Trials and Persecutions

Doesn’t it seem strange to anyone that we hardly ever hear about persecutions and trials from the pulpit?  As time goes on I know there will be much more persecution and we need to prepare ourselves for it.  It seems like our rights as Christians are being taken away daily and the negativity is rising.  Jesus said if they hated me they will hate you.  There are many other things that the Word of God says to try to prepare us for what is coming.  

I know many believers are getting ready to fly on out of here, thinking they are going to escape the trouble and trials and persecution that is coming on the earth.  I personally don’t believe you can prove that theory in the word of God.  Some preach and teach that we will be taken up, or snatched away, in a pre-trib rapture scenario but the big problem is that people are not being prepared for what is coming.  I think instead of taking someone else’s word for it we need to pray and ask the Lord to show us the truth.  Study the scriptures in the right context and I think you will see that I am right.  I understand that it is a convenient gospel to think that we will just be taken out of the real hard times that will be coming on the earth.  I think the best thing we can do is to prepare ourselves for what is coming so it won’t take us unaware.  People should have been prepared for what is coming for years.

Read Matthew 24:3-14, “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 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. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.’”

Now read verses 21-22 in that same chapter, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”      

I am not trying to scare anyone just trying to help you to be prepared for when these things happen!!  To be honest about it, we all know that some of these things that Jesus talked about are taking place already and I don’t hear about it being preached from the pulpit.  These things are very important and should not be taken for granted but need to be taken very seriously.  We need to take a lesson from the Bereans who didn’t take anyone’s word, but they studied the Word for themselves like we all should be doing.

It says this in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

I think I said enough for now and I hope you will seek out the truth for yourselves because when you know the truth, the truth will set you free. May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super, super day!!  Don’t forget the thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy!!