And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Matthew 24: 10-14, NKJV
Dear God, how grateful we are that You are with us, and that You will speak to us along the way. We need a Word from You LORD, and we are listening. Amen.
Today we continue with more signs of Christ’s coming. These signs show how interpersonal relationships will be affected. Feelings such as offense, betrayal, and hatred, will prevail. It will be a time of intense animosity. It is therefore evident that the prince of darkness will be having a great influence over the world’s population during this time. If we are aware of these things, the greater is the possibility that we will recognize them when they rear their ugly heads, and will be in a better position to avoid them.
Perhaps, if some who were in the mob at the cross, crying “Crucify Him, crucify Him,” had been aware of what they were going to be a part of, they may have cringed, and turned away. But many were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, with no previous warning. Therefore, it is good for us to study the Word of God, and pay heed to Christ’s warning: “See, I have told you beforehand” (Matthew 24: 25). You have been forewarned! There is hope!
Lawlessness. This has become the norm of our day! More surveillance cameras have been installed in business places, and in homes, with the hope that crime will decrease; but just the opposite has occurred. There are more support groups, yet there has been an increase in gangs. There are more books written on how to save our marriages, yet divorce rates continue to escalate! 2 Timothy 3: 1-5, lists some of the evils of the end times. Reading that list, is like reading today’s newspaper.
Love begins to wane, because of all the evil prevalent in our world. This seems to be a condition that exists among believers. Perhaps the criteria is, “If we serve a loving God, so much evil should not exist.” Very often we reject the arguments that are not compatible with our mindsets. Or, when an answer is given that does not satisfy our query, love loses its fervor, and grows cold.
But praise God! The Good News is: Those who endure until the end, will be saved! What a blessed assurance! Hold on, just a little bit longer! Endure, just a little more! For soon, and very soon, “He who is coming will come, and will not delay” (Hebrews 10: 37, NIV)!
The preaching of the gospel in all the world, as a witness unto all nations, is seen as the last sign to be fulfilled before Jesus returns. “The date 1792 and the name of William Carey mark the morning of the rising sun of modern missions. ‘We may speak of the ‘Carey Epoch with every whit as much propriety as of the Luther Reformation. We may as fitly term him the apostle of modern missions as Paul the apostle to the Gentiles.’ –Ibid., p. 71″ (God Speaks To Modern Man, p. 261).
Two hundred and sixteen years ago the gospel began to bear witness to all the nations, through modern missions; preparing the way of the Lord! When will the last soul be reached? No one knows. May God help us to “get ready, and stay ready, for Jesus could come ‘at an hour that [we] do not expect Him’ ” (Matthew 24: 44).