A Little Glimpse?

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.  For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,  always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:1-7 ESV)

“Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.  But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.  This will be your opportunity to bear witness.  Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer,  for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.  You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death.  You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.  But not a hair of your head will perish.  By your endurance, you will gain your lives.” (Luke 21:10-19 ESV)

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I’m the minister of Missions at my church and every month I share with the people what is happening in the world as far as the advancement of God’s Kingdom goes.  Part of that is the severe persecution that happens to seventy percent of the world’s Christians.  It’s disturbing and upsetting to see how they are treated.  Yet here I am safe in the good old USA where persecution doesn’t happen right?  Not so fast…

The world is changing rapidly before our very eyes.  Our beautiful and free country has been locked down because of a virus that is rampaging across the planet.  We must keep in mind that we are living at the end of days.  The “birth pains” that Jesus told us about are increasing in frequency and intensity.  It’s not hard to find if you look for it.

I live in a rural farming community where everyone is spread out and it feels like a world apart from the rest of the troubles afflicting the rest of the world, but this Coronavirus pandemic has hit my community like a missile.  Suddenly, all the restaurants closed, except for drive-through restaurants; most churches are having services in their cars.  Only “essential” services are still open like the banks and doctors’ offices.  We are still experiencing shortages of toilet paper, water and even flour and other staple goods.

I have noticed a disturbing trend happening on social media among everyday people.  People are bashing those who do go somewhere they don’t approve of–like church.  How is it that nobody has that much of a problem going into Walmart with hundreds of people milling around, but are crying for the arrest of anyone going to a church service of just a few people?  I’ve been pondering on this and I can see a glimpse of how society will be during the Great Tribulation years when the one-world government comes to power.  People will turn on one another if they don’t conform for the greater good.

Fear has gripped the hearts and minds of so many people that panic has set in and where there is panic, there is strife and where there is strife, there is every evil work.  Fear is the real force behind this pandemic.  I’m not saying it’s not a serious problem physically because it is.  But the level of fear and panic is very disturbing to me.  I’ve never seen our society react like this.  On some level, people are trying to come together and help one another, but on the toxic airwaves of social media, they are ripping one another apart with hatred and bashing for getting out of line with the program.  And I’m talking about Christians doing this to one another…not the lost.

The seven years of the Great Tribulation are going to be like no other time in history.  The level of totalitarianism of this one-world government will make North Korea, China, and Russia pale in comparison.  Cameras everywhere, family, friends, and neighbors can be potential spies that will turn you in.  Indeed, the time will be so fearful, that men’s hearts will fail them the Bible says.

People of God need to remember who their God is.  Our God is greater than Coronavirus.  We have a new and better covenant.  We have the Name and the Blood of Jesus and although that statement is mocked on social media, it is nonetheless true…if we believe it and appropriate it.  The lost and the faithless, have no hope–WE DO!  As long as we are here, until that Trumpet sounds and we go to our wedding, we have the Wisdom of God, the Favor of God and the Revelation of God to steer us through these troubled waters.

Today, in America, our freedom of speech is being stripped away due to fear.  We have to be careful what we put on social media at this time, we have to be careful about where we go, who we talk to.  What do we do?  We have to seek God’s face for our individual lives by asking Him “Lord, what do you want ME to do during this time?”  He has a plan for you specifically to do.  Just do what He tells you.  He may tell you to stay home and spend time with Him during this time or He may want you to just continue to go about your business using His wisdom. He may want you to help people who need it if you have access to them.

For me, I’ve been slowly stocking up on things by going to the dollar store near my house for most things.  I’m almost finished and I’m going to enjoy spending lots of time with Jesus in prayer and fellowship!  This crisis WILL pass, but I wonder if we will ever go back to the carefree days we had before?  I hope so…

Blessings everyone…

 

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