FollowingJesusUS.com

With Covid fears fading and spring arriving, we all feel lighter, not to mention happier :). And that is a good thing. A Gift from God for all of us, meant to be enjoyed to it’s fullest.

But trouble will come and we need to prepare. First and foremost, we need to strengthen our ties to God. We need to pray (talk) with Jesus as we do our best friend. We need to practice being filled with the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Friend, so that when hard times come-we will be ready!

We need to reach out to one another and build close, Christ-centered, communities of believers, and help one another!

 “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

Is the government not trying to “ be the Savior”?

 ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 

Is this not happening?

⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Is this not happening?

⁹ “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 

Is this not happening in other countries?  Are not Christians persecuted right here in America?

¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

Is this not happening now?  How many have turned away from the Truth of the Bible and become Christian in name only?

¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 

Do parents take care of their children the way they used to?  How many parents abused their child with transgender surgeries?  How many rioters have hurt people and don’t even appear to feel badly?  How many have proudly injured or killed another? Love has indeed grown cold.

¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Clearly, we are still working on this, but technolgy is increasing our speed 🙂

Prepare, Watch and Pray…

1“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. ² Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 

³ Those who are wise^[a] will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. ⁴ But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. ⁶ One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”

⁷ The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.^[b] When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”

⁸ I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”

⁹ He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. ¹⁰ Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

The wicked will continue to be wicked, but the wise will see ?

So as much as things will change, in some ways they will remain the same 🙂

“But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us, ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentence”. -2 Peter 3:8-9

Simply put, time is not the same for God as it is for us. And our Lord wants us all to have a chance to repent! Blessed are we 🙂

Peter was a great friend of Jesus. And after Jesus went to Heaven, Peter spent his life trying to ensure that we would go to Heaven too. Peter was the first Apostle to see Jesus after the resurrection and he loved our Lord so much, that Peter was actually crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to be crucified like Jesus.

Hell is not an easy subject to discuss, and the End Times can be equally difficult. But the warnings we see from Peter and in other sections of the Bible are there because Christ loved us so much, He didn’t want anyone to suffer there. And neither did Peter!

One of Peter’s greatest warnings was “Beware of False Teachers”. Unfortunately, our country is filled with them. How often now do we go to church and get told that we can ignore sin? That God loves us so much, we need not worry? Or how about Preachers who teach that the sins listed in the Bible are not relevant in today’s age?

It’s all relevant, and it’s relevant now and forever! The Bible and Christ’s teachings do not change-ever. We can not just ignore sin. As to what is sin-the Bible defines that for us. Peter warned us that false teachers would come; we need to heed his warning!

If we truly wish to Follow Christ, we need to read the Bible. All of God’s Truth’s are listed there! 🙂

“It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Patrick Henry / Governor of Virginia

Principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into the Hands of God that gave it; and my body I recommend to the earth…. nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the Mercy and Power of God. John Hancock / Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. John Jay / First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

“Bless O Lord The whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son Jesus Christ”-George Washington

Now our country has, sadly, turned their backs on the very God who helped create it. One has only to look around our country to see the results! 🙁