The conversation and the situation has obviously escalated. What happened? If you listen closely to the conversations you will detect a perception change that now centers on good and evil. To illustrate we'll use liberal vs conservative groups. The liberal now considers the conservative evil, the conservative now considers the liberal evil. Its not just right or wrong, agree or disagree its now good vs evil. What's the big deal? Good versus evil is spiritual, not just social or political. The take away from this is now the veil is being lifted and the true nature of the conflict is made manifest.
To take this idea a step further we need to ask how did this happen? The Lord did this. Did you ever wonder how this was going to happen:
Rev 6:3When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
What do we see happening today? This very thing ^^. Peace is being taken from the earth and now we see how the Lord planned to do it. Every step this world took away from the Lord, planted a seed of its destruction. What happens when the God of love, life and peace is pushed out of every corner of society? They reap hatred, death and war.
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
What we are seeing is a spiritual war, not a political war. We see the Spirit of light and His children against the spirit of darkness and his children. This is another function Trump serves as president, he is an illumination flare that lights the battlefield so we can all see clearly how the armies are arrayed against each other. This also helps us to understand why "facts" don't matter in any conversation people have about politics or social issues etc. The war is rooted in spiritual reality and only spiritual facts have any bearing on the reality we now face.
John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
This is why no amount of debating with our neighbors over worldly facts changes anyone's mind, its useless. Use spiritual weapons in a spiritual battle, everything else is useless. If we want to change this world we need to do the things the Lord told us to do from the beginning. Pray, fast, love your neighbor in spite of their hatred of everything you believe. The Lord will do His part when we do our part. If we do what He told us to do, if we work with Him and for Him (seek first the kingdom of God) then we will see the maximum change that is possible both in ourselves and our environment all in accordance with His will.
The hatred and division we are seeing in the world is a divine wedge that has been driven between members of humanity in direct fulfillment of prophecy. The stage is being set for all of the seals of Revelation to be opened. One has to wonder if its this bad and the seals are not even open yet how much worse is it going to get? Worse than we can imagine.
Daniel 12:1 At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered.
We cannot end this post without encouragement.
Luke 21:36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
That's right, there is an escape from all that is about to happen. No man promised us escape, the Lord God who cannot lie promised that escape. What else did the Lord say?
Rev 3:10Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Even now we see this hour of temptation (or trial/tribulation) coming upon the world. The stage is being set for it and from what we can see from our vantage point its going to be horrific. But guess what, we are to be kept from it. Again, man did not write that, the Lord God did. What else did the Lord say?
1 Thess 4:16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The Spirit of the Lord told us to comfort each other with these words! This flies directly in the face of those who tell us prepare to play hide and go seek with the anti-Christ. Be comforted, be patient. The Lord cannot lie and He put each of the scriptures listed above in our Bibles to comfort us.
The unexpected, sudden, "secret" return of the Lord will occur on an ordinary day, a day not unlike today. We were told:
Matt 24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day
that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them
all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall
be taken, and the other left. 41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other
left.
Guess what? The Lord knows how to write. Guess what else? No human author that has ever lived knows better how to write a sentence that conveys exactly what was intended to convey better than the Creator of mankind. So when the greatest author in eternity characterizes a time as "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage" instead of having heads lopped off, fire from the sky, hatred, chaos war, death, famine, plague, pestilence and torment-He knew what He was writing and He put it in there that way for a reason.
To add to this, the Church cannot be found by name anywhere in the Bible past Revelation 3. Again, did the Great Author make a mistake? I don't think so. If He called out the Churches by name in Revelation 2 and 3 He could certainly call them out by name in Revelation 6 and beyond but guess what? He didn't....and there is a reason for that.
The Church was told to be watching and ready for the unexpected return of the Lord Jesus Christ, not the expected appearance of anti-Christ. The unexpected return of the Lord is not the expected return of the Lord. Two entirely different events that too many conflate to their own detriment. We have hope and our hope is in the promises of the Lord God made to us His children. We are in the world but not of this world which is why those of this world grow more hostile toward us every day. Our enemies know the promises just as well as we do and they hate us for those promises.
A Christ rejecting world will enter the time of testing/tribulation. Not one single Christian who ever lived before us was required to enter the tribulation, think long and hard about that fact. Not one single Christian! So when the nay-sayers tell us we have to go through the tribulation for this reason or that, ask them why not a single Christian that has died in the Lord up through this very day entered it?
We were given very great and precious promises that we are to stand on like a rock. Let the Spirit of the Lord confirm His Word to you. Those who swear up and down that they are going into the tribulation may be destined for that very thing!
Matt 8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
What we believe matters....
It would be easy to look around at how bad things are getting in this world and get discouraged. Don't let that happen to you. Get in your Bibles, get down on your knees and pray. Let the Spirit of the Lord comfort and encourage you. If it was not obvious already, this world and the people of this world do not have the same destiny as the children of the Almighty. We have promises that they do not have. We also have a source of comfort and hope they do not have. They should look at us and marvel at where our peace and joy comes from it a world this torn and divided. Perhaps that very peace and joy some see in you will lead them to repentance and faith in the Savior of the World, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Keep the faith. grace and peace
