Preparing For End Time Persecution
Or
Desiring To Live Godly Lives
Lesson 4
An End Time Warning To Consider:
Along with being prepared for end time persecution, we are warned by Jesus in Matthew 24, beginning in verse 6, by His stating; “And you [end time enduring to the end believer in Jesus] you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not troubled; for all these things [warned of in advance end time events] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
Jesus was and is still speaking about end time events to anyone with spiritual ears to hear His warnings in Matthew chapter 24. Jesus was and is still attempting to prepare His people for end time persecution, affliction, suffering, mixed with hatred and betrayals. Are we heeding His end time warnings, or are we listening more to the you’re OK, I’m OK, we’re all OK glory seeking false prophets of this 21st century generation? Jesus has said, “Take heed that no one deceives you.”
Scripture To Consider:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation [trouble], hardship [distress], or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril [danger], or sword?” Romans 8.35
Something To Consider:
The apostle Paul was a realist! He was not afraid to tell the truth. He therefore sets us up with his question, “Who can separate us from the love of Christ?” Notice, he did not ask who shall separate us from Christ, but who shall separate us from the love of Christ. There is a huge difference!
Paul was not by any means an eternal security false doctrine promoter. He knew many had been and would continue to be separated from Christ due to their sin and not desiring to live godly lives in Christ Jesus. But he knew nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. The love of Christ was a done deal demonstrated on an old rugged cross outside the city of Jerusalem.
In the following verse of Romans chapter 8, in verse 36, Paul quoted Psalm 44.22. “As it is written [in Psalm 44.22] we [true believers] are killed all the day long; for we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter [just as Jesus was treated, the Word of God, and yet who was God].”
And yet in death, Paul claims in verse 37, “In all these things [tribulation, trouble, hardship, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and even the danger of death], we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us [even unto a gruesome death upon a cross].”
Something Else To Consider:
John writing of end time events in Revelation 12.11, after the old serpent, called the devil, and Satan and his angelic but demonic beings had been cast finally forever out of heaven, John reported; “And they [true enduring to the end martyred saints] overcame him [Satan and his fury] by the blood of the Lamb [Jesus], and by the word of their testimony [or their belief in Jesus to the end]; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
Becoming overcoming conquerors in and through Jesus many times requires the death of God’s people. Desiring to live godly lives in Christ Jesus not only leads to us experiencing persecution, but it often leads to the martyrdom of godly saints. And yet, this is not a message that is being proclaimed from American pulpits. Therefore, God’s people, for the most part are not being properly prepared for end time persecution and the soon coming and warned of in advance tribulation.
Part of the problem with Christendom is that we have been deceived by the Americanized messages of health, wealth, and prosperity. And yet, Jesus declared in Matthew 6.19-21; “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupts, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal! For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Something More To Consider:
In other words, for the most part, our priorities are in the wrong places. The 4th biblical concept that Asia Harvest attempted to broadcast in the E-Bulletin of April 26, 2021, was as follows. “Persecution is a pruning process, when the Holy Spirit removes half-hearted believers [those with wrong priorities] from among the flock. In China, when fierce persecution first broke out in the 1950’s around two thirds [2/3] of church goers fell away from the faith [they let themselves be separated from Christ, but not from the love of Christ]. The Lord Jesus told us this would occur.”
The persecuted church of China asked an awakening to realty question we would be wise to honestly answer and to heed. “Friends, if two thirds [2/3] of Chinese Christians fell away [or departed from their faith] at the onset of persecution, how might things be in your part of the world?”
A Few Final Words:
Jesus explained and predicted in Matthew 24.7-8, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in many places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” I was born in 1953 in a hospital in Washington D.C. I am educationally aware of the devastation of World War I and II, as well as the Korean conflict, Vietnam, the Gulf war, the war in Afghanistan, and the Iraq war, just to mention some.
We all are aware of the fact that wars create famines that ravish the landscapes of many nations who have been at war. We also understand man’s poor management of the earth’s resources have led to the increase and fulfilled predictions of widespread famines throughout the world and will continue into these future end times. We have and will continue to experience and loathe the effects of man-made pestilence in this 21st century generation. And added to all that, earthquakes have greatly increased in number and in intensity since approx. 1970.
In Closing:
According to Jesus, “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” All these are the beginning of the end! And yet, the majority refuse to prepare for end time persecution which was predicted by Jesus in advance for our warning and benefit. Also, the majority refuse to desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus. Why? Because their treasure is here wrongfully laid up on earth. But according to Jesus, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Therefore, also according to Jesus, “Take heed that no one deceives you.”
Let’s Pray:
Our Father in heaven, thank You that nothing can separate us from the love of God that was demonstrated in Christ Jesus willingly laying down His life while we were yet sinners. Help us Father to understand that our treasure is not in earthen vessels here upon planet earth. Thank You for revealing Jesus as our great and exceeding treasure and eternal reward. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 