2 Timothy 3:1-5
Why the violence and shooting in our schools?
It is not just in our schools but across the world. Let us lay this where it belongs, Joh_8:44 ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. The person being addressed as a murderer is satan but it is The LORD who is treated as the villain by the majority.
It is absolutely beyond belief to listen to people in places of influence to give their opinion regarding these acts of murder and violence. I am sure most of you have seen the news clip of the "View" and their mockery of V.P. Pence's faith. There are many, many people who watch and listen to the heresy of the View but do not come to church or turn to the Word of God for the truth. That in its self speaks to the perilous times. This hour is a very critical time and most people do not see their danger and the coming judgment.
Believers of God's Word have always been in the minority.
- At the time of the flood, there could have been 5-7 billion people on the earth and how many were saved from the flood? Eight! They heard of the coming flood, they watch the construction of the Ark, Methuselah lived Nine hundred sixth nine years (969) – years of grace. But the majority did not believe God.
- See Isaiah 1:9, Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. There has always been a remnant. Notice it says " a very small remnant" Maybe 5%
- See Acts 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) In the Jerusalem area, after the ministry of Christ and only a hundred twenty of followers of Christ! And that is all! There may have been others not in the area of Jerusalem.
- Only a third of the nation of Israel (a remnant) will be saved alive in the tribulation and enter the Kingdom. Zec_13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. Zec_13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
The coming end of the Church Age, 2 Timothy 3:1
It is no different today, we are in the minority and we should be very concerned about the spirit of anti christ that is in the world. The rapture of the Church can happen at any time and with that the saved will be taken out of this world. We should have a burden for the lost in this age of grace.
A question often asked: can people be saved in the tribulation, who understood the gospel, and rejected Christ in this age? Regarding this question, there have been many messages, movies etc. offering an answer, therefore many opinions. There is not time or space in this message to answer fully but for your consideration, I want to lay out some facts to think about. 1. The people saved in the tribulation (Tribulation Saints) will not be in the Body of Christ. 2. The Body of Christ has already been caught up/ resurrected, 1 Thess. 4: 16-17, 1 Cor. 15:51. 3. We, the Body of Christ, will come back with Him to the earth after the Tribulation is over, Rev. 19: 7,8. 4. Tribulation Saints will suffer for their faith, Rev 20:4 " And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." 5. The Gospel of the Kingdom is preached in the tribulation. Mat_24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 6. We are living in the dispensation of grace, (we are not living in the tribulation) Ephes. 3:2-10, e.g. 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
It is a serious error in your thinking to hear and understand the gospel of the grace of God, the death burial and resurrection of Christ, and then to turn a willful and deaf ear to the Holy Spirit! Rather than thinking about who will be saved in the Tribulation, may we see the seriousness of God's offer of eternal life to us in this age of grace.
Why are there Perilous times?
- We live in a fallen world. Adam followed Eve and disobeyed God, Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: That means that man had to be redeemed from his fallen state. Adam was given dominion over the earth. When he sinned, he gave that to satan, 2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Contrary to public opinion, the world is not getting better. The world is headed to judgment. The LORD is calling out His Body, the Church, during this age of grace. Our hope for the future is not making a better world but coming to know Christ, Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
- We live in a time of self- sufficiently – a time of willful blindness to spiritual understanding, Rom_1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Many have hope in their efforts, their accomplishments, in what they believe. How can anything of redeeming quality be in us for we are corrupt from head to toe, Romans 3:10-18.
It is spiritual understanding we need, Eph_1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, It is not about us; it is about Christ. You are saved by Christ and your faith must be in Him!
We need to pray for our families, for people to have spiritual understanding, to have the understanding that comes from God's Word.
In every period of time, mankind has known the Will of God. God expressed His will to Adam and Eve. What was His will to Adam and Eve? Not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God expressed His will, as well to Moses, David and the other patriarchs. And what was His will for the Israel after leaving Egypt? They were to enter the promise land and what did they do? Rejected Him – Only two believed Him. In the ministry of Christ to His own, Romans 15:8, Christ proved He was the Messiah and what did they do? They rejected Him. What was His will for them? To believe He was the Messiah! Only a few believed Him like Martha, John 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Because of their unbelief Israel has been set aside, as a nation, for a time, Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. The fullness of the Gentiles is the time of the rapture and then God returns in dealing with Israel (Daniel's 70th week/tribulation).
God's will is made known to us in the church Age, Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, Rom 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
The Gospel of the grace of God is the Death Burial and Resurrection of Christ, Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Faith in Christ as your Saviour puts you in the Body of Christ.
As a member of the Body of Christ, we have more understanding than the Old Testaments Saints. It is God that gives Wisdom and Understanding, Eph 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Eph 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Only God can reveal the truth to us, Col. 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; . So how can God reveal them to us if He is shut out of your life?
The work of satan is to blind your mind to Christ, 2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
- We are living in a time of complacency – satisfaction through self - righteousness – haughtiness. God has asked mankind to believe Him and most refuse to find out what they are supposed to believe. Rom_4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
You don't receive from God by whining, by complaining, by fault finding but by faith
Here is where your faith should be: Rom_3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
God's only offer of salvation is eternal salvation
People often use the phrase "Once saved always saved" but I try never to use it, because it is not a good way to express salvation. Let me clear, I believe in Eternal Salvation in fact that is the only salvation God offers to mankind. If Christ did not save you once for all, then what did He do on the Cross? If Christ did not pay your sin debt, then why did He die? You see the problem is this: people look at salvation as something that God can do for them/or they can do for themselves. But the truth of the scripture presents a different picture; it present salvation as a work already done by the person of Christ. You are faced with a choice to either believe Him or to call God a liar! Romans 4:25-5:1.
- The scripture plainly says, "…..but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself". Hebrews 9:26b
- We are justified by faith: Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
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