We have reached the place in our journey through Matthew 24 where Jesus says in verse 8, "All these are the beginning of birth pangs." We are to note that birth is now imminent, but not yet. The pangs must first increase in both intensity and severity as we approach "the last of the last days." We must heed Jesus' exhortation in verse 6 to not be alarmed or frightened, and to not allow ourselves to be deceived. There are other things which must happen before the end will come.
If there is anything that a significant percentage of the western/American church does not want to hear it is what Jesus says in the next few verses. ""Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:9-13)
That last verse (it also appears in Matthew 10:22) has become the foundational verse for this ministry. So now in keeping with past blogs, we'll look at the parallel between these verses and some verses in Revelation 6. In Revelation 6:7-8, the fourth seal is removed , revealing the fourth horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death, followed closely by Hades. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by various means - all natural consequences of the things happening as the first three seals were removed.
Now as the fifth seal is removed, death of a more specific nature is revealed - described in language strongly paralleling the language of Matthew 24:9-11. Let's see: "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' Then each one of them was given a white robe and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed."
This speaks of a specific kind of death, martyrdom, where one dies because of the testimony of Christ. Did you know that there were more people martyred for Christ in the 20th Century than in the 19 previous centuries combined? And it continues at an accelerated pace into the 21st Century. Birth Pangs? You bet! But someone may say, "This can't possibly happen in the United States of America!" No? Prayer is gone from schools, the radical homosexual agenda has taken its place.
This is a pretty heady subject, so let me close with a couple of personal true stories, and we'll pick it up again next time. Last year, just before Thanksgiving, I was invited to participate in an Ecumenical Night of Thanksgiving. There were 7 churches (sounds a bit like Revelation 2 & 3) involved, with each pastor being given a short role in the service. I was asked to pray an intercessory prayer, so I thought I would follow the National Day of Prayer model, with a sentence or two of petition for each of these 7: the government, military (serve & protect), the church, the family, the media, education and business. Somewhere in there I prayed with respect to family that God would restore our hearts to embrace the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, and the sanctity of marriage as between one man and one woman for life. There was NO put down of anyone in the prayer.
You should see some of the hate mail I received by members of some of the local churches, including one who identified himself as a deacon. I know that is not martyrdom, but it is certainly a step in that direction. That is followed by some of the obscene gestures and threats hurled at me and others who dare to stand on a sidewalk in front of an abortion mill and take a stand for life. I have dear friends who do this 2-3 times a week or more, in all kinds of weather, who have even been jailed because of their stand. There are a lot of good people in this land, but the enemy is more active than ever.
I cannot close without reminding you that Encouragement is part of our name, so be encouraged by the fact that our loving Lord and Savior, the One who is willing that none should perish, told us how it would be so that we would be prepared to stand. He also told us how it would end: His righteousness would be established throughout the earth. To be on His side may look like you're on the losing side, but not so. He wins, and "whoever stands firm until the end will be saved."
Until next time.....
Be encouraged by Christ
No comments:
Post a Comment