And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” - Esther 4:13-14
Esther saved the Israelites through her bravery, obedience to God, and for standing up for what is right. In a time where the queen was not allowed to visit the king unless he sent for her, she disobeyed the royal laws, humbly and respectfully visited him, and requested his grace to hear her concern. When things are being done that goes against God's Word, harm His people, and are opposite of what He says is right, we are to be brave and stand up for the truth, stand up against injustice, and stand up against evil. As Christians, we are not to riot or destroy, that is the work of the devil, however, we are to be humble, respectful, but stand firm on Biblical truths, our Rock, Jesus Christ.
We are at the beginning of the end times, we are no longer looking for the signs of the end times, we are now waiting for the sound of the trumpet call. God told us about this, what to look for, what to expect, what Christians will go through during the end time.
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. - Matthew 24:3-14
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away justice from the righteous man! Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom will ascend like dust; because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. - Isaiah 5:20-24
We have experienced famine, pestilence, and natural disasters. Now we must be prepared to be persecuted and hated by all nations. We are already seeing betrayals, hatred, many people easily offended, false prophets deceiving many, lawlessness rapidly increasing, and love dissipating into sinful lust and evil hatred. How then can we continue to live a full and abundant life? A quality life that is with a cheerful heart, loving spirit, and peaceful mind? By trusting, obeying, and focusing on God. God provides what we need, God never leaves us, His Spirit fills us with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).
Many of us feel sorry and pity for the children and young adults who are being born and living in this world during these times, however, I was reminded by a post I saw on Facebook that God knows everything that has, is, and will happen. He is our Creator and no one has been or will be born without His doing and without a purpose. No one is created apart from God allowing the baby to exist and forming the baby in the womb. "Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb." (Genesis 30:22).
Side note: God knows what is best for us. Therefore, for those who are not able to have children, God understands your pain and has placed this in your life for a reason. We may not know the reason while living on earth, but all will be revealed in heaven. Go to Him for comfort and pour your heart out to Him as Hannah did, He cares for you! For those who were unmarried and had a child, we live in a sinful world and are sinful in nature, and because of sin, we have to receive the consequences. It is not God's "revenge" to place this difficult circumstance in your life, we all make our choices and must deal with the consequences of those choices. Go to God for forgiveness and seek His wisdom for raising the child as He desires. For those who were abused and conceived a child, God has a plan and purpose for that child's life. What the abuser did was evil, but God turns evil into good. Go to Him for healing. For those who have a child with disabilities, again, God has a purpose for each soul! Go to Him for strength. All children are blessings from God. It is up to the parents to raise them in the way of the Lord but in the end, it is each person's decision on whether to live for good or for evil.
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." -Psalm 127:3
"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." - Genesis 50:20
God Almighty knew things would be like this, He knew the people that would have to face these issues, struggles, and evil times. Instead of being filled with pity and focusing on the "good ole' days", we need to be prepared, ready, and able to fulfill our purpose in this world as we were created for "such a time as this".
"Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this." - Ecclesiastes 7:10
We need to be witnesses with a fervent passion to others, enjoying the blessings God provides us, working to the best of our ability, and continuing to live life abundantly and completely. Evil will try with all its strength and might to destroy God's Word and those who follow Jesus Christ. Evil will manifest itself in the hearts of others and people will sell their souls to Satan. However, true believers in Christ, are on the winning side. The battle has already been won, Jesus is Lord, God is Almighty, and the only living, true God. Are you ready to stand up and do your part in His plan?
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:6-8
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. - Matthew 28:18-20