Tag Archives: warning

Do Not Be Deceived

15 Nov

Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:29-30 NIV

When the true Christ reappears, there should be no doubt. No false christ will be able to duplicate the way that He will return. Jesus makes this clear in the above verse. (See also Revelation 6:12-14).

However, many will still be deceived. In Matthew 24:24, Jesus tells us that false prophets will appear and deceive many through great miracles and signs.

Are you easily swayed by what you see and hear? Are you usually too busy to research knowledge for yourself? Then now is the time to be careful, because many will follow false Christs out of ignorance. Believers will be in the minority.

This is the time to think for oneself. Do not go along with the crowd. Whatever your decision, make sure God has guided you. Read the Bible for yourself. God is the only true interpreter; ask Him and He will answer. You can now go directly Him because Jesus removed what separated us.

Standing alone is not easy, but, Jesus promised that He will always be with His followers. (See Matthew 28:20.

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, I am so grateful that I can come to you directly through your son Jesus the Christ. I need your guidance today more than ever. Help me to be courageous in order to face whatever You have planned for me. I desire to study the Bible and pray more. Help me to make time to do this because I do not want to be deceived. I want you to guide me every step of the way. Amen.

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Clueless of the Times

5 Oct

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:35-37)

If Jesus said, “…you don’t know when…”, do we really think that we will know when to wake up? Are we expecting certain events to be in place before we do? And like the 5 foolish virgins, will it be too late when we finally open our eyes? Jesus said to watch and pray.

I’ve heard many say they’re not into politics and give little thought to what’s happening around the world. They are very busy meeting the demands of life and there’s little time to pay attention.

In the parable of the great banquet, Jesus said the people who were invited were also busy and began to make excuses. He gave three examples: one had just bought land, another had just bought animals for work, and the last had just gotten married.

Again, those that were called were too caught up in the affairs of this temporary world. They were not mindful of the times in which they lived. For them it was business as usual. These were “church members”, not “worldly folk”.

To prepare, we need to pray and ask for guidance. God will inspire his people to move according to his will. Just being mindful of the times we’re living in can help raise our awareness and prepare us to listen to our Creator.

There is something happening right now and many are continuing to live their lives as if the world is set to continue forever. They seem to not be too excited about the appearing of Jesus, rather, their blinders are on to what’s happening around them.

When Jesus came the first time many people were oppressed and harassed. Their land was occupied by rulers who controlled them and they had little freedom of expression.

Could it be that He will come during similar circumstances? Remember, although many were oppressed, still, there were those who conformed. This latter will continue to live comfortable lives and so the rules of the world will not pose a threat to them. But when they finally wake up, it will be too late.

Preparation is key whether it’s for an exam or a marathon; how much more important for the coming of our Saviour? When he comes will we be waiting expectantly, or surprised and disappointed? As a friend of mine always used to say: “We should always be in a state of readiness”. I pray that we all will be.

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A Time to Feast and a Time to Fast

29 Sep

I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. Daniel 10:3

Daniel made the decision to fast because he had a vision about “a Great War”. This wasn’t an ordinary battle, it was spiritual warfare.

When trouble arises, the believer does not fight in the ordinary way. Yes, we get upset, we may even begin to worry, but we don’t lose control. We remember who is in control: God the Creator of Heaven and earth. (Genesis 1)

Many prefer to focus on diet when studying Chapter 1 of Daniel, however, the entire context should be examined because each time he fasted, there was trouble.

In addition to our opening scripture, Daniel had also fasted the first time he arrived in Babylon. He and many others were just captured and brought into a foreign country whose inhabitants did not fear God.

When told that he had to eat from the king’s table, (see Daniel 1:5), Daniel refused. One can only imagine the thoughts that crossed his mind: “Was the food on that table sacrificed to other gods?” Or, “I was just captured and taken from my homeland, how can I sit and feast?”

There is a time to eat and be merry and a time to pray and fast, and we are living in such a time. Jeremiah 29:13 says “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

How are we spending our time today? Are we seeking God? Do we have a deep sadness over what is happening in our world? (See Ezekiel 9:4)

We are living in a period where evil is called good and good is called evil, (see Isaiah 5:20). Children are continuing to be abused; people are hurting each other; Christians are persecuted and the list can continue. When we hurt people, we are really hurting Jesus. (See Acts 9:4)

So let’s examine ourselves and be mindful of the times in which we are living. Let’s not be caught by surprise because end-time events may not unfold in the way we anticipated. Fast and pray.

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Troubling Dream

2 May

In October of 2000, I began my 7 years in Cuba. The first year was called “preparatorio”, or, preparatory year. We were to learn Spanish to enable us to study our various disciplines.

It was on October 10, 2000 that I had the following dream:

There was terrible weather. I saw utility poles thrown to the ground by strong winds. The sky was a dark grey. It reminded me of a hurricane passing through a Caribbean island. In addition to this, I sensed there wasn’t only physical destruction, but also unrest.  Though it reminded me of a big storm on a Caribbean island, somehow, I knew it was happening all over the world.

Then I was taken underground. It was dark, but not pitch. It was very calm. What I saw disturbed me; there were various public service workers waiting to take over. I understood that they were to replace those above ground. I saw the Pope, police officers, and other officials straightening their ties. They looked very serious and were in a state of readiness. I was taken above again, and the contrast was distinctly shown: chaos above and calm below.

Suddenly, I heard an urgent call in Spanish, “ Todo de pie, todo de pie! A la marcha!”  (Everyone get up! Get up! To the procession!) This voice scared me very much. It sounded like I was called to participate in something against my will. Whatever it was, it was mandatory. That scared me.
When I woke up, I realized that the voice was real, and there was someone calling the students to the marcha in celebration of Independence Day.

I remember the fear that took hold of me.  The idea of being forced to do something instead of being given a choice greatly disturbed me.

I believe the dream was telling me what was going to happen in the near future, and the distress I felt was going to be the experience of many.

 

 

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