thought was a heart attack.  Pressure at work came to a head.  I was driving down a street and my eyesight was collapsing from the peripheral inward.  My heart was racing.  I was in a rage.  When my eyesight began to go, I was terrified.  So, I called my wife.  I told her I was scared and didn’t know what was happening.  She yelled at me for not stopping and calling 911, which didn’t help matters, but I was almost home anyway.  After I hung up with her, I called 911.  I told them where I was and where I was headed.  I told them I would leave the front door unlocked.  Then, I went home and collapsed on the couch.  I remember hearing the ambulance’s siren.  I could tell it was pretty far away.  Or at least, that is what it sounded like.  I can’t tell you how long it took for the ambulance to arrive relative to when I heard the siren, but I can tell you the closer it got, the more relieved I felt.  My wife followed the ambulance from the depot to our home.  She walked in with the techs.  I immediately felt better.

That is how I see our world.  The siren is blaring.  It may be close.  It may not be.  But the fact that it is on the way makes our horrible world worth reaching for Christ.  We cannot bury our heads in the sand and refuse to acknowledge our world is worse off today than it ever was before.  Sure, there has been murder since Cain killed Abel.  Yes, there has been sodomy since Sodom and Gomorrah.  Yes, drug use was been around since the opium dens of China.  Adultery is as old as Ruben and his stepmother.  Earthquakes, famine, and disease have always been part of man’s existence.  But by the sheer numbers of the increase in population, some of these things are growing exponentially.  However, not since the time of Noah have all these curses been global and all at once.  The things the millennials like to point to are cyclical and localized.  With the invention of global travel and communication, they are not worldwide.  We do live in worse times than ever before.  The great news is, the siren is blaring.  The LORD is coming.  And nothing will ever change that!