The Gifts Part 44
Prophecy continued...
Matthew 24:23-26, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.”
I have known far too many believers that have already packed their bags, had the post office hold their mail, said goodbye to family and friends, found a sitter for their pets, and are currently in standby mode, twiddling their thumbs, doing crossword puzzles, and generally passing the time, with one eye on their timepieces, anxious that as yet they have not ascended into the heavens.
They had been taught for long and long, that at the first sign of trouble, at the first sign of hardship, at the first sign of tribulation, they would be swept away, caught up in the loving embrace of the God who tested the faith of every other generation before them yet who would not test theirs, because He knows that they are frail and fragile things who could not endure a slight verbal reproach, never mind outright persecution.
What such individuals fail to realize is that the word of God, the Bible, was written for the children of God, and not for those of the world. When we are told of coming uncertainty, when we are told of coming famine, pestilence, earthquakes, false prophets, and false christs, it is so that we might not remain ignorant of these things, and that they would not find us unaware.
1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
The book and the message contained therein, is foolishness to those who are lost, who are perishing, and who have rejected Christ. The message of the cross is unremarkable to those who walk in darkness; it is silly, and foolhardy and imprudent to those who do not believe. To us who are being saved however, it is nothing less than the power of God. The word of God, and the wisdom contained therein was intended in exclusivity for those who believe, for those who are being saved, for those who receive Christ and surrender their hearts to Him. It is because we have believed in Him that we believe His word, and if we believe His word we must beware the times we are living in and live accordingly.
Because these things are written in the word of God, and because we know they were intended for the children of God, we live with the expectation of these things, preparing our hearts, growing in faith, growing in strength, and purposing in ourselves that we will stand for Jesus no matter the cost.
Just a thought, one that I know will raise the ire of some, but if the church, the Body of Christ, the saved and sanctified remnant would no longer be here for the events that Jesus foretold of, why would He tell those of the world that if anyone said to them ‘look here is the Christ or there’, they ought not to believe it.
By this time, in the estimation of some, the song would have already been sung, the great reveal would have already taken place, and those ‘left behind’ would already know that Jesus had come to take His Bride, they would already know the truth of Jesus, and the fact that due to their rejection of Him all that remains is a fearful expectation of judgment.
Why would Jesus warn unbelievers not to believe those who would say that He had returned, if He would have already returned, and caught up His chosen?
It’s those reasonable questions, those rational questions, those logical questions that just get in the way of believing or being able to embrace the idea that we would not be here to see the days of which Jesus prophesied.
For the last time false christs and false prophets would rise, and the enemy knowing that his time is short, and that the end of his dominion is at an end, will endow these workers of evil with power in that they will show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive if possible even the elect.
These men will show great signs, and work wonders, yet they will attempt to sway the hearts of the faithful toward worshipping something other than the one true God.
In our day and age there is an overwhelming tendency to overlook the lack or absence of spiritual fruit in certain individuals because they do cool stuff.
‘Well, yeah I know he doesn’t preach Jesus, and his life is not in accordance to the word of God, I know he’s divorced and remarried thrice over, and his conduct is unbecoming one who is saved and sanctified, but he kicks cancer patients in the belly, and talks with a female angel. You’ve got to think outside the box once in a while brother, God does unexpected things, through unexpected people.’
Yes, God does unexpected things through unexpected people, He chose the son of an immigrant and the grandson of a potato farmer to teach on His word for one, but He never uses unsanctified people no matter how unexpected their call to ministry might be. It is not God’s desire to bring shame to His own house by using sullied and unsanctified individuals, who not only refuse to repent for their conduct, but insist that their conduct is not contrary to scripture and as such have no need for repentance.
Often times, small things give away the true heart of a man, and even before I knew much of the individual I was referring to there were a few alarm bells that went off in concert. To anyone paying attention, the first alarm bell should have been the ‘female angel’ since there is no mention of female angels in the Bible, the second alarm bell should have been when this particular individual would encourage people to believe in the angel rather than in Jesus, and the third alarm bell should have been the absence of spiritual fruit which ought to be evident in the lives of God’s servants.
Open eyes most often spare us from wounded hearts, and it is our duty as children of God to keep our eyes open at all times.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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