Will Christians Go Through End Times

Why I think Christians Will Go Through the Tribulation”

11/26/06

“As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples came along and wanted to take him on a tour of the various Temple buildings. But he told them, "All these buildings will be knocked down, with not one stone left on top of another!" "When will this happen?" the disciples asked him later, as he sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. "What events will signal your return and the end of the world?" Jesus told them, "Don’t let anyone fool you. For many will come claiming to be the Messiah and will lead many astray. When you hear of wars beginning, this does not signal my return; these must come, but the end is not yet. The nations and kingdoms of the earth will rise against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. "Then you will be tortured and killed and hated all over the world because you are mine, and many of you shall fall back into sin and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and lead many astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love of many. But those enduring to the end shall be saved. "And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come.

"So, when you see the horrible thing (told about by Daniel the prophet) standing in a holy place (Note to the reader: You know what is meant!), then those in Judea must flee into the Judean hills. Those on their porches must not even go inside to pack before they flee. Those in the fields should not return to their homes for their clothes. "And woe to pregnant women and to those with babies in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter, or on the Sabbath. For there will be persecution such as the world has never before seen in all its history and will never see again. "In fact, unless those days are shortened, all mankind will perish. But they will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen people. "Then if anyone tells you, ’The Messiah has arrived at such and such a place, or has appeared here or there,’ don’t believe it. For false Christs shall arise, and false prophets, and will do wonderful miracles so that if it were possible, even God’s chosen ones would be deceived. See, I have warned you.”

Matt 24:1-25 (Living)

Thanksgiving was great this year. The turkey was perfect. The pies were delicious. Everyone had a great time. And we had so much to be thankful for. God has been so good to us. I feel so blessed. We have so many comforts the rest of the world doesn’t have. We live like kings! My kids and grandkids and friends fill the house with love. We are safe and warm and well fed. We should be truly thankful. And we should probably enjoy it while we can – because if I read the Bible correctly and read the signs of the times correctly – it won’t last forever.

Jesus was in Jerusalem with his disciplines. They were visiting, probably because of a religious holiday. Galilee was where they normally hung out. That was home. Capernaum was home. But they had finished what they were doing and they were admiring the temple. It must have been impressive at that time and place. The disciples were a little awed by it. But Jesus, seeing a chance to teach, told them that one day it would all be destroyed. Not one stone would remain on top of another. This got their attention. They wanted to know two things. 1. When was this going to happen and 2. When was Jesus going to return? Those were pretty straight forward questions and I believe Jesus answered them honestly and clearly.

The first happened in their lifetime. The second question will probably happen in our life time. Jesus obviously wanted them and us to be prepared for Him return. He gave some pretty specific clues to when he was coming back.

First, false Christs would arise. There would be wars and rumors of wars. There would be famines in many places. There would be many earthquakes that would cause much destruction. Jesus said that this wasn’t it yet. This was only the beginning. The next stage would be the persecution of Christians. He said,

"Then you will be tortured and killed and hated all over the world because you are mine, and many of you shall fall back into sin and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and lead many astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love of many. But those enduring to the end shall be saved.” Matt 24:9-13 (Living)