The Times

So many feelings, questions, and fears… ‘What is happening?’ is the question of the day, every day. For the believer, we add some more questions to that: What about the Horsemen of revelation; What about one-world stuff; What about signs of the times in general? To be honest, I think it is more staging. I know God is sovereign and I know that Satan loves to capitalize off of what God is doing and take an advantage against the Kingdom of light. People are being prepped, staged for the end. 

Before I move forward, let’s take a macro view of the Bible for just a second. The point of the Old Testament is Jesus; the point of the New Testament is Jesus. The Old is pointing to the coming of Jesus as Messiah-Servant; the New is pointing to the coming of Jesus as Messiah-King. The Old pointed to a Suffering-Savior; the New points to a Securing-Savior. 

That is simplistic, but you get the point of the entire volume of scripture is… Jesus. The entire Bible reveals His nature and His plans for us. All we need to know is in there. Any questions along the way, details of how and when and with whom, His Spirit points that out to us as a guide into Truth (John 16.13). 

That brings us to 2 Corinthians 11.3-15. For this post, let’s just focus on verse 3, but I strongly urge you to read the entire section. Verse 3 says— “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

The issue here is: the simplicity of Christ and being moved from it. So what about digital dollars or Bitcoin and how the mark of beats will manifest itself? Are we living in revelation’s first horseman? Is Biden still the Anti-Christ? Easy answer here… we don’t know! Dont allow the signs of the times to do the opposite they were revealed to us to do. He revealed them to us, so that we wouldn’t be ignorant (1 Thessalonians 4.13). Unfortunately, it has made some more confused. The intent was not for us to be looking for a sign of His return on every page of the news paper. It is on every page of the news. It is on every story on the news. We are flooded with the information of the end. In the mad focus of the details, believers have become even more confused, as to why they are still here and what our job is in the meantime. With all of the questions and searching, we forgot the point… Jesus! Do not be so easily moved from the simplicity that is in Christ! 

2 Corinthians 11 says Satan beguiled eve and will beguile you with the same subtly. Satan is subtly getting us to look around, even using the Bible to do so, in order to distract us from the real point. We who have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior are New Testament saints. So everything is related to the second coming! Our eyes should be simply focused on Him. 

Be careful that you aren’t being sidelined. We are being sold a fear tactic from every angle. God motivates His children by Love and Faith. Fear and paranoia is not His way with us. In fact, it’s sin. We are to be worried and anxious over nothing (Philippians 4.6)! As an American, the constant focus is on Government control of everything. They are taking away our kids, our guns, our ammo, etc. Maybe, probably, in some cases, it’s happening already. I’m going to get a comment or email on this next line— So what?! Instead, look up, because your redemption draws nigh. The signs have a point and it is Jesus! 

Be a spiritual discerner. We see what we see. We can’t help but use the five senses that God gave us. In fact, the Bible tells us not to be ignorant but look and see. It isn’t what we see, but the judging of what we see, that’s important. How do you discern the things you hear and see? Do you discern them spiritually with your Bible and listening to the still-small voice of God? Or, do you discern with your feelings and emotions? Do not judge the situation we are in based solely on what you see. That judgement should come from within, from above. 

Having said that… Do you feel it? Do you feel the natural anxiety mechanism swelling within you? We are emphatically told by Jesus, Paul, and Peter not to be anxious…instead pray. This is in Matthew 6.25; Philippians 4.6; 1 Peter 5.7. The mechanism is there, inside of you naturally, by God’s design. Satan uses it to ‘get in your head’ and your flesh runs a muck within. Satan’s design is for it to stress you out, make you confused, paranoid, and shelter in place. He does this until doubt and fear take over, and faith is no more. God designed that mechanism for a different purpose. When a person realizes they are in need of a savior and when confronted with the destiny of hell, the anxiety is working strong. It’s bringing them out of their selfishness. That gives the opportunity to obey His voice, and the message of salvation becomes true in their hearts, by faith. Once again, we are not to discern our situations based on emotion alone, instead the Spirit within. So when the anxiety mechanism fires off, we should immediately turn to the Lord and seek His discernment; His judgment; His will. In other words— ‘What is He telling me in this?’

Do you feel like ‘something is up’? Be discerning believer. It’s not this virus, it’s the Spirit of God talking on the inside, showing you what this means. Pay attention and clear all the other mechanisms for a minute. Listen to Him. How do you know I am telling the truth? What is He telling you now? Is He confirming this in your spirit? I firmly believe He is prepping us… our redemption is coming soon. 

So, what do we do? One, do not be so easily caught up with what is happening around you. Satan is using it to beguile you away from Christ and His mission of the Gospel through you. Two, don’t be ignorant! Paul said he wouldn’t have them be ignorant. He wanted them to know. In fact he actually said— “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4.13). His subject was the resurrection and catching away of the live saints. He was comforting the church in Thessalonia by telling them 2 things: 1. Jesus hadn’t come yet; 2. He is coming. Some had been teaching that Jesus had already come and their persecution was the tribulation. Some others were saying that Jesus wasn’t ever coming back. There we have satan again beguiling people… within the walls of their own church! In 2 Corinthians 2.11 Paul said— “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” We cannot be ignorant of his ways and we cannot be ignorant of Jesus’ plans. The convergence of that ignorance can be a death blow to the Gospel ministry of many churches. Don’t be distracted or deterred from your mission! Remember this is not our home, this is our assignment. 

Let’s then redeem the time.  Let’s make a good purchase of the time we have left and invest it into souls. The lost around you feel the same thing in their anxiety mechanism. Some are over compensating. They just can’t discern it, because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. This is our opportunity.

Use this opportunity to tell others of the saving grace of Jesus Christ before it is too late.