Post by LDM on Jun 15, 2009 6:17:41 GMT -5
As we watch end time events unfold all around us...as the number of scorners and mockers abound....as more and more professing Christians spew a lukewarm gospel that bears no resemblance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ...I just wonder, are we prepared to be witnesses?
In the New testament, the Greek word for witness is "martyreō" which comes from the word "mä'r-tüs." It is the same root for the word martyr.
We cannot be blind to what the Scriptures say about the treacherous times in which we live. With each passing day, the Christian is going to be labeled as the hater. The Christian will be the thorn in the side of the world as they move to establish a utopia where man is god.
We must take the time now to ensure that we are prepared to stand by the power of God during such times of austere persecution - for the times are upon us.
"When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:6-8
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Revelations 20:4
This will be a time of tribulation, but in the hearts of those who love Jesus it is also a time of great joy as we bring in the harvest and look to the glorious second coming of our Lord. Let us not be foolish virgins, but wise. Ready to hear and respond to Jesus' call.
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:10-11
In the New testament, the Greek word for witness is "martyreō" which comes from the word "mä'r-tüs." It is the same root for the word martyr.
We cannot be blind to what the Scriptures say about the treacherous times in which we live. With each passing day, the Christian is going to be labeled as the hater. The Christian will be the thorn in the side of the world as they move to establish a utopia where man is god.
We must take the time now to ensure that we are prepared to stand by the power of God during such times of austere persecution - for the times are upon us.
"When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:6-8
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Revelations 20:4
This will be a time of tribulation, but in the hearts of those who love Jesus it is also a time of great joy as we bring in the harvest and look to the glorious second coming of our Lord. Let us not be foolish virgins, but wise. Ready to hear and respond to Jesus' call.
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:10-11