Gabriel's Horn and Hell's Bells

In the delightful Negro production, "Green Pastures", Gabriel just can't wait to blow his horn. He keeps saying, "Is it time now, Lord? Can I blow my horn now, Lord?" And one of these times, I suppose the Lord is going to say: "Blow, Gabriel, blow".

Of course, none of us knows under just what circumstances this might take place. There is a day of judgment, and we are accountable.

Someone once said: We have a choice of ending the world in three different ways: "If the bomb doesn't get us, pollution will. And if pollution doesn't do it fast enough, the population explosion will." Suddenly the global squeeze is upon us.

In the days of Jesus, there were only 250 million people on the entire globe. It took 1850 years to get the 1st billion people. It took 100 years more to get to 2 l/2 billion. In 40 years more (1990), we reached 5 billion. All of this in spite of wars and plagues and famine. Scientists now predict that in another 40 years, we will double it again to 10 billion.

One authority says that 8 billion people is the absolute maximum the world can possibly support with food, water, air, and the means of life. Are we then talking about the "end of the world" for mankind in about 20‑25 years?

The Biblical idea of the "end of the world" is probably one of the most misunderstood doctrines of the church. Someone once asked me if I was post‑millenialist or pre‑millenialist or a‑ millenialist, and I said, "None of the above. I was just a humble Christian, trying to do my job. And if the Lord came for me in death tomorrow, I planned to be 'ready'."

Years ago, I cut my spiritual eye‑teeth on the book of Revelation and Daniel, and learned the vocabulary of the "mark of the Beast" and the "Rapture", and all those other strange and seemingly indecipherable calculations found in apocalyptic literature. As a child, I was fearful of the strange predictions of those who seemed so sure of the future.

I would lay awake at night, wondering if the Lord had alÚ ready come, and left poor sinful me behind. And then a wonderful Christian said to me, "Francis, the Second Coming of the Lord has already taken place in your life, if you have accepted him into your heart." He is always coming, coming, coming, if we open our lives and hearts to Him.

The scientists' "end of the world" and the Biblical "end of the world" have one great thing in common: someone is going to be held responsible for our sins and grievous failures with this old world, and this short life. Since it could be me, I'm going to try hard to be part of the answer, rather than part of the problem.

I will not be publishing for several days.
Plan to be back by Wednesday, Sept. 13.

But, here is something to contemplate
during the next few days:

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just rememaber...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Eliljah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced
several times.
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...AND
Lazarus was dead!