Preparing For End Time Persecution
Or
Desiring To Live Godly Lives
Lesson 3
An End Time Warning To Consider:
According to the Asia Harvest E-Bulletin dated April 26, 2021; the Chinese Christian community is well aware of what happens with the coming of persecution for Christ’s sake. The dependence on organized institutional religious denominations and the dependence on church buildings diminished with the rising increase of persecution against the true church in China.
This new found lack of dependency on a religious building structure was a pattern that quickly swept through other Asian countries such as, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and others with the rising tide of persecution. When will this tsunami-like wave of end time persecution crash upon the shoreline, mountainside, valley, and suburb of every American state, town, city, and village? And is the American Christian community prepared for the soon coming end time persecution, affliction, and tribulation?
Scripture To Consider:
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will [not maybe, not might, but will] suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3.12
Something To Consider:
I personally, am so encouraged by Paul’s use of the words, “…all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus.” I thank the Lord that we are not disqualified from His kingdom for our occasional lack of faith in our not always 100% of every hour of every day, not found by God living godly lives this side of eternity. Jesus knew our frailty when He declared, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
But this is not an automatic excuse to not desire to live godly in Christ Jesus. And the consequential reward for our desiring to live godly in Christ Jesus, is that we will suffer persecution according to the Word of God, and the biblical example of Jesus Himself and of so many others mentioned in the Hebrews hall of faith and elsewhere in the canon of Scripture.
The apostle Paul began chapter 3 of 2 Timothy with these words; “But know this, that in the last days [end times] perilous times will come.” Why will perilous or difficult times come to the occupants of planet earth in the last days or in the end times?
Because beginning in verse 2 of 2 Timothy chapter 3 Paul predicts; “For men [women and young people] will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers [liars], without self-control, brutal, despisers of God, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness [talking the talk] but denying its power.”
Something Else To Consider:
The Spirit of God hit the nail squarely on the head with these end time predictions delivered by the apostle Paul to anyone with spiritual ears to hear what the Holy Spirit of God is saying to the true church of the living God. Paul, after his exhaustive list of evil and earthly traits, proclaimed; “And from such people turn away!”
If we are to be truly prepared for end time persecution, we must not be aligned with those who demonstrate the above character traits of Paul’s 2 Timothy chapter 3 list. And yet, can our names be easily found among the guilty of these evil traits? And if so, are we willing to allow God to deal with them through our true repentance? The bottom line is, are we desiring to live godly in Christ Jesus, or are we willing to trade an entire eternity with God for a few earthly pleasures?
Therefore, what about us? Are we lovers of money and or pleasure more than we are lovers of God? Are we unthankful for the graciousness of our loving heavenly Father for sending His own Son to be our great prisoner exchange? Are we denying the power of God’s love and His Word to be able to transform us in and through the blood of Jesus?
In Paul describing end time perilous times he has eloquently described end time perilous men, women, and young people of this 21st century generation. Has he described us? And if so, what shall we do about it?
Paul, by inspiration of the Holy spirit, also proclaimed of these end time perilous men, women, and young people, in verse 7 of 2 Timothy chapter 3, “Always learning [ever increasing their educational experience] and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth [the truth of the Word of God].”
He continued in verse 8, by naming names; “Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men [women and young people] of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs [Jannes and Jambres] also was [manifest to all].” Would Paul be right in naming our names among these two Old Testament individuals, Jannes and Jambres?
Something More To Consider:
The 3rd biblical concept the E-Bulletin of April 26, 2021 attempted to make Christians aware of was as follows. “Importantly, when intense hardship comes, we shouldn’t see only the hand of Satan in persecution. In China, God’s people looked back later and realized that it was actually the Lord Jesus overseeing the entire process out of love for His children.”
This 3rd biblical concept continued. “He [God] is zealous to remove the dead religious structures that trap people in bondage and keep millions of unbelievers from being able to see the true Gospel.” In other words, without a God-given desire to live godly lives, millions in every generation are found always obtaining man-endorsed educational diplomas and degrees, but never being able to come to the saving knowledge of the truth of the Word of God. How very sad!
A Few Final Words:
The apostle Paul, before ending his treatise on perilous end times and perilous men, women, and young people of these end times, explained; “But evil men [women and young people] and imposters [pretenders claiming to be of Christ but are not] will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
Jesus began His end time predictions and warnings in Matthew chapter 24 in verse 4-5 by instructing; “Take heed [or be warned] that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name [as if Christian or religious], saying, ‘I [Jesus] am the Christ [I am the Messiah],’ and will deceive many [not some but will deceive many].”
In Closing:
Have we been deceived by the many false prophets and false teachers of this final 21st century generation? Have we believed the lie of a pre-tribulation rapture to the point that we see no need to be prepared for end time persecutions, evil afflictions, and great tribulation that Jesus described would be more destructive than ever before and as will ever be again?
End time persecution is coming to every corner of the soon coming one world encompassing system. Yes, it is true, “For God has not appointed us [as true born-again enduring to the end Christ following believers] to wrath [God’s wrath], but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
A cursory study of history and the Word of God reveals that God’s people have and will continue to experience the wrath of man, Satan, and the end time Antichrist. And those desiring to live godly in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution. Therefore, please prepare for end time persecution by desiring to live godly lives in and through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!
Let’s Pray:
Our Father in heaven, according to Your Word, persecution is coming to every corner of the globe. Prepare our hearts and minds to receive the truth of the Word of God and its many in advance warnings. Help us to heed Jesus’ end time warnings and to take heed that no one deceives us. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 