"Know this first of all...

...that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation?" For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water." II Peter 3:3-6

I found this little mockery of creationists while I was looking for a picture for this blog. It's rather fitting because it fulfills the verses above. You see, Peter warns his audience that one of the signs of the last days is the rejection of God as Creator, as well as the rejection of a worldwide flood.

However, rejection does not equate to truth.

Both the verbal creation and the destroying of the world through a flood are true events and both are mocked today. The sad thing is that the mocking is not limited to the world. The church today has bought into the humanistic, evolutionary mindset that the Bible is fable and science theory is fact. Hell is no longer accepted as literal, so why would the creation account be literal? Universalism is the emergent mindset which frees us up to be as tolerant of personal beliefs as the next person. Whew! What a relief, right?

In my heart, I think I am beginning to understand Jesus' tears when He looked at Jerusalem and wept. The church today is as unfaithful and rebellious as Jerusalem was to her God. Matthew 24:10-12 comes to mind: "At that time many will fall away...because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold." I used to read those verses and it was difficult to imagine the day when the church would turn it's back on God so easily. But folks, we're not that far away any longer.

Matthew 24:13 gives me hope, however: "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved." Endure. Overcome. Hang in there. Hold to the faith. Stand strong. Be steadfast. Nike.

God is the God of hope and despite the mockery of the world or the faithlessness of the church, God still reaches out His hand to offer hope to the weary. Don't lose faith, He tells me, stay in My Word and stand on the truth.

Jesus never lost hope because He knew the end of the story. Well, guess what? We know the end of the story as well and God wins. So endure the mockery, study the Word, believe the unbelievable, keep your fingers in your ears and trust that God's Word is not lying but is trustworthy, faithful and true.

Just because the world says so, doesn't make it true. Just because God says so...does.