The Lord states, through the Prophet Isaiah,
“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the LORD will rise upon you
And His glory will appear upon you.
3 “Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising. (Isaiah 60)
Isaiah prophesied that at the end of this current age (this age, or dispensation, of the Lord’s grace), when the gathering together, and reestablishment, of the nation of Israel would occur, there would be great Spiritual darkness covering the earth and its peoples. We shouldn’t have to look too far, or too long, to see that Isaiah was truly a prophet of God.
Darkness is everywhere we look, even in the so-called “good things” that are supposedly making our lives “better” and “easier”. Oh yes, we have a myriad of electronic “conveniences”, which, in the end, merely serve to make us more self-absorbed and weak. And yes, we have advanced medical procedures and medicines that extend our lives, make our noses prettier, and suck cellulite from our guts and extremities. We have forced our way into “outer space” (the heavens) and landed men on the moon. But have we learned how to love and care for each other? Have we learned to be at peace with those around us, or even with ourselves?
When we look deep inside ourselves, into our souls, what do we truly sense or see? When we’re alone with our thoughts, philosophies/ideologies, memories and conscience, where we cannot hide behind our arrogant professions, what is our response, then, to the self we see in the mirror that is our soul? When we consider our families, friends, neighbors, and those who exist around us, what is our response, what is our first inclination: to love them, respect them, hate them, abhor them, or outright flee from them?
The disciples of Jesus wanted to know what signs would signify His second advent, and the end of this age:
As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (Matthew 24)
The Apostle Paul also speaks of how men (believers in God, not the unregenerate) will be at the end of this age:
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 HOLDING TO A FORM OF GODLINESS, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE DENIED ITS POWER; AVOID SUCH MEN AS THESE. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 ALWAYS LEARNING AND NEVER ABLE TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH. (1 Timothy 3)
So, then, we have, according to the Lord, the state of the world at the end of this age:
1) “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.”
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! (Galatians 1)
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. (2 Peter 2: 1)
2) “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars.”
Two world wars, Korea, Laos, Viet Nam, the first Iraqi war, Iraq, Afghanistan, the middle east (Israel, Palestine, Iran), and North Korea. And this lists the major areas of “war and rumors of war” in just the last one hundred and ten years. Need I mention more?
3) “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.”
Nation against nation, meaning ethnic group against ethnic group (“race against race”: from the Greek word “ethnos”): eugenics, the holocaust, and “ethnic cleansing”. The Haitian earthquake, famine throughout Africa and much of the rest of the “third world” nations.
But these are, according to Jesus, just the beginnings of “birth-pangs”. Thus, since these “wars and rumors of wars…” are just the beginnings, the true revealing of the Lord’s “birth-pangs” may still be in the near future: what we’re witnessing, now, may be just the foreshadows of what will become the true “birth-pangs”. This, then, would suggest that what is coming after these wars, famines and earthquakes, Daniel’s “seventieth week”, will be more horrible than any human being could ever imagine:
“But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 “The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; 16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 17 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 “But pray that it may not happen in the winter. 19 “For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 “Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 “And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; 22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. (Mark 13)
Then the Lord tells us, through the Apostle Paul, what mankind will be like at the end of this age:
1) Lovers of Self (“Self-Actualized”, “Self-Esteem”):
SELF ABSORBED is more like it! Narcissistic is more like it! Megalomania is more like it!
2) Lovers of Money:
Corporate and individual greed, Hedonism.
3) Arrogant/Boastful:
“Gay pride”, “Loud and Proud”, “I am Woman, Hear Me Roar…” “I deserve better than _____ (fill in the blank).” “Yes we can!”
4) Unloving/Without Self Control/Brutal/Treacherous/Lovers of Pleasure rather than Lovers of God:
As just one of a billion examples of this, just watch the MTV channels for more than five minutes, and you will see a veritable parade of self-absorbed, “loud and proud”, unloving, without any self-control, people who love their pleasure (what they want, when they want it) more than they love anything or anyone, including their families, friends and God!
5) Holding to a Form of Godliness, although They have Denied its Power. Avoid Such Men as These/Always Learning and Never Able to Come to the Knowledge of the Truth:
“Churchianity” (the institutionalized [nominal]) “church”, the clergy/laity system, “church boards”, seminaries, bible colleges, the Vatican. All of these pieces of an ungodly puzzle form the apostate “church”, or Christendom.
This “religious”/political entity, which has existed for almost nineteen hundred years, has a “form of Godliness” (rituals, dogma, etc.), but it’s a man created and inspired “form”, thus it “denies the power” (the Life) of the risen Christ, and substitutes a “religious” set of rules and pagan-oriented rituals (“doctrines”: traditions) that have little or nothing to do with the Lord and His Truth! The rulers of this entity (Satan being the first), the ministers, pastors, priests, bishops, cardinals, and popes, go to seminaries and bible colleges where they learn the “doctrines”, or manipulations, which will secure them a life-long career. That is, of course, as long as they don’t get caught pilfering from the “collection plate”, or coveting their “flock’s” wives. These “men (and women) of God” are always going to seminars, conferences, etc., they’re always learning, but never are they capable of coming to the knowledge of the Truth!
Unless we’re completely blind, deaf, and without discernment, we should be aware of the horrible state of our country and world. If we can look around us, and convince ourselves that all is well, and life is a blast, then we are either ignorant, stubborn, or deluded. Every night, the evening news is like watching a horror movie, only we can’t change the channel on this one.
The time is at hand, whether we like it or not, and the enemy of God (Satan) is preparing for his “swan song”, and soon he and his cohorts will be cast down from the heavens.
And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12)
Then, in great anger, fury and evil power, Satan will work his abomination on the face of the earth. Then, the Lord, in great power and glory, will come with His true Church, His Bride, and make war with the evil one, and cast him into the abyss!
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh…
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time… (Revelation 20, 21)
So, with all of this darkness covering the earth, and its peoples, we must remember with whom, and what, we truly battle, as the Apostle Paul states here:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints… (Ephesians 6)
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