The Time of the End

We are fast approaching the end of this world as we have known it. The age of the Church is drawing to a close. With the coming of the end-time, is the coming of the greatest offense to godliness the world has ever known. This is the time of anti-christ.

As we are the offspring of the Most High God, it is most important that every Christian understand the state of affairs in which the world is fast becoming. At this point I believe that most of the Church world is not planning to be here when any real persecution of the Church is witnessed.

Everyday we hear Pastors and Teachers say how close we are to being raptured from the earth. However, I admonish you to consider the following passages of scripture before you determine the plight of the body of Christ.

To begin our study, it would be good to find the scriptures that reveal the chronological order of events. The teachings of Christ are a good place to start.

The first thing I want us to agree on is whether the saints of God will be on the earth during the time of the anti-christ.

THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST:

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matthew 24:9-13

It is obvious here that Jesus is speaking to the Church for it is the Church that was and will;

• Be afflicted and killed for the name of Christ.
• Become offended and suffer betrayal from within.
• Give birth to false prophets. Those that say, "thus saith the Lord," when truly the Lord did not speak to them. Those who teach damnable heresies and doctrines of devils in the name of the Lord.
• Iniquity and sin shall abound.
• The love of many of the saints shall wax cold.
• Saints will only be saved if they endure all these afflictions unto the end. If the righteous shall scarcely be saved, where will the ungodly appear?

THE TEACHINGS OF PAUL:

Now we beseech you, brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled…for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

II Thessalonians 2:1-4

According to Paul, the rapture or gathering together of the saints shall not come, except:

• There comes a falling away first. Persecution, offenses, false teachings and love for the things of this world will cause this “falling away.”
• The "man of sin" shall be revealed and because of him the world will oppose all that is Godly. Sin will escalate.

Daniel 8:9-11

9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.

10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.

11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

It is important that we understand exactly what is taking place here. Satan initiates war in the heaven. His purpose is to oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God. Remember Paul said in II Thessalonians 2:1-4 that he will enter the temple of God proclaiming himself to be God. Now the astounding point here is that he will enter the temple of God, which is in heaven. This is where the war begins.

Isaiah 14:12-15

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Daniel 8:11-14

12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.

13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Now we hear the ambition of Satan. He is determined to humiliate the Lord and declare that he will be greater than the Most High. Note that his plan is methodical:

• "I will ascend into heaven." Satan would have to do this in order to exalt himself above the stars or angels of God.
• Although he abides in the heavenlies, the heaven of God's throne and sanctuary is above his dwelling place.
• A host of angels will be assigned to make war with him. However, he will stamp many of them under foot.
• He will sit in the mount of God before the holy congregation. This is the Holy Temple of God where the evening and the morning sacrifices are offered daily.
• For a season he will cause the daily sacrifice offered to God to cease.
• He will defile the temple of God for twenty three hundred days.

And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

Daniel 8:23

Here we are given even more details of the personage of the man of sin. He is a man of war; he is also a man of satanic wisdom; and he is a diviner of the black arts.

And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

Daniel 8:24

He will be given great power from Satan. He is the son of perdition. Because Satan will cast down all things that pertain to God in the heavenlies, this man of sin on the earth will be able to practice and prosper in the works of evil.

He will be a conqueror of many nations of the earth. He will also overthrow Israel and persecute the body of Christ.

And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

Daniel 8:25

He will cause the industries of the earth to prosper. By supplying the wantonness of the world and the Church, many shall lose their souls. He will cause the world to believe that he is the answer to all the economic and political problems and the world will equate materialistic prosperity with spiritual rest. Thus, those who follow after him will consider themselves to be at peace and secure.

Without becoming intimidated by those who warn against setting a date for the end times, we can at least look into the time frames given to us by the Father as to the sequence of events in the time of the end.

And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Daniel 12:11

Satan will make war in heaven. He will enter the holy sanctuary of strength and cause the daily sacrifice to cease. Now we are not told when this war shall begin nor are we told exactly how long it will take for him to cast down "all that is called God."

However, we are told that the indignation of Satan concerning the defiling of the temple of God and the trodden down of the angelic host will last twenty-three hundred days. From the time he gains control of the sanctuary in heaven, to the setting up of the "abomination of desolation" in the temple on earth, there will be one thousand two hundred ninety days.

Yea, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host,and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

Daniel 8:11

The above verse gives the outcome of the war in heaven. He fights with Michael, the prince of the host who finally, after two thousand three hundred days, displaces him from not only the temple of God but also the heavenlies.

MICHAEL: PRINCE OF THE ANGELIC HOST

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Daniel 12:1

But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

Daniel 10:21

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Daniel 10:13

SUMMARY:

Satan gains control of the temple in heaven, and one thousand two hundred ninety days later he sets up the abomination of desolation in the temple in Jerusalem.

He will come to the earth with great wrath against Israel and the Church. He will institute a plan for the complete annihilation of the children of God. This plan will include some of the following:

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

1 Timothy 4:1

II Peter 2:1-3

1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Daniel 11:32-36, 39

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. . . .

39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

Beloved, this is to be the state of the world before the rapture of the Church and we who are called of God shall be cast down. God will allow this. He will allow the devil to prosper in iniquity in the heavens and on the earth until the appointed time of his end.

We must watch and pray for the kingdom of God to come to the earth. We must hold fast to the faith without wavering. There will be too much temptation and/or persecution to ignore the Spirit of Truth. The Word of God in our hearts is our only hope. Without its consuming power, the wantonness of our souls will lead us into rebellion.

1 Peter 4:18-19

18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

I love you,

Doc.