Someday Soon?

For Thursday, October 23, 2025:

Luke 21:25 NLT, Jesus speaking: “There will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides.”

As we near the end times, our earth will not stay the same. The Paris Climate Accord of 2015 warns of average temperatures increases over 1.5ºC, with 2ºC being the tipping point. Our world briefly passed the 1.5ºC increase last year, and averaged +1.38ºC. Tourists are flocking to Alaska to see the last of their glaciers, many of which have already fallen into the sea. Consequently, the ocean is rising. Several Pacific island-countries are closing up shop, the residents seeking refuge elsewhere. In the US, New Orleans would be totally underwater if not for dams and levees. Today, flooding is threatened in Laredo, McAllen and Corpus Christi, TX. And Galveston, an island, is always at risk. Let me stress that the sun didn’t get warmer. It is our planet that changed, allowing it to absorb and retain more of the sun’s heat.

Discovered in 2025, Asteroid PN7 is known as Earth’s second moon. Kinda. It follows our path around the sun, but doesn’t orbit the earth itself. To astronomers, it’s new!

Scientists keep inventing better telescopes, allowing mankind to see a far larger universe than we ever thought possible. Again, to astronomers, it’s all new!

Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. To learn about today’s wars, check any news feed. The US President helped negotiate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Less than a week later, it’s already been violated by both sides. Our president has met with Russia’s officials about ending the fighting in Ukraine. Yet the conflict continues, with more killing than ever. The #3 offender may be Syria, with the government defending itself against those who want to be the government! A civil war. There seems to be no end to fighting nowadays.

Are these signs of the end of life as we know it? I can’t say for sure. Jesus said that only the Father knows the exact day and hour he will return. But these are prophesied signs, reminding us that Jesus will be coming again, and with his return comes accountability. Jesus taught that if we knew when the thief was coming, we’d have locked the door! His words are always true, so he IS coming! We just can’t say exactly when! So it’s time to get ready. Time to repent and return!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Wars and Rumors of War!

For Friday, October 17, 2025:

Luke 21:8 NLT: Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them.”

We have all heard rumors that the world would soon be ending, that Jesus would be returning on a certain date. The predictions are always wrong. Don’t believe anyone who tells you such things. Jesus said that even he doesn’t know the exact date, that only the Father knows. If someone says they know, they’re lying!

Jesus did give us signs that we’re getting closer to the second coming, and a major sign is the proliferation of wars and insurrections. In case you haven’t heard the news lately, our world currently has wars in spades! The one conflict with Biblical overtones started about two years ago when Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,000 and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, a radical terrorist organization that had taken over Gaza. Hamas would not release the captured Israelis, even as Gaza was reduced to rubble.

Today, two years later, the hostages that were still alive were finally released, and a peace agreement was signed. Israel is still complaining that all the bones of the deceased were not returned. My advice would be just to let it go. When someone has died, their soul no longer occupies a human body. Their eternal essence has (hopefully) gone to be with the Lord. The body is no longer relevant. (That’s the Christian view, not necessarily the Jewish view.)

I said the current conflict started two years ago, but the overall disagreement goes back 3,000 years. After wandering on the desert, God set the Hebrew people down in the Promised Land. A Rabbi once told me, “It’s our land – God gave it to us!” However, those who had previously lived there were displaced. Hence the conflict.

(Just my opinion:) I don’t believe this peace treaty will last, because at its roots, this is a religious war. We can fight over territory, over governments, over countries, but people cannot be forced to change their beliefs. Historically, people will rot in prison while hanging on to their religion.

Jesus is the only one who can straighten out this mess. Our prayer for peace should include, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Wars and Rumors...

 Daily message of hope...
For Thursday, September 11, 2025:

Matthew 24:6...8 NIV: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning.”

I remember when 911 was only the phone number you’d dial in an emergency. Nowadays, 9/11 (2001) is remembered as the day the United States was attacked by radical Muslims, killing about 3,000 people and destroying the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the worst attack ever on the continental US. In retrospect, we should not have been surprised.

Jesus told us that there would be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. We’re often told to pray for world peace, but I pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” That’s when we’ll see peace! Currently, the goats and the sheep are roaming the earth together. When Jesus returns, he will separate the goats from his flock. Evil will be sent down, and believers will enter God’s eternal Kingdom, where Jesus has already prepared a place for us. This is God’s plan, and in the end, God always wins. A created being who became evil can never overtake its creator (God.)

People tend to be stubborn, stuck in their ways. If Hamas returned the Israeli hostages, Netanyahu could back off on trying to capture Gaza City. Neither side will budge, neither wants to lose face, and so the war continues. 64,000 (some say 84,000) innocent civilian lives have been lost in this conflict. God cannot be pleased.

Three years ago, Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine. There was no good reason. Putin just wanted a bigger chunk of our planet. Over 1M people have died in the fighting. Despite US attempts to broker peace, the war continues. Nowadays, a drone can be dispatched to blow-up the opposition, with no risk to the sender. Ukrainian people are quite religious, exalting Jesus. Putin doesn’t believe in any god, so the conflict continues. Again, our Lord cannot be pleased.

What is your territory, and what is mine? The lines on a globe separating different countries were drawn by mankind, often the result of harsh conflict. These lines and country names mean little to God. He has no obligation to honor mankind’s divisions. But he did give the promised land to the Jews!

With over 40 conflicts worldwide, it would be easy to surmise that we’re nearing the beginning of the end. Only God knows the exact date. But I can promise you that each day we’re one day closer to the end of the age!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship

Jesus said...

For Friday, November 10, 2023:

Matthew 24:7 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.”

Jesus said that he and the Father are one, so if he’s describing the end times, I’d listen up! Jesus said that wars and fighting would be one sign of the end times. For the last year or so, North Korea and China have been funneling munitions through Russia from the east, while the US and NATO countries are bolstering Ukraine from the west. This worldwide battle is being played out on Ukrainian soil, so it appears smaller and less significant than it really is!

About a month ago, in the dark of night, Hamas attacked Israel killing 1,400 Israelites and taking 241 hostages. This Holy War has stolen headlines from the Ukrainian conflict. The Bible predicted a mass return of Jews to Israel. Almost 10 million have accepted that invitation. That has happened in our lifetimes, since the country didn’t exist until after WWII. The Bible says to expect a worldwide persecution of Israel. Surrounded by Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, it would seem that Israel doesn’t have a fighting chance. God will intervene!

Knowledge of the end times is a gift from God. He wants his loyal followers to know the truth, to not be taken off guard by activities in this world. God wants believers to recognize the signs, and be ready to join Jesus in heaven! He’s already preparing your place!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship