FollowingJesusUS.com

God Promises We Will Understand

“Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” – Daniel 12:10

There is much to learn in this verse. But today, let’s focus on the wise (those who follow Jesus) “shall understand”.

What a wonderful promise! Times may become very difficult, but those who truly have a relationship with Jesus will understand! And because true Christians will understand, they will know that these “End Times” will end and Heaven will await them-in the End 🙂

The Light

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”-Daniel 12:3

We tend to think of the “End Times” as -only bad. But it will also be a time filled with great opportunity.

A chance to share the light of faith of faith in Jesus and bring others to Heaven with us 🙂

Don’t Let Anger Win!

Ending their prayer for the opening of the “new” congress with Amen awoman, our nation has chosen its path: Judgement.

This year, it will be difficult not to become angry with some of the actions we are forced to witness. We will be angry at the lack of respect of our Lord, the mistreatment of good people, the laws passed by Congress… and so much more…

But as the Lord says in Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” We need not “get even”, in the end, God will see that Justice is done.

But that still leaves the emotion of our anger to deal with. What can we do with that? We can ask our Father in Jesus’ Name to lighten that burden, for it is too heavy for us to carry. And we can consciously work at remembering to pity those who do not follow Christ. For when we truly think about it, one day in Hell is too long. Imagine an eternity? It’s not a fate we would wish anyone.,,

So when anger fills your heart, justified or not, empty it. Remember that steady determination will accomplish much more than uncontrolled anger. Instead, shift your focus. Focus on your future in Heaven and on Jesus who will bring us there. Focus on the natural beauty of the world that God created for us. Focus on those you love.

Ask God in Jesus’ Name for the Peace that only He can give. Ask the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ Name for Help. Pray Always, especially when you don’t feel like it.

As the saying goes, “Never Give Up & Never Give In”. If we fall, and we will, with Christ’s Help, GET UP! We KNOW where we are going. And we KNOW how to get there. Follow Jesus. Trust God. And we will meet in Heaven-together 🙂

Why do the Days Of Noah in Matthew 24 Matter So Much?

One reason is because there are a lot of similarity between those days and the current ones. Another is that they are a warning to us!

In Timothy, we are warned of what the times and many people will be like:

“ But know this, that in the last days ^[a]perilous times will come: ²For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³unloving, ^[b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵having a form of godliness but denying its power. “-2 Timothy 3: 1-5

That is how the Days of Noah were. Most people turned to evil rather than to God!

Jesus told His apostles in Matthew 24:32, “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ^“

No one but the Father knows the Day and Hour that Jesus will return, but Jesus warned us of the signs to look for and they are here. Will the End come, only the Father knows.

But irregardless, prayer and repentence might be a good idea. Lay your sins down at the foot of cross. Ask Jesus to forgive them and be your Savior. Start fresh 🙂

Because Jesus is Real and He is Coming Back. And our only hope is in Jesus 🙂

Matthew 24: More on the Last Days!

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. ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,”- Matthew 24:9-10

Aren’t people already being put to death for following Christ in some countries? Do we not see many turning away from our faith? And are those who turned away from our faith not angry with those who still follow Christ?

We have seen this yesterday and today. And we will see more of it tomorrow.

And as we approach the Last Days, the persecution will intensify and spread.

So what can we do?

We can pray for those who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus. And we can reach out and give them our love-really give them our love. They need to know that we are here for them. And they need to be reminded that Jesus IS coming back! And that He IS taking them to Heaven forever!

And it WILL be worth it!

More From Matthew 24: The Last Days

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginnings of sorryow.” Matthew 24:7-8 KJV version.

As we can see from this warning from Jesus, war is not enough. It must be accompanied by other things such as “pestilences, famines and earthquakes in diverse places”

We’re not there yet. We may be heading there. We may even be heading there soon. While pestlence does refer to disease, it’s still only one part of the Bible verse. Is a famine coming, maybe. Some even say probably. But it’s not here yet.

So what should we do?

Prepare, Watch and Pray 🙂

Matthew 24: 3-6 The Beginning of the End Times

Only the Father knows when the End Times will truly begin, but Jesus did point out some signs for us to watch for…

In Matthew 24:3, the disciples asked Jesus to share with them what the signs would be. And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no man deceive you. Jesus goes on to say that many will pretend to be Him and that there will be “wars and rumors of wars”. But Jesus goes on to say, that the “end is not yet”.

He tells us not to be “troubled”.

So clearly wars, in and of themselves, are not a sign that the End Times are here. There have always been wars and rumors of wars. And sadly, there probably always will be. But they are not a sign of the End Times. And if the Bible says it-it’s true!

Trust Jesus, He knows 🙂

The End Times: When & How?

Christians have studied Matthew 24 for centuries in an attempt to figure out when exactly the “Last Days” will arrive. But if there is one thing that is clear, only God our Father knows…

But Jesus did give us some clues that we can look for :). And this next series will attempt to explore some of them.

So let’s talk about what is perhaps the most important comment. In Matthew 24 it seems to imply that “even the elect may be deceived”. Clearly, it is important that we not be deceived by the world or by the many false Messiahs…But how can we protect ourselves from that?

There are three ways! The first is to pray to the Holy Spirit that we will always see the truth-God’s Truth. The second is to read the Bible. When Christ comes again, He will not contradict what God has written :). And lastly, in verse 30 & 31 in Matthew Chapter 24, it says:

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Blessed are we that is very clear that we won’t miss Christ’s Return 🙂

While There Is Much Too Fear From The Last Days-There Is Also Much To Hope In!

“ And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”-Daniel 12:1 KJV

Much has been written about the Last Days. But even in the passages that strike great fear in even the most faithful, there are passages of hope.

Such is the case in Daniel 12:1. We are the “children of the people” that this passage talks about. Archangel Michael comes to “stand for us”, to protect to us. Sent by God Himself because He loves us. Clearly there will be times of great trouble, but our Lord will not forget His people-nor their faith in Him.

And we will “be delivered”, for those who have truly accepted Jesus as their Savior WILL be “written in the book”. So hang in there!

Prayers will still be heard and answered. And God will still love us. And we will go to Heaven. Even in the Last Days.

May Revival Start With Me!

We all, no matter how faithful, have room to grow. Whether there is a sin we need to rid ourselves of, or that we just need to grow in our love for our Lord and all of His people-there’s always room to grow in our faith.

I heard an interesting thing once, “if we expect others to believe what we believe, than we best believe it ourselves”! It makes one think…

If we truly believe that Heaven awaits only those who accept Jesus as their Savior, than we must share that knowledge with others. If we truly believe that there is one God, and only one God, that can protect us, than we must share that as well! And if we truly believe that the Holy Spirit has come to be our Comforter and Friend, than if we love others, we need to share that!

Because if we truly believe all of that, and if we truly believe the only way to Heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ, than we don’t want to leave anyone behind 🙂

As for Revival, we must pray that it starts with each of us. Let us love God and all God’s people with our whole heart and soul. May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with that love and the courage to share it, for we were born for such a time as this.