The fact that many Churches are not preparing their members for the coming of the Messiah, confirms that we are in the last days. Their worldly lives appear to be mocking the promise of His coming. They have forgotten that every word of God must surely come to pass at His appointed time. Jesus said, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also. At His ascension, the angels said, this same Jesus, which is taken from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.

The man in our key text was in the same unpleasant situation for thirty-eight long years. He believed that one day someone would be kind enough to help get him into the healing waters at the right time. However, when Jesus came by and asked if he would like to be healed, he failed to see that the Doctor of doctors had come to his help. His trust was not in God but in man.

There was a time David found himself in a seemingly hopeless situation. Being a man after God's heart he quickly realised that the only way out was to encourage himself in the Lord his God. The Devil had employed his deadly weapon of discouragement to bring David down but the Lord delivered him. Many have been destroyed and are still being destroyed by discouragement for lack of knowledge - Hosea 4:6.

Blessed or happy are those who endure the affliction or persecution that befall them because of their faith in Christ. Job lost all his children and all his possessions in one day but he neither sinned nor charged God foolishly. On a later date Job was also smitten with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown. Despite the ungodly counsel given by his wife, to curse God and die, Job chose to retain his integrity and would not sin with his lips against the Lord.

Beware, Jesus says, "strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. The journey to find the strait gate that leads into the kingdom of God begins at salvation. Although, The hope of every saved soul is to make heaven, unfortunately, many will be disappointed because they are travelling on the fast lane of life, otherwise called the broad way.