Can a Christian really understand the End Time Prophecies?
And how Christians should prepare for the end time events. There are many warnings going out to the Christian community that we are indeed living in the last days. It seems like everyone has an opinion on how and when it will happen and there is an opinion, which will satisfy every vain imagination, no matter how, or what you believe. You can be anything from an atheist to an extreme Pentecostal, or anything in between and there is someone that will tickle your ears and tell you what you want to hear. But even with this huge array of confusion that exists today, Jesus calls on each born-again believer to be aware of, and to know the events that are leading up to His return. The question at hand is “How does the believer work his way through all of this confusion?” The answer to this dilemma is very simple while at the same time the results are very powerful. But first, we have to identify the problems that stymie our understanding and discernment. There are three prolific warnings in the New Testament: 1] identifying the enemy, 2] focusing on ‘signs’ and 3] to do everything that Jesus has instructed in order to be prepared and ready to meet Him in the air.
Identifying the Enemy
Being aware of false teachers was the first thing Jesus warned about in Matthew 24 when He was asked what the signs of the times would look like. The first rule of our search for information on this subject is to learn to discern the false teacher. However, it will be extremely difficult (but not impossible) because they will present their deceit as 98% Biblically correct dialogue and 2% incorrect. They know that if they can get you to believe the false 2%, then they can totally take your eyes off Jesus and get you to focus on the confusion of events that are happening. Jesus said in Matthew 24:11 that “many false prophets will arise and deceive many”, and again in Matthew 24:24 to watch out because “false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” This is a dire warning that should not be taken lightly by even the most mature Christian. Remember, the Bible was written for the believer in Jesus Christ. Satan does not need to deceive the unbeliever because he is already lost. At the time Jesus gave these warnings He was talking to His disciples, however, they are just as valid for us today as they were then.
The Apostle Paul said in several of his letters to the churches that he did not want them ignorant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or of the things that go on with-in the church community. God in His wisdom always gives us clear instructions on how we are to live this life, and plenty of warnings so that we are able to stand firm in our faith. Throughout history, God has used men to deliver His message of hope to us, but He also warned that false teachers would abound for the sole purpose of leading His elect astray. That is why God in His inspired Word instructed us to “Test all things” [1 Thes. 5.21] “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world [1 John 4.1]
In his book on “The Gospel of Matthew”, William Barclay made these three points about false teachers; (1) They may teach solely for gain; (2) They may teach solely for prestige; and (3) They may teach solely to transmit their own ideas. False prophets are out to disseminate their own versions of the truth; true prophets are out to proclaim God’s truth. Barclay also gave these insights for identifying false teachers: (1) Teaching is false if it produces a religion which consists solely or mainly on the observance of externals; (2) Teaching is false if it produces an easy religion. [Barclay, William (2010-11-05). The Gospel of Matthew, Volume One (p. 329-330). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.]
The Word of God is the only faithful source of Truth. Jesus said that we must abide in Him and that He would send us His Holy Spirit to remind us of all the He said [ Matthew chapters 16 & 17]. And as we abide in Him alone, He will lead us into all truth. This is not to say that that all teachers of prophecy are false, but that false teachers do proliferate. The Godly teachers will lead you to a hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness, and not to their ministry or products.
…The enemy within
Caroline Glick in her recent article “
The war America fights” wrote: “…the problem is that since Sept. 11, 2001, the US has steadfastly refused to admit the identity of the enemy it seeks to defeat.” This problem exists in the church at large today. We, who profess to follow Jesus Christ, The Creator of all that exists, and the only One that is able to bring salvation to mankind, many times are not willing to fully expose and identify our enemies for who they are. Our refusal to identify these enemies paralyzes our ability to overcome them. Too many times, the churches leadership will focus on who or what we should become, but then not follow up on ‘what’ is preventing us from fulfilling God’s high call to holiness. We have already identified the enemy from without, the false teachers, but we also need to be willing to identify the enemy from within, and that is our sin nature, the ‘Lust of the flesh, the Lust of the eyes, and the pride of life’ and John spoke about in [1 John 2:15-17]. We can only do this as we humble ourselves before God, and diligently seek His righteousness. In His Grace and Wisdom, God gave us all of the tools and power that we need to overcome our enemies and the prudent follower of Jesus Christ will exercise those tools we have been given on a daily basis [2 Peter 1.1-5; 1:6-10].
Focusing on ‘Signs’
Jesus painted a perfect picture of the church (in general) today when He was talking with the religious leaders of Israel in Matthew 16.1-6. Listen to Jesus here; “But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'it will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them and went away. And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." (Mat 16:2-6 NASB emphasis mine)
Allow me, if you will, to describe what Jesus said here in terms that we can easily connect with today. My illustration deals with our privilege of driving a car. As we drive, we are constantly driving past warning signs; School Zone; 15 MPH curve; Yield to traffic; Ice ahead. There are hundreds of signs that the driver must pay attention to complete a safe journey. Now what would you think if someone was approaching one of those signs, and he pulled over and contemplated in deep thought, “What does that sign mean? Is there more to what is being warned about? There is only one sign to slow for the curve ahead. Should I take that one sign serious or ignore it, or should I pay attention only if there are two or more signs in a row?
Warning signs are there for a purpose, to allow us to maneuver through the hazards of the road traveled in safety. The point I want you to remember is this: Imagine that you are traveling down a road at 55 mph and you come upon a sign that says: “SLOW 15 MPH Curve Ahead”. If you ‘focus’ on the sign, turn your head as you watch it pass by, then you look intently in your rearview mirror at the sign looking for more meaning to the sign, you will miss completely the curve in the road and end up in a mess. No! The sign is there to help you through the journey, not to focus on the sign. This is the same purpose that Jesus is warning about when He talks about the ‘signs of the times’. He says that there are events and obstacles ahead so keep your eyes on the journey and the calling you have been called to. Jesus said in Matthew 16.6 (above) to “Watch out and beware”. He did not say to stop and look for deeper meanings. We, as believers, have to learn to allow a sign be a sign, and not the focus of our journey.
In the church body, the responses to signs have taken on three characteristics. 1] Many are ignoring the signs that we see taking place in governments, economies, terrorism, what we call natural disasters and many other societal changes that are happening today. They seem to take a lethargic attitude that says that God has it all in control and “I don’t need to do anything”. Well, they are correct on one point, God does indeed have all things in control. When God puts a sign in front of you that says “Bridge washed out ahead” and you don’t pay attention to the sign or take the required action to avoid the danger ahead, guess what, God is still in control, but you have to suffer the consequence of disbelief in the sign.
The second characteristic is that of what is focused on, or paid attention to. Many people have the tendency to stop and ‘look’ at the sign rather than the journey. They become so enamored by the sign that they ignore the yet to be discovered danger that the sign is warning about. When Christians focus on signs, as Jesus pointed out in the above scriptures, they lose their way and purpose of their journey. They stop the progress of spiritual growth. The Pharisees and Sadducees were ‘looking’ for signs while all along they had the prophecies in Scripture that showed them who the Messiah was and how to tell when He would show up and reveal Himself to them. They were so focused on having ‘more evidence’ than what God had provided in scripture that they completely missed their Messiah and Paul declares in [Romans 11.20 NLT] “but remember—those branches [Israel] were broken off because they didn't believe in Christ, and you [the Church] are there because you do believe. So don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.” God passed the baton of faith in Jesus Christ to the Church and we must learn from this scriptural history lesson (emphasis mine).
The third characteristic, of how people respond to signs, is found in the true disciple of Christ. A disciple is a person that is ‘Hungering and Thirsting after righteousness’ [Mat 5.6] and is humbled to the point of allowing spiritual growth to take place in his or her life. God has called us to be overcomers and has given us the power of His Holy Spirit and clear instructions on how to discern the ‘signs of the times’ and to be able to complete the course and bypass the obstacles that this world’s god wants to trip us up on.
Being Prepared for the Events of the End Times
These enemies are purposeful in their daily quest to work on our weaknesses and erode our faith in Christ. Once we realize that we are the targets of the spiritual warfare that is taking place in the heavenlies, we then see the importance of moment by moment putting on the full armor of God [2 Cor. 10:3-6; Eph. 6:10-13; 6:14-18]. When we admit to and identify these enemies, we realize how weak we are without the operation of the Holy Spirit actively working in our life. Only then can we humble ourselves to the point that God will give us the strength and ability to overcome these enemies.
There are thousands of sites on the internet that deal with the end times. There are a few good ones but many are off track. The viewer on the Internet must proceed with caution. Many times the younger Christian is hungry for information and truth so they Google for information on the Internet. Just remember that Google does not separate bad theology from good theology, and it is up to the viewer to learn discernment.
Bill Konig of Watch.org recently had this to say about the epidemic of false teachings and false prophecies
» There is an epidemic of false teachings, false prophecies and obsessive focus on words of knowledge, dreams and visions, rather than focusing on Jesus Christ and the sharing of the Gospel.
» Those in error are leading many people astray and are not accountable.
» Best discernment tool: Is the focus of these teachings on [Jesus Christ and the Scriptures], or on the individual or other signs?
Did you know that you can know as much, or more, about Bible prophecy as those who are teaching it? Many teachers hold us hostage today by giving the impression that they have a special revelation from God that is available only through them. That is how the Catholic Church, for example, holds many of their parishioners hostage to the Church, by claiming that only the Priest has the ability to interpret scripture. But God’s Word contradicts that image.
The Bible declares that all that is happening, and will happen as we draw closer to the second coming of Jesus Christ, will not be understood by the ‘natural’ man, or, the un-believer. Listen to what Jesus and the Apostles say;
(NOTE TO THE PRUDENT READER: Please do not neglect, or skip over the following verses. As Paul says here that it is not man’s knowledge or persuasion that gives you understanding, but the power of the Holy Spirit that is within each believer.)
1Co 2:3-16 NASB
(3) I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
(4) and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
(5) so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
(6) Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
(7) but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
(8) the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
(9) but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."
(10) For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
(11) For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
(12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
(13) which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
(14) But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
(15) But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
(16) For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
Paul, in the above scriptures says that the natural man does not accept the things of God for they are foolishness to him. Paul follows that up with verse 16 declaring that we have the mind of Christ. Both statements are truth. Paul in the seventh chapter of Romans pointed out the dual nature of the born again Christian. When we are re-born into God’s Kingdom, we are given a new nature that is filled with God’s Spirit. We are taught throughout the New Testament, that we are to overcome our ‘old nature’, which is our flesh and the sinful lusts that are inherent to it. We can accomplish this only by doing the will of God by being involved in; 1] the process of being sanctified by the Word of God as described in 1 Thess. 4:1-4; 4:5-8. And 2] growing in the Fruit of the Spirit so that we can then ‘walk in the Spirit’ as described in Galatians 5:22-25 and 2 Peter 1:2-6; 1:7-11. The sanctification process sets us apart from the world and useful to God. Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit empowers us to overcome the flesh and opens up to us the ability to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice and to utilize God’s wisdom, understanding and discernment. Once we understand this then the following verses (and many others) will make more sense and give us reason to be persistent students of the Word.
Jesus said this: But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14:26 NLT)
As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to Me. (John 6:45 NLT)
When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever He receives from Me. (John 16:13-14 NLT)
But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. (1 Cor 2:10-13 NLT)
“asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.” (Eph. 1:17 NLT)
“But you have received the Holy Spirit, and He lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what He teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as He has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” (1 John 2:27)
“Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, My Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to each of them." (John 14:21) “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,” ( 1 Peter 2.2 NLT)
Once we get these scriptures down as God’s will for each one of us, then we can then [confidently] discern truth from error as we gain knowledge and understanding from other Bible teachers. Walking in the Spirit and hearing God’s voice takes strong faith, due diligence in Bible study and prayer, and the rewards are eternal.
Remember: God wants us to be dependent upon Him and not on the wisdom of men or this world.
-My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.
-Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
-Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
-Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
-Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God.
-For the LORD grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Pro 2:1-6)
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√ Unbelief is when God has spoken and you do nothing.
√ Presumption is when you act when God has not spoken.
√ Faith is when you act upon God’s instructions.
√ Truth Demands a response.
