THE LAST DAYS
(A message of Willy. J. Christome)
An Exceptional Time
Bible Reading:
(i) “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit on those days and they will prophesy.” (Acts 2: 17-18)
(ii) “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
A Time of Revival and Harvest
These are two sets of prophecies in the bible concerning the last days. Many Christians talk about the end-time as being only a time of distress. This is true. The last days, as indicated in the passage of 2 Timothy 3: 1-5, will be perilous times hard to deal with and hard to bear, but there is also good news for the children of God. God has promised to pour out his Holy Spirit on all his people. The end time is a time of worldwide revival, miracles and of a great harvest of souls. It’s a time of great opportunities with God. Christians all over the world should not be afraid of the calamities and disasters, they are inevitable and no body will be able to stop them. Christians all around the world should rise up to fast and pray as never before. It’s a time of harvest and we must spread the word of God, the good news of Jesus-Christ by all means of communication available. Dear brothers and sisters have faith in the word of God. The promises are for you and you too can be part of the revival.
1 Chronicles 12: 32 describe the tribe of Issachar as men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do. They helped King David in a very significant way. They did not have soldiers or great warriors as the tribe of Judah nor skilled workers but they had something very precious that the other tribes did not have: “intelligence of time”-they knew what Israel should do.
Christians should be aware that in these times of great distresses and calamities throughout the world, there is also a worldwide revival coming. Both sets of prophecies are being accomplished simultaneously.
A Time of False Doctrines
However we should be very cautious and vigilant because the last days are also described as a time of false doctrines. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons “(1 Tim 4:1). The Bible tells us that we should not believe every spirit, but to test the spirit whether they are from God, because may false prophecy have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
Qualified teachers are the need of the day. Christians and servants of God should be encouraged to study the Bible and if possible they should go to a Bible school or take Distance learning Bible Courses. We should be like the wise man that built his house on the rock. (See Mathew 7:24)
A Time of Distresses and Calamities
The world cannot avoid these hard days. No one will be able to stop these calamities. What mankind has sown he must also reap. The world’s only hope of salvation is in the Lord Jesus- Christ who has died and shed his blood for the sins of the world. The last days will be a time of unprecedented calamities as prophesied by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24: 6 – 8.
“ You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning ofsorrows.
(Matthew 24: 6 – 8)
In Luc 21:28 Jesus says: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
A Time of Challenges
It’s a time of great challenges and opportunities. Our Lord Jesus-Christ will strengthen and sanctify us Himself by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Christ is our sanctification God has provided everything we need to overcome any adversity and live a holy life.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness”
(2 Peter 1:3) “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness knowledge, and to knowledge perseverance, and to perseverance godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus-Christ “.
(2 Peter 1:5-8)
Remember it will be by the grace of God. Our sanctification is Christ moving in us by the Holy Spirit. Christ is our sanctification.
It’s extraordinary and awe-inspiring to realise that in these particularly difficult days, God is mightily working to bring a worldwide revival. And you can be part of it. This will happen in spite of all that the devil is trying to do. Satan won’t be able to stop or hinder God’s work.
Rising from the impure water of the lake, the lotus flower remains pure and immaculate white. In like manner; Christ will sanctify and keep his church pure and strong in spite of all that is happening in the world around us.
And when the devilish rebellion will reach its climax, Jesus-Christ will come back in glory to rapture the church and put an end to the Devil’s reign in this world.
This last revival preceding the coming of Christ will be the greatest one in church history and is taking place right now around the world.
The faithfulness of Christ disciples will glorify God and confound the devil.
God will do for you things that: No eye has seen
No ear has heard
No minds has conceived
What god has prepared for those who love him. ( 1Corinthians 2:9 )