Jesus gave to us an absolute revelation as to the first of all the phenomenon and events culminating in the last days before He begins to deal with unbelieving Israel:
Matthew 24:3-8
3 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?"
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you."
There it is! See that? Here is what systematic theology study methods bring to the students, of which we ALL are.
Deception! That is one of the most powerful and most deadly of all tools brought to bare against a believer. In eons past, persecution carved its destructive path through the bloodied bodies of saints, with the blood only giving life to even greater growth of the Church, which is the opposite of what the enemy of our souls wants. Deception, however, is the one thing that derails a believer from pursuing the needed sanctification growth toward the fullness of the stature of Christ Jesus.
And then:
5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.'"
This one verse drives the last nail in the coffin, so to speak. Many of you may be thinking, "Well, if some dude claimed he is the Christ, I would know better!"
Well, that sounds very noble, strong of will and all, but what so many miss is that persecution coupled together with deception makes deception itself that much more effective and powerful! Think about it: Families are starving and homeless, and some dude comes along claiming he can relieve your suffering because he is the Christ, and that he will put an end to ALL the calamities. We all like to think that we would still hold strong in the face of such obvious deception...right?
6 "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."
7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."
8 "All these [are] the beginning of sorrows."
In various places is another key point. In other words, famines, pestilences and earthquakes won't necessarily be everywhere, but the suffering of others in other places still has an effect in the minds and hearts of others who are watching the suffering of others from the sidelines, and can serve to make them more fearful for their own well-being, and therefore more prone to giving themselves over to a false messiah.
Setting our minds right now upon the solid rock of knowledge of these things that are to come, THAT is how one girds up his loins in the strength of truth, letting it sink in deeply in the soul, building up resolve in one's heart and mind as we continue to watch for His return for us.
MM
Matthew 24:3-8
3 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?"
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you."
There it is! See that? Here is what systematic theology study methods bring to the students, of which we ALL are.
Deception! That is one of the most powerful and most deadly of all tools brought to bare against a believer. In eons past, persecution carved its destructive path through the bloodied bodies of saints, with the blood only giving life to even greater growth of the Church, which is the opposite of what the enemy of our souls wants. Deception, however, is the one thing that derails a believer from pursuing the needed sanctification growth toward the fullness of the stature of Christ Jesus.
And then:
5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.'"
This one verse drives the last nail in the coffin, so to speak. Many of you may be thinking, "Well, if some dude claimed he is the Christ, I would know better!"
Well, that sounds very noble, strong of will and all, but what so many miss is that persecution coupled together with deception makes deception itself that much more effective and powerful! Think about it: Families are starving and homeless, and some dude comes along claiming he can relieve your suffering because he is the Christ, and that he will put an end to ALL the calamities. We all like to think that we would still hold strong in the face of such obvious deception...right?
6 "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."
7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."
8 "All these [are] the beginning of sorrows."
In various places is another key point. In other words, famines, pestilences and earthquakes won't necessarily be everywhere, but the suffering of others in other places still has an effect in the minds and hearts of others who are watching the suffering of others from the sidelines, and can serve to make them more fearful for their own well-being, and therefore more prone to giving themselves over to a false messiah.
Setting our minds right now upon the solid rock of knowledge of these things that are to come, THAT is how one girds up his loins in the strength of truth, letting it sink in deeply in the soul, building up resolve in one's heart and mind as we continue to watch for His return for us.
MM
