Matt 24:4-12 "And Jesus answered them, 'See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.'"
I was reading this passage while doing the read-through-the-Bible series posted weekly on the blog, and God revealed this passage in a new light to me once again. (I read it >5x and it's so exciting that God revealed more through each read.)
1.) 2 explicit instructions: 1. Don't be misled and 2. Don't be surprised about the natural disasters, increasing rumours of wars, increasing crime rate, etc. But how can I stay true to God's Word and not be led astray? Do I just hope and pray that I won't be led astray? Or do I only think of following whatever GLCC says in the future? (Of course by God's grace, GLCC will stay true to the Bible). The only way not to be misled by false teaching is to know what's true. Just like how do you tell real money notes from fake notes? You study every detail of the real thing! What about recent news of natural disasters and rumours of wars? Am I surprised or shocked by the news of disasters and rumours of wars? I am aware that the end is coming, but I'll only be surprised or shocked by such events when I've been doing things that I shouldn't or have not been doing the things that I should--like sharing the good news. I'll be emotionally distraught if I were to lose my unsaved relatives and friends through such disasters before I even shared with them the gospel. Time is running out! God help me redeem the time that I've lost due to discouragement and complacency.
2.) Very strong words used: tribulations (great trouble/suffering), put to death, hate, betray. All these words paint a very scary picture of the future. And during this nightmarish time, will I be the one that stray away? Will I be the one that lack the faith to continue following God and end up being like Judas in betraying others and even hating people? "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" Romans 10:17. The type of Christian that I will become will be the result of the decisions that I make for Christ today.
To be continued . . .
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