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What should the position of Believers be in light of the End
Times
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In Matt 24:42-44 The Bible says the following
concerning Christ's return for his Church:
42
“Therefore be on the alert , for you do not know
which day your Lord is coming .
43 “But be sure of this, that
if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was
coming, he would have been on the alert and
would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
44 “For this reason you
also must be ready; for the Son of Man
is coming at an hour when you do not think He
will.
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Christ
instructs us to be on the alert, to be vigilant,
just as one would in watching over his house, due to
the imminent threat of burglary. Its out of this
alertness the head of the house would not be caught
unawares when the burglar may strike. So it is with
Christ's coming, we are to be alert and always
prepared for that moment |
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In
1Thess 5:4-6
the apostle Paul mentions
the following:
4:
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day
would overtake you like a thief;
5:
for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of
night nor of darkness;
6: so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be
alert and
sober.
In
verse 4
Paul's readers are said to have an awareness and a
understanding of the times concerning the "The Day of The
Lord". As a result this day will not overtake Christians who
are versed in the scriptures and whose
understanding of the times are guided by
the scriptures.
This is in stark contrast to the ungodly, notice what Christ
said about those who had no understanding or perception of
the times in Matt 24:38-39.
They were busy going about the normal pursuits of life,
without awareness or regard to the imminent judgment that
was near to overtaking them.
Matt 24:38-39
38 “For as in those days before
the flood they
were eating and
drinking, marrying
and giving in
marriage, until the
day
that Noah entered
the ark ,
39 and they did not understand until the
flood came and
took them
all away;
so will
the coming of
the Son of
Man be.
In verse 5
this awareness is govern by who we are in Christ
(you are all sons of
light
and sons of day...) in contrast to those who are in darkness
In verse 6 we
are told not to sleep (katheudo
/kath·yoo·do)
that is a spiritual indifference or insensitivity but
instead we should be:
Alert
-
Greek
gregoreuo
/
gray·gor·yoo·o/
which means to watch, give strict attention to, be
cautious.
Sober -
nepho
/nay·fo
- to be sober, to be calm and collected,
temperate
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Because
of intense deception during the end times believers should be:
1. On their guard:
2 Peter 3:17
17 You therefore,
beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your
guard so that you are not carried away by the error of
unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness |
.
2.
Be under sound Godly teaching:
Eph 4:11-13
11 And He gave some as
apostles, and some as prophets, and some
as evangelists, and some as
pastors and teachers,
Purpose
12 for
the equipping of the saints for the work of
service, to the building up of the body of
Christ;
13 until we all
attain to the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to
the measure of the stature which belongs to the
fullness of Christ.
The result
14 As
a result, we are no longer to be children,
tossed here and there by waves and carried about
by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of
men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
[1]
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3. Test
/ Discern / Prove
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1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not
believe every spirit, but test the
spirits to see whether they are from
God,
because many false prophets have
gone out into the world.
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In view of the danger of deception Christians need to
test
what they hear and read, by comparing
it with the Word of God, to determine if it is divine in
its origin.
What is your Attitude Concerning the Day of The
Lord, are you alert; are you sober; are you discerning
are you watching?
"Scripture taken from the NEW
AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright ©
1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The
Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."
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