“Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
It’s downright disturbing. Near the end of times it says “all nations” will hate you because of me. In this internet age, it would be very easy for a global uprising against Christians. We already see it many countries now. But globally and “all nations,” it could very easily happen.
The hard truth and what stood out to me today was what will happen to “many” Christians:
“MANY will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other” v 10
“MANY false prophets will appear and deceive MANY people” v. 11
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of MOST will grow cold” v. 12
The Scriptures says that in the end the hearts of many Christians will grow cold and turn from the faith. Having been betrayed by other believers, they will give way to hate. And due to wickedness of this life, they will pull back in their love, gradually growing cold.
It’s sobering.
Already the internet has created a world filled with cruelty that has no consequence. The fear of lawsuits keeps us from doing and saying a lot of things. The disagreement on…well…everything has begun to chill the love even in families.
Cooling love.
Slow distance.
Or all out betrayal that lends itself to hate.
This is the picture of the last days. And it’s a picture of the BELIEVERS. It says MANY will turn away.
I don’t want to be one of those people.
Therefore I must exercise my forgiveness muscle. I must pray for the grace to forgive. I must prepare for my heart to be crushed and betrayed, forgive, and then let my heart love again to be crushed and betrayed again.
Wow. That means grace.
This list few years I’ve never struggled so hard in this area. But like it or not, worse days are coming.
We must all prepare…by working to be more loving than we ever have before.
