The Story is Ending
Hi everyone – finally! I finally sat down with someone to record their story. I met Aaron through the Iron Council. He’s got his own story of redemption from the streets of Denver to the Navy to being a father. God has done some amazing work in and through him. Please enjoy hearing Aaron’s story as found within The Story.
I have been wanting to get this on my podcast for some time. Beginning last year as November started, I challenged myself to read every day from this prayer in the back of John Eldredge’s book, Moving Mountains. As I read it day-to-day, I also started adding highlights and God inspired more customization as words and phrases arose in the moment. This version is the seventh update and I decided to have an easy-to-access audio version as well.
Full credit goes to Wild at Heart and their amazing ministry that has blessed me through the years. They have a whole page dedicated to prayers you can download and listen to here. It’s where I got the text I copied and pasted to customize, which is definitely something I suggest you do.
And finally, if you would like to download a PDF version of the prayer I read from, click here.
Meanwhile, please share below so others can see parts of your story, and maybe we can talk on the podcast!
“This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of mankind and humanity. Its number is 666.” Revelation 13:18
“Mankind and humanity.”
The Greek word has carried over to our modern English word “anthropology.” Which is all about the study of humanity.
But the Big Point with this for me is this: the mark of the beast is all about, in its many, many facets, pointing to the works of, the achievements of, the lofty hopes of, the glory of — mankind.
As much as we have accomplished, it’s still not perfection. That is why the number 6 is repeated 3 times. The number 7 in the Bible and especially Revelation, is about perfection. It represents completeness and wholeness. In short, it represents God and his perfection in every sense of the word.
The number 6 conspicuously falls short of this perfection. Everything people do is inherently imperfect. It doesn’t matter if an idea is executed exactly as planned out or a design is presented with mathematical precision and even serves a practical purpose in the real world.
Nothing about humanity is ever perfect and it indeed never can be.
Which is why this number is the number of mankind — it falls short. But here’s the kicker for us to have stamped into our brains for the last events about to be unleashed onto the world: it is false worship of an imperfect impossibility.
The whole context of this verse about false worship. Much of the Bible and especially for us in these final days of Earth’s Story is to make sure God’s people do not fall snare to this false worship.
The very simple contrast presented as The Story winds its way down is for us to answer the question: Who or what will I worship and give my complete and utter allegiance to?
God, or something other than God?
True worship or false worship?
What or who has been falsely worshipped by human beings in our history?
Let’s see, this could be a long list, but I’ll only share what immediately comes to mind as I write this:
Individuality
Individual freedom
Money and wealth
Family
Power
Things
People and fame
Achievement
Sobriety
Marriage
Validation
Sex and pleasure
Leisure
Unity
Retirement accounts
Can you think of more?
What’s important to remember is this list isn’t necessarily bad. Who’s going to say individual freedom is bad? Or sobriety? Or unity?
But, if any of one these becomes an end in itself, when I put any or any part of these things before God himself — that is false worship. It will always fall short. False worship always leads to disappointment and “never enough.”
That is why the enemy has been so successful. He wants me to love the good at the expense of the great.
He wants me to put the most precious in my life — my bride and even my kids — before God.
Can you see how this is so nefarious and subtle at the same time?
Notice how there are 3 sixes. This is another attempt to deceive the world into thinking there is another trinity! And this verse is in the context of beast powers — that is geopolitical power and authority — who will work hand in hand with false spiritual powers to set up a false god of supposed power, control, and safety.
When God originally started earth’s story, among so many other things we read: “Let us make man in our image.”
And ever since the fall, humanity as a tool of the enemy, has put something besides God — an image — before him.
The image of God, mankind in all its glory, is what has been and continues to be worshipped to this very day!
Do you see that? God was the one who said, “Let us make a man in our image.”
Humanity has said, “Let us worship the image God made instead of the One who made the image.”
The mark of the beast is just a continuation of what humanity has been doing for millennia: Lifting up all things human before lifting eyes, hands and hearts to the God of the universe.
The mark just formalizes (and enforces) what has been going on since the fall. Something or someone before God. In other words, false worship!
The key here is to ask God this question: “God, what is coming between you and me?”
The reason why this mark can be enforced like it will be (very, very) soon is that the vast majority of the world will have settled in their minds that the invisible God isn’t enough. Worshipping the God of Creation isn’t enough.
“I don’t trust you” is the root of agreeing to get the mark in the forehead.
“I am afraid of what others think of me” is the root of getting the mark on hand.
“I don’t trust you and I never will, because I can do this myself” is the root to both.
Humanity, in the end, will believe it can save itself from the horrors that have fallen on the planet. And key humans, cooperating with false teachers and pretend spiritual leaders — even supernatural beings — will be renown for having the solutions to all the problems facing the world.
Humanity will be at risk. Extinction may even be talked about. Measures will need to be taken in order to save the human race.
All the possible solutions will come, but not from Infinite Wisdom. Not from the mind of God himself. No.
While the renown humans, full of their own wisdom, knowledge and vast experience will collaborate with these supernatural powers — the efforts to save a doomed race will fall short.
The gods of the age will not prevail, just like the Egyptian gods were powerless to prevent the plagues just before the Exodus of God’s people.
Humanity is powerless to save itself. It always has been.
We humans need a Savior and his name is Jesus Christ. His blood is our rescue. When we take his blood and apply it to the doorposts of our hearts, then we are ready to go!
And, friends, it won’t be long now before the gods of this world will come crashing down, powerless to do anything against the living God.
Now is the time to determine who you will trust in. Yourself? Your wisdom? Your power? Your schemes? Your retirement investments? Your government? Your local law enforcement? Your paycheck?
Now is the time to decide and proclaim, “I will trust in God and God alone to take care of me.”
I do what I can, but leave the rest in God’s capable hands. Because the time is coming when that is all we will have. But I would want it no other way!
I know, it’s been a while since an update on my story. Once again, I don’t pretend that my story is somehow superior, or extra special in any real sense. I know God has moved in my life and I have responded.
I believe all of that about your story too. I believe every single person’s story has value, because every person has inherent value. Both because of where you came from (the very heart of God), what he has done for your (faced eternal death without us) and what he will yet do (create a beautiful life here, to be continued in the next chapter).
Click here to get the book Alter Call by Dr. Roy Gane I mention in this episode.
Meanwhile, please share below so others can see parts of your story, and maybe we can talk on the podcast!
This past summer (and leading up to it) Afghanistan was brought to the attention of the world because of the rapid withdrawal of U. S. Troops, after more than 20 years of rebuilding and, some would say, occupying that country.
Unfortunatetly, the growing vacuum was filled — once again — by the Taliban and so many people tried to flee. There were many efforts to get those out who wanted to go. And, as I listened in what was happening, clearly the enemy of souls was having a day with his kingdom of darkness enveloping a people who only wish to be left alone.
Among those is this beautiful little boy. To me, he represents all children caught in the midst of dark times and dark places in all of history. The innocent suffer the most when darkness pushes back.
But, I promise you, when you listen to this reflection, it does not end where it begins. I finish with hope. As this ministry is all about, it is about the glorious hope that is the end of The Story.
Meanwhile, please share below so others can see parts of your story, and maybe we can talk on the podcast
ESKATON is a word meaning, “ending” or “the end” of something. More accurately, “ESCHATON” (not enough space on license plate, thus ESKATON instead), is a New Testament Greek word. If you have ever heard of the word “eschatology” – the study of last things, you now see they are related. Why I share it is because The Story we know as the history of the earth is coming to an end. Soon. And it is imperative you are on the right side of history if you would like to participate in the next chapter of The Story, that is, eternity.
I love the last lines from C. S. Lewis’s book, The Final Battle, as he describes how life will go on for the children after finding the real Narnia:
And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.
If you’d like to learn more, head over my main page, The Story is Ending, to catch up on some podcasts and the occasional blog post about this crucial time in earth’s history. I strongly believe not only do we humans find meaning in story — we find meaning in story precisely because we are part of a larger Story that had a beginning will soon have its ending.
The 10 Commandments set the stage for worship. Or, I should say, they reaffirm the stage and help us — to this very day — to know the stage never left, nor has it been for any one nation.
The Seventh day Sabbath is more relevant than most people realize. It will get more relevant as The Story nears its close for our planet.
As promised on the podcast, here are the corresponding questions for each of the first four commandments:
Meanwhile, please share below so others can see parts of your story, and maybe we can talk on the podcast
As I mention in this new episode, I have been looking forward to this series for a long time. It’s a highly important topic to me — especially after reading a wonderful book a few years ago and, one I will be drawing from for this series: The Lost Meaning of the Seventh Day by Sigve Tonstad. I even hope to interview him for this series if I can.
If you happen to be listening to these in order, you may also notice I haven’t finished telling and updating my own story. I will mix these in with stand-alone episodes until caught up.
Also, be patient with me as I pace myself to get this series out there. I want to avoid simply rehashing what is already in some great books I have for research. I am prayerfully and slowly asking God to show me how to present this in a way that is relevent and like, well, storytelling.
One book I read much from for this episode (and I can’t say I won’t in the future) is The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel. I love his insights and perspective from a lifetime of immersion in the Jewish life and significance of the Sabbath for him, and for us to read.
Enjoy this introductiory chapter.
Meanwhile, please share below so others can see parts of your story, and maybe we can talk on the podcast!
Before moving on to The Story of the Sabbath series, I wanted to make sure and continue my story. I know it’s not the most exciting, but just like yours, my story has value to God and to people who see God in it. I am keeping true to the foundational verse of this whole podcast: “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb the word of their testimony…”
This short episode includes my wedding when I married my bride, Kimberly. As of today, we’ve been married more than 25 years, by the grace and love of God! She gets me closer to God. Together, we have been through much. She is a gifted and talented pediatric nurse. Many years before I ever met her, she dreamed of taking care of kids through nursing. She’s been living that dream for nearly three decades now. I am so proud of her.
Again – these books are the ones we worked on selling, this time in the summer of 1996 in Orlando, Florida:
Meanwhile, please share below so others can see parts of your story, and maybe we can talk on the podcast!
Before moving on to The Story of the Sabbath series, I wanted to make sure and continue my story. I know it’s not the most exciting, but just like yours, my story has value to God and to people who see God in it. I am keeping true to the foundational verse of this whole podcast: “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb the word of their testimony…”
I mention a series of books that I grew to love, and still do to this day. I’m linking all of them directly to their own page where you can read any of them for free, and most if not all of them are available for audio download as well.
Meanwhile, please share below so others can see parts of your story, and maybe we can talk on the podcast!