Study – Grow – Know

Persevere through the Pain

August 5, 2021 at 10:02 AM 4 comments

Audio for this article here: SermonAudio.com/StudyGrowKnow

Some links for research:

• Pfizer says antiviral Rx needed in fight against CV
• Pfizer forecasts $33.5 billion in vax sales
• Pfizer to start trial of updated version to tackle Delta variant
• Lallapalooza music festival draws 100,000 people in Chicago – superspreader?
• More businesses now requiring proof of vaccine from customers
• More companies requiring employees to be vaccinated
• Gab is the alternative social network with real free speech
• Gab creating alternative to PayPal
• Dr. Mercola being forced off ‘Net
• What can we do in the face of anarchy?
• Review of the first 8 months of CV-19 injections
• Yes, please be distracted…

As readers use the above links to research, please try to remain above it all, remembering that God is in total control. All is either being allowed or personally directed by Him for His purposes.

According to Scripture, there is coming a time when He will say “Enough!” and first, pour out His wrath on this earth and second, bring things to closure according to the perfection of His holy and righteous will. It will be done. The prophet Isaiah (and others), was extremely clear about this.

Unfortunately, we Christians in western civilizations are simply not used to witnessing and experiencing the type of control that God is allowing evil tyrants to exercise over us. It is shocking because for most of us, it has never before occurred personally in our lives.

We are used to enjoying certain amounts of freedom as guaranteed under the USA’s Bill of Rights. These freedoms have been a wonderful blessing, but let’s be honest; these same freedoms have made us soft, haven’t they? We wake up angry at what we see going on in the world and our anger is justified. But we do not quite know what to do. We think voting will make a difference but it won’t if the same machines used in the last election are used in future ones with the same people counting ballots. We think if we put enough pressure on our elected officials, they’ll start to squirm under that pressure and do the right thing even if they don’t want to do so. Yet, too many corrupt politicians appear bought and also protected by the interests that put them into office or bought them after they got into office. Just do a search of the number of politicians that accepted donations from Pfizer and other pharma companies.

We cry out to God to rectify what needs to be rectified and we wait, wondering what else we can do in the meantime. We pray and pray some more and still there is no real change, in spite of new facts revealed daily. We wonder how things can continue as they are and getting worse with all the revelations of voter fraud, politicians owned by foreign interests, left-wing judges who completely ignore the law, not to mention the general increase in lawlessness that abounds throughout global society.

Why is nothing changing for the better? Because the Bible explains that these terrible times must happen to bring human history to its God-ordained conclusion. That conclusion includes the final seven years of globalized government (the Tribulation), prior to the return of Jesus. How can it not happen? It must happen if the Bible is true.

While I realize that many tend to allegorize Scripture when it deals with prophetic discourse, the truth is that there is no good reason to allegorize it anymore than other portions of God’s Word. Yes, there are sections of Scripture that use metaphors, figures of speech and take poetic license, but these things all still only have one actual meaning and that meaning is not up for grabs. It is important for us as students of His Word to dig for His intended meaning, not the meaning we may be comfortable with that may ultimately avoid and oppose His truth.

I firmly believe that what we are seeing in society includes God separating professing Christians from authentic Christians. The gulf between the two will continue to grow as more within Christendom apostatize as predicted in Scripture (2 Thess 2:3). We may see larger, seeker-sensitive churches become larger, while Bible-believing churches that have pastors who excel at expositional preaching (verse-by-verse teaching through books of the Bible), will likely grow smaller. How can it be otherwise? I’m not a prophet by any stretch. I’m simply judging by what I read in Scripture and what I see in society. It appears that the entirety of God’s Word predicts this very separation as the end draws near so why be shocked to see it occurring throughout society now?

When severe pressure is placed on people as it has been for the past year and a half (with more lock-downs and economic shutdowns likely coming in the next few months, in spite of what Fauci says will not happen), this type of concerted pressure on society results in how people respond. People are feeling powerless to fight back (at least those who want to), while also seeing many who willingly go along with the pressure to conform, gladly embracing every new form of fascism. Frustration, anger and division is obvious. Yet, while we are in this brief respite of “normalcy” (as life seems to be going back to normal), is it really simply the eye of the storm?

Within Christendom, that pressure foisted on society also has its results, doesn’t it? Too many churches, pastors and congregations caved into the powers that be for all the wrong reasons, though at the time they may have thought they were correct, quickly pointing to Romans 13. What was originally “15 days to slow the spread” became a year and a half of “we need to continue waiting” to “we must fully eradicate CV-19 from society before getting back to normal!” It has taken its toll and continues to do so.

Now, there’s supposedly another variant of CV – the “Delta” variant that allegedly came from India. At the same time, the CDC is telling us the PCR test cannot determine between the flu and CV, so how is it able to pinpoint a new variant? In the lab? Okay, then why is there not a definitive testing system for the public? In spite of this, as linked above, Pfizer is busy creating an updated CV vax to supposedly deal with the Delta variant. Does anyone really think the “boosters” will not continue to come fast and furiously?

After the Delta variant, there will be another one…and another one…and another one. The point is they are not going to let this go because there is too much at stake if they fail. Who are “they”? The elite, empowered and enriched by Satan to bring about the final global empire to be ruled over by his spiritual son, Antichrist. How can anyone think this is not coming? I’ve no clue, if it were not for the fact that the Bible, once again, tell us in 2 Thessalonians 2:10b-12.

because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.…

People do not love the truth today. In fact, human beings have hated the truth ever since Adam and Eve, but it’s far worse today proving we are that much closer to the end. Because of people’s absolute hatred of truth, God will send a “powerful delusion” enabling these haters to more easily believe the lie. What lie is that? It is the “fundamental truth that God is God; it is the rejection of His self-revelation as Creator and Savior, righteous and merciful Judge of all, which leads to the worship due to Him alone being offered to another, such as the ‘man of lawlessness’.” [1]

Read this quote from a book I’ve been reading. I’ll tell you more about it after you’ve read the quote, but the author is referring to Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3, “Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

Would you not almost think the words were written by some fiery-souled exhorter of the present day? How aptly they characterize in one brief clause the greatest outstanding feature of the religious world. The church of God has gone into the entertainment business! People must be amused, and as the church needs the people’s money, the church must…supply the demand and meet the craving! How else are the godless hypocrites to be held together? How otherwise can the throngs of unconverted youths and maidens be attracted to the ‘services’? So the picture show and the entertainment, in the form of musicale (sacred, perhaps!) and minstrel show, take the place of the gospel address and the solemn worship of God. And this Christless souls are lulled to sleep and made to feel ‘religious’ while gratifying every carnal desire under the sanction of the sham called the church! And the end? What an awakening? [2]

If you think that this is from someone commenting on the state of the church today in 2021, you’d be wrong. The above quote is from 1947, published in a commentary on 2 Timothy by Dr. Harry Ironsides.

When I read the works of pastors and commentators from the early 1900’s or even back into the mid-to-late 1800’s, many have the same complaint that we have today. Christendom is in sad shape. While it should be clearly assumed that all of us authentic Christians can do better in submitting to Him and following in His steps (there is always room for spiritual growth), it is clear that there is a growing gulf between professing and authentic Christians. Most professing Christians are embracing more and more of the “world” (system of Babylon).

As we move toward the official start of the Tribulation, more people within the visible church will become that much more apostate. Ironsides notes that as this trend continues, there will be more and more who, though they have the appearance of godliness, will “deny the Lord who bought them, until He Himself shall remove His own to the Father’s house. Then the apostate body remaining will declare, ‘We have found the truth at last!’ and they will worship the Antichrist, believing the Devil’s lie and calling it truth.” [3] This reference by Paul to having the “appearance of godliness” is directed at the visible Church, not the world!

The sad fact of the matter is that things throughout the world are getting worse and that includes within the realm of Christendom. God is allowing things to grow to the point where He will, with finality, deal with it.

I would encourage Christians everywhere to understand that what is happening may seem strange to us, but brothers and sisters, know that it is not in the least strange to God. He began warning this current generation alive now thousands of years ago through portions of His Word (OT). He also warned us as recently as His Son, when He revealed things in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24), and Paul, Peter, John and others continued the theme.

What pregnant woman actually looks forward to the pain of delivering her child? She does however, look forward to the time immediately after delivery, doesn’t she? She perseveres through the pain for the blessing she knows will come.

We must persevere through the pain of what is and what is coming and we can only do that as we lean on Him for His strength. Compared to eternity, this pain will be very short-lived. This pressure, if allowed, will produce godliness in us!

[1] Dr. Thomas Constable, Notes on 2 Thessalonians

[2] Dr. Harry Ironsides, Commentary on 2 Timothy, pg 135, 1947, Kregel

[3] Ibid, pg 136

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