“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:9 – 10
The Second Coming of Jesus has been talked about and expected since Jesus rose from the grave. For over two-thousand years people have looked, hoped, talked about, and prayer for Jesus to return. Why, because God has promised that Jesus would return to rapture His children out of this evil world. The most hoped for, prayed for and thought about subject among the faithful believers is the rapture. As we continue in this world the evil just gets worse and worse. Some believers have hope that someday the world will get better, but God has promised that it will not. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:13 Therefore, every year now we are watching the world get worse and worse, seeing the very deceivers being deceived. We ought to feel blessed because we are watching the prophecy of the bible unfolded right before our eyes. Before the foundation of the world God predestinated and ordained everything that must happen before Jesus returns for the rapture, and in our day, we are watching an acceleration of those ordained events. Folks, please never forget that in that predestination, God also ordained persecution for His own. Paul wrote, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12 In the next four years our times will only get worse and worse, and it will not stop there because we are watching Satan take absolute control of The United States of America and the World. As believers we need to set our minds on the fact that while we watch, hope, look for, and pray for Jesus to return, only God knows when that is to be fulfilled. Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness…” the word “slack means – tardiness or delayed -. Please remember that God is in absolute control and not Satan, as we saw in the account with Job, God only allows Satan and his demons to accomplish as God choses. As believers we have every reason to remain faithful to the Lord, let us not become part of the “little faith” believers. “If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Luke 12:28 Whatever God has promised, God will fulfill it as guaranteed by God Himself. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness…” As Christians we have no idea how far the persecutions will go, how much God will allow Satan to damage us. Could God allow Satan to take American Christians and other Christians back to the “dark ages” where Christians were being killed daily? How much will God allow today’s Christians to suffer for His name sake, we do not know. But, what ever God has ordained for us to live through in our time, we are to remain faithful to God’s word, even unto jail or death. Some will never believe that God will allow this world to suffer as those believers in the “dark ages, but we do not have His promise that He will not. As we see the predesignated will of God unfold and the bible become real, we need to be ready to suffer greatly for the Lord. God has ordained the times and events and God will manifest them in time as He commands them to unfold. Jesus asked this question, “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8 The worse times get the lesser faith is found on the earth. Faith is not attending church or acting out being a Christian, faith is walking in the word and being a part of a true bible teaching church. Being faithful is always defined as “how closely to walking in the Spirit are you”. The churches are getting smaller in people, lesser funds to work with, and fewer are being saved. Folks, this is a sign of the times, and I believe it should make the true believers in Jesus Christ look harder for His return and to ready ourselves like the five virgins who had oil.
However, as we watch together, pray together, and hope together for the Lords return, let us also be prepared together to sacrifice for the Lord in worldly persecution. We need to carry this in our hearts every day, God is not slack in His promises, He will deliver us in His own way and His own time. Paul wrote, “Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.” 2 Timothy 3:11 Let us remember that God has a remnant chosen before the foundation of the world and God has promised that remnant “…but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” Do not worry about the lost, because every elect soul will be saved, do not worry about the times because we are all in the hand of God. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” Psalms 34:19 Let me leave you dear believer with these words of comfort form our Saviour, “Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:31 – 33
Let us all pray together as we enter daily persecution and look daily together for the rapture of God’s Saints.
