Imagine walking into a closet in your church, and there, staring you in the face, are two chests. These aren’t ordinary chests. These are constructed with solid oak and metal straps. You just happened to find them while looking around. You don’t work at the church, but being curious, you lift the handle to one of the chests and peer inside. To your shock and awe, you see shining, gleaming jewels including diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. But there’s more – there are gold and silver coins as well! You sink your hands into the chest and pull out strings of pearls in one hand and gold coins in the other! You then turn to the other chest, and it, too, is completely filled with treasure.
How odd! Who would have treasure in their possession and just store it away and not use it? Who would forsake treasure? Sadly, many church leaders in America are doing just that. Let me tell you about two forsaken treasures.
The first forsaken treasure is the lack of teaching on Biblical prophecy.
The world is changing exponentially, as never seen before. Israel became a nation in 1948. End-time prophecy fulfillments have since been rolling out like a scroll. There is seemingly unprecedented lawlessness in the streets. War drums are pounding. It’s not just Russia and Ukraine; it’s also China baiting Taiwan and instigating opportunities for conflict with the Philippines.
Divisiveness is everywhere. We feel the bite of inflation. Seemingly unprecedented governmental weaponization and corruption permeate our politics. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a new tool for those wishing to deceive unsuspecting targets. A sample of your voice is all that AI needs to create new words in your voice. Only you did not say them! Surely, the Rapture is coming any minute now. When it comes, there will be no more time to warn our friends and neighbors. It will be too late.
The book, The Late Great Planet Earth, was on best-sellers lists for ten years. The book was published in 1970. In the following ten years, 10 million copies of the book were in circulation. Untold numbers of people were influenced to come to Christ by the book and others talking about end times. Young people, in fact, all people, want to know what the Bible has to say about the end. People don’t want to live through the tribulation, yet church leaders are not talking about it. It is a forsaken treasure, sitting in the church closet, covered and put away.
The urgency of Christ’s coming is seen in every news story surrounding globalism, global economic disasters, lawlessness, and natural disasters. We must find ways to share the gospel creatively. Christian leaders should be focusing on end times and educating their people.
Hebrews 10:25 says, “… encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
The study of end times offers warnings. It moves people to study, witness, engage, and raise their spiritual temperatures.
It’s a treasure to lead people to Christ, especially younger people. We must stop forsaking this treasure and return to teaching end times!
The second forsaken treasure is Creation. God created the world in six days by speaking it into existence.
Genesis 1:3 says, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light;’ and there was light.”
This clear pronunciation is fully consistent with God’s omniscient and omnipotent nature. It communicates God is awesome! Yet too many Christians believe God used evolution to create over millions and billions of years. But that gives glory to the Creation, not the Creator. Is Creation all-powerful, or is the Creator all-powerful?
Christians want answers to the secular view of evolution. Today, mountains of books, videos, and documentaries clearly show evidence of Young Earth Creation. There are Creation museums detailing problems with evolution and revealing evidence for Creation. The evidence for Young Earth Creation is straightforward, easy to find, and abundant.
Young Earth Creation is one of the most powerful tools Christians have to bring young people to Christ and assure them the Bible is true and trustworthy. Yet, Creation is a forsaken treasure by many Christian leaders, setting up a travesty for Christianity and a victory for Satan! The powerful, observable, abundant, easy-to-understand evidence for Creation, if presented to the masses, would help bring revival, especially to young people.
WE HAVE THE ANSWERS YOUNG PEOPLE WANT AND NEED TO HEAR!
Why have we allowed the secularists the upper hand when God gave us the upper hand? We need to teach teens evidence for Creation.
I call upon pastors and Christian leaders to take this message on forsaken treasures to heart. While we don’t know the day or the hour of Christ coming to take His bride, we can see that the signs Jesus pointed to are clearly present. Here is an excellent way to re-engage in the two treasures of End Times and Creation.
I invite you to try out my new novel—Awakening: A Creation and End Times Thriller! In it, you’ll read powerful evidence favoring Creation and learn about end times. Couched in a fast-paced fictional story, it’s not only a fun, exciting story; it’s evangelistic.
Awakening: A Creation and End Times Thriller! is also in audiobook form with sound effects and male and female voices. The book is available on Kindle, in print at Amazon, and audiobook at Audible.
I believe the book is an avenue to encourage faith and salvation in those who have lost their way. Give the book to your sons, daughters, neighbors, friends, and pastors. With prayer and the Holy Spirit’s work, we can team up to lead the people we care about to Christ by using “story” as a vehicle.
Jim Bendewald
Evidence Press, Inc.
JB@EvidencePress.com
“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org”
Scriptures containing underlined or bold text are emphasis added by the author.