The suspense continues!  The very mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has brought much speculation as to what happened to it and the passengers on board, or as to where it actually flew. There are official military reports that state the airliner made a U-turn. The theories of what occurred range from pilot error, to alien abduction. Recent reports state that there is evidence that the jet’s Rolls Royce engines continued to transmit data every 30 minutes, for as long as they were running.  And that the engines continued to run for up to four hours after the aircraft’s transmitters were turned off.   Some are wondering if this flight has been blown up by Islamic Terrorists, or hijacked to North Korea, or to some other location with all the passengers aboard to be held as hostages. Especially puzzling is the fact that the family members have reported calling their loved ones and finding their phones apparently still connected and ringing with no one picking up. Strange indeed!

Christians should diligently pray for these passengers and crew to be found and even that they be found alive and safe. These are indeed strange times that we are living in today! We should be aware that strange and highly publicized incidents such as this might well become more commonplace as these latter days unfold. We would do well to understand that Satan advances much of his evil power and influence through generating fear and confusion. And the more fear, confusion, conflict and anxiety that he can generate in individuals, families and even in the societal masses, the more influence he can have over the decisions of the times.  This is why it is so important for Christians to have an understanding of the times that we are living in, especially from a biblical and prophetic perspective.

In my last entry I discussed how the devil uses the “powers and principalities” over nations and Peoples to carry out his plans which predominantly involve somehow hindering or even thwarting God’s plan; a thing which Satan will never actually succeed in doing. Yet he is active as a literal and malevolent being whose influence to bring fear and confusion is rapidly on the increase today.  The Bible tells us that,  “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.   And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” (2Thessalonians 2:7-8)  This is telling us that the devil is already working his confusion and wickedness into the affairs of the earth and among nations today.  But Satan is being restrained by the Holy Spirit until the time of the rapture when the Church.  This is when all born-again Christians will be taken up to heaven.  Then the Holy Spirit, the restrainer, will be removed from hindering the rising of the man of sin, the Antichrist.  There are preparations for his appearance even today!

It should not come as a surprise that the “mystery of lawlessness” is already working even in the air ways, or atmosphere over the earth.  It is obvious that he will even use wicked men and aircraft to terrorize mankind.  Satan is accustomed to using the atmosphere to transmit his wickedness upon the earth and among nations.  The Bible refers to Satan as the “Prince of the power of the air,” (Ephesians 2:2) which means the atmosphere of the earth is his and his demons’ primary abode in these days preceding the coming of the Lord.  The worse times of Satan’s attack on the earth  from the heavens are yet to be realized in the Great Tribulation Period. We read that there will be a war in heaven in the latter days when “Michael and his angels will fight against the devil and the devil will fight against Michael and his angels,” but Satan will lose and will be cast to the earth where we will attack Israel with great wrath, but God will deliver Israel. (Revelation 12:7-17)

We read in Ephesians 2:2 that the “Prince of the power of the air,” Satan, is “the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.” There are many ways that man has conceived, with the influence of evil spirits, to terrorize and otherwise bring fear and confusion into people’s lives.  But I do not know of a more effective way to bring fear and confusion to the masses than by the use and misuse of air planes, or the threat of delivering death and destruction from the air.

Believers in Jesus Christ who have trusted in Him as their Savior watch for His coming from heaven. The Bible predicts that He will descend from heaven and raise the dead in Christ first and then catch us up, as His living saints “to gather with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (2 Thessalonians 4:16-17)  Today our greatest warnings seem to focus on threats that come from the skies. Yet the Bible tells us that that is where our Blessed Hope is coming from as well!  Have you trusted in Jesus Christ alone as your Savior?  If your have received Him personally as having died on the cross for your sins, risen again, and coming again, then you do not need to fear the threats that come from the skies.  But you can look to the heavens as the place from which will come your Blessed Hope, Jesus Christ to rapture you to heaven! (Titus 2:11-14)

Little wonder why the devil tries to cause us to get distracted from this glorious truth of our Blessed Hope of the coming of the Lord in the air. For now, Satan is the “Prince of the power of the air.” But not for long! The Lord will return and seal away the devil for a thousand years “that he should deceive the nations no more.” (Revelation 20:3)

Today, the devil in his invisible war on the saints, is plotting to stir fear and hopelessness, as well as to distract the masses from seeking the one true Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Church’s soon coming Bridegroom. One day millions of Christians will mysteriously disappear from planet earth having been suddenly taken to the Father’s House in heaven. (John 14:1-4) Many will wonder where their loved ones have gone, but then many might pick up the marked Bibles that they left behind and read, and remembering their testimony, they will come to understand that they were raptured away. The current uncertainty regarding Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and its mysterious disappearance, should get our attention as believers as a reminder that our confidence is in the Lord Jesus Christ. While Satan works to bring fear and confusion, the Lord Jesus Christ alone offers courage, certainty and victory!