Chronicles of the End Times
Occasionally, people say, are we really in the last days? How do we know? Does it matter one way or another? We will try to answer these questions and many others in this study. But the most important question may be, how can we reach others with hope in these changing times? One part of prophecy is often emphasized over another, causing us to lose perspective and miss the blessing and beauty of prophecy in scripture. I have taken the information in this study from many authors and teachers who have their lives studying God's word. I have added some insight that the Holy Spirit taught me. With God's help, I have endeavored to keep the whole counsel of the word of God in full view to give us an accurate picture of Christ and His great love for a lost world. I pray that this will challenge you and cause you to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, as it has me preparing it. Let's begin!
Chronicles of the End Times
Finding Faith Amidst the Flames: Spiritual Lessons from California's Wildfires
California's wildfires paint a scene straight out of an apocalypse, but what if these catastrophic events hold a deeper spiritual lesson? Join me, Russ Scalzo, as we explore the profound challenges faced by firefighters battling these relentless blazes, compounded by scarce resources like low water pressure. Through the lens of scripture, including Romans and 1 Kings, we tackle the cautionary tale of a "reprobate mind" and the impact of leadership decisions that stray from divine principles. This episode underscores the urgent need for leaders who hold God's word in reverence, shaping a future that affects believers and non-believers alike.
Amidst the chaos, there is a beacon of hope and faith. Discover how trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ can bring peace even in the darkest times, as we emphasize the power of prayer and community action for those devastated by these fires. From offering tangible support to the afflicted to fervently praying for wise leadership. We stress the importance of staying connected with the Holy Spirit, with insights from Proverbs 14:12, to inspire a life devoted to God and foster hope for a brighter tomorrow.
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00:10
Welcome everyone. This is Russ Scalzo. Chronicles of the End Times. Thank you for being with me today.
00:16
The fires continue to burn in California, a tragedy beyond belief. If you look at the news and you see the videos on YouTube or whatever you watch, it looks like an atom bomb went off there. I mean it's absolutely horrific. All the buildings are laid flat. There's nothing left. More strong winds are due today, with a new threat of expanded blazes, firefighters trying to battle and contain all these fires. That has already burned some 40,000 acres and killed more than 20 people. There is still a very dangerous warning out for today and into Thursday, and no rain is scheduled for at least a week. The two largest wildfires are the Palisades and Eton, and they're only 19 and 45 percent contained respectively. The atmosphere is so dry that it's just a powder keg. It's hard for them to get a handle so they can stop these fires from continuing to spread.
01:14
People are referring to it as apocalyptic in its scope. When we see things like this and we hear of these great tragedies all over the world, different things are taking place. As we know, the wars that are continuing and the suffering of so many can't help but wonder about the spiritual implications. And we're not talking about judgment. We're talking about the decisions made by those in charge, because, as you know, who's ever in charge making the decisions affects you and me. Whether we believe or wholeheartedly accept those decisions and we think they're correct, or we believe that they are terrible decisions, it still affects us all and sometimes, as a Christian you know, we may get a little off base and start thinking and talking about judgment. We have to be careful there, because we all need the grace of God. Jesus addresses this when the people came to him and said you know that tower that fell in Galilee and it killed 18 people. Well, those people must have been awful people, but Jesus clears that up. Jesus continues the conversation that he's having with these people by mentioning another event. He says these 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them, do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you no, but unless you all repent, you too will perish. So, what does that all mean? It means we have to be careful on how we talk about judgment. Those decisions are God's alone. But the point I'm making now if those in leadership have no respect for the Word of God, have no respect for what God says is important and how they should act. What they do affects us all, believers, non-believers. It doesn't matter. The decisions of those in power affect us all. That's why we have to be responsible in a godly way, when we go to the polls to vote, whether it be for a local position or a national position. Either way, both are affected when bad decisions are made.
03:22
I'm sure many of you have been listening to the news affected when bad decisions are made. I'm sure many of you have been listening to the news. You hear the reports of 20% of the fire hydrants either had no water or the pressure was so low it was useless, and the firefighters putting their lives on the line trying to stop these fires and having no water to put on the flames. And the stories that are being reported that the waters that normally flow from Canada down to California have been diverted into the pacific ocean because they are trying to not disturb a small fish. Federal money that was given to them to build another reservoir. They decided to use it on something else In California, where these wildfires happen every year to a certain degree, you would think that it would be common sense to prepare, so something like this would never happen.
04:16
But the scripture is clear. The Bible talks about a reprobate mind. And what does that mean? Reprobate isn't a word you hear every day, so what does it mean to have a reprobate mind? This phrase is found in Romans 1, verse 28, and it reads and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, god gave them over to a reprobate mind to do things which are not convenient, things which are not convenient. The definition of reprobate as an adjective is morally depraved, unprincipled, bad. Therefore, a reprobate mind is the loss of logic and morality in a person's reasoning. And as I look at this, that's what I see Now, all the people there that have suffered. They have not just lost their homes, the buildings, they've lost memories, and now over 20 have lost their lives because the people in charge did not make the right decisions. In reality, what's happened is they worship the creation rather than the creator, and when you do that, you lose perspective, you lose the ability to make a correct decision, because after a while, god gives you over to that reprobate mind.
05:31
It doesn't happen overnight. These things take a long time to develop, and when people continue to go the way, they want to go and thumb their nose at God and what his word says, or even to honor his word in any way, shape or form. God just says okay, I tried. I've been dealing with you for a long time. You still are stubborn and want to go your own way, so now I'm just going to release you to that. And that's what takes place. He releases them to go do what they're going to do. Now, does God really do this kind of thing? Does Jesus do this kind of stuff? The same Jesus pictured in the Bible with the children on his lap, smiling and laughing with them? Is this possible? Let's go to 1 Kings, chapter 22, and get a little insight into the spiritual world which we've been discussing over these last couple of weeks, which is vital to our understanding of how God works.
06:26
To set the scene, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, has come to help Ahab, the king of Israel, in this battle, which was not a good idea, but he did it. But Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from the prophets of God before they went to battle. Sounds like a smart thing to do, so we're going to pick it up in verse 5. And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel inquire first for the word of the Lord. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about 400 men, and said to them shall I go into battle against Ramoth-Gilead, or shall I refrain? Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king. But Jehoshaphat said Is there not another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire? And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat there is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah, the son of Abel Imlah. But I hate him, for he never prophesied good concerning me, but evil. Jehoshaphat said Let not the king say so. Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said Bring quickly Micaiah, the son of Imlah.
07:33
Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. And Zedekiah, son of Chenaiah, made for himself horns of iron and said Thus said the Lord, with these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed. And all the prophets prophesied so and said Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and triumph. The Lord will give it into your hand. And the messenger who was sent to summon Micaiah, said to him Behold, the words of the prophets, with one accord, have favored the king. Let your word be like one of theirs and speak favorably.
08:16
But Micaiah said, as the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak. And when he had come to the king, the king said to him Micaiah, shall I go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or shall we refrain? And he answered him Go up and triumph. The Lord will give it into your hand, o king. But the king said to him how many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me? Nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord? And he said I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains as sheep that had no shepherd. And the Lord said these have no master, but each returned to his home in peace. And the king of Israel said to Josaphat Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? Micaiah said Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the hosts of heaven standing beside him, on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said who will entice Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead, and one said one thing, and another said another thing. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord saying I will entice him. And the Lord said to him by what means? And he said I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets. And he said you are to entice him, and you shall succeed. Go and do so Now. Therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of those, your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster for you.
09:46
That's an amazing piece of scripture. It gives another side of the story. Ahab was someone who thumbed his nose at God. He did whatever he wanted to do. He worshiped to idols, to demons, and he had been that way for years. So, God turned him over. But it's something interesting here Even Ahab knew that something was up, but he didn't want to deal with it. He didn't want to face the truth. He knew that Micaiah was not going to give him his blessing, and yet he still went out to battle because the Lord had declared that this would be the end of Ahab, after years of walking away from God and sacrificing to other idols.
10:24
So is that a good example of a reprobate mind. I think it is. It may not be the purest definition, but you can see from this sample that once leaders decide that God has nothing to do with their decisions, they will not seek his advice. Things go badly and you know what? Things go badly for the righteous and the unrighteous. The Bible says that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. The difference is those who love the Lord. They have his peace in terrible times. They have his support, his love, to sustain them when they lose loved ones or they lose their livelihood or their homes, where others do not. These are plain truths. It's really hard to debate them. A lot of things that the Lord talks to us about are common sense or the righteous decisions where he's telling us you know what people are more important than little fish. If wise decisions had been made in California, water would have been readily available and in great quantities, and maybe they would have prepared themselves properly that fires start, and some people even start them.
11:35
But I do believe in the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that when we do what he says, when we follow him, even though we are not perfect, but I know that when I follow him, and I do what he tells me to do. I might be going through a difficult time, but I know I'm in the hand of the Almighty and, whatever is happening, he's with me. You can't buy that kind of peace. So, let's pray for those who are hurting, pray for those who lost their loved ones, lost their homes. Help provide this is what God wants us to do Reach out and help those who need help. Pray for those who need help, but also pray for the thousands, thousands of Christians that live in California who don't agree with this type of leadership. And that God will do what God does when people pray, he will move upon the situation and bring someone in who will watch out for the people, who will make the right decisions and think with a clear mind. That's why the Lord tells us to pray for our leaders, because what they do affects us.
12:42
Proverbs 14, 12 says there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Keep close to the Holy Spirit, stay in the Word and let's live for God. I believe that the best is yet to come. This is Russ Scalzo for Chronicles of the End Times. Keep looking up. The King is coming.
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