Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – 1 Kings 1-4
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 24:9-10
Jesus: They will hand you over to your enemies, who will torture you and then kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. And many who have followed Me and claimed to love Me and sought God’s kingdom will turn away—they will abandon the faith and betray and hate one another.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
The promise Jesus gives in these two verses doesn’t sound so good does it. You might wonder who “they” includes in Jesus’ comment. Go back to the previous description of the signs of the times and you find it’s the people that claim to come in His name as the Messiah. He says some who call themselves Christians will hand you over to your enemies. If you really follow Jesus, you will be tortured, killed, hated by all nations just because you obey what Jesus says.
We’re beginning to see that today around the world. Look at what’s happening. Read the papers. Listen to the news reports. We hear only a fraction of what is happening to Christians around the globe. We hear about ISIS beheading Christians probably because the goal of ISIS is to dismantle our country. Their aim isn’t just to oust us from the middle east. They want our whole way of life ended. And that means our tolerance of any religion but Islam. They want their Sharia Laws enforced across the globe even though they don’t follow them personally.
But that’s not the only place where our enemies torture and kill true believers in Christ. We’re just getting reports from Europe in the refugee camps from the middle east that Christians are beaten, robbed of their possessions and food and sometimes killed just because they are Christian. And what do those in charge of the refugee camps do about the injuries and wrongs done to Christians? Not much if anything. They don’t want to create riots within the mostly Muslim populations, so they ignore the problem.
Then there are the African countries whose populations are increasingly turning toward Islam. Systematic genocide of Christians takes place every day. Whether through execution, unfair distribution of vital supplies in famine plagued areas, refusal to provide medical care to sick and injured. Dozens of ways are created to just let Christians perish in developing and developed countries around the world.
Even here in America, the rights and privileges of Christians are eroding day by day. As you screen the legislation proposed by state and federal agencies, the language often points directly toward Christians. We have quietly allowed our government to quell freedom of religion for those that serve the risen Lord as we increase our tolerance for all other faiths. Soon we will find even the freedoms we have in this country taken away as the end draws nearer.
But is this a time to withdraw, hide in holes, fear those that might try to silence the faithful followers of Christ? Absolutely not. The signs of the end of time are increasing just as Jesus said they would. The time we have left to share the good news of His sacrifice for our sins is drawing to a close. We have a great task in front of us. We need to share with those who would see our harm to help them know that God still loves them, despite the sin they commit. His will is not their punishment, but they choose that if they continue on the path they are on.
Today we see many doing exactly what Jesus said they would do. They claim to be followers and some might have been at one time, but when it gets hard. When Jesus says we can’t go the way of the world. When we begin to stand out from the crowd because we refuse to participate in the debachery the world calls pleasure. Many fall away. He talked about those in His parable of the sower. Those seeds sown among thorns that grow up but are choked out by their desire for the things of the world instead of keeping their eyes on the important things of God’s kingdom.
It doesn’t take much to look around and see that Jesus’ prophecies are coming true. Our grandparents probably said the same thing as they were growing up and the world continues to get worse. I just know that as Jesus uses labor as the metaphor, those birth pangs are getting closer together and more intense. I’m not sure how much closer they need to get before the labor of the final days begin, but they just don’t seem like they can be far off when you read Jesus’ prophecies.
His words to us may not sound like the most pleasant prospect for us right now. But remember, these things usher in the best days. Jesus is coming soon. And when He does, those that remain faithful to Him will join Him in a party that never ends. We will worship around the banquet table of God rejoicing with Him forever. With that in mind, what are a few days of discomfort in exchange for an eternity with Him?
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