The Real Reason Satan Is Raging Against Christians Right Now
In my recent book, End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi: Unlocking the
Mystery of Revelation and the Antichrist, I offer an
action plan for living confidently in today's turbulent times.
During the next several posts, I
will draw from this book to examine current events in light of end-times
prophecies. Today's post follows part one of the book The
Revelation of Jesus Christ.
God has used the book of Revelation as the capstone of
the entire Bible. It reveals the ultimate fulfillment of prophecies going back
to the beginning of Genesis. And through that, we can discover how to apply
those insights to our lives today.
Atheist philosophers tell us that human life is
meaningless. But Revelation assures us that God cares greatly about our
individual lives—and about the future of planet Earth. Although things seem to
be spinning out of control, God has a triumphant conclusion planned.
But are we ready? Are we ready today for
that conclusion?
Though Jesus could return at any time, the signs seem to
be aligning for His return sooner rather than later.
Every day, there is more terrible news from the Middle
East — the very region where history began and where it will all end.
Today, the nation of Israel, the holy land, seems all but
isolated, including from its old ally, the United States.
Today, more Christians are martyred than ever before.
Today, the rapid and ruthless rise of ISIS has resulted
in an actual state that controls large regions of Iraq and Syria, plus parts of
Nigeria, Libya and Southeast Asia.
The ISIS reign of terror crosses national borders,
enforcing its rule with beheadings and mass slaughter. But although it is brutal,
ISIS provides stability, and many who live under ISIS control welcome the
stability of oppression.
I'm not saying that ISIS is the precursor to the
Antichrist. But as we look at the horror coming out of the Middle East, it is
impossible not to compare those scenes with the Antichrist's reign of terror,
as described in Daniel, Revelation and other prophetic passages of Scripture.
But the signs go far beyond Middle East conflict and much
closer to home.
Today, the United States federal debt stands at $18.6
trillion, 74 percent of the GDP. And entitlement spending will soon explode the
debt sky-high. Those who pay attention to the global debt crisis can easily
envision the global economic collapse described in Revelation 18.
Also today, we see U.S. government officials trampling
our First Amendment rights in ways unthinkable a few years ago.
Today, religious liberty is endangered as it takes a
backseat to political correctness.
Today, fundamental truths about gender and sexual
behavior are cast aside by secular and religious authorities alike.
Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that in the church there
would be a great "falling away"
from the faith before the Day of the Lord.
We already see a great "falling away" in the evangelical church. Many churches
that once preached the pure gospel of Jesus Christ have defected.
Although the headlines are filled with evidence that
society is on a collision course with the book of Revelation, do not be
alarmed.
God did not give us the book of Revelation to frighten
us, or certainly to let us predict the future. God alone knows the future. But
He did give us the book of Revelation to motivate and encourage us.
Between the bookends of Genesis and Revelation, the Bible
spans the history of the human race. Genesis tells the story of humanity's
creation and fall. Revelation describes the redemption and eternal destiny of
all believers.
The book of Revelation is indispensable. If we did not
have Revelation, we would have an incomplete picture of Jesus Christ and the
Christian faith.
The Old Testament presents a picture of Jesus, the
promised Messiah.
The Gospels present a picture of Jesus, the Teacher,
Leader, Servant, the Crucified and Risen One.
The Book of Acts gives us Jesus as the Ascended One.
In the epistles, we see Jesus as Savior and Lord.
But only in Revelation do we see Jesus fully glorified,
King of kings, Lord of lords and Judge of all.
In Revelation 1:8, the Lord says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to
come, the Almighty."
But the Alpha-Omega statement also appears at the end of
Revelation. In Revelation 22:13, the Lord says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the
Beginning and the End."
Jesus is saying: "I
was here at the beginning, I am here now, and I will be here at the end. I was
here at Creation, and I will be here when heaven and Earth are made new."
Jesus is the King of Glory, worthy of honor and
praise—the Lord of the beginning and the end.
John, who was probably closest to Jesus of the Twelve,
looked at the glorified Jesus and didn't say, "I saw my good friend
Jesus." He said, "I saw someone
like a Son of Man."
Then he proceeded to describe the Lord's appearance.
The Lord was "clothed
with a garment down to the feet and with a golden sash wrapped around the
chest. The hair on His head was white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes
were like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a
furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters. He had in His right hand
seven stars, and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. His appearance
was like the sun shining brightly" (Rev. 1:13b-16).
The sight of the glorified Jesus was so awesome that John
"fell at his feet as though
dead."
Certainly we must long for the day when we will see Jesus
fully magnified and ruling over all.
But as readers of Revelation know, there will be a Great
Tribulation too. But when will that happen? And will the Lord take His Church
out of the world before the Great Tribulation begins? Only God knows the
answers.
But let us not get sidetracked by minor details, because
then we might miss the big picture. The "big picture" themes of the
book of Revelation are:
- First, all who welcome Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Savior will be welcomed into heaven when He
returns.
- Second, Jesus will return as He
promised.
- Third, Jesus will sit in
righteous judgment over all who have refused to accept Him as Lord and Savior
during their earthly lives.
- Fourth, when Jesus appears, all
who love Him will be with Him forever.
Christians of good will may debate the details of this
prophecy, but those four principles are beyond debate.
So we must be ready. As Jesus tells us:
Therefore keep
watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand
this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was
coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken
into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour
when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:42-44).
If we study the book of Revelation, it will not merely
increase our knowledge. It will change our lives.
Because of its life-changing truths, you and I can live
each day with eternity in our hearts.
Are we ready for the Lord's return?
Are you struggling with a big decision or wondering how
your eternal future will play out?
Why not talk to the God of the universe and let Him work
in your behalf?
He says, “I will
instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my
eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8).
Ask God to show you what to do. Pray the following
prayer:
“Heavenly Father,
I admit that I am a
sinner and my sins have separated me from You. I now want to turn away from my
past sinful life and begin a new life with You.
Please forgive me. I
now receive your Son, Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Master and my Lord. I
believe and confess that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose
from the dead.
I want to receive all
that Jesus Christ has provided for me as my Savior. Your Word says, ‘Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved’ (Romans
10:13).
I believe and confess
that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes unto
the Father, but by Him.
Lord Jesus, I pray and
ask You, to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I thank You that you
have given me eternal life, and according to Your Word, I am born again.
Heavenly Father, thank
You for the gift of the Holy Spirit Who is in me now. I surrender my life to You.
. I promise to study Your Word – the Bible.
Use me for Your glory.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
RELATED POSTS:
When is the Rapture going to occur in relation to the
Tribulation?http://puricarefiles.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-rapture-of-church-and-tribulation.html.
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A letter to those left behind
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Things Every Christian Should Know about the Rapture
Your
Words Become Your Reality by Joel Osteen
“We Are Here To Praise
You”
Maranatha
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOunWgWTu-Y neverfailshispromise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWXwiUP0Mko OArquivistaBlog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GweJdCYgkPk InstrumentalMcDo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaIdMlyCL4I JesusNeverFails
lyrics
We are here to praise YouLift our hearts and sing
We are here to give You
The best that we can bring
And it is our love
Rising from our hearts
Everything within us cries
I love You Lord
Rising from our hearts
Everything within us cries
I love You Lord
We are here to praise YouLift our hearts and sing
We are here to give You
The best that we can bring
And it is our love
Rising from our hearts
Everything within us cries
I love You Lord
Rising from our hearts
Everything within us cries
I love You Lord
Help us now to give You
Pleasure and delight
Heart and mind and will that say
'I love You Lord.'
Pleasure and delight
Heart and mind and will that say
'I love You Lord.'
Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Leading the Way
with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people
living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the
creative use of media and on-the-ground ministry teams. Youssef was born in
Egypt.
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