The book The World's Worst Predictions lists some of history's all-time Worst Predictions…….
Ø King George II said in 1773 that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution.
Ø In 1939 The New York Times said the problem of TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn't have time for it.
Ø "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." -- Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943
Ø "A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make." -- Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies.
Ø "Everything that can be invented has been invented." -- Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, US Office of Patents, 1899.
Ø It will be years—not in my time—before a woman will become Prime Minister. —Margaret Thatcher, 1974
Ø No matter what happens, the U.S. Navy is not going to be caught napping. — Frank Knox, U.S. Secretary of Navy, December 4, 1941
Luke 17: 26. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
32. Remember Lot's wife.
33. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
34. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
When studying the bible, I find that looking for a way to apply it to your life makes it a little more personal. You see our walk with God is a personal walk. I cannot walk for you and you cannot walk for me. I need to take the word of God and apply to my life, for me. I try to do the same when preaching or teaching, I try to find applications that we can all understand and identify with
When I was younger we played a lot of card games. With my mom we'd play Uno, Rook, Racko, Michigan Rummy, War, 500 Rummy and slap jack. With my dad it was 5 card draw and blackjack. With Friends we played Euchre, Spades, or hearts. In many of these games you can lay down a trump card to capture that hand or trick. Normally you do not play your trump card if you have other cards to play. That trump card can only be beat by a higher trump card.
The term trump is derived from Triumph and when you lay down your trump you triumph.
Sometimes in the business world you hear the term ''playing the trump card'' or ''I haven't played my trump card yet'' "I am holding my trump card''. It means that you have something that will enable you to come out on top. Attorneys will use this phrase a lot in negotiating contracts, settlements or even the production of a witness. Lots of times I hear, 'let not play our trump card yet''. Quite often we will wait until the last minute to play that card.
A good example is negotiating a settlement on behalf of a client. Our trump card is that we know the lowest amount our client will accept, but we don't play that card. We attempt to resolve it without playing that final card. It works the same way in negotiating the purchase price of a house or a car. The seller knows the lowest price they can or will accept, but they do not tell you that. They strive to obtain as much money out of you that they can.
If one of our clients is asking for $200,000.00 from the defendant, that’s the amount we ask for. However, our trump card is that our client will accept $100,000.00. We are not going to play that card right now; we will try to get as much money as we can.
When we were in Costa Maya, a pal of mine told us that when we go shopping in the traders kiosks, that we had to make up our mind ahead of time what our top price was and be willing to walk away if the trader would not meet that price.
That walking away point was our trump card.
Onyx Chess set starts at $50, finishes at $20 (discuss the give and take)
I had decided that $20 was the most I was going to pay, and was willing to walk if he did not meet that price.
You never tell anyone what your trump card is.
With that in mind, I was reading the following scriptures…
1 Corinth 15: 52 says
52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thess 4 16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17. Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
My initial thought was that they were using Trump as a form of trumpet to indicate the blast of a trumpet. And as a Trumpet player that sounds pretty good to me.
At the last trump, the trumpet shall sound!
With a shout and the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God!
From a trumpet players standpoint that is kind of cool!
So as a trumpet player I did some research…
There were 3 great trumpet blasts used in Hebrew Festivals
The First Trumpet (Shofar, The Left horn of the Ram) blown at the feast of Pentecost
The Last Trumpet (Shofar, the Right horn of a ram) blown on Rosh HaShanah. (New years)
The Great Trumpet (Silver Trumpet) was blown at Yom Kippur.
While that all sounds neat from the trumpet player's viewpoint. I cannot get away from the fact that God does hold a trump card. That is the "Rapture of the church" aka the "Catching Away". When he comes back for his people.
We don't know the day nor the hour, but he does. Some day he is going to play that trump card and the church will be gone.
He is bidding us to be ready for his coming and to work for his kingdom, but he is not telling us when he'll return.
You see if you know someone's bottom line in a negotiation, there is no negotiation. So if we knew when he was coming back, if we knew that date and that hour, people would wait till the last minute. After all, why serve God, why live holy, why work for the kingdom. Just wait until the day before he returns and repent.
You see if you know someone's bottom line in a negotiation, there is no negotiation. So if we knew when he was coming back, if we knew that date and that hour, people would wait till the last minute. After all, why serve God, why live holy, why work for the kingdom. Just wait until the day before he returns and repent.
God wants a people who will love him and be looking for him to come. God is not looking to be a second hand choice
Matt 24: 34. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
God knows that day and that hour. He holds that Trump Card. It's not for us to know.
37. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
God knew when that flood was coming. He did not tell people that date, because he wants a willing people. A people who love him. Noah and his family were ready for that Day. When that day came, those who were ready were saved.
Genesis 6
1. And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
In the days of Noah things were wicked and every imagination of his heart was evil all the time.
Does that remind you of this day and hour?
All around us we find evil imagination running amuck.
Murder, terror, kidnapping, pornography, foul language, the way people dress and act.
We are living in days like Noah did.
But, we can find Grace with the Lord by giving our lives to him, and living for him and being ready for his return. Then before he punishes the wicked, before he pours out his wrath, he will return for his people who love him.
In Matt 24 Jesus further taught..
40. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Some will be ready; some will not be ready. Jesus is telling us to be ready to be watching for that day.
43. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
If you know what time a person was planning to break into your house. You'd be waiting just behind the door with a baseball bat in hand or perhaps a firearm?
But since we don't know when that thief is coming, we try to be prepared with locks, alarms, watchdogs, neighborhood watch associations, security patrols if you can afford it.
But if we are ready and watching for his return, there will be rewards….
45. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
We will be blessed of God for doing the right things and to be found doing so. Taking care of his church and his business.
47. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
But if we cease to be doing the right thing, to assume that we have plenty of time. We may be caught unaware
48. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49. And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50. The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51. And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus will return for his church, however he is not going to tell us the date or the hour. We don't know if its today, tomorrow or next year. We may never finish this service.
We can preach Jesus and teach Jesus, we can explain that he lived, died and rose again three days later. But if we don't make the decision to live for him, we will miss out.
You have to make up your mind to be ready no matter what.
We can stall for time, wait till next week, next month, next year, or whenever, but Jesus has that final trump card to play. When he plays that trump, that Last trump he will call his church home.
If you waited too long, delayed too long, stalled to long, you will be left behind and facing a time that is much tougher than what we are going through now.
You see, if a person cannot live for God with the church here, how can they live for God when the church is gone?
Who will teach you and guide you?
The backslidden preacher?
The backslidden Sunday School Teacher?
Who will teach you and guide you?
The backslidden preacher?
The backslidden Sunday School Teacher?
Even if they tried to teach you, how could you trust or believe them?
As in the days of Noah….
When the door of the Ark was sealed shut, only those in the Ark were saved.
Only Lot and 2 of his daughters were saved when they were brought out of Sodom.
His wife dallied; she held back and paid the price for holding back. . Genesis said she looked back from behind Lot. Some speculate that she went back or went toward the town. Had she not been behind Lot, looking behind them, she would have made it.
Only those who obeyed God were saved.
As it was in the days of Lot, as it was in the days of Noah.
The bible talks about Tribulation saints who died for the testimony that they held. Who are they, who will they be? I do not know.
But I would venture that if you can't live for God now when it is not that difficult, how are you going to die for him then?
March 29, 1998 Comfrey Minnesota and St. Peter Minnesota were devastated by a Tornado.
When the people of those towns woke up that morning, Tornados were not on their mind. It was March after all. Winter was just ending, Spring was upon them. March, its still the snow season in Minnesota. Tornados? No way.
But a tornado happened, you might say like a thief in the night.
Tues, Sept 11, 2001 at 6:00 in New York City, who would have thought that before Noon the World Trade Center would be gone?
When will God play that trump card and call his church home? We cannot know.
We can however see signs that it that time is getting closer. As in the days of Noah and as in the days of Lot.
Some day, just another day. Just a day like any other day the lord will come back for those who are ready and waiting.
You need to be prepared for that day….
We prepare for school, for work, for parties, for vacations, we get ready for winter, we get ready for summer and we get ready for church.
By the same token, we need to get ready for his coming.
A day just like any other day. You get up, eat breakfast, read the paper, drive to work, work your day, go home, eat dinner, maybe go to church, put the kids to bed, go to bed and repeat the cycle. For most people the cycle doesn't very much.
There will come a time during the course of just another day, that he will play that Last trump and come back for the church.
Will you be ready for his coming?
Or will you be Left behind?
Only you can be sure.
