With all that has taken place this year, many have turned once again to the passages of scripture that describe the end times. I can’t speak to if this is really the end times or not. All I do know is that when the Bible was pinned they said the last days were quickly approaching. Since then they have only gotten closer. Instead of worrying about what time it is, Christians should be focused on strengthening their faith.
If this truly is the beginning of the last days and our generation will be the one who experiences what the prophets foretold then we must prepare. We only think things are bad now but the Bible tells of just how bad things will get before it’s over. So I feel the need to ask the church is your faith strong enough for the persecution that lies ahead?
Don’t breeze by that question but really focus on it. Will your faith stay strong if you have to walk through all that is foretold in the Bible? When you are hated for the name of Jesus? As you stand on trial falsely accused? What about when you are hungry, beaten, thrown in prison, and see other Christians even friends and family killed for their faith? Have you cultivated the kind of faith up unto this point that can walk through all that and still glorify the name of the Lord?
Matthew 24:7–9 (ESV)
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
Until the Lord returns things are only going to get worse and worse for the church. The very things that are mentioned in the scripture above will happen. It will be only those with the strongest faith that will be able to hold on as more and more persecution is poured out. We know this because the scripture warns that many will fall away from the truth in various ways in those days.
Matthew 24:10–11 (ESV)
10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
So if we are truly seeing those days get closer we must begin to prepare. It’s not the time to sit idly by and watch the tides change. We must ensure that our faith is stronger than it has ever been so we will be able to stand against whatever comes our way. The Bible says that it will be those that face persecution and keep a firm hold on their faith that will be saved.
Matthew 10:22 (ESV)
22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:13 (ESV)
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
We do that by offering praise to God, spending time in the Bible, and coming to Him in prayer daily while we freely can. Now is the time for these things to become core parts of our lives. Learn to worship God while no one is saying you can’t. Don’t develop a hunger for Scripture once it is taken from you. Study it daily building the knowledge you may one day need. Start praying when you don’t have to fear being arrested for it.
Look how Daniel reacted when he was told that prayer had been outlawed in Babylon. He didn’t think I should really learn to pray now that my religious rights have been infringed upon. No scripture tells us that he went to his room as he had always done and prayed. Daniel had made prayer such an integral part of his life that he could not help but still pray. It was simply a part of who he was and nothing would stop him.
Daniel 6:10 (ESV)
10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
That is how every Christian should be. Serving God should be who we are. Our faith should be so strong and such a major part of our life that no one can stop us from praising, studying, and praying. Nor should anything thing they try to do stop us. Always remembering that no matter how bad things get in this life nothing will ever compare to the glory we will experience in the next.
Romans 8:18 (ESV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
As I prayed today I begin to think about these things. What the church is set to experience in the days leading up to the Lord’s return. The many who will sadly fall away due to the persecution that will come. I begin to pray that my faith and that of my family would be strengthened in this time. While we are able to freely live for God without the fear of any consequences. That if we will be the ones to experience the very last of days we would walk through it without ever falling away. Sharing in the mindset of the prophet Habakkuk knowing that no matter what happens we will continue to proudly glorify God.
Habakkuk 3:17–18 (ESV)
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
I pray that very same thing for every person who reads this article. With that though we must take personal responsibility and do what we can to strengthen our faith. That means taking the time now to be well versed in praise, study, and prayer. If persecution the likes of which have never been experienced before is on the horizon then we must ensure that our faith is strong enough to withstand it. Don’t wait instead start strengthening your faith today. Because no one knows how much time we have before everything gets worse.
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