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Being Ready & Encouraging Others


Last Daze

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One of the predominant signs of His return that Jesus gives us in Matthew 24 is that of deception.  I think it gets more mention than the others because the increase of iniquity is predicated on the increased spreading of lies.  Lies that are believed work their way into people's behavior.  How can we guard ourselves against being misled like Jesus says in Matthew 24?

  • And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you." Matthew 24:4

The short answer for me is: knowing and walking in the truth.  It's not enough to just "know" the truth.  People can "know" what's right but still be misled by their own desires.  It's only through practicing the truth that our spiritual senses are trained to discern good from evil and that we can persevere in being faithful instead of being misled.

Any other thoughts on how we might implement Matthew 24:4 in our lives?  What does practicing the truth or walking in the Spirit consist of?

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It is very sad that there is such a proliferation of theories and ideas about what will happen in the last days. This is actually a strong indication of who it is that causes these disagreement and arguments: the author of lies, the great deceiver must be behind most, if not all of it.
Jesus warned us to be not deceived;
Matthew 24:4, so we know it can happen! Has any of us never been fooled? We are all suckers for a good deal or investment, but if it is too good to be true; then it probably isn't true!

The idea of a rapture removal to heaven before disaster strikes, is a prime example and when this and other things like prosperity theology are preached and taught by people of high standing, it's no wonder that many are led to believe those teachings. People fail to check their Bibles for proof that what they have been told, is really what the Lord has planned.
What we Christians are plainly told, is that we can expect trials and testing,
1 Peter 3:12, and we must endure and stand strong in our faith. Revelation 13:9-10

HOWEVER, if good Christian people have believed a wrong teaching about what the Lord will do for them, this is not a salvation issue. PROVIDED; they do not lose their faith that He will save them.
This is where, unfortunately, so many will fall away when the test comes. What they expected won't happen and they will renounce God, to their eternal loss.

 

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7 hours ago, Keras said:


HOWEVER, if good Christian people have believed a wrong teaching about what the Lord will do for them, this is not a salvation issue. PROVIDED; they do not lose their faith that He will save them.
This is where, unfortunately, so many will fall away when the test comes. What they expected won't happen and they will renounce God, to their eternal loss.

(I didn't realize that you'd posted this in another thread as well so I'll copy what I replied with.)

I agree.  That's why I keep reiterating that its a matter of lifestyle worship.  Those who put into practice the teachings of Jesus build their house on the rock.  They are who Jesus calls wise.  The wise will be ready.  The foolish will not.

(In addition:) The events that precede the return of Christ will reveal who the doers are.  People can say anything and come up with whatever eschatology but in the end, it comes down to persevering in the faith.

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Like most churches throughout history, churches today compromise on what is taught to their flocks, preferring teachers who rationalize, allegorize, spiritualize or simply ignore the prophetic scriptures. The church that believes Bible prophecies concerning the last days can only be understood allegorically or that prophecy is anything less than factual, is easy prey for Satan’s craftiness.

Satan, the great counterfeiter, deceives with half truths, often using scripture out of context, as he did with Jesus in the wilderness temptations. The same will be true with churches that say: yes these passages are literal, but they have no application to us, because they are trusting in the false assurance that they will be raptured away before those events occur. Once such people realize their great mistake, it will be too late to avoid the persecution of the Anti Christ. True believers in those churches will not lose their salvation, but they will endure suffering from which faithfulness to God and His Word, would have protected them. Thus genuine believers in the compromising churches may have to go through what Jesus described in His Olivet Discourse as the ‘Great Tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world.’

It is within the context of the Tribulation that Jesus warns the Thyatiran and Laodicean church leaders– Rev 2:20-22 You tolerate Jezebel, whose teaching lures My servants into false beliefs, she refuses to repent, so I will throw her onto a bed of pain and those who commit [spiritual] adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they renounce what she is doing.

So those teachers who have misled Christians by not properly discerning the Word, will be punished and their flock won’t lose their salvation, but may be subject to the Tribulation.

James 3:1 & Romans 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 1:10

  On the other hand, believers who are spiritually prepared, faithful peoples, can look forward to the fulfilment of God’s great promises to His Christian people: great promises of protection during the next prophesied event – the Lord’s Day of vengeance and wrath, and then their amazing gathering into the new country of Beulah. Isaiah 62:1-5, Jeremiah 30, Ezekiel 36, Zephaniah 3:19-20, Malachi 4:1-6, Hosea 14:4-9  It is those people, the holy ones of God,  who will welcome Jesus at His Return with the shout: ‘Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord’.

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These are some fascinating thoughts Keras. I have wondered about 'refuge cities' or 'places of refuge'.
Is that what you are referring to here? Where or what might they be?

Also, do you think that the, "Great Tribulation" is different from the, "Day of the Lord" or the "Lord's Wrath"?

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21 hours ago, Justin Adams said:

These are some fascinating thoughts Keras. I have wondered about 'refuge cities' or 'places of refuge'.
Is that what you are referring to here? Where or what might they be?

Also, do you think that the, "Great Tribulation" is different from the, "Day of the Lord" or the "Lord's Wrath"?

We will live in a 'refuge Land', where the Lord will put His Laws into our hearts and we will live in peace and prosperity. 

Yes, the GT. is separate from the soon to happen Day of the Lord's wrath. The GT events will happen over a 3 1/2 year period just before Jesus Returns. The DoL is a 24 hour event. Isaiah 9:14, Isaiah 29:5-6, Revelation 18:8, +  Very soon to happen!

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On 9/26/2017 at 3:42 PM, Last Daze said:

Any other thoughts on how we might implement Matthew 24:4 in our lives?  What does practicing the truth or walking in the Spirit consist of?

I am probably THE worst offender in anything you might name. Your question has caused me distress in the past.

Someone told me recently that what we ought to do is befriend the friendless, help the fatherless and look out for those that might be considered outcasts. The lost, the hopeless, the forgotten ones.

So I started, haltingly since I am no socialite, and gave it a try. Then I saw the wisdom in those acts. I saw why we might be closer to THE ONE of TRUTH. The WORD became flesh and did just that. It is His walk. THE LIGHT of MEN did just that.

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On 9/26/2017 at 12:12 PM, bornagain2011 said:

I like what you said about how its only by practicing the Truth that we can discern good from evil. That reminds me of the analogy I've heard "how can you spot a fake 20 dollar bill? But knowing a real one inside and out." the more we are in the Word, and the Word is seeping into our souls, the more we can spot the tricks and subtle lies of the enemy.

I agree and think that the instructions that God gave the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 13 are still relevant and important.

  • “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."  Deuteronomy 13:1-3

We normally think of a false prophet as someone whose prediction fails, and that's certainly true, but there's more to it than that.  In the above passage, the false prophet gave a sign or wonder that came true.  However, his message was to go serve other gods.  He was trying to lead them astray and he used signs and wonders as a means of persuasion.

That's why it's imperative that we know, and live, the truth, so we can spot a "fake 20 dollar bill" as you say, and disregard it.

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Here are some exhortations that I gleaned from the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3:

  • Ephesus - Do not let your love grow cold.  Realize that iniquity will increase in the last days and that we need to resist becoming calloused by it.
  • Smyrna - Remain faithful to God, even unto death.  Some will be taken into captivity and have their faith tested.
  • Pergamum - Don't be persuaded by those over you to engage in immoral behavior.  Churches are getting farther and farther away from the truth of God's word and are misleading many.  Do not be influenced by them even if it means finding another assembly.
  • Thyatira - Do not become tolerant of or justify sinful activity.  Some congregations may think its virtuous to be tolerant of sinful behavior but sin is to be repented of regardless of how much love and good works are being done.
  • Sardis - Don't allow the things of this world to cause you to become spirutually asleep.  The cares of this world will choke off our spiritual life if we let them.  We need to daily engage in activities that focus our thoughts on things above, such as prayer and reading God's word.
  • Philadelphia - Hold fast to the truth and persevere.  The last days will become increasingly deceptive and we are called on to persevere in the truth until the end.
  • Laodicea - Resist becoming spiritually lackadaisical.   Having an abundance of material possessions can lead to complacency and self-reliance, and mask our spiritual deficiencies.

 

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