How Should Christians Be Acting Now?
All that I am presenting here may be very confronting and a challenge to accept but I ask you to hold your conclusion until I unpack this a little more.
Let me clarify the main points raise so far: -
A recurring theme is once evil has completed its course, it is taken out and the Righteous are allowed to shine.
- We see the Flood taking away evil and Righteous Noah re-populating the earth.
- We see the Children of Isreal command to rid the Land of Cannan of its inhabitants. Abraham was told by God that his descendants would go into slavery for 430 years and then take possession of the Promised Land, because the corruption of the inhabitants was not full – reached its limits.
- In Egypt The Children Of Isreal were kept in safe in Goshen while God brought judgement on the land of Egypt. In their release from Egypt the whole country was brought to nought the armies were drowned in the sea. Isreal were led out in a Righteous manner.
- The parable in the previuos Post is another example of evil being taken out to allow the Righteous to shine.
In all these examples we see evil is taken out to reveal the Righteous believers. This being a theme through out the Bible’s narrative it seems that this hold true through out to the end.
Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar is another example of this same theme. If you recall each of the 6 kingdoms fall, one after the other none are completely destroyed just overrun by the next. It is only when the Stone that was cut without hands rises up that these kingdoms or nations are totally destroyed. You will note the Stone strikes the feet not the head and these kingdoms were scattered never to be seen again. Then that Kingdom, the Stone, became a mountain that filled the whole earth.
I want to take up this idea later but for now just see the idea that The Church is going to be trodden down and rescued at the last-minute holds little water when themes as I have presented are examined.
So, what is the position that the Church needs to take today?
Let’s examine the Words of Jesus: -
Jesus in answering Peter’s confection that He was the Son of God; Matthew 16:18; “18. I also tell you this: you are Kefa,” [which means ‘Rock,’] “and on this rock I will build my Community [Church the word used is, Ekklesia], and the gates of Sh’ol will not overcome it.” (CJB)* Hell, Sh’ol, the evil action of man, can not stop the work the Church has been called to do.
Matthew 28:18-19, “18. Yeshua [Jesus] came and talked with them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19. Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim [Disciples], immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh [Holy Spirit],” (CJB)*
Mark 16:15, “Then he said to them, “As you go throughout the world, proclaim the Good News to all creation.” (CJB)*
In these places Jesus is saying to His followers that they are to go and bring salvation to all the arth. To makes this even clear what did Jesus say in Matthew 24.
I need to summarize this as there is a lot said in this chapter. The disciples had asked three questions. Jesus answers them in order but not in few words. In 24:3, “When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the talmidim [the disciples] came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, (1) “when will these things happen? (2)And what will be the sign that you are coming, (3)and that the ‘olam hazeh [the age] is ending?” (CJB)*
Jesus had just stated that the Temple they were just leaving would be torn down not one stone left upon another. He begins His answer: -
(1)He starts in verse 4: what will happen in the land of Judea, through to 20; saying “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath”. This gives us some indication that Jesus is referring what was going to happen in Judea.
(2) Verse 21 and following, “For then there will great tribulation…” indicates the fall of Jerusalem and what follows on from there. Jesus continues on until Verse 27; “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of man be.” His coming will be visible to all.
(3) The end of the age is stated through these verses and Jesus continue still on with much more. The fact that the end of the age is not clearly spelled out in the last passage above seem to indicate all these types of things will be happening up till the end. His Coming again will bring all these things to an end.
To summarize it seems clear that the Church is to be victorious to the end. There will much turmoil and difficulties, but Jesus say in the world you will had tribulations but don’t worry I have over come the world. The Church has to come to terms that they have the power to ride above these troubles and be victorious.
I hope I am making a clear hope for Christians that we can have a victorious life and take the assignment that Jesus has given us.
Now to move on to what’s next, see Next Post.
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