Don't Be Deceived About the End

Theology
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I offer the following points to show that if… brethren in Christ are not aware of those topics, they may be easily deceived by what is coming upon Christ’s Church and the whole world. This is “strong meat” from God’s written Word, and not milk teaching from men.

You Might Be Deceived…

  1. … if you are not aware of the coming of a false-Messiah to Jerusalem for the coming time of “great tribulation” at the end of this world, prior to Christ’s coming and gathering of the Church.

Apostle John revealed this in 1 John 2:18 that the brethren in his day had already heard that “antichrist” shall come, which means a singular Antichrist. John then said that there are “many antichrists” already at work. Jesus in Matthew 24 warned the Church about both the coming of the singular Antichrist, and the “many” who come that claim to be Christ, John’s “many antichrists” idea. In Matthew 24:23-26, Lord Jesus is warning of the coming Antichrist that will have the power to perform great signs and wonders that IF it were possible, would deceive even Christ’s very elect. With that Jesus was warning us about the singular Antichrist the brethren had already heard shall come per 1 John 2:18. Dr. James Strong in his Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance translated the Greek for the KJV phrase “false Christs” in Matthew 24:24 instead as ‘a spurious Messiah’, singular tense. He did that because Jesus’ subject in those Matthew 24:23-26 verses is actually about a singular false-Christ.

  1. … if you believe that Jesus’ Kingdom is already literally manifest here on earth today.

Many brethren who do not read all their Bible are Biblically illiterate of all the Bible prophecies of how Lord Jesus’ Kingdom will manifest upon this earth. In John 18:36 Lord Jesus said His Kingdom is not of this world, meaning not at this ‘present’ world time. The only part of Christ’s Kingdom that is here on earth today is via The Spirit through His Church.

For Lord Jesus’ Kingdom to be literally manifest, it requires Lord Jesus’ bodily return to this earth to reign over ALL… nations and peoples, with the “rod of iron” The Father has promised Him to reign with per Psalms 2. And Lord Jesus Himself promised His elect they would reign over all nations with Him and with that “rod of iron” (Rev.2). Another requirement of His Kingdom manifesting here on earth is Jesus Himself inheriting His Throne on earth, which is David’s earthly throne. Jesus told His Apostles that when He returns, and sits upon His throne of glory, that His 12 Apostles also will sit upon 12 thrones judging over the 12 tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). Per Zechariah 14:8, a Chapter describing events of Christ’s future coming and thereafter, God’s River of the Waters of Life is to manifest on earth at that time, “living waters shall go out from Jerusalem” it says. These are all just some… of the requirements of Bible prophecy that must happen before Lord Jesus’ Kingdom will literally manifest upon this earth in the future. It is not here yet today. If you have been told all those things already happened, then you are listening to one who is deceived away from Bible Scripture as written.

  1. … if you believe Lord Jesus’ coming to gather His faithful Church is at any other time than AFTER… the “great tribulation”, then you might be listening to one that is deceived away from Bible Scripture. In Matthew 24:29-31 and Mark 13:24-27, Lord Jesus showed His future return will be after… the tribulation to gather His saints.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 Apostle Paul revealed the same timing for Jesus’ future coming and gathering of His Church. Per 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Paul showed the “asleep” saints must be resurrected first so Jesus will bring those saints with Him when He comes. Per Lord Jesus in John 6:40, He promised to raise up those of His on the LAST DAY, meaning the last day of this present world when He returns. That last day means after… the “great tribulation.”

  1. … if you are not aware of what the actual “abomination of desolation” idol per the Book of Daniel is about as written in God’s Word.

In Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14, Jesus warned of the coming “abomination of desolation” placed at the “holy place” in Jerusalem for the end, His quoting that from the Book of Daniel (Daniel 8:9-14; Daniel 9:27; Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11). That is about an IDOL placed at stone temple in Jerusalem for the end of this world. Right now there is no Jewish stone temple standing in today’s Jerusalem, but today’s orthodox Jews in today’s Israel already have the materials ready to build their 3rd temple in Jerusalem, and even have the cornerstone already cut and have tried at least once already to place it upon the Temple Mount.

That “abomination of desolation” event of an idol placed at the Jerusalem temple of the Jews is a requirement to fulfill that Daniel prophecy which Jesus quoted for the end.

Per Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2, he revealed that the “man of sin”, “that Wicked”, must be revealed first prior to Christ’s return and gathering of the Church. Paul showed that coming false one, which is the same false-Christ that Lord Jesus warned about, will show up in Jerusalem and sit in that future 3rd stone temple built by the Jews, and proclaim himself as God, and over all that is called God, or that is worshiped. Paul then later says there that Jesus will destroy that false one with the brightness of His coming. It will be that coming false one that will cause the great ‘falling away’ from Christ that Paul warned about there. The power of miracles that false-Messiah will be given to do will trick the whole world into believing he is God (except Christ’s very elect will not believe it).

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(Continued…)

  1. … if you are not prepared to go through the coming time of “great tribulation” at the end of this world just prior to Christ’s future coming.

Many Churches do not teach what all God’s Word reveals about that future “great tribulation” time at the end. They mostly claim it will be all-out chaos and war and murder and famine and nation against nation, and pestilences, earthquakes, etc. They do not realize that Jesus separated the time of those things for just prior to the “great tribulation” with what He called “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8). The time just prior to the trib will be when those events of chaos, nation against nation, wars and rumors of war, famine, pestilences, earthquakes, etc., will happen. We have been in those things for a while now.

Per Jesus in Matthew 24:15, the time of “great tribulation” kicks off with the placing of the “abomination of desolation” IDOL in a stone temple in Jerusalem. That will be a different time, a time of world peace and the dragon’s control over all… nations and peoples for 42 months (Revelation 13:4-8). Daniel 8 tells us that coming false one will destroy many using ‘peace’, and craft will prosper in his hand. In 1 Thessalonians 5, Apostle Paul tells us the deceived in that time will be claiming a time of “Peace and safety”. Per Revelation 11 when God’s “two witnesses” are killed, the nations will see their dead bodies left unburied laying in the street, and they will throw parties and send each other gifts because those “two witnesses” are dead. In Matthew 24:6, Jesus showed the end as a time of world peace when He warned that as long as we hear of wars and rumors of war, then the ‘end’ is not yet, that “end” meaning the “great tribulation” time.

Per Jesus in Matthew 13, He warned that some of His servants during that time will be delivered up to give a Testimony against the beast for Jesus, and to not pre-think what we will say in that hour, but to speak what The Holy Spirit gives us to say.

  1. … if you do not understand that God’s Word reveals the existence of 2 separate dimensions, this earthly material one we live in, and the heavenly one made up of Spirit where God, His angels, and even where the abode of hell is, in a place of separation in the heavenly away from God and His.

Some only think with their fleshy mind, and have a difficult time understanding about the existence of that other dimension of Spirit, the heavenly dimension. Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 said that as we have borne the “image of the earthy”, we shall also bear the “image of the heavenly”. Paul was teaching about the “spiritual body” which is the body type of the resurrection. It is not a body made of flesh, but made of spirit. And in the heavenly, that body has the image of ‘man’. This is why God’s angels, and all those in Christ, are referred to as the “sons of God.” (1 John 3:2).

  1. … if you do not yet understand that the coming false-Messiah/Antichrist that will play God in Jerusalem will be the devil himself.

What God’s Word warns about this coming future false-Christ setting himself up as God in Jerusalem at the end of this world involves is the SAME… false working that Lucifer did in that old world when he first rebelled against God, drawing one third of the angels (“stars” of Rev.12:4) to earth.

Per Revelation 12:3-4, the devil as that “red dragon” (the devil) used a previous beast kingdom of ten horns, seven heads, but only “seven crowns” to rebel originally with. The Revelation 13:1 beast kingdom, which is for the end of this world, is to have “ten crowns” instead. That fact that both system have “ten horns” and “seven heads” means the same kind… of one-world kingdom structure which Lucifer used in the old world, and will use again for the very end of this present world.

In Revelation 11:7 it is revealed that the “beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit” shall kill God’s “two witnesses” in Jerusalem at the end of this world. That is about Satan ascending out of that bottomless pit of hades, which is his heavenly abode until the war in heaven mentioned in Revelation 12:7 forward when Satan and his angels are kicked out of the heavenly down to our earth in our… earthly dimension.

  1. … if you have been deceived into believing that the coming Antichrist has to be some flesh-born man, simply because he will have the image of man, and Revelation 13:18 says his number is a number of a man.

The devil himself, and all… the angels, have the image of ‘man’. That because that image of man originates from GOD’s Own Image Likeness of man. That image did NOT begin with the flesh; it began in the Heavenly from the pattern of God’s Own outward Likeness. We look like Him. And so do the angels too, including Satan. So never allow Satan’s servants to play that card trick on you. Satan does not want us to know that it will be him coming to play Christ on earth for the “great tribulation” in the role of the Antichrist.

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Bear in mind, though, that GOALS DO MATTER. In many languages, the same word can either mean conclusion or aim. English: end. (“What is the chief end of man?”) French: but. Turkish: son. Greek: 'εσχατοσς. In practice, our daily duty boils down to a two-step process: (A) ascertain what God’s goals within history are, and (2) get with that program.

Banfield’s book The Unheavenly City documented his discovery that poor people are NOT short on money. What they lack is a vision for the future. If you are “present-oriented,” what you have exactly equals what you need (h/t to Herman Hesse’s novel “Beneath the Wheel.”)

Since the pre-mil position, especially in its virulent dispensational form, has risen to prominence in the evangelical subculture, we have become a profoundly impoverished people. Compare Handel’s Messiah or Bach’s Mass in B minor to Chris Tomlin’s self-indulgent self-pleasuring, for example. The Cathedral of Notre Dame to your local gecekondu* Baptist warehouse.

A people who assume that God is about to hand the world over to the devil live differently from folks who assume that God’s Kingdom grows, one soul, one family, one vocation, one county, at a time, at a compounding rate over the course of centuries.

Highly influential vocations take TIME to master. If you assume that this present age is almost over, how likely are you to pursue a PhD, for example? Walter Knott, founder of Knott’s Berry Farm, once asked R J Rushdoony about the best investment he could make in God’s Kingdom. RJR suggested founding and endowing a rigorous Christian high school in every state. The rich guy was in too much of a hurry, and blew billions of dollars on fantastic schemes to evangelize everyone overnight. (anyone remember Key 73?) The money’s gone now – and there’s nothing to show for it.

SO – ideas have consequences. Today’s evangelical culture is, in Frankie Schaeffer IV’s memorable book title, Addicted to Mediocrity. Short-term thinking and living. Churning out tee shirts, bumper stickers, and tracts rather than this generation’s equivalent of Samuel Rutherford’s Lex, Rex.

Thank God, though, the traffic is only tending in one direction. More and more of God’s dear saints are joining the post-mil band of merry (valiant, bold, exuberant) optimists. The best is yet to come – AND I WANT TO BE IN ON WHAT GOD IS UP TO!!!


*Gecekondu is the Turkish word for "slum." Literally, it means "thrown up overnight."
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This is why Jesus told ya to occupy until HE comes. This is why He tells us, He is coming in the clouds as a powerful thunder and lightning storm that you cannot miss. He tells us that no one knows exactly when.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” Matthew 24:21-22

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:36-39

“Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44

"But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36

Sadly, we just saw people quitting their jobs, and giving stuff away because someone on the internet said that the World was ending on such and such a date. Never do that. The end of all we know could come 10 years from now. 100 years from now, or maybe ev

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Those in Christ do not have to wonder what times we are in today, for Jesus and His Apostles already showed us what the end would be like. If we want to know that we must stay in His Word as written, and not veer off the road into never-never land.

Matt 24:42-47
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Jesus commanded us to “Watch…”, not only be ready. That watching is about the Old Testament idea of a ‘watchman’. Even in the Mark 13 version of this topic Jesus mentions the separate watch periods of the night.

Even though we may not know the ‘hour’ of Jesus coming, we are to know in general the ‘watch’ of the night when to expect His coming. That is what He said in the above 43rd verse. How… do we do that? By watching those SIGNS leading up to His coming that He gave there in His Olivet discourse.

44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
KJV

In the previous Matt.24:40-41 verses Jesus mentions about two in the field, one taken and the other left. The above “faithful and wise servant” is the one left that when Jesus comes He finds that servant still giving his household “meat in due season”. What’s that meat? It is the “strong meat” of God’s written Word. Staying in that “strong meat” is how one keeps from being deceived. That is how Lord Jesus wants to finds us when He comes in our near future, still working in the field (world) for Him.

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