Can we start in prayer?
“Merciful and gracious God, we humbly submit to Your will. Help us to open our minds and our ears, but more importantly, our hearts to Your Word. Let Your Word fill our hearts.”
Isn’t the continual discussion of the End of the Age interesting? The real question is, “What should be our focus today?”
Let’s listen to God’s Word found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5. Please note that I added bold and underlining to some of the scriptures.
“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 will not come unless the falling away (a falling away, defection, apostasy; in the Bible namely, from the true religion) comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition (destruction which consists of eternal misery in hell), 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. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?”
“The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.”
Now, since we are scholars of the Bible, we know that the rapture may occur, the Tribulation starts, the 7th trumpet is blown, the antichrist is revealed, and then Jesus comes to judge the world. The Thessalonians thought the rapture had already occurred, and since they were still on earth,that they were going to hell.
So, Paul is saying that the falling away occurs first. Falling away means apostasy; in the Bible namely, from the true religion. People will reject the Bible and Christianity.
“Then, the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition(destruction which consists of eternal misery in hell), 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.”
Although we are certainly in the “last days,” we have not experienced the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, or 7 bowls. Therefore, no one knows who the antichrist is or when it will occur. Also, the temple has not been rebuilt, but Israel is certainly ready to rebuild it.
I love the book of Revelation. Its purpose is to get ready for Christ’s return, trust Jesus, and not worry about the world. Instead of thinking about the end of age, let’s focus on raising our children in God, and to tell others about Jesus. Don’t you agree?
Let me tell you what Jesus told me. In the fall of 2008, as I laid down to sleep, I closed my eyes, and I saw hills, trees, and rocks, and they were crying out “Jesus…Jesus” in a loud voice which echoed all around. This reminded me of Luke 19:40 when Jesus said, “I tell you, He replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
I stretched open my mouth as far as I could and shouted along with them. Our voices thundered, “Jesus,” and echoed in the surrounding hills. It occurred to me that I should open my eyes to see if my shouts of “Jesus” were waking up my wife Nancy, but she was sound asleep beside me. Then, I knew that I was in the Spirit.
I stretched my mouth wide open, and I continued to yell, “Jesus…Jesus,” as loud as I could along with the rocks and trees. I closed my eyes again, and Jesus appeared to me, standing by the stream in the meadow as He had appeared before. He revealed to me that the reason I was experiencing such dramatic visions was to get my full attention. He also revealed to me that when He took me flying in the darkness, it was to show me that He is the light in this dark world, and that He is the way out of this dark world into the light. Plus, He also revealed to me that the stream He was standing close to was a never-ending stream of love that had no beginning and no end. He said (thoughts–not words) to me that many people stand poised on the edge of the bank of the stream, some may dip their toes into the water, but few immerse themselves, because they don’t trust Jesus!! I was so very sad and wondered why many of His followers don’t trust Jesus!
Jesus wants us to trust Him and to immerse ourselves in His stream of never-ending love. I leaned backwards, fell into the stream, and the stream increased in size until it was a river, and I was floating on top of the water, face up, with my arms and legs spread out in spread-eagle fashion. Then, a blinding light shone through my body, like a projector into the darkness above. I felt as if it was a message to everyone (not just me) to trust in Jesus, and let His light (not my light) of love shine through them.
How about you? Will you, today, commit to raising your children and grandchildren in the path that leads to righteousness? Will you tell others about how Jesus has changed your life? Well, will you? Take a moment, and write down on the bulletin, scratch paper, or use your cell phone to record your children’s names and one person with whom you will share the good news of Jesus Christ this week. You could tell them the difference that Jesus has made in your life.
Remember that Jesus loves you, I love you, and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it.
