Understanding The Times
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know
Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparable great power for all who believe.
Ephesians 1: 17-19
Paul here is writing while in prison to the Ephesians, to encourage them. He had put himself at risk preaching the gospel to them. His desire was now for them to come to a greater knowledge and understanding of God’s truths. For the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s word to them , so they were able to apply them to their own lives and in God’s service.
It is the same for today. A mature Christian is continually growing in Christ, constantly thinking and acting more like Christ. We won’t be perfect until we get to glory, because we live in a sinful world, but God’s goal is for us to become more like Him.
For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called, those He called, He also justified, those He justified He also glorified.
Romans 8: 29-30
The good work God desires to do in us, is a spiritual, eternal work, preparing us for future glory.
Do not be Deceived
To understand the times we are living in, we need to be soaked in God’s word. To the spine of prophetic revelation. To have the wisdom and knowledge of the prophecies in the bible.
We have to be careful we are not deceived. Prophecies that are man made, can supersede or contradict God’s word and timing, and there are many out there.
Watch out that no one deceives you, For many will come in My Name, claiming “I am the Christ”. Matthew 24:4
Babylon is reappearing in a spiritual sense. The greatest enemy of the True Church is the False Church, and the bible tells us even the elect will be deceived.
For false Christ’s and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect- if that were possible. See I have told you ahead of time. Matthew 24:24
Life on earth is being threatened, the antichrist is soon to come on the scene. Many will be deceived by him, but we have nothing to fear, as true believers, we are part of the kingdom of God, underneath the kingship of Jesus on earth. And we are also told,
“And God has raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms. For above all rule and authority, power and dominion , and not only in this present age but also in the one to come.” Ephesians 1:19-21
and,
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages, He might show the comparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness in us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6-7
It is vital we flow with God’s plans. We cannot pray against the lawlessness mentioned in Matthew 24. To do so would hinder the return of the Lord. The climate we are living in is ripening the wheat, the good and bad harvest. Good and evil will continue side by side until the end. The wheat is ripening, but also the tares. Tares are difficult to distinguish until the wheat comes to fruit. The harvest will not be gathered in until it is ripe. Matthew 13:24-30
Revelation 14 speaks about the harvest of grain and the harvest of grapes. Grain brings salvation, and grapes bring judgement.
Then another angel came out of the temple, and called to Him who was sitting on a white cloud. Take your sickle and reap, because the time has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and it was harvested.
Revelation 14:15-16Still another angel, who has charge of fire, called to him who had the sharp sickle. Take and cluster the cluster of grapes from the earths vine. The angel swung his sickle on earth, gathered the grapes and threw them onto the wine press of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the wine press outside the city, and blood poured out of the press, rising as high as the horses bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Revelation 14:18-20
Prior to this will be the great tribulation, by now the saints will have gone in the rapture, depending on one’s interpretation of scripture! All the focus will be on Israel, the Jewish people will have made aliyah, and the gospel will have been preached to all nations, and then Jesus will return.
This is Our Prayer
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ , the Father of all glory, may give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened;
that we may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in heavenly places,
far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:17-23
Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Our members, the parts of our bodies are instruments, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. The devil has no place in us, no power over us, and no unsettled claims against us. It has been settled by the blood of Jesus . We overcome satan by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony, and we do not love our lives to the death. My body is for the Lord and the Lord is for my body.
Perseverance in Prayer
But you dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
Be merciful to those that doubt, snatch others from the fire and save them, to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy-to the only God our Lord our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more.
Jude 20-24
Amen
Pam Yates