ZERO HOUR!!

Written by

Christopher Mentzer

On Friday November 28, 2003 at 6 am, the lives of many people will be changed forever…or for a few hours at any rate. It is then that the After Thanksgiving Day Sale begins and the official start of the Christmas Season. For those of us who work in the retail industry, we know how much people change in that instant. What were once happy carefree individuals turn into bargain seeking barbarians who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

At my work we regale the new-hires with “War Stories” of sales from the past. Most of them laugh when we mention fistfights over Barbie Dolls, or hospital visits from cracked ribs attempting to get the year’s hottest toys. They assume we are embellishing the truth to either scare or entertain them. It is when they are actually a part of the madness that they then realize that all our stories seem paled to actually witnessing the “carnage”.

Two things in the scriptures come to mind. First when we become Christians, we become new creatures. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Wherefore if any man is in Christ, `he is' a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) It is a change that is to last forever. We are not to live for the world but to live for Jesus. “15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

The second thing found in the scriptures is, there will come a time, a precise moment, that all things will end here on earth and the afterlife will begin. When Jesus returns to collect all of us, the decisions we have made in our lives will be sealed forever (2 Cor. 5: 10).

Back in the days of Noah, he preached the whole time he was building the ark (Heb. 11:7). When it came time to go, the door was closed on the ark and no one else was let allowed in (Gen. 6-7).

A similar story is told by Jesus in Matthew 25: 1-13. The last few verses read, “10. And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. 11. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13. Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.”

Becoming baptized in to Christ is the Zero Hour when we no longer live in Sin and live for Christ (Rom. 6: 4). The Second Coming of Christ is the final Zero Hour and it may come at any time. No one knows the hour or the day so we must be ready (Matt. 24:42).

If you haven’t been baptized into Christ, do so now. You may not get another chance.