Page 90 - Racing Toward Judgement

the other, "Get ready." They parade up and down
Times Square for an hour or two, then return to their
suburban home. Multitudes laugh. It's a funny scene.
An old man parades in a sandwich sign, hand
painted, with warnings about the end of the world. He
passes out hand-scribbled tracts smudged with jelly and
peanut butter. You can hardly read the warning—
"Judgment is coming! Are you prepared?" People
laugh.
Almost daily, I meet self-proclaimed prophets who
go about telling their strange dreams, visions, and
prophecies. Much of it is sad and silly. These misdi-
rected people have turned off multitudes who now dis-
count all judgment warnings as "fanatical." They can-
not believe that a judgment message is compatible with
the love of God.
The time of Israel's punishment has come; the
day of recompense is almost here and soon Israel
will know it all too well. "The Prophets are crazy";
"The inspired men are mad." Yes, so they mock,
for the nation is weighted with sin, and shows only
hatred for those who love God.
(Hosea 9:7LB)
2 Young Americans Have Never Known Hardships.
Most young Americans cannot even remotely relate to a
judgment message. They have experienced so little of
suffering and hardship. No food shortages, no lack of
comfort or clothes. Parents have provided security and
a whole catalog of material goodies. No wonder they
can't imagine hard times coming.
Recently, a group of teenagers were surveyed and
asked the question, "Do you believe hard times or de-
pression is coming to America?" Ninety percent an-
swered, "No, the government will bail us out."
A group of grandparents over sixty-five were asked
the same question. The majority answered, "Yes. Hard
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