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Might you be called to equip and prepare, both yourself and others, for the end of the last days? Do you ever feel like the words Jesus spoke to Peter, "Feed my sheep" also speak to your soul? Do you want to be strong and courageous? Would you rather follow Christ than men, so that you can be your best person to the praise, glory, and honor of our Saviour? Are you ready to walk in love, even if this means laying down your life? If you answer yes to some or all of these, then we have a lot in common. Let's get going...
Welcome to another episode of Going to the End. Thank you for joining me today. We don't really need to recap the previous episode, the pilot episode, right now. Let me just say this real quick. Unlike myself, and I really dislike the idea of six sixty six and what it probably entails, pedophiles on the other hand would gladly look forward to that idea of six sixty six.
Speaker 1:For if a six and a half year old can take the rite of passage as a so-called man or a woman in the global financial system under the influence of the mark, then maybe, just maybe, those youngsters can also be considered a man or a woman in other ways. It's a terrible idea and it needs some serious attention, but for now we must put it on the back burner. Instead of considering worst case scenarios where the world could be in the climax very near the end of the last days, in the proverbial third act. Let's use this episode to briefly look at where the world will most likely be at the turning point when the drama and tension of the last days really begins. The real drama begins in the middle of a seven year peace, a foretold peace critical to the prophetic fulfillment of Israel's role as a chosen nation, chosen by the Lord our God.
Speaker 1:In the middle of the foretold peace, a great divergence begins, which the wise will understand, but the wicked will not understand. Before elaborating on the nature of that divergence, I want to reiterate one of the main reasons for this podcast. Spoiler alerts are a drag, especially when it comes to books or movie productions or theatrical productions. I'm not doing this to be right or to be able to say I was right, But when it comes to the big picture of how the stage will be set for the last days, we may well be among the actors and actresses upon that stage, and we may be among the characters in that story. Prophetic insights are given to us so that we do not have to rely solely upon our skills of improvisation, passively waiting for things to unfold and then reacting to them as we see fit.
Speaker 1:We can be proactive, hopefully doing things and acting in line with the Lord's kingdom and with his will being done 'in earth as it is in heaven'. So we are going to utilize prophetic insights and words of wisdom to find pathways through and around the actions of the scenes we find ourselves in or near. Doubtless, we need to retain some improvisational skills because the world stage is a very diverse place with many choices and even some big opportunities coming our way. While we can look at the bigger picture and prepare accordingly, we cannot foresee and plan for every possible detail of every potential scene. For believers, the surest way through any given situation will always be to trust in the Lord.
Speaker 1:While strategies of endurance may require us to be flexible, I think the Lord would generally have us being strong and courageous, like Joshua was instructed to be. And the greatest increase of our strength comes through increasing our knowledge in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us and rose again, and soon after that ascended into glory. From where he calls us out of darkness and into his marvelous light, to him be the praise, glory, and honor forever and ever. Now, if there is a single verse of scripture that could best sum up Act one of the last days, it would be the following as paraphrased from Daniel's prophecy: [And he shall confirm a peace covenant with many for a period of seven years.
Speaker 1:And in the middle of the seven years, he will put an end to the sacrifice and burnt offering.] This comes from the first part of Daniel chapter nine verse 27, and it is worthy of a full pause here so that we do not jump to conclusions about climactic scenes of Act three based upon the remainder of Daniel nine twenty seven. To best understand the conclusion of this drama, we need to first better understand its beginning and its middle. The first half of the peace will be a real peace, a bona fide peace, for only a true peace would allow Israel to rebuild a temple for God in Jerusalem, which is a critical setting for many scenes of the drama of the last days. A Christian who disparages the next Jewish temple as a contradiction to the new covenant, while claiming to also look forward to Christ's return, does not accurately see how the stage must be set.
Speaker 1:As we say that Christ is returning soon, we can also honestly say that the next Jewish temple is coming very very soon. It is something we can actually look forward to seeing. And we can continue to pray that peace for Israel and the world will come in God's timing, not man's. Because the peace will be especially genuine during its first three and a half years, there won't be a more fitting time for the Lord to pour out His Spirit on all flesh as Peter described would happen in the last days while he explained the events of the day of Pentecost to those who watched in amazement at what they saw and what they heard. See Acts chapter two verses 14 through 21.
Speaker 1:It would be a huge stretch to expect the whole world to have a day of Pentecost type of experience for three and a half years. What is not a stretch though is trusting that the Lord can, if he wills it to be so, provide to all people a great feast of the genuine aspects of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which fruit is described as the following: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Against such there is no law." [Galatians chapter five verses twenty two and twenty three, from the King James version]. A global society that is actively partaking of and enjoying these things, as real as they can be, cannot help but thrive and develop a greater appetite for grace and truth, which is in essence exactly what the Good News offers through Christ Jesus.
Speaker 1:It will be a glorious period, especially for believers who will realize and understand what is occurring. For the unbelievers, it will yet be very real improvement and also relatively glorious. The great divergence mentioned earlier in this episode begins when the actual fruit of the Spirit begins to fade from an unbelieving society. It might help our understanding of the last days and the seven year peace if we look at it like this. Imagine the entire foretold seven year peace condensed into a single day, and we are looking at that day from a good distance.
Speaker 1:The day begins with a glorious sunrise. The whole world, more or less, experiences the first half of the day as one of the most glorious mornings any one can remember in their entire lives. Nobody is deeply bothered that a new Jewish temple is being built in Jerusalem. And even if they are bothered, life is good and time flies too quickly for anyone to really do anything to meddle with that, at least not in the morning hours. As the sun reaches closer to its apex, however, and the world starts to feel the midday heat a little more, and the glorious morning is starting to fade from memory, there's a bit of a ruckus or a scuffle developing at the scene of the temple.
Speaker 1:That midday ruckus centers on the issue of animal sacrifice, a practice that will begin anew once the temple reaches a sufficient level of reconstruction for that tradition to proceed. It won't proceed long before the Powers That Be feel compelled to intervene and put a stop to it. Rather than presently concerning ourselves with who are the Powers That Be when this occurs, let's continue to look at the big picture and decide where we want to place ourselves in the show. Because if we are on the stage at that time, we will have a choice to make. When the animal sacrifice is put to a halt, and when it seems expedient for a foreign governing body, most likely foreign, to interfere with the religious rights practiced within the borders of a sovereign nation, the world will begin to see a first brewing of a storm cloud over the quarters of the Christian and Jewish belief systems.
Speaker 1:The world is going to watch that afternoon storm from a distance, still at a relative peace themselves. The question for us and for our characters is this: Are we ready to face that afternoon storm? Or would we rather stand with the world and watch it from afar? In a nutshell, we have just looked at Act one of the last days.
Speaker 1:Act two will cover the storm, which is forecast to get worse and worse for people of the Christian and Jewish faiths. Act three will cover the darkness that the world is in when the sun has set and twilight has come on strong and peace is no longer confirmable with anyone, no matter how hard the deceiver would try. At the time a governing force steps in to interfere with the religious rights of a sovereign nation and puts a stop to a traditional temple practice, it is entirely to be expected that the beast would be an active leader or a member in that force. However, it is not absolutely necessary for the beast to be revealed in one man at this point. Ultimately, his revealing comes in the third act, not the first, and this will be explained in more detail and with scriptural references in a future episode.
Speaker 1:Whether or not there is one man who stands out as the most likely candidate for that role when the tensions begin with the halting of the animal sacrifice, there is going to be a necessary period of rising action between the first act and the third, a transition that cannot occur overnight, for it can barely occur in the entire second half of the seven year peace, which, although not so genuine as the first half, can still be confirmed with many, though not with all. We will also look more at the declining peace of the second act in an upcoming episode of its own. For now, we can ask ourselves: where do we intend to stand when the opportunity exists for great worldwide evangelism in the first half of the peace? And where do we intend to stand when the doors of opportunity begin to close under the threat of a great storm? It is hoped that many of us will be looking for open windows if the Lord is willing that we are still on the stage when that time comes.
Speaker 1:While many will begin drifting away or falling away from an active interest in grace and truth, some will yet want to find out how to get back to the genuine articles of the fruit of the Spirit. And in order for them to find that path, it's going to help if some of us remain ready and available to share how that is possible, which is by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'd like to say something more regarding the nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit as denoted in Galatians chapter five verses twenty two and twenty three. I realize that some translations omit the aspect of meekness and replace it with something else. While I have no intentions of compiling a list of good points that are occasionally lost through various translations, I am personally inclined to stick with meekness as a genuine aspect of the fruit of the spirit.
Speaker 1:Allow me to explain. Although meekness is often misunderstood and widely rejected by modern society, this will be a cornerstone trait of the next generation of humanity. Those who will inherit the earth, as it is written in Matthew 5:5-- "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." A major portion of those who survive the last days to become the core members of humanity for the millennial kingdom will be those children younger than six and a half years of age who cannot be expected to take the mark and who represent the paragon of meekness within humanity.
Speaker 1:They will endure despite most of them being held captive within the lost society of the marked. There will be plenty more about that when we cover Act three. Suffice it to say for now, it would be unfortunate if the current number of child predators are not far fewer in number by the time that trouble comes. In closing, here are a few final thoughts. With a better understanding of the last days, I recommend the story of the prodigal son.
Speaker 1:Look at it through the lens of a dying society. (And the story of the prodigal son is found in Luke chapter 15 verses 11 through 32). Looking at it through the lens of a dying society, this should increase our sympathy for the lost who can yet return before it is too late. The first half of the peace will be the last great opportunity in the world as we know it for a free worldwide spread of the gospel. Much of the world will go on with riotous living despite experiencing the blessings and the riches and the goodness of the Lord when the fruit of the Spirit is available to all.
Speaker 1:When the riotous crowd runs out of that resource, their spiritual condition will diminish significantly to the point that they would desire scraps meant for pigs. Like the prodigal son, there will be those who choose to find a way back to where life is real and the spiritual condition is able to rejoice under the Father's care. And for an academic reference, if anyone is looking for a deeper understanding of the prophecies of Daniel as relating to a foretold seven year peace, I would recommend the book, "Daniel: Making the Right Choices" by Edward G Dobson. It explains the vernacular of Daniel 9:27 very well. Just keep in mind that when this book was written, as it is still today, there remains plenty of misunderstanding concerning the flow of events, especially where it concerns the pause, the time that must pass between the removal of the daily sacrifice and the setting up of the abomination of desolation.
Speaker 1:In closing this episode, I want to share these encouraging words that serendipitously came to my attention this morning through a daily reading program recommended by the church I am currently attending. While the whole of Romans chapter eight was on the reading list, I find most encouraging and pertinent to this episode are the last five verses of that chapter. Here they are: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?
Speaker 1:As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord." [Romans chapter eight verses 35 through 39].
Speaker 1:Have a blessed day my friends and may the peace of the Lord be with you. And if you look forward to hearing more, please subscribe to this podcast. And if you can take a moment to share your thoughts or just say hi, that would be also much appreciated. Thank you.