Matthew 24:7-10, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of sorrows.”
Not only do I believe the intensity and frequency of what we
deem natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, and the like,
will increase exponentially during the last days of the world, but I also
believe that all the things Jesus singles out as events to look for, such as
nations rising against nations, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes will
occur if not simultaneously, then in rapid succession, so much so that the men
with plans, and the architects of the new order will be overwhelmed and
incapable of keeping a handle on the situation.
Although they’re quick to plot and plan, their Achilles heel
is the faulty assumption that they will be able to retain control through the
global upheaval necessary to introduce their new global order to the masses.
Their hubris dictates that they see themselves as superior to the cattle and
chattel to the point of being able to manage the unmanageable. Even someone adept
at juggling six eggs will have difficulty juggling twelve, and when that number
doubles again, it becomes impossible.
Given that Jesus singles out earthquakes, forewarning that
they will occur in various places, I believe earthquakes will be the most
devastating of the natural disasters to be visited upon the world during the
beginning of sorrows.
Once again, while most people believe, hope, or pray that we
are at the end, Jesus says these things will be but the beginning. For many,
it’s akin to holding your breath underwater, thinking you only have to do it
for thirty seconds, and it turns out you have to do it for ninety. What’s worse
is that you don’t have the choice to rise to the surface and take another gulp
of air. You must weather the full ninety seconds with the air you currently
hold in your lungs.
Currently, there is a cabal of powerful people who are
drawing lines and dividing the spoils of a world they hope to control, but the
Bible warns of one whom Paul calls the man of sin and the son of perdition who
opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped
that will rise to the fore.
This individual will not be interested in sharing power,
authority, or control. Some believe this is a system, but try as we might to
fit a square peg into a round hole, the Bible tells us it will be a man, an
individual in whom the power of darkness resides, and it is by this power that
he will have the street cred to show himself as God. If you’re over fifty,
street cred means he will have the bona fides, the receipts, the credibility,
and the believability to convince people to believe that he is God.
While the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, the
lawless one has yet to be revealed. All we need to do is have the courage to
open our eyes and look to see the mystery of lawlessness at work. Its tendrils,
dark and dank, have wormed their way into so many denominations and churches
that truth has become a precious resource, and those who find a preacher who
preaches it unfiltered, undiluted, and unmolested should consider themselves
blessed.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, “Let no one deceive you by any means;
for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of
sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all
that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple
of God showing himself that he is God.”
The Bible calls him a man, not some alien that landed from
outer space or beast that rose from the sea, a man, the man of sin, the son of
perdition, the lawless one. Because everything about this individual has
spiritual or religious connotations, we can readily conclude that he will not
be a politician, musician, actor, artist, or athlete but rather a religious
figure who will show great signs and wonders as evidence that he is who he
claims to be. It won’t just be someone with a god complex; it will be someone
with enough power to deceive much of the world and convince them that he is supernatural
or divine.
Somewhere between the beginning of sorrows and the revealing
of the man of sin, Paul warns that the falling away must occur. He insists that
the falling away must come first and that Day cannot come otherwise.
Those already fallen have nowhere to fall. It’s a simple
deduction but one that sheds light on who will be doing the falling. Throughout
history, there have been those who have wandered from truth. There have been
those who have been seduced away from the path or who’ve returned to their sin
like a dog to its vomit, but what Paul is referring to isn’t a falling away,
but the falling away.
In His Olivet discourse, Jesus fleshes out what this falling
away will look like, with many being offended, betraying one another, and
hating one another. Once again, Jesus uses the word many to denote that those
who will feel some kind of way to the point of delivering the people of God up
to tribulation and killing them won’t be some negligible number but likely a
large majority.
The question that must be asked, which is of paramount
importance, is what will cause so many to be offended? What will cause men to
betray their fellow man and hate him? What will cause the love of many to grow
cold?
This presupposes that the love of those whose love grew cold
once burned hot. Likewise, it presumes that those who will hate you were, at a
bare minimum, indifferent toward you. What pray tell could cause such
monumental offense?
Objection! Leading the witness!
Not at all. I’m just asking some logical questions based on
the text provided by the Word of God. Since it is our duty to interpret
scripture with scripture, perhaps we find the cause of all the animus and
offense explained in Christ’s first words regarding the last days, “Take heed
that no one deceives you.”
When Jesus warns that we will not be spared the hatred,
vitriol, and violence of the godless, but much of the modern-day church says we
will, when they’re staring down the barrel of persecution and martyrdom, how do
you think the average Laodicean will react?
Will they welcome the trials with open arms or grow bitter
and be offended because they didn’t get what they expected? Rather, they got
the complete opposite.
When Jesus speaks of the last days, the beginning of sorrows, and the events that will take place before His return, He doesn’t do it for the benefit of the godless but for the benefit of the godly. The godless neither believe in Him nor in His resurrection, ascension or return. To those who are perishing, it’s all fables and foolishness, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
1 comment:
Again, you don't have to post this. Just wanted to pose a question to consider. Where do you see your grandfather's visions fitting into the timeline? I told you once that I have lived my whole life (77 years now) with the dark cloud of my mother's vision in 1956 hanging over my head. It was too technical and complicated for her to understand and I, being somewhat pragmatic, chose to live as though it could happen but might not in my lifetime. But now I see so much is unfolding as she saw it in the middle of the night, huddled in the bathroom believing she was going to die. That vision changed the trajectory of my life so I suspect did your grandfather's visions.
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