Brent Oliver is the pastor at First Assembly of God in Delphi. Today, I write from the heart as much as I can ever remember, a message that I want to shout from the rooftop.

For the person who lives to serve the Lord one of the greatest themes of hope in the New Testament is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Yet for the one who is not serving the Lord His second coming would not be a welcome sight, for it would mean final judgment and separation from God for all of eternity.

God's Word gives us many "signs" of the general time period of Jesus' return. I have read about them and studied them for over 30 years. A key event that signified the final generation of people before Jesus' return was the re-gathering of the Jews to their homeland which was promised to Abraham in the book of Genesis.

After centuries of time in 1948 Israel was again recognized as the land of the Jewish people. Then in 1967 the Jewish people regained Jerusalem, their holy city. Yes, peace in the Middle East and the land of Israel will remain a significant issue in the world in the short time we have left until Jesus returns.

What is going on in the Middle East is not just geo-political, it is Bible prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes. And while most people are aware of what is going on most people are not aware of the significance of what is going on and that of itself is predicted in the Bible.

Jesus said that his return would be in a time period similar to Noah's day. Those who were right with God were busy preparing and proclaiming the message but the rest of the world would be so busy with everyday life they would not take time to consider the words of Noah, the man of God, who urged them to return to God before it is too late.

Finally, the signs are way too many to discuss in this single article. Yet, I discuss these frequently in our Sunday morning worship service the significance of signs such as Israel and the Middle East, the increase in "natural disasters," war, the predicted "falling away" from God, our economic downturn, etc. The Word of God tells us that the gathering together of the people of God (what we call going to church) will be vital to us, and all the more as we see that "Day" approaching. I talk to people all the time who say they need to get back into church. God is speaking that to them! And for good reason! Please do not delay. While going to church does not make you a Christian it is part of your obedience to God to live as a Christian. What is coming to our nation and our world is very frightening, more than you know or could imagine. Please do not be like the majority of people in Noah's day. They didn't listen. They and their families paid a terrible price. I urge you to submit to God and serve Him daily.