August 7, 2012
So what lies ahead for the Church of Jesus Christ? .... This is a question of great concern to believers all over the world ... and as global conditions continue to deteriorate, many are wondering ... "Is there going to be a great revival before Christ's return? ... When will the church leave this world, and when it does, will it be with a whimper .. or a shout!
The Bible is jam-packed with predictions of most falling away in the last days. Let's look at just a few ... Ezekiel 33:31-32 says, "My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32) Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice." ... Next, let's look at Amos 8:11-12 which says, "The days are coming, declares the sovereign Lord, when I will send a famine through the land - not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. 12) Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it." ... Moving now to the Gospel of Matthew, it says in 7:15 that "... many false prophets will come to you in sheep's clothing," ... and in 24:24, it says "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect ...."
Jesus Himself prophesied these very things. ...... As overwhelming sin and iniquity floods the earth ... He asks,
" .... When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
If we would stop for just a moment and think, we would realize that Jesus knew everything we would be witnessing and experiencing today .... from cataclysmic weather events to millions of babies being slaughtered through the societal acceptance of abortion ... from worldwide increases of earthquakes and famine to the open acceptance of sinful lifestyles such as homosexuality. ...... In the midst of all this, He asks if we will continue to believe? ... Though earthly conditions continue to grow worse, will we lose our confidence ... or will we continue to trust Him?
Remember that Jesus Himself knew and prophesied of these events such as 'wars and rumors of war' ... of 'famines and earthquakes' ... In fact, His word warns us that the 'heathen will rage' in the last days (Acts 4:25) ... He knew the secular powers of our day would grow stronger and would even try to outlaw His church ......
The Bible says this about it all .... "The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. 3) Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters." (Psalm 2:2-3). ... In short, the leaders of our day want to cast away all moral standards and the very foundation of which the Church was built upon.
Now what does God say about these earthly powers and demon-influenced people? ... "The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them." (Psalm 2:4). ..... No matter how bad it will appear to get, everything will still remain under God's control.
Let's thank God for His word from the Psalms. ... More and more we hear reports about secularism wiping out the church in Europe ... of Islam being the fastest growing religion in the world ... of homosexuals overtaking and splitting entire denominations ... of Christ's Church growing so weak it no longer has any impact on society ... yet in Matthew 16:18, Jesus' own words say, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." ...... Remember this! .. Nothing from the depths of hell can hope to destroy Christ's Church. His eye is always on His flock and through everything He warns Satan not to touch His bride. ... Isaiah 54:15 says, "If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you." ... See what God is saying here? .... that the enemy will come against you, but he will NOT succeed.
For a time, God will allow the devil to play his vile games, but ultimately it won't have any impact on God's last-day plan for His people. ... Glory to the Lord! ... His church cannot and will not be destroyed!
Sadly however, we do see the church suffering from the onslaught of the enemy in these closing difficult days ... so much so that in many cases we are seeing a separation from God taking place ... and where do we see it the most? ... I believe primarily in the mainline denominational churches. ... All the unauthorized changes over these past 2000 years have all but destroyed the original foundation on which Christ's church was built.
When one looks around, it is evident there has been a significant separation from God's manifest presence ... and it has happened just as Jesus and Paul prophesied: 'many have become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God ... have a form of religion with no power ... despising the Gospel of their fathers ... tearing down old moral landmarks ... changing God's infallible word to suit the times' (Ref. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 & 4:3-4).
I challenge any and all of you to go to any city ... from church to church ... of every evangelical persuasion ... and try to find one where you recognize the awesome presence of Jesus ... where you encounter His heart-melting connection. ... When the Lord is truly present, you can't help but recognize it. ... It may be in the singing .. the preaching .. or the fellowship. ... Something stirs your soul and it produces an awe and reverence. ... Sadly, from my own many experiences, this is rarely found.
So ... we have a choice ... we can sit around and lament ... or we can make a difference! ... To start, we need to stop being part of the problem and start rejoicing in the knowledge of our Lord's constant and unwavering love ...
we need to stop "going through the motions" ... we need to stop being lukewarm and become "hot coals." ... If enough of us would do this, we would see an immediate impact in our Lord's church. ... I believe it's the least we can do ... after all, Christ died for it!
Quoting David Wilkerson, "The nails that pierced Jesus' hands and feet were fashioned on the devil's anvil ... the sword that pierced His side was forged in that smith shop of hell ... but the blood that poured forth from His body has never lost its power."
In closing, we know that that tough times are upon us and will continue to increase for a time as like "birth pains" (Matthew 24) ... but lets remember what Jesus said in Luke 21:28, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
Brothers and sisters, the day is coming when the whole world will see Jesus! The Apostle John envisioned "... a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10) And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." (Revelation 7:9-10).
Until next time,
Red