Preparing For End Time Persecution
Or
Desiring To Live Godly Lives
Lesson 5
An End Time Warning To Consider:
The final bible concept that Asia Harvest shared with the world of believers who desire to live godly lives, is as follows. “For those who do not give up [do not fall away or depart from their faith], persecution often brings great revival. In China, the number of Christians has grown from less than one million to over 100 million after 60 years of brutal persecution! All glory to God.”
The E-Bulletin warning continued with this quote. “When that realization dawned on believers, many learned not only to grimly endure persecution, but to embrace it as a special blessing from God.” The American so-called church is certainly not there! Therefore, there is much preparation required for the onslaught of end time persecution, affliction, and tribulation.
Scripture To Consider:
“Then shall they [religious and political leaders] deliver you [enduring to the end, end time believer] up to be afflicted [persecuted], and shall kill you; and you shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake. And then many shall be offended [which shall cause them to depart from the faith], and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” Matthew 24.9-10
Something To Consider:
What is it that according to Jesus will cause a mass offending or departing from the faith, to the degree that those who are offended will betray one-time brothers and sisters in the faith?
Skipping ahead to verse 15 of Matthew 24, Jesus sets the end time stage and sequence of events, by stating; “When you [end time believer] therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him [or her] understand.”
What is the abomination of desolation spoken of by both Jesus in Matthew chapter 24 and Daniel the prophet in Daniel chapter 12? The apostle Paul exposes much biblical light upon this subject in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. And in verse 4 he reveals, speaking of the Antichrist, “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he [Antichrist] as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
Something Else To Consider:
At that very moment, those with a cursory understanding of the Word of God, will realize they have been lied to concerning a pre-tribulation rapture. And at that very moment the Antichrist will be revealed for who he is, a counterfeit coming of the Almighty and awesome forever existing God over all creation. At that moment, billions will know they are in the midst of the final 3-1/2 years of man’s rule upon planet earth. Also, at that moment, they will realize they are totally unprepared!
And according to Jesus, “And then many shall be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” They will realize they have been deceived by the many false prophets, pastors, priests, popes, and religious but not spiritual wolves in sheep’s clothing bent on fleecing the flock rather than feeding the flock of God from the truth of God’s Word!
They will realize these man-ordained liars were more desirous of the overflowing financial coffers of so-called Christendom. They will realize that the truth of the Word of God had been distorted and manipulated in such a way as to keep the seekers of God from hearing what they needed to hear, which was and is the truth. Maybe these so-called religious hirelings did not think the truth would keep the people returning week after week. How sad and how shameful!
Something More To Consider:
We know these things to be true because of what Jesus followed up with in Matthew 24.11-12. “And many [not some but many] false prophets shall rise [in the end times to prepare the coming of the Antichrist], and shall deceive many [not some but many]. And because iniquity [lawlessness] shall abound, the love of many [those offended because of the many false prophet’s lies] the love of many [not some but many] shall grow cold [causing them to betray true believers].”
There has been a proliferation of false prophets and false teachers within false religious institutions in America in the last several decades like never before. And according to Jesus, they are deceiving the masses of humanity, and especially those within the much-organized so-called church. Many are being led into the wide and broad entry points that lead millions in every generation to destruction. Let us be among the few, who according to Jesus find Him to be the only true way to eternal life with our heavenly Father.
And because of abounding lawlessness or the increase of iniquity in every area of earthly life, the love for God and His living Word has grown cold even within the so-called 21st century church. How sad and how shameful! The truth has been avoided in order to fill the financial coffers of organized religion. And the people have rather believed the lie to ease their conscience.
More End Time Warnings To Consider:
The apostle Paul makes clear sense of the sequence of end time events in the first three verses of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. He unmistakably reveals the biblical sequence of the second coming of Jesus Christ, the gathering or rapture of the saints, and the coming of the counterfeit Christ, or Antichrist.
Therefore, Paul stated, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day [that single day of the coming of Christ and His gathering the saints together] for that day will not come unless the falling away [or mass departing from the faith] comes first, and the man of sin [Antichrist] is revealed [as in verse 4], the son of perdition.”
Paul is very explicit in his revealing the sequential order of these major end time events. First and possibly second, is the revealing of the man of sin, the son of perdition, probably the Antichrist, who will be revealed by his sitting in the yet to be built Jewish temple in Jerusalem, and proclaiming himself to the world via satellite transmission no doubt, that he is God, which is a lie! This will be connected to the mass falling away or the departing from the faith that will probably happen simultaneously with the revealing of the Antichrist.
The third and fourth end time event mentioned here by Paul are the second coming of Jesus Christ and the gathering or rapture of the saints of God both previously dead and those alive upon planet earth during the tribulation. These two end time events also appear to be simultaneous. The Word of God cannot be any clearer and more precise in its predictions of these future events.
How is it then, that the majority of the organized so-called church has believed and promoted a pre-tribulation rapture or gathering of the saints in the midst of so much biblical truth that is in opposition to this lie? It is as if a great darkness has veiled the eyes of so many even in the midst of so much biblical light and truth. Could this be the great delusion promised by God because so many would rather believe the lie than to believe the truth of the written and preserved Word of God?
A Few Final Words:
And according to Jesus in Matthew 10.22, Matthew 24.13, and Mark 13.13; “But he [or she] who endures to the end, the same shall be saved.” Notice the emphasis on enduring to the end. Knowing what we now know, we know enduring to the end may mean enduring to the end of this age, or it may mean our enduring to the end of our lives. Either way, we are promised by Jesus to be saved if we endure to the end.
This enduring to the end message is so very important that Jesus followed up in verse 14 of Matthew chapter 24, by declaring, “And this gospel of the kingdom [this gospel of enduring to the end] shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then the end will come.”
And in the book of Revelation chapter 14, we read; “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel [of enduring to the end rather than worshipping the Antichrist as God] to preach unto those who dwell on the earth [during the tribulation], and to every nation, and kindred [or family] and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give glory to Him [not to the Antichrist as he will mandate] fear God and give glory to Him who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.’”
There will be a total of three (3) angels proclaiming an enduring to the end message as a final warning before the wrath of God is unleashed. The third angel acknowledged, “If any man [woman or young person] worship the beast [Antichrist’s religious earthly representative] and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God [that is soon to be poured out on unbelievers].”
In Closing:
Jesus explained in Matthew 24.29-31 that His coming and His gathering of His saints will be immediately after the tribulation of those days, and not before in a falsely proclaimed pre-tribulation rapture. And according to Jesus in verse 35 of Matthew 24; “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”
We hope and pray that these five mid-week messages of much end time importance have helped in your being better prepared for the coming of end time persecution. We, here at the According To Jesus website also pray that you more willingly desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, even knowing that while we are desiring to live godly lives, we will suffer persecution, according to the in advance warning of the Word of God! In Him Always, Brother Mike…
*** Be looking for more mid-week messages on end time preparation! ***
According to Jesus 