Everyone loves the Christ in the cradle. The image of baby Jesus in the Bethlehem barn warms our hearts. Each December we recreate the moment on our lawns and beneath our Christmas trees. Stores sell plastic donkeys and wooden mangers. People collect hand-carved images of Mary, Joseph, and the newborn child.

We love the Christ in the cradle.

We are fine with Christ the gentle Messiah. Children sitting on his lap. Sheep gathered around him. The apostle John reclining on his chest. Mary anointing his feet. No one has an issue with a pleasant rabbi who offers sage advice, feeds crowds, and replenishes wine at a wedding.

Christ in the cradle? Wonderful. Christ the kindhearted? Delightful. But Christ the coming King? On a stallion? Roaring out of Heaven? Crowned with the crowns of his enemies? On a mission to destroy those who destroy His children?

The world is less familiar with this view of Jesus. Yet this is the Jesus the world will soon see.

Did you know that the second coming is mentioned more than three hundred times in the Bible, an average of once every 25 verses?

Scripture gushes with the news of Christ’s return like water in full spate. To the depressed disciples, Jesus assured, “I will come again” (John 14:3 NKJV). When Jesus ascended, the angel told the witnesses, “[Jesus] will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Paul referred to “the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 6:14). Peter affirmed, “The day of the Lord will come” (2 Peter 3:10). Jude announced, “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones” (Jude14).

We are in the season of Advent. Advent leads us to the beautiful culmination of Christmas, where we celebrate the incarnation of God.

Are we ready for the hope of what will come when Jesus, the very child born in Bethlehem will once again come to reign for eternity?

We wait but we must be ready.

Ready for the arrival of our coming King. Ready. Waiting. Vigilant. Like the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The men and women who stand guard there display a level of unparalleled fidelity. They devote eight hours to the preparation of their uniforms. Gloves are worn wet to improve the grip on the rifle. Shanks are attached to the inside of each shoe so the soldier can click his or her heels.

The sentinel repeats the same walk over and over: twenty-one steps, then a 21-second pause, the rifle is shifted to the other shoulder, then 21 more steps. He or she repeats this until being relieved at the changing of the guard.

During the summer months, the soldier is on duty for 30 minutes. During the winter, 60 minutes. They fulfill their task in the heat of August and the chill of January. The routine never varies, not even at night when the cemetery is closed. When Hurricane Isabel moved through the area in 2003, the soldiers never stopped. Not once. Trees fell and the wind whipped, but they kept their post.

They have maintained this vigilance every day of every year since 1921.

Remarkable.

Question: If they can display such allegiance rightly given to unknown, dead soldiers, can we not do the same for our living, coming, ruling King? If these sentries are willing to patrol in honor of those who sacrificed, can’t we do even more for our King, who gave the greatest sacrifice? We are members of His battalion. We are enlisted in His regiment. We are returning with Him someday. Can we not serve Him on this day?

Let me be specific. What can you do today in honor of your King? What kindness can you perform? What offense can you forgive? What temptation can you resist? What gift can you offer? What discipline can you begin? What sacrifice can you make? What act of love can you show?

Let’s behave like the people we have been called to be soldiers in the returning army of the King of kings.

The Christ of the cradle is now the Christ with the crowns. He is coming soon.
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com

God’s truth is reaching new eyes, with Bibles reportedly flying off shelves this year.

In fact, Bible sales are up 22% this year through the end of October when compared to last year’s sales during the same time period, making for “a golden age of Bible publishing,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

And here’s why this figure matters. U.S. book sales were up less than 1% during that same period, meaning the Bible’s growth in sales far outpaced what was happening more generally in the print literary space.

The WSJ crunched the numbers and found Bible sales increased from 9.7 million in 2019 to 14.2 million in 2023. In the first 10 months of 2024, 13.7 million copies were sold, with still two months left to count.

So, why the increase, you ask? It seems chaos and uncertainty in the world, among other factors, could be turning people back to the Lord.

“People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, told the WSJ. “It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.”

One bookstore manager told the outlet she’s seeing many first-time buyers come in looking for the Scriptures — people she said are on a quest for “hope.”

Young people, in particular, could be looking for answers to some of life’s tough questions, especially as cultural confusion grows. And with new editions and versions of the Bible hitting the market, there are more options than ever for these individuals to engage in Scripture.

Some of the other potential reasons for the increase mentioned by the WSJ are celebrities speaking out about faith and influencers on YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms sharing their beliefs with new audiences.

As CBN News reported in 2023, research backs the idea young people have a growing curiosity about faith. The “State of the Bible 2023” report released at the time did reveal a steady decline among young people engaging with Scripture. Yet, 44% of Gen Z adults between the ages of 18-26 were either very or extremely curious about Jesus and/or the Bible.

And nearly half of Gen Z said the Bible has transformed their lives. Among older Gen Z adults aged 18-21, 49% reported this transformation, with 52% of those aged 22-26 stating the same.

Months later, Dr. John Plake, chief program officer at the American Bible Society, told CBN News 21% of Gen Z adults said in his organization’s 2024 “State of the Bible” survey — the wave that followed the 2023 data — that “they’ve actually increased their use of the Bible within the last year.”

“They’re leaning into the Bible,” Plake said. “They’re really trying to engage in their faith and they are kind of a bright hope for us as a young generation of American adults.”

Other recently released data shows the full power a regular connection with God can have on a young person’s life. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues in 2025 — and beyond.
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

വാഷിങ്ടൺ ഡിസി: പ്രമുഖ സമൂഹമാധ്യമ ആപായ ടിക് ടോക് അമേരിക്കയിൽ നിരോധിക്കും. ഓഹരികൾ ചൈനീസ് ഇതര കമ്പനിക്ക് വിറ്റില്ലെങ്കിൽ നിരോധനമേർപ്പെടുത്തുമെന്ന നിയമം യു.എസ് ഫെഡറൽ അപ്പീൽ കോടതി വെള്ളിയാഴ്ച ശരിവച്ചു.2025 ന്റെ തുടക്കത്തിൽ പ്രാബല്യത്തിൽ വരാനിരിക്കുന്ന നിയമമാണ് കോടതി ശരിവെച്ചത്.

അഭിപ്രായ സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തിനു മേലുള്ള കടന്നു കയറ്റമാണിതെന്ന് ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടി വിലക്ക് ചോദ്യം ചെയ്‌താണ് ടിക് ടോക്കും മാതൃ കമ്പനിയായ ബൈറ്റ്ഡാൻസ് ലിമിറ്റഡും വാഷിങ്ടൺ ഫെഡറൽ കോടതിയിൽ പരാതി നൽകിയത്.വിധിക്കെതിരെ ടിക് ടോക് മേൽകോടതിയിൽ അപ്പീൽ പോകുമെന്നാണ് സൂചന. വിദേശ എതിരാളിയുടെ നിയന്ത്രിക്കാൻ വേണ്ടിമാത്രം ശ്രദ്ധാപൂർവം തയാറാക്കിയതാണ് നിയമമെന്ന് കോടതി പറയുന്നു. ചൈന ഉയർത്തുന്ന ദേശീയ സുരക്ഷാ ഭീഷണിയെ പ്രതിരോധിക്കാനുള്ള വിശാലമായ ശ്രമത്തിന്റെ ഭാഗമാണിതെന്നും വ്യക്തമാക്കി.യു.എസ് സെനറ്റിലെ അംഗങ്ങൾ ടിക് ടോക്കിന്റെ ചൈനീസ് ഉടമസ്ഥതയിൽ ആശങ്ക പ്രകടിപ്പിച്ചുവെന്നാണ് സൂചന.

ഉപയോക്താക്കളെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള വിവരങ്ങൾ കൈമാറാൻ ചൈനീസ് സർക്കാർ ബൈറ്റ്ഡാൻസിനെ നിർബന്ധിക്കുമെന്ന് യു.എസ് ഭയപ്പെടുന്നു. എന്നാൽ ചൈനീസ് സർക്കാറിന് വിദേശ ഉപയോക്ത്യ ഡാറ്റ നൽകില്ലെന്ന് ടിക് ടോക്ക് തറപ്പിച്ചു പറയുന്നുണ്ട്.ഏഴ് മില്യൺ അമേരിക്കൻ ബിസിനസ് സ്ഥാപനങ്ങൾ ടിക് ടോക്കിലുണ്ട്. 24 ബില്യൺ ഡോളർ പ്രതിവർഷം ടിക് ടോക് യു.എസ് സമ്പദ്‌വ്യവസ്ഥക്ക് നൽകുന്നുണ്ടെന്നും കമ്പനി പ്രതികരിച്ചിരുന്നു.
Sources:nerkazhcha

http://theendtimeradio.com