Mark 13 v 19 - 27: "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."
Strangely, today's blog was prompted by a question on a TV quiz show last night. The contestant had done very well to this point but stumbled on this one.
In which book of the Bible were the four horsemen of the apocalypse - Genesis, Revelation, Exodus, Mark. He decided to phone his sister for help knowing she would be as clueless as himself. When she promptly answered 'Revelation' 100% the look of total surprise on his face was really funny!
The point I am trying to make is that people are not reading their Bibles. They are shocked when they realise others they know are! The Bible is more accurate about future events than any TV news journalist. Most news coverage these days is slanted against any real truth.
In the passage from Mark it seems "the elect" will still be around after 'that' tribulation! The elect are the Christians according to Paul in 1 Thessalonians 1 v 4. Mercifully, the Lord will cut short the days to save our lives.
So many believe Jesus is coming before any tribulation begins. They are sure God will spare us from any such calamities and hardships just because He loves us. Jesus said that we would have trouble but that He would be with us to see us through it.
There are three opinions on the Rapture. Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation, Post-tribulation. Oh the fourth option is No Rapture. A weird 5th option truly believed by some, the Rapture is long past! Jesus said, nobody knows when it will occur, not even Him, only the Father. So, don't try to figure it out.
As they say in the classics, hope for the best, prepare for the worst. So if Jesus comes this year that would be great relief to us all. If He does not, how do we prepare for going through tribulation?
We have been practicing for over 100 years already as since the 1st World War in 1914 we have been going through many and varied bad experiences of man's inhumane treatment of others. Wars, crime, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, pandemics, financial rollercoasters, divorce, betrayal, national shocks, climate shocks, worst case scenarios on just about everything.
Jesus has been with us to weather life's storms. Just as He was in the ship going through wild weather on the Sea of Galilee with His disciples. With a word He calmed the storm. If we have faith we can do the same. Instead of saying Jesus calm this storm try saying, I calm this storm, rebuke this wind, in Jesus' name. He wants us to know He is in us and works through us when we exert the authority He has given us.
He says we must not fear or worry, just believe and He will back us up. We do not always get the answer we were hoping for but if we allow the Lord's will to be done, it will work out for the best in the long run. Accept His decision without being angry or doubting His love. Truly, He knows best.
Right now northern Italy has been hit by devastating floods. Canada is beset with equally devastating fires. North America is struggling with the smoke from the fires beyond its borders which is fouling the air. People are helping people to be safe in these disasters. Some victims don't make it.
We cry out , Why must we suffer? Think about why Jesus had to suffer for us. He took on our sin, and if we continue to excuse certain sins that we might enjoy fleshly pleasures, it falls back on us.
Paul even handed certain people over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh so they may be saved one day.
1 Corinthians 5 v 3 - 5: "For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
It is an Apostolic gift to be able to move or travel in Spirit, which is completely different to astral projection which is occultic and wrong. Over 100 years ago John G. Lake was preaching in South Africa, when a young woman asked him to pray for her mother who was in an insane asylum in Wales. As he prayed he said he was spiritually transported to her and laid his hands on her head. One month later she was in South Africa, at his meetings, in perfect health.
Why did Paul feel it necessary to hand this Christian over to Satan? Because he was in a sexual relationship with his step-mother. Wrong on every level. Every act of fornication - sex outside marriage - is sinful and brings its own problems.
If we believe in Super Grace which means we can sin continuously without any reaction from God, we are fooling ourselves and will one day stand before His judgment seat. The Holy Spirit says He will not always strive with man.
There comes a day when we have justified our sin enough times that the Holy Spirit stops convicting us of it. If we are wise that is our scariest day. We no longer have a conscience. We no longer feel guilty of sin. We no longer have our names in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Revelation 2 v 5: "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
Revelation 3 v 5: "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."
These are the words of Jesus given to the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos where he was exiled at 90 years of age.
This is what we need to prepare for. The signs of the times are alerting us that this age is nearly over. This is the age of Grace and Forgiveness. If we desire to spend eternity in Heaven then heed these words. Take the spiritual blinkers off your eyes and ask yourself - if I suddenly died today would I be home with Jesus? If you have the slightest doubt, this is the time to make right with God and never look back.
Our Father loves us and is not willing that any would persish. Satan hates God and us and wants to torment Him with our loss. The battle for our souls has never been fiercer. Satan knows the time is short and he will keep his lies going. As he conned Eve so successfully so he will try to deceive us.
Satan will tell you that these blogs are just scare tactics and take no notice of the gloom and doom. The Lord is urging me to speak the truth in love.
I had a lot of response to my previous blog, Misplaced Faith. A comment from Australia: There is a church group in South Africa that has taken out all songs referring to the Blood of Jesus, and the Cross! They think it is too cruel to sing about it.
A comment from South Africa: A few weeks ago I was told not to engage or to do open prayer during the meeting, or to worship as is my custom.
Apostasy is rife in our very midst and we should be deeply concerned. Jesus Christ is in our midst and we should glorify Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are as sheep without a shepherd. We follow Jesus but those who instruct us seem to be going astray. Not all but too many Lord. Help us to keep our eyes upon You and be obedient to Your will. The signs of the times give us hope that the end is nigh. Protect us from falseness please Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.