“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11).

For a number of months I have been deeply moved in my spirit that our time here on earth is quickly coming to an end. I do not believe that the Lord will delay His coming much longer. The message of the coming of the Lord stirs within me.

I am reminded of the prophet, Jesus ben Ananias, who walked the streets of Jerusalem crying out of the impending doom of the city before God destroyed it. “Woe, woe to Jerusalem.” The people called him crazy and tried to silence him. The city seemed at peace and was experiencing prosperity, but he repeated the cry. “Woe, woe – A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem.…” He prophesied for seven years and five months. The prophecy was fulfilled and catastrophe came to Jerusalem.

People may scoff and get weary of the message, but I am willing to be as Ananias. Time is short. The Lord is coming quickly. Hold fast and be true. Live every day as if it were your last, for soon it shall be. The world is waxing worse and worse and the influences of Satan are great on us all. There is still power to live holy and pure through Jesus Christ, but we must stay close to the cross.

This issue of The Gospel Truth deals with the second coming of Christ and the end of time. There are many misconceptions and false doctrines that abound on this subject. We must look to the Word of God and rightly divide it. The best tool to combat error is truth. This is a big subject and limited space prevents me from exploring all of the relevant scriptures. Unfortunately, there was not room to write about some of the prophecies from the book of Revelation which have brought so much confusion in ‘End Times’ teaching. In studying the Word, it is important to take that which is simple and clear and then use that as a guide in understanding the more difficult prophecies and symbolic language of Revelation.

There may be some details that God withheld from us in the Bible, but He gave us enough instruction to make it to Heaven. Millions of people are deluded into false hope of a future kingdom. This then keeps them from seeking the Lord with all of their heart in this life.

Please continue to pray for the Lord’s leadership and blessings on the work we are doing with The Gospel Truth and Africa Mission & Beyond. We are daily dependent upon the Spirit to provide and to lead us in His work.

Time is short. Jesus is coming soon.

Michael W Smith
July 2013