WILL FALLEN ANGELS BE ON THE EARTH IN THE LAST DAYS?

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Thank goodness God told us in advance what will unfold in the last days before Jesus returns to Earth.

Satan and his demons are setting up the world, particularly young people, for demonic activity on Earth. They are already appearing as aliens. As well, most of the games our young people are playing online, and more movies, are about aliens. More reports of UFO sightings are being reported in the media.

We know that the fallen angels are going to be on the earth at the mid-point of the seven years before Jesus’ returns to Earth. Notice in Revelation 12:4 that it says, Archangel Michael is fighting Satan and Satan is defeated.

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12:7-9

This will happen so we know that spiritual warfare will then be intense with Satan and his demons on Earth. Satan will do his utmost to hang on to dominion over the Earth. This is now all he has left.

“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Revelation 12:12

What happens when Satan is cast down to Earth. We are told that his first priority is the Jews and we learn that God intervenes and provides a sanctuary for His Jewish remnant for 3 1/2 years.

“And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman (Israel) who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.” Revelation 12:13-14

Note: Satan does his utmost to destroy God’s Jewish remnant but God steps in again:

“The serpent (Satan) poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.” Revelation 12:15-16

So what does Satan do next? He turns his wrath onto the Saints, those that hold to the testimony of Jesus.

“Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” Revelation 12:17

Enter the Antichrist, Satan decides to counterfeit Jesus Christ by taking over the body of a human. He even counterfeits a seeming resurrection from the dead.

“And to it (Antichrist) the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” Revelation 13:2-4

Satan working through the Antichrist is given 42 months (3 1/2 years) and is allowed to make war against the Saints and to conquer them.

“And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” Revelation 13:5-8

We are also told about a second person who is taken over by an evil spirit, the false prophet. He exercises all the authority of the Antichrist. He has supernatural powers and he causes everyone who does not take the mark of the Beast to be slain.

“It (the False Prophet) exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Revelation 13:12-17

In the next post, I will focus on what God is doing during this time. The ministry of the two witnesses is powerful. I am confident they will be Moses and Elijah who will be a powerful witness to the Jews and encouragement to Messianic Jews and Christians.

HAMAS’S INVASION OF ISRAEL IS AN IMPORTANT END TIMES EVENT

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Since October 7, the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas has steadily caused ruin and demise — even beyond the Middle East.

The trauma Hamas inflicted upon the Israeli people during the initial attack including the “massacred” neighborhoods, the burning of houses and people, and loved ones ripped away by “a murderous regime.” means Israel has no option but to proceed with the war until Hamas is eliminated no matter how long it takes and the cost, economic and political. Sadly, we are already seeing any goodwill Israel had in the International Community being eroded. It is hard to comprehend the size of marches for the Palestinians and the vehement antisemitism being expressed in most Western Countries. It is not only Muslims marching but many young Westerners.

What about the media? In Australia, journalists signed a group letter in 2021 demanding that journalists be allowed to be activists for Palestinians against their Israeli oppressors – and it has flowered since the October 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists.

Despite what horror Hamas inflicted on women and children, within days, even hours, there were petitions circulating and group letters, signed by journalists, that branded Israel a colonialist apartheid state and excused the October 7 horrors by providing “context” or simply ignoring them. All subsequent petitions, group letters, and statements from every conceivable and inconceivable group, such as Queers for Palestine, have followed the formula of these initial letters and petitions.

The latest one, signed by 300 journalists and approved by the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the journalists union, is in many ways just a rehash of all the letters and petitions that preceded it. It is confirmation of the fact the contagion is real: a significant number of journalists see themselves as warriors for a cause, the cause of the oppressed Palestinian people, occupied for 75 years by a racist white supremacist state that is perpetrating genocide in Gaza. What this means, in effect, is a call for reporting that is not open and fact-based at all but based on the simplistic and distorted view of Israelis and their Jewish fellow travellers as ruthless and heartless oppressors of the powerless and victimised Palestinian people.

When you consider the amount of land Israel occupies compared to the Muslim countries that surround it you realize that what the Bible tells us, that it is not about the land, it is a spiritual war that is raging, and as prophesied, the only way it will end is when Jesus returns to defeat all the nations against Israel at the battle of Armageddon.

“Behold, a day is coming for the Lord… I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle… Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one-half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.” Zechariah 14:1-4

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he judges and makes war… And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:11,14-16

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.” Revelation 19:18-21

JESUS SOON COMING MILLENNIAL KINGDOM

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God’s Jubilee: after 7 x 7=49 years the next year is a Jubilee year when debt is forgiven, land is returned to the original owners, release of slaves or indentured servants, and the land is to lie fallow. The Jubilee year is the first year of the next 49-year cycle. The Jubilee gives us a beautiful picture of what the future holds during Jesus’ coming Millennial Kingdom.

The Jubilee is also a promise to Israel that guarantees a future return to their land after the great tribulation and the wrath of God is poured out with the Trumpet and Bowl judgments.

The Jubilee is never used in Scripture in such a way that we can draw up precise eschatological timelines and charts depicting exactly when future prophetic events will take place. However, we should use the Jubilee and all the other symbols used in the Scriptures to describe the return of the Messiah (Jesus) and the Messianic age (Millennial Kingdom) to impact our hearts and lead us into a deeper adoration of Jesus and more fervent anticipation of His coming glorious Millennial Kingdom.

All around the world, support for Palestine after Hamas’s invasion of Israel is further evidence we are fast approaching the time when Jesus returns to rescue Israel at the battle of Armageddon. Hundreds of school students with the sanction of their teachers protested in Sydney, Australia in support of Palestine. Who is educating these children? Hamas is at once Palestinian, Arabic, and Islamist. In its worldview, any Palestinian state would need to embrace Islamism. The horror of Hamas’s barbaric attack on Jewish women, children, and old people in southern Israel on October 7 is not an aberration. It’s what the group actually stands for in its formal charter. Antisemitism is spiritual warfare and it is intense as we approach the Biblical prophesied end times.

End times prophecies are playing out now which tells us that we are fast approaching the end of this era when Jesus returns to rapture the Saints and after the wrath of God is poured out. usher in His Millennial Kingdom. Go to ww.millennialkingdom.net for more information.

The 70 Weeks Prophecy of Daniel is an amazing message of hope as it predicts an end to Satan’s deceptive rule and the beginning of the rule of Israel’s Messiah to put everything right. It has symbolic significance related to Israel’s Sabbath cycle of years, the Jubilee, and the historical period of exile/restoration. The 70-weeks theme weaves together a number of theological strands from the Hebrew Bible as a way of pointing us toward the age of Jubilee restoration in the future. Understanding the symbolic and literal meaning of the 70-weeks prophecy is vital. Many scholars have recognized that from a Biblical perspective, the 70 weeks must represent a period of 490 years. There is an intricate and complementary relationship between Daniel’s 70 weeks and the Sabbath cycle in ancient Israel that requires us to read Daniel 9:24 as though it depicts a specifically demarcated period of time (10 Jubilee periods = 490 years).

Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom is spoken of by all the Old Testament (O.T.) prophets. In the following Scripture, Peter tells us that all of the O.T. prophets proclaimed that God would send Jesus a second time to restore all things.

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago... Moses and all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.” Acts 3:19-20, 22, 24

BIBLICAL END TIMES ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT

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The World Economic Forum (WEF) has made clear that it sees itself as a model of how the world should be governed – actively advocating through its Global Redesign Initiative for a shift from multilateral governance based on state-to-state decision-making to multistakeholder governance in which corporations have a much more dominant role, becoming effectively global citizens. This process is already underway with the emergence of evermore self-selected and self-appointed multi-stakeholder forums worldwide such as the World Water Forum, the Marine Stewardship Council, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

The Board in a sense is a vision of how the WEF wants the world to be run – by a small group of mainly male corporate executives with the same education and ideological vision, with a mere smattering of diverse non-corporate actors to give their actions legitimacy.

The WEF’s globalist agenda is to unite all nations under one universal government. It involves two strategies: 1, Restrict all personal freedoms and rights, and 2. Eliminate nationalism. The key to this plan involves securing central control of all economic activity by transferring private property to the State. It engages the foremost political, economic, and cultural leaders of society to shape, global, regional, and industrial agendas. Ultimately globalisation is man’s godless solution to the world’s troubles.

The globalist’s efforts align with the prophesied efforts of Satan to overthrow heaven and rule in the place of the High God over a kingdom on Earth. To accomplish his goal he must unite humanity under a single worldwide government with his man the Antichrist ruling the world from Jerusalem. The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the UN are already working together to achieve that one-world government.

September 2024 – U.N. SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE:  At the Summit, countries are expected to adopt a Pact for the Future that covers five areas: sustainable development and related financing; international peace and security; science, technology, innovation, and digital cooperation; youth and future generations; and transforming global governance.

In 2014 WEF, Klaus Schwab extended a personal invitation to Pope Francis to address the WEF Davos meeting. Francis has since written numerous letters to Schwab and is listed by WEF as an Agenda Contributor. In October 2020, the official website of the Davos WEF wrote, “In a 43,000-word-long encyclical published October 2020, the pope put his stamp of approval on WEF efforts to shape what’s been termed a Great Reset of the global economy in response to the devastation of COVID-19.”

Since then the present Pope has taken unprecedented political stands for Global Warming Green Agenda measures, vaccines against COVID-19, support for gender equality, migration, wealth redistribution from rich to poor, and other social actions that have dominated his controversial papacy.

From a Biblical end times prophecy standpoint we see WEF, the influential merchants of this world and the UN cooperating to introduce centralised control of all nations. At the same time, we see the Pope capitulating with the world and its values. Could he be the false prophet?

At the end of this era prior to Jesus return, the Bible tells us we will have a one world government. Together with the Antichrist and Satan, who empowers both of them, the false prophet is the third party in the unholy trinity.

GOD IS RAISING UP THE MARTYN ISLES OF THIS WORLD FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

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If you do not know who Martyn Isles is then I suggest you check out YouTube for his videos, The series “The Truth of It” and “Mystery Babylon” are good starting points. I am certain that God has led Ken Ham and the team he leads at Answers in Genesis to appoint Martyn Exec. CEO to initially work alongside Ken to impact this fallen world for God.

FROM MARTYN ISLES OF ANSWERS IN GENESIS,

As you know, an important focus at Answers in Genesis is on raising up a new generation of Daniels, who will stand firm for God in an increasingly uncertain and anti-God era. “The writing is on the wall.” It’s a phrase that has gone down in history in the Western world. It means that the end of something is guaranteed, although it hasn’t happened yet. This phrase conveys wisdom for us as we discern where we should focus our energies and our funds.

I have just finished writing an article for Answers magazine in which I point out that many of the ideologies that are rising in the West could be described as “lifting ourselves up” against God.

These are the things championed by governments, intellectuals, pop culture, and activists. Things like queer sexuality, transgenderism, race politics, abortion, climate doom-ism, same-sex marriage, and so on. They are all things that take what God has defined in his authority as Creator and redefined them according to our own authority. They all lift up mere humans to the status of gods.

As human beings, made from the dust of the ground, we were never meant to have the authority to define marriage, gender, sex, life, race, or when the planet will end. This is pure arrogance.

We may read Daniel 5 and gasp at Belshazzar’s arrogance, taking God’s vessels and using them to praise false gods. But it’s the same today: we’ve taken God’s good things in creation and used them to serve our own idols. The main idol in our day is identity, the idol of self.

That very night, Belshazzar the king was killed, and the mighty empire of Babylon the Great fell.

A line had been crossed, and it was all over.

It is impossible not to reflect on the sobering lessons for our day. I marvel at God’s grace in withholding his hand of judgment on us for so long. He truly is longsuffering, “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

While this day of grace persists, we must continue to take the gospel to a rebellious world. Is there anything more urgent?

How long can we resist God’s grace? How long can we raise ourselves up against God?

END TIMES EVENTS LEADING TO A ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT

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A number of strange events are starting to play out all across the U.S.A
1. 50% of employers expect to lay workers off in the coming weeks…
2. 20 million American households are behind on their utility bills…
3. $13.5 trillion in American wealth has evaporated, as stocks and real estate prices have fallen…
4. To make matters worse, food prices continue to rise — with even vegetables up over 80% in the past year.
Together, all of this is likely setting up what one research firm believes will result in a “gold storm”
Stansberry Research is one of the most highly-respected research firms in the world… providing cutting-edge market research to over a million readers. And they just released a brand-new warning for what they believe will happen to gold in 2023…
According to these experts:
“The evidence is everywhere. But most folks aren’t paying attention. We are in the early stages of a gold mania – the calm before the storm.” And yet, even the most prepared Americans – including many retirees – could be blindsided by what’s about to happen. This is why they’ve posted their full, brand-new warning to the public on their website right here.
These events are also the reason why Bitcoin and some of the other crypto coins are increasing significantly. Rightly so, with governments printing money recklessly why should people believe money will retain its value.
This might be a timely warning for you to look at other options than cash. Christians need to be wise and make good choices as well. There are websites where you can get helpful information from Christians such as http://www.biblemoneymatters.com, http://www.gracefinancialadvisors.com, and http://www.smartasset.com, and http://www.iccc.net (International Christian Chamber of Commerce)
Whilst investopedia.com is not a Christian-based website it does offer some helpful advice on faith-based investing.

WHERE ARE WE IN THE END TIMES ACCORDING TO JESUS?

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Where are we in the end times according to Jesus? Most don’t know that Jesus was very specific about WHEN things will happen and that most will be UNPREPARED for His return. Watch this Nelson Walters video for a detailed explanation of Jesus’ end times prophecies in the Oliver Discourse and the prophecies of Daniel. Nelson unlocks them in a way you haven’t seen before. It is amazing the amount of detail Daniel was given about the events that will unfold at the time of the end.

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” Daniel 12:4

The Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 21:29-33) which Jesus told the disciples, when they asked about the end times and when He will return, reveals that those born at the time of Israel’s rebirth as a nation in 1948, they will see Jesus return. The miraculous re-establishment of Israel as a nation was the first major end-times prophecy that was fulfilled. Most of the other end times prophecies are based on the fact Israel as a nation exists.

BIBLICAL END TIMES DEPRAVITY

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Depravity: Professor Says We Need “Mass Movement” for Kids’ Right to Sex Work

As I read this, there’s one word that came to mind: depravity! It is just another one of the prophesied end times signs.

If reading the news headlines makes you cry out, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20), you are not alone. It seems that evil men and women prosper with no consequences while the righteous are treated with contempt and hostility—and it’s just getting worse! Seeing this is both discouraging and sobering as we consider the consequences of evil flourishing in our nation—consequences that most dramatically impact the most vulnerable among us. What can we do?

As just one example of evil impacting the most vulnerable, consider this headline, “Professor encourages an activist to start ‘mass movement’ for kids’ right to sex work.” Yes, a Johns Hopkins University professor appears to have urged an activist during a recent Q&A at a conference to help remove the stigma around supporting child “sex work” by starting a “mass movement” to turn the tide of “moral panic” over the idea. It’s nothing more than an attempt to normalize child abuse in the name of adult sexual desire. It’s disgusting, it’s vile, and it’s hard to even begin to grasp the consequences of such depravity.

So what can we do when these headlines make us feel so helpless to stop the evil around us? Well, we do what Christians have done throughout the ages—we believe and obey God’s Word. We understand that, even in the midst of great evil, societal chaos, and depravity, God is still sovereign. He is working out his plan, and eventually, every single evildoer will receive just punishment for their sin (unless they repent and trust Christ, as we pray they do!). A great book of the Bible to turn to when you feel discouraged by evil is the minor prophet Habakkuk. He had the same questions about the ruthless Babylonians and God’s answer to the prophet’s complaint points to God’s sovereignty and mercy.

Throughout human history, evil in various forms has flourished. And God’s people have walked into the darkness with the light of Christ, starting ministries to rescue those who are exploited and abused. God has always used regular, faithful, obedient Christians to be salt and light during dark times, pointing people toward Jesus Christ and his gospel. And no matter how utterly hopeless our times may appear, we must continue to “do the business of the King” until he returns, understanding that the results aren’t up to us—they are up to God. We are just called to be faithful.

And we also must understand that the weapons we wield aren’t the weapons of the world—they are spiritual weapons designed for the spiritual battle we are in.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:3–6

In the face of great darkness, don’t be discouraged. Put on your armor and fight as God has called us to do—by clinging to his Word, praying without ceasing, loving God first and neighbor second, and making disciples of all nations. And leave the results to our sovereign God!

ISRAEL’S RETURN, JUDGEMENT & THE MILLENNIUM

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Jonathan Cahn preaches on the many end-times prophecies, starting with the rebirth of Israel and the great falling away in denominational institutional churches and ending with the coming Millennial reign of Jesus from a restructured/rebuilt Jerusalem.

Jonathan like many born-again leaders knows we are in the last days before Jesus returns and is preparing his congregation for what is ahead. My only concern is that he does not address the timing of The Rapture and the fact Christians need to prepare for the coming tribulation, even great tribulation. As Jesus and Paul told the disciples that they would see the Abomination of Desolation (Antichrist) (Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) seated in the Temple declaring himself to be God. This takes place midway through the last seven years before Jesus returns to Earth with the Saints. The Rapture timing is at the end of the sixth year, the sixth seal, and the sixth church (church of Philadelphia).

SIXTH SEAL (Celestial signs that precede Jesus coming to rapture the Saints and signals the great day of God’s wrath has come): “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:12-17

CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA: “Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:8,10

Moreover, the Church of Laodicea is the church that is left behind to face the wrath of God which hopefully leads to repentance and saving faith.

DID GOD PROMISE TO PROTECT CHRISTIANS FROM PERSECUTION?

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The title is very relevant in a time like this when many Christians are lamenting and asking questions about why God allows them to go through pain, persecution, and suffering after they have given their lives to Christ.

Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. He writes; “Many of us in Nigeria are finding it difficult to comprehend why God is not protecting Christians from terrorists. Did God really promise to always protect us from attacks? Throughout the entire New Testament, Jesus made clear assertions that Christians should be ready to endure persecutions and attacks (John 15:20, John 10:28, Revelation 2:9-10).

The confusion is that the messages that we are hearing in churches contradict the words of Christ and the reality on the ground. I have heard pastors preach that Christians are not born again to suffer again and that anyone who remains poor or sick after becoming a Christian is a disgrace to Christianity. This is the rhetoric that prompts Christians to feel that God is reneging on His promises. Is it not obvious that God allows trials, troubles, and pain so that we can be partakers of the suffering of Christ in order to be qualified to reign with Him? (2 Timothy 2:12).

A look at the foundation of Christianity will help us to understand why God is not protecting us from persecutions and trials that are faith-based. Christianity was borne on the cross where the blood of Christ was shed for the remission of the sins. The cross is the centerpiece of Christianity and anyone who becomes a Christian is automatically grafted into the cross-journey. Jesus was emphatic about this: “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me” Matthew 10:38

Paul wrote the following Scripture bound in prison knowing death was imminent.

“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:8-12

God is not the author of confusion. He cannot call us to partake in His suffering and arise to protect us against the same thing that He has called us into. Our inability to understand the plans and purposes of God is the root cause of our disappointments. We expect things that are simply not promised in His Word. There is no doubt that there are biblical promises of divine protection, but whether they are for persecuted Christians is what we really need to critically look at. Claiming all scriptural promises in the Old Testament and neglecting all that Christ has told us misses the broader picture. Jesus told us to be prepared because persecution is inevitable.

“Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also” John 15:20

Instead of asking “Why, God?” We should count it all joy that Christ has found us worthy to be partakers of His experiences.

Jesus encouraged us to brace up and endure the suffering and pains associated with the cross. Important for us who are living in the last days prior to Jesus’ return, He gave us a great deal of information about the tribulation, even the great tribulation that believers will endure during the last seven years.

“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

George Bernard, the author of the hymn “The Old Rugged Cross” understood the mystery of the cross and was convinced that he would one day exchange the Cross with a crown. Jesus assured us of the safety of our salvation (John 10:28-29). He promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He also promised to finish the good work he has begun in us (Philippians 1:6). He promised to guard us against the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3). But never did He promise to protect us from persecution and trials.

Let us pray that God will wake us up from our complacency and give us the grace to stand firm and endure the hazards of Christianity with the understanding that He who called us is able to fulfill His promise of everlasting life.