Time to think about life…

But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven – except the Father alone. Mathew 24:36



Almost 10 years ago many people were afraid because the millennium was coming and many said the world would finish in 2000…

Nothing happened in 2000 and we are almost in 2010.

When I was a teenager many pastors from different nationalities and denominations said and prophesied the year that Jesus would be supposed to come back (sometimes they said the exact day for that)…

Nothing happened and we are still here…

Nobody knows when Jesus comes back…

Nobody knows when the day of the Lord will come…

Nobody knows it - except the Father alone!

On the other hand, (personally) I feel we have been living a very important part of the History and it has been such a great privilege to belong to this “last generations”.

Maybe you are going to tell me: “Fábio, Jesus said to his disciples about wars and nations that would rise up in arms against nations and kingdom against kingdom and also about famines and earthquakes in various places and all these things would mean the beginning of birth pains”…

And also you could conclude your thought by telling me…

”We have seen these catastrophes and wars since the beginning of the world and nothing has been new since then”…

I would say you are right! That is true!

In fact, we have seen and read about wars, famine, brothers against brothers, nation against nation, etc since the beginning of the world…

In addition, if we just go, read the Bible and know the History a little bit we will see so many examples regarding these issues like Abel and Cain, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, the plagues and famine in Egypt, etc.

However, we have never seen two great world wars before like those ones from 1914 to1918 and from 1939 to 1945…

We have never seen a genocide before like the Holocaust that killed almost 6 million Jewish…

Last year I was in Lisbon and I heard about the Great Lisbon Earthquake that took place on November 1st, 1755, and was followed by a tsunami and fires destroying absolutely all the city. Actually, a few weeks ago I read a text saying that the consequences of the Lisbon Earthquake were felt (even) in the territory of Finland at that day.

In 2004 I was in Canada when the tsunami hit regions of Indonesia and destroyed everything killing 229.000 people. At that evening I remember when my Polish friend who was working for The World Vision told me about all the efforts that her Non Profits was trying to do in order to raise founds and help those families that had lost everything due to this horrible tsunami.

In 2005 I was leaving Toronto and going to New York when the Hurricane Katrina's came to New Orleans in August, 2005…

In September of the same year I was in Florida and had to change my tickets to fly to Houston because the Hurricane Rita was exactly coming to Houston from Florida in Sept, 2005…

Last week I read a certain article on the Internet in which said that 17% of the Spanish people have lost their work due to the difficult economical situation in the world and this terrible crisis…

I have never thought that one day companies like GM and Chrysler would be broken…

Last week I read the details about the Spanish flu that killed almost 50 million people in 1918…

Unfortunately, we are facing what they have called the swine flu…

Earthquakes, tsunamis, infirmities and other catastrophes do not come just to visit those people who have been considered poor, without instructions, studies and countries that have been called and belonged to the third world...

It does not matter if you are a secretary or business man, rich or poor, a famous person or not, a prince, king, celebraty or one of their servants –
the fact is: everybody is vulnerable…

I could continue to write and say about the global warming, thaw, destruction of the forests, changes of the climate, etc…

By the way, who of us could rebuild our ozone layer or the ice of Antarctica?

It is not pure demagogy because it is our reality…

During this last century we have seen, read, felt, lived and heard about what I just wrote above – except the Great Lisbon Earthquake that took place in 1755.

This makes me more sensitive concerning the values of life and also in the same manner it invites me to understand much more what it is really worth in life…

One day everybody will be before Him and then at that day…

When?! I do not know when and I do not want to try to know it…

But one thing I know He is coming soon and so at that day…

There will not be any religion, business, anxiety, famine and any other issues that could make us worried about life because He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.

May God protect us and keep His grace, fire and peace on our hearts!

Fábio
Cafeteria Fresh & Ready
Barcelona