The Last Days Of The World XXII

 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.