The Bus is Coming!

Early this morning, as I sat on our screened porch having my coffee, I could hear the children down the street playing and calling out to each other as they waited on the school bus. Some were laughing, others were bickering with each other about the game they were playing. Girls were singing a silly song and giggling. It was then I heard the hum of the motor as the bus came by and then, there was silence in the street. No more sounds of the children would be heard in our neighborhood until the end of the day. Happy silence....peace....sighs in some homes, as the bus pulled away, loneliness, sorrow, mixed emotions.

This early morning scene played in my mind as I continued to imagine the children, now with their friends, happily on their way to school for the day.

I have been seeing the news on every station, over and over about the Christians being chased out of, or killed, in their home country. My heart grieves for them, my prayers go up for them. 

Then we read all the comments in social media about the end of time. Are we seeing the End Time events unfolding before our eyes?

2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV 

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." 

This is certainly what we see and hear on the news! However, we have peace in knowing that God is in control. My personal opinion: 'God gives man a choice to choose Him or deny Him. However, at the same time, God knows mans heart and knows all things. He knows who will choose Him and He knows who will deny Him.' Because of this belief, I believe there will come a day when someone shares the gospel or a person reads God's Word and the Holy Spirit speaks to that heart and that lost soul will accept Jesus Christ as their Savior....then God will say to the Son, "That's the last one, go bring the children home." Then, the skies will open up and the Son of God will come to gather the children home. 

When...in time will this happen? The scriptures say 

Matthew 24:36 ESV 

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."

But, the secure part, for those of us who believe, is that day is coming. We can be assured of it, because it is promised over and over in the Bible. 

Matthew 24:44 ESV

"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

Matthew 24:42 

"Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."

It reminds me of the children, waiting on the school bus. Some were laughing, others were singing and then we had some bickering over foolish things.Isn't that the same way our world is today as we await the Savior? 

The same as the children, our 'bus' will come to pick us up and then the streets will be quiet. There will be silence? No, confusion....because the Christians will have gone to their final destination...they will not be coming home that afternoon. 

What do we need to do? Just as the children prepared to go to school, we need to prepare ourselves. We need to prepare our hearts, making sure we will be singing when He arrives, not bickering. 
The children packed their backpacks with books and papers. We need to pack our hearts with scripture and love. 

Listen, do I heard the bus cranking up? The motor may be humming our way soon, only the Father knows, but be ready! Don't miss the bus! 

Blessings,
gs