“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24:9-12 NKJV).
We are seeing in these end time days the beginning of the erosion of Biblical standards, teaching, and living by members of the world wide Christian Church. In our church in Cambridge, NZ, we have men in leadership who hold the Scriptures dear and teach the word of God clearly and fervently. We are reminded however in Scripture that into the Christian Church there will come heretics: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:1-4 KJV) The Scriptures will not be accepted as the Divine truth, and into the chinks in the armour of Church members the Devil will gain a foothold. (Eph 6:10-19). Be warned, be prepared, keep in touch with Jesus, and what He taught. The days are coming and are indeed upon us, when these things will be fulfilled.
Much of Matthew 24 is written referring to the Jewish nation and the verses 32 and 33 can be taken as referring to Israel’s return to their homeland. In many, many places in the Old Testament we find there are the details of this occurring. Ezekiel Ch 37 gives one account, Jeremiah Ch’s 30 to 33 another. We have seen in our lifetime the return of Israel to the Promised Land. The Bible prophesies. “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labour she brought forth her sons. (Isaiah 66:8 RSV).” At midnight on the 14th of March 1948, the United Nations voted in favour of the Jews being returned to their land and having their own nation of Israel in the area as promised in the Bible. The Arabs opposed it and since then Israel has had constant harassment from surrounding nations. Made up stories of the Jews “occupying” the land, has by lies and propergander convinced the world, including some Christians that the Jews should not be there. Not only did God give them this land so many years ago, but the United Nations reinforced it by their confirming act in 1948. [See: What in the World is Happening? – March 2014]
During the Lords discourse, the Rapture of believers as such is not mentioned, but many scholars believe this chapter was mainly aimed at the Jews, and in fact Matthew 25 is more for Christians. The parable of the 10 virgins seems to refer to the marriage supper of Jesus and the Church, (Rev 19:9). In the Jewish culture it was usual for the bridegroom to become engaged or betrothed to the bride and then to go away and prepare a home for his bride. On his return he would take his bride to the home he had prepared, there would be a wedding and a banquet upon their arrival. Usually no one was sure when he would be back and both bride and her bridesmaids would be ever looking out for him to return. All would be ready to immediately go when requested. This is the illustration Jesus was using to indicate that one day He would call His people and expect them to be ready. He said “no one knows when I’m coming, not me, or the angels only God the Father knows”. Are you ready for His return?
With the Rapture of the Church, we are told the Antichrist or Beast will be revealed [2 Thess 2:1 to 12]. An extended description of his activities are referred to in various places in Scripture [Dan 11:36 – 39][1 John 2:18 – 22][Rev 13:1-18][Rev16:2][Rev19:20][Matt 24:15]. Sign’s of this “Man of Sin’s” appearance are already evident in this day in which we live; the formation of a united Europe resulting from the Treaty of Rome; which is intimated in Scripture [Dan 7:23-26,][Dan 2:36-43][Rev 17:3-9]. The Toes of the Statue described in Daniel were part iron and part clay, showing some nations are strong and some weak, and will never really bond together. Just like the present European Union of nations. The Antichrist will rule over the nations of this union, by force of arms and terror. Another sign; already before us, is the electronic registration of everyone in computers. The outcome of this will lead us to a cashless society. In our day and age this will be done by cards or even electronic readers in our hands. The Antichrist will follow on with either a mark in the hand or an electronic reader on the forehead to operate a bank account and to pay for goods you wish to purchase. It will bring to the control of the Antichrist, peoples and companies private bank accounts. If the mark and your identification are issued by his ruling power, then if you don’t follow him you will not be able to trade or buy anything. [Rev 13: 16-17]. The Bible says that the Antichrist will change times and seasons [Dan 2:21]. At the moment we only have BCE [Before the Common Era] replacing BC [Before Christ], and CE [Common Era] instead of AD [Anno Domini or Latin for “in the year of our Lord”], He will change everything that proves that Christ lived. Replacement of the Easter Holiday by a Spring Holiday and fixing the date has already occurred in some countries. The old hymn says; “Nearer and nearer draws the time, the time that shall surely be”. Indeed as we see around us these things happening in the world, we must indeed be aware that “God is working His purpose out!”
Next month God willing, if the Lord does not come for us before then, we will look into the time of the Tribulation under the rule of Antichrist and then the rule of Christ during the 1000 year Millennium.
Brian D. Papworth
Representative for P.W.M.I in the South Pacific.
www.pwmi.co.nz