Each day the news headlines seem to grow more chaotic, and lawlessness seems to be pervading the earth. But those of us who are aware of the hour on the prophetic clock recognize this as the "beginning of sorrows" that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24 when He describes to the Apostles the events that will take place before his return.
But first, the inhabitants of the earth must endure the schemes of Satan to keep that restoration and reign from happening. Jesus told His apostles (and us) that there would be significant signs that those birth pangs, or sorrows, were beginning. We are to watch for them, so that we will know His return is imminent and we can earnestly be about our business to help the Holy Spirit save as many souls as possible.
The first thing Jesus tells them (us) is, "Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error]." I don't know about you, but I feel as though we are seeing Deception on Steroids! There is cultural deception in sexual identity issues; economic deception in the manipulation of markets, etc.; political deception on all levels by both parties; and spiritual deception in the growth of cult religions and demonic possessions.
Secondly, the Lord says that there will be "wars and rumors of wars". Does anyone else see that there seems to be a growing global development of war with no end in sight? Trillions of dollars are being spent by the nations of the world on war. It's as if we are seeing a militarization of the End of Days!
Jesus also tells us that there will be extreme famine over the earth before His expected return. Published 2014 statistics by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations tell us that nearly 842 million people in the world do not eat enough to be healthy. That means that one in every eight people on Earth goes to bed hungry each night. Of course, we must take into consideration the source of these statistics, but we all know it is a fact that people are starving in the modern world. And how could this be happening with all of our modern science and technological advances? It is easy for me to see the hand of Satan in creating the famines which are afflicting mankind.
Our Lord also mentions Pestilence as a sign of His nearness. How much of that have we seen in the news lately? Ebola may have retreated from the headlines, but I promise you it has not disappeared, and biological terrorism is high on our national security list of dangers. New viruses are cropping up each day, and I can't tell you how many routine surgeries of friends have resulted in infections that require massive doses of antibiotics to treat. We must ask ourselves, how close are we to the plagues of Revelation, Chapter 6?
And, lastly, Jesus mentions earthquakes. You might think that this sign is rather vague -- there have been earthquakes throughout history. But livescience.com says if you think there were more earthquakes than usual last year into this year, you're right. And a new study finds there were more than twice as many big earthquakes in the first quarter of 2014 as compared with the average since 1979. "We have recently experienced a period that has had one of the highest rates of great earthquakes ever recorded," said lead study author Tom Parsons, a research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Menlo Park, California.
So why is it important for us to be able to recognize these signs? If we believe that God is sovereign and there will truly be tribulation before Christ's return, what is the purpose for us to have this knowledge? I believe it is as Jesus says in John 13:19... From now on I am telling you [what will happen] before it occurs, so that when it does take place you may believe that I am He [who I say I am—the Christ, the Anointed, the Messiah].
I believe it is so that we may prepare to endure what is coming; be able to witness to those who may fall for the deception; and to speak God's Truth into the Satanic coordination and strategy for End Times events. What does that look like militarily, politically, and economically -- especially if we think that we are at the beginning of those "sorrows"?
Let me say that Russ Dizdar, an ordained minister who came out of Satanic cults, is able to dissect Satan's strategy from a unique perspective. He lays out what he calls The Six Points of Satanic Synchronization, or the ways in which Satan is setting the stage for the appearance of the Anti-Christ. You may or may not agree with his ministry or his theory, but you can not deny that the following points make a whole lot of sense.
Point One - Destablization of the World. Chaos seems to happen no matter how hard we humans try to stop it; it just keeps coming. Race relations in this country do not have to keep being pushed and prodded. What is the purpose of releasing the latest video of the police shooting in Chicago one year after the crime? Situations keep arising, as if bidden from some controlling dark force, and our society continues to fall apart, no matter how much we throw at it. We see it happening in our own communities and throughout the nations.
Point Two - Instigation. This is an extension of Point One. The purpose is to create chaos, disharmony, friction, division, and war. If it is not happening in the natural world, then spiritual forces will initiate and launch an attack on behalf of the Enemy.
Point Three - Dismantle. The goal is to dismantle current systems -- militarily, politically and economically; to tear them apart; to tear them down; and to replace them with satanically-influenced substitutes.
Point Four - Crisis upon Crisis. This tactic is like chopping down a tree... continually striking until the world system comes down; defeating it blow by blow until Point Five occurs.
Point Five - Weaken. After the world suffers continual destabilization, instigation, dismantling, crisis upon crisis, it will become weakened. The will and resolve of the peoples of the world will be devastated and they will turn to drugs, alcohol, and any other method to numb the pain. Hopelessness is the ultimate goal.
Point Six - The Final Result is Diminished Capacity. Mankind will be unable to resist the onslaught of the Anti-Christ and his forces. We must come to the conclusion that we cannot think or build our way out of this mess. The Savior and The Cross are the only way out.
And that is the ultimate message we must take away from this understanding and knowledge. The Anti-Christ will be the visible manifestation of the dark side and he will need to utilize all the strategy that Satan can show him. But we must remember that the power of Christ in us is greater than all that Satan and the Anti-Christ can throw at us. And we have a visible manifestation of His authority and power available to us, and that will give us the Hope that I will speak about tomorrow. Do not despair! We are not defeated!
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 "We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair; hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed;"
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