February 7, 2014: The Exciting Adventure!

Matthew 24:1-28

Amplified Bible (AMP)

24 Jesus departed from the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to the buildings of the temple and point them out to Him.

2 But He answered them, Do you see all these? Truly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

3 While He was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately and said, Tell us, when will this take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end (the completion, the consummation) of the age?

4 Jesus answered them, Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error].

5 For many will come in (on the strength of) My name [appropriating the name which belongs to Me], saying, I am the Christ (the Messiah), and they will lead many astray.

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;

8 All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish].

9 Then they will hand you over to suffer affliction and tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

10 And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred.

11 And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error.

12 And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity,

13 But he who endures to the end will be saved.

14 And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.

15 So when you see the appalling sacrilege [the abomination that astonishes and makes desolate], spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place—let the reader take notice and ponder and consider and heed [this]—

16 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;

17 Let him who is on the housetop not come down and go into the house to take anything;

18 And let him who is in the field not turn back to get his overcoat.

19 And alas for the women who are pregnant and for those who have nursing babies in those days!

20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

21 For then there will be great tribulation (affliction, distress, and oppression) such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now—no, and never will be [again].

22 And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would endure and survive, but for the sake of the elect (God’s chosen ones) those days will be shortened.

23 If anyone says to you then, Behold, here is the Christ (the Messiah)! or, There He is!—do not believe it.

24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones).

25 See, I have warned you beforehand.

26 So if they say to you, Behold, He is in the wilderness (desert)—do not go out there; if they tell you, Behold, He is in the secret places or inner rooms—do not believe it.

27 For just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

28 Wherever there is a fallen body (a corpse), there the vultures (or eagles) will flock together.

When I was young, I skimmed over this portion of scripture quickly because I didn't like to think about it. I hoped I would die and go to heaven before this happened. I have since learned to simply turn my future over to God. Whether or not this happens in my lifetime is in God's hands and I'm not going to waste time worrying about it.

Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject. As verse eight states, this anguish has already begun. What I see going on in the world around me causes me sadness, but I still have deep joy! Because of my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Verses four, five, and eleven describe people pretending to be of God. And verse twenty four says they will deceive the very elect. They will be sitting in the church pews, trying to pull the saints away from the truth. I have seen this happen already. How does a person recognize these false teachers? I have found that if a way seems easier, then it's not of God. I have chosen the harder path on purpose. Because it is the sure path. I don't have to wonder if I'm being led astray. 

"Dear Jesus, we are living in dangerous times. False teachers are infiltrating Your church and pretending to be of You. But their sole purpose is to lead sincere people away from the Truth of Your word. I pray for Your precious church. I pray that we would all choose the less attractive path. The harder path. The path that seems boring to the flesh. The path the soul longs for. The path that leads to a deeper, closer, more intimate relationship with You. The path that looks boring is actually an exciting adventure! The path that looks fun and exciting is actually destructive to the soul! Dear Jesus, please open the eyes of anyone and everyone who feels a longing for You. And for truth. Thank You that You never stop reaching. As long as there is a glimmer of desire in us, You never stop reaching. How I love You, Jesus. AMEN."