Mark 13:6-8, "For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows."
When you consider the enemies of Christ, you often look outside the church, but it's just not the case. Verse 6 says "many will come in My name" pretending to represent Jesus or even claiming to be Jesus. Our biggest threats to the gospel are from those who call themselves Christians. Islaam, atheism, and secular humanism are not our biggest threats or sources of persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12-15, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." The deception comes from those who pretend to be believers but are on their way to hell and want to take you with them. Matthew 7:22-23, "Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ "
Mark 13:14-23, “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be." The abomination of desolation is when the Jewish temple is desecrated, which is further described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." Once this happens, the time of Jesus' triumphant returned is marked to about three and a half years. Daniel 12:11, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days."
When you think about how bad the tribulation period will be, worse than it ever has been or will be, why would anyone want to take a chance on being left behind? We've seen God pour out lesser wrath on Sodom and Gemorrah, and it doesn't look pretty. Genesis 19:24-25, "Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground." If Jesus tells us to pray for a way to escape it, we should listen! Luke 21:36, "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Those who think they can repent during the tribulation are only fooling themselves. They chose their pleasure and serving their flesh over the truth, therefore God will send them strong delusion. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." If you don't have the strength now to deny yourself and choose to follow the truth, you certainly won't be able to then when your deluded.
Mark 13:5-6, 13, 19-20, 32-33
ReplyDeleteWe are living in the last days. Jesus specifically warns us to watch out for people who claim to be from God. "And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He, ’ and will deceive many." There are many false teachers who claim to be christian, but they are just leading people astray. This all leads up to the Antichrist proclaiming to be God in the middle of the tribulation. We need to be on guard and watch out. This world is evil and will lead us astray if we are not careful. When the tribulation does start, (it will start after the rapture which will happen at a time we do not expect), Jesus gives a warning to those who are pregnant and nursing in those days. God's wrath will be poured out in this world and it will be worse than it ever has been or ever will be. "For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days."
If we are going to escape God's wrath we have to surrender our lives to Him and live for Him. We have to obey His will and keep our eyes fixed on Him. People will hate is for speaking the truth. "And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved." We won't have many friends on earth, but the only approval we need is God's. We also have to endure until the end. This means we can go astray. We are not once saved always saved. We have to finish the race until the end. Sadly, you see many people start out strong and then fall away. The only thing that matters is how we finish, and we need to stand up for the truth even though people will hate us for it.
No one knows when the rapture is going to take place. There are people who try to guess the date, but the bible clearly tells us that no one knows the day or the hour. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. We need to watch for the coming of the Lord. We need to be ready for His coming and not get caught off guard. When we lose focus on God and start looking to the world, we aren't watching for His coming anymore. We need to make sure we do jeep pur eyes fixed in Him and fixed in the heavenly kingdom.
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming-in the morning- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! Mark 13:32-37
ReplyDeleteNone of us know the day or the hour and if any man claims that he does he is very presumptuous and should be considered a false teacher. Jesus didn't even know the day or the hour. Has He took on the flesh He gave up the knowledge that God the Father knows. He took on the flesh so that He could take our place, be separated from the Father and gave up His authority in heaven to take on sin for us. We have all heard people try to predict the end. I remember the year 2000 many believed that Jesus would return and then this past year based on the Indian calendar many believed it was the end. Some predict based on the moon and different changes in nature: eclipses, how the ocean tides change differently, extreme weather. Jesus tells us to be ready. Not ready with food and supplies but spiritually ready for His return. Working toward the goal of winning souls for Christ that none should perish. There will come a day when He does return to take His church home and many that we see in the body will not be raptured. I will be an eye opening experience for many, and sadly many will still reject the Lord even after another sign of His sovereignty. Be ready. Be watchful. Be in the word and in praying. Serving Him in every aspect of our life. In order for us to be found faithful.