Heed the Warnings

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“[H]ow shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?                                                                                                                                                           Hebrews 2:3

I recently saw “Edge of Tomorrow,” the 2014 sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise. The film takes place in the future, as an alien invasion threatens the existence of humanity. Major William Cage [Cruise] has been accused of treason and forcibly sent into battle, where he is killed, along with every other member of the mission.

But then he wakes up, back in handcuffs, and is forced to relive the last day of his life again.

And again. And again. And AGAIN.

(“War of the Worlds” meets “Groundhog Day.”)

With each consecutive life Cage learns more about his situation, the people and creatures involved, and what not to do to get killed (along with the rest of Mankind), only to perish in another way and wake up, handcuffed, to try again.

At first Cage does all he can to convince the officers around him to believe him when he tries to tell them what is happening to him, and what is about to happen to all of them. He accurately states details about them and predicts what they are about to say (same things they said last time), but though they are baffled, they’re unyielding. So they continue to send the troops out in a “surprise attack,” only to be slaughtered by enemies who were expecting them – that Cage knew were expecting them.

How many of us have tried unsuccessfully to pass on the wisdom of our own life lessons? (And all the parents said, “Amen!”) Like Major Cage, we know that people ignore our warnings to their own peril, but screaming louder only convinces them that the messenger is crazy.

And how many of us have ignored the admonitions of others and ended up regretting it? Their shrill warnings have sounded crazy to us, so we write them off as madmen. (Indeed, there have been madmen making false predictions in the past, thus the dilemma.)

However, there is One who transcends time and space, One who has seen the future – He’s been there. Although His predictions are accurate, He, too, is ignored by multitudes of people. But we should heed His warnings, because He is not only all-knowing, He is all-loving. He has made the future known to us in His Word (the Bible). Some of His predictions are:

  • That conditions in the world – floods, wars, plagues, and famine – will increase in frequency and intensity. (Matthew 24: 7 & 8)
  • That the enemy of our souls will send false saviors, false miracles, and lies. We are to be on our guard against them and not be deceived; our only true Savior is Jesus Christ. (Matthew 24: 4-5, 11, 23-27)
  • That persecution of Christians will increase (Matthew 24: 9-10, John 15: 18-25; 16: 2-3) , but that we should persevere, because
  • Jesus is coming back for us, (John 14:18) to take those who are faithful away with Him to an everlasting reward (I Corinthians 15: 51-57). *                                                                                                                                                                                                              In “Edge of Tomorrow,” Cage’s goal is to save the world. God’s promises are infinitely better. The consequences for failure to heed Him are also infinitely worse.                                                                                                                                                                If we don’t get it right in regard to God’s truths, we will end up in the wrong place.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                For eternity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Think about it: Get it right, spend eternity in a perfect place, in perfect bliss, with the perfect heavenly Father, being the Bride of His Son, the Prince of Peace.                                                                                                                                                                      Get it wrong, spend eternity away from his presence, in everlasting darkness, pain, misery, and regret.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                News, blogs, and self-help articles suggest a lot of New Year’s resolutions. But the best we can do in this new year is heed God’s warnings, and live for Him, day by day, from now on.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         For those who have never placed their faith in Him, the starting point is to acknowledge our sins, our powerlessness to help ourselves, and our need to change.  And since Jesus is the only One who paid for our sins Himself by willingly dying on the cross, the next step is to surrender our flawed lives to Him, with a willingness to abandon our sinful ways and follow Him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      For all of us, the way to know His mind and heart is to read the Bible. The better we know God’s Word, the better prepared we will be for what’s to come.

    Prayer: Lord God, who sees the end from the beginning, thank You for giving us a glimpse into the future through You Word. Forgive us for all the times we have ignored Your warnings. We thank You for holding back Your judgment, giving us time to heed Your Word and repent. We thank You for receiving us as Your beloved children the moment we place our faith in You. And thank You that we can follow You confidently into the future, knowing that You’ve already been there, for You transcend time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    * There are many, many scriptures describing the future for this world and for believers in Jesus Christ. Those cited here are just a few. To be best informed, read the Bible regularly.

Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

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33 thoughts on “Heed the Warnings”

  1. Good article !
    I was having a philosophical discussion with myself one time, and I asked myself whether I would love and serve God and my neighbour, even if there were no “heaven” afterlife. I answered : Yes, yes, yes ! Because in knowing Jesus , we already have the abundant , beautiful life he promises to his followers. As St. Catherine of Siena said : ” All the way to heaven is heaven.” 🤗

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      1. Hi ! Yes, for sure we go through suffering and trials, but we do so joyfully, because Jesus is with us. I think, though, that this may sound very strange to someone who is not a Christian…..🤗

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  2. Really enjoyed reading this. Thank you 😊
    I laughed out loud at
    “How many of us have tried unsuccessfully to pass on the wisdom of our own life lessons? (And all the parents said, “Amen!”)”
    The best new year resolution to have is to spend more time with God heeding His voice.

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  3. Amen. We’d do well to heed His words to us. Thank you for drawing out some excellent scripture references and a much needed reminder. Blessings to you!

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  4. This is wonderful, Ann! I am so grateful that I don’t have to relive the worst days of my life, over and over to get it right. I am glad it only took God three days. The first day ended in the death of His son. Then on the third, He made sure the first would never have to happen again! Thank you for having stirred my mind to think about this amazing truth. …. over and over and over 🙂

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  7. That film sounds thrilling … but very, very scary! Thank God that he gave us his Word and sent Jesus … and for all our brothers and sisters who encourage and inspire us along the way.

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  8. Amen, Lesley. I frequently see films about things that would be scary for me, and I wonder how in the world someone who doesn’t know God could ever cope with those kinds of things. (I don’t have the answer for that one.)

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  11. “screaming louder only convinces them that the messenger is crazy.” So true. It pays better to pray that someone else to give them a message. That’s one reason God needs messengers. We need to be wide open to hearing him when he needs us to do the job for Him. You are a talented writer; I enjoy your blog very much. Thanks for reading mine.

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  15. Yes, all-knowing, all-loving, AND all-powerful. Only two of those would leave me uneasy, but He is all three, and therein lies our security.
    P.S. I’ve been unable to connect to your blog. (“Oops! Page not found”) Not sure what’s going on, but I wanted you to know.

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  18. Amen. So very true. On all points. My prayer for 2020 is that He would cause me to be more alert to moments when I can share Him with those around me. I think, sometimes, we get so focused on our own “orbits,” and we are so consumed with our own agendas, that we often miss the opportunities He places right there in front of us! Yes, we need to “let our light shine before men,” but for far too long, we have depended upon that dimming light to speak His truth when He has commanded us to speak, make disciples and reach this world for His kingdom purpose. Satan has sang a lullaby over this globe for far too long, and as Christians, we’ve hummed along with the melody. It’s time we rise, take our place and shout, “Jesus!” real loud. 😊 … the change for Major Cage happened when he realized his purpose and his destiny went beyond his current circumstances. (Sounds so simple, until you’re stuck in the middle of the “Groundhog Day” storyline! … come to think of it, that’s what happened in that movie, too! 😉)
    Thanks for this post. 💕

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