The following is Part 3 of this 6-part series ...
... The Signs of Society ...
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." ... 2 Timothy 3:1-4
In this passage of scripture where Paul is writing to Timothy, he certainly hit the nail on the head when describing the godless societal conditions of these last days. .. In fact, these verses clearly sound just like a typical evening newscast today! .... But for the moment, notice the three things it says people will love in the end times ... self, money, & pleasure. ....
David Reagan said it well when he described it this way .... "The love of self is Humanism - the belief that Man can accomplish anything on his own. ... The love of money is Materialism. When Humanism is your religion, your god will always be money. The love of Pleasure is the third love that is mentioned. This is Hedonism, the lifestyle that is always produced by Humanism and Materialism. ... But God cannot be mocked (Galations 6:7). He therefore sees to it that when people choose Humanism, Materialism, and Hedonism, the payoff is always Nihilism - which is a fancy philosophical word for despair."
When we look around at today's world, there is absolutely no doubt that it is wallowing in despair. .. Here in America, we live in a society plagued with abortion, homosexuality, domestic violence, child molestation, rampant pornography, blasphemy, drug & alcohol addiction ... to name just some of them. ... For those of us who know how to 'look,' we can see, sense & feel the desperation in people today.
Now let's look at several scriptures which show what Jesus Himself prophesied concerning the societal conditions of these final days. ... Matthew 24:12 says that "Because of the increase in wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." ... Anyone with half a brain can see that this is true today! .. Lawlessness and violence is now commonplace in the public square. .. ... He (Jesus) also talks about how the persecution of Christians would increase .... "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me." (Matthew 24:9) .... Needless to say, this is happening right before our eyes! ... Here is a fact many are not aware of ... more christians are being martyred today than in any other time in history! ...
Adding to this, let's for a moment look at Romans 1:18-19 which says this .... "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them." ... To clarify, we are seeing a rapidly increasing amount of attacks on Jesus, His church, and the Bible. ... Here in America, we are going to be forced underground much sooner than most 'Laodicean' (lukewarm) Christians believe. .... Enjoy your religious freedom while you can because it is not going to last much longer!
OK ... There is a lot more scriptural support for this subject, but these we just reviewed make it extremely clear as to how and why society as we know it is falling apart. ... Simply, the Bible says that this IS how our societies will be just prior to Jesus' triumphant return.
Shifting gears for just a moment, there seems to be a lot of talk in religious circles today about a coming 'revival' here in America. ... In fact, even conservative groups like the Southern Baptists have just recently called some 46,000 churches to "Extraordinary Prayer' for a great awakening! ... Now while all these calls for a 'Great Awakening' or 'Revival' are uplifting & desired, my personal belief is that other than an occasional 'hot spot,' it will not be the case in the big picture. ... Why? .. Because the Bible is perfectly clear that things are going to get much worse before it is over. ... In fact, Jesus Himself tells us in Revelation 3:10 ... "Since you have kept My command to endure patiently, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth."
It's plain! .. For those of us who endure these coming difficult days and hold on to our faith, He will keep us from the final devastation that will fall upon the whole planet! ... He also says in Matthew 24:22 that "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened." ... One of the things I love the most about our Lord & Savior is that he doesn't 'beat around the bush.' ... Again, it's plain! ... All we have to do is read His Word!
Here in America, politics & elections are a 'way of life,' and it certainly is not a bad thing to hope that some of those in power have values that are more directly in line with the teachings of the Bible. .. and praying for Revival is also a good thing because many souls can be claimed for the Kingdom before it is too late. .. But the ONLY real hope for America to hold off the increasing onslaught of evil is to INVITE GOD BACK INTO OUR SOCIETY! ... That is the ONLY thing that will buy us more time and allow us to reach out and prepare as many as we can before the prophesied 'end of things' takes place .......
I will close this segment with one more prophecy from Jesus Christ ... "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of The Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the Ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of The Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37-39) ....
The current conditions of today's society is sheer proof that we are, in fact, living in the last days, which should give those of us with faith and understanding a reason to rejoice! .. All this craziness .. all these dark days .. are numbered! ... The Holy One of God is soon to come and take the reins of leadership, and all this rampant sin and havoc will be forgotten! ... Hallelujah!!!
Know that I am praying for strength for each & every one of you in these increasingly difficult times .. and that you will experience absolutely no fear ... that your complete confidence in Jesus will only increase as His prophecies come true right before our very eyes! ... and if for any moment you feel weak or afraid, memorize this verse ... I have, and it works ... "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ... Just know that the love of Jesus will surround you in your time of need. ....
Until next time,
Red
