“And you will hear of wars…and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” - Jesus. (Matt. 24:6; John 14:1)

I can remember the ‘good ole days’…when the amount of ‘news’ one consumed was easily controlled. There was usually a 30-minute national broadcast (that followed the local news) which came on around dinner time, with commercials…so you can whittle down that 30 minutes by around 6-8 minutes. Then, there was a daily printed newspaper where the size of it usually depended on the size of the city you lived in, or near. But it was easy to be selective in what you read and/or listened to on a daily basis, if even that.

Then came ‘talk radio’…where if you had the type of job or time available…you could listen to hours upon hours of one-sided opinions spewed over the airwaves filled with ‘needed information’ mixed in with ranting and raving and grumbling and complaining. Why…the average listener could call in and offer up their ‘two-cents’ if they felt so compelled to hear how much their voice mattered as well.

And who ever saw the day coming when we would have ‘cable TV’ that pumped in ‘news’, repeatedly…into our homes 24/7, filled with graphics and charts and ‘expert pundits’ with disturbing video clips of all that was happening around this world of ours. A world, I might remind you…that is ‘under the influence of the wicked one’ (1 John 5:19)…who ‘blinds the minds of those who were perishing…from seeing the light of the gospel of Christ’ (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

And today, wherever you may be at this present moment…look up around you and make note of the untold multitudes of people who are glued to a little 6-inch device with their eyes and ears, captive to whatever is coming across that screen. And thank you, internet…for the unlimited amount of options in which people can take in more ‘news’ from unlimited amounts of sources, including all platforms of ‘social media’. And who cares whether anyone is ‘fact checking’ what people take in anymore…if it’s on the internet and resonates with what we already believe and think…it must be truth!

We sure like to applaud all the technology that has arisen over the decades that enables humanity to ‘stay informed, as our ‘air waves’ are filled with any and every conceivable tidbit of imagery…both ‘good’ and ‘bad’; and then there is even the ‘darker side’ with the vile and wicked and unspeakable, if not unimaginable horrors that play out daily in this world… that remains in darkness.(Isa. 60:2; Matt. 24:16)

I have to say that I find it interesting that we read in Ephesians 2:2 …where Satan is the ‘prince of the power of the air (waves)…’. And I suppose it is arguable, but it would appear that in my lifetime alone, the ‘steady flow of news’…where in previous generations it ‘trickled in’…has seen that flow continue to increase at a rapid, if not exponential rate. It’s almost as if the ‘dam broke’…and all the news, images, sights, and sounds, with the abundance of information… has come in like…’a flood’. Which then also reminds me of a fitting word picture Isaiah uses to describe how the ‘enemy’…can come in: like a flood’ (59:19).

So now consider the word picture Jesus used to describe how it would be at the ‘end of the age’, comparing it to the ‘days of Noah’ where the ‘flood came and took them all away…to destruction’ (Matt. 24:37-39; Luke 17:27). If you are looking for the Weather Channel to keep you up to date on stories pertaining to more ‘flooding’…you might be focusing on the wrong kind of ‘floods’, because the ones Jesus is referring to are most likely going to be ‘spiritual’ in nature.

You might want to go mark Rev. 12:15, if you would, where we are told how the “serpent spewed water out of his mouth…like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood’. Care to guess who that ‘woman’ represents, and who the ‘offspring’ mentioned in vs. 17 represent? And remember…this ‘serpent/dragon’…who deceives the whole world (12:9)…already has the ‘unbelievers’ captive (Acts 26:18; 2 Tim. 2:24-26). My ‘money’ is on the guess that this ‘woman’ is a picture or type of the ‘church’, as in the ‘true church’ and not the counterfeit one that the Bible seems to suggest will be rather influential in the ‘last days’.

Oh, that passage from Isaiah the describes how this ‘enemy will come in like a flood’…it goes on to say that the Lord will ‘raise up a standard against him’; as in some form of a protective barrier. Something like an ‘ark’, perhaps? Or maybe something better yet…like a ‘church’? I believe Jesus spoke about ‘His Church’…and how the ‘gates of hell would not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). Also, I don’t know who needs to hear this, but I double-checked my Bible and there are no footnotes by that verse about adding….”unless God’s people don’t vote the right way” (then the gates of hell might prevail). Just saying.

I would also like to add that the ‘membership list’ in the church of Jesus Christ may differ from many of those other membership lists that are out there today; and it will be quite evident as to who is on ‘His list’ (John 13:35; Matt. 7:22-23; 15:8; 2 Tim. 3:1-7). I would also submit for further study, if you are so inclined…that all those who are ‘in the ark’ have one thing in common: They are ‘abiding in Jesus’…as explained in John 15:1-8 and 1 John 2:3-6 & 3:1-10 and 5:18.

So when Jesus encourages us to ‘let not your heart be troubled’…it is to those who are ‘in Him’…that He is speaking to. He’s not denying the fact that ‘wars’ (conflict) and difficult times are coming…He’s simply reassuring those who ‘hear His voice and follow Him’ (John 10:27-28) have no need to worry. In fact, He even promises us peace, a peace that passes all understanding (John 16:33; Luke 1:79; Phil. 4:6; Col. 3:15).

No…what is coming will not be pretty, nor pleasant. Psalm 91 paints a sobering scenario where ‘a thousand could fall at your side and then thousand at your right hand’ (7). But then comes the assurance that ‘it shall not come near you’. As you read on, we are reminded that “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place…and no evil shall befall you nor shall any plague come near your dwelling for He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways.” (9-11).

But please don’t forget the most important part, found in verse 1 of this psalm: this protection is extended to those who ‘abide…under the shadow of the Almighty’.

I know we are quick to assure ourselves and everyone else around us that we are indeed ‘saved’. But the question we really need to ask and examine is this: Are we abiding in Him? (2 Cor. 13:5).

As Walter Cronkite use to wrap up his nightly newscast: “And that’s the way it is…”