We are at a critical point of time in the history of the New Testament Church. The final battle between light and darkness is drawing near. Everything is moving towards the climax   when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of God and Christ. At this crucial juncture in the history of the Church, many believers are falling prey to the prince of this world. The adversary seems to have no difficulty in having his way in these last days.  If our hearts are set towards the Lord and His purpose, and our ears open to hear His voice, then God is clearly giving us a word of warning and caution. It is necessary for our spiritual eyes to be enlightened to behold the Lord in greater dimensions in these days.  If we are able to see the purposes of God in the fresh light of His word, then we may be able to understand the degree of apostasy, deception and falsehood that has entered the Church. The reality is that the Church is being filled with doctrines of Baal and the traditions of man in these days. 

 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;  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (1 Timothy 4:1,2)

We are living in the latter days that Paul talked about. The times that he predicted are upon us. The Church is filled with seducing spirits and the doctrines of devil. The Church has compromised with the world in every possible area. She has forsaken Christ and made the world her partner. She has become prosperous and wealthy; the possession of material goods or materialism has become her maxim. The spirit of the world has gripped her and possessed her.  She is in search of a good life like everyone else in the world. In every area of life, the Church only seeks to match and compete with common, secular, worldly ambitions.  The Church today is in the same place as the Laodicean Church in the book of Revelations.

 "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.   Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." (Revelations 3:14-22)

Over the centuries, God has always had a handful of people who have remained faithful, thankful and zealous for God, irrespective of the cost involved. They knew what they ought to do at every crucial turn of history. They had a deep assurance of knowing what was upon the heart of God. They knew the times because they were able to behold the Lord by their spiritual eyes. As we hear this word, may God open our spiritual eyes and may there be an impartation to our beings so that the Spirit can do a constituting work deep within.

Jesus not only had an understanding of His times, He had an understanding of the end times and of what will happen at the wrapping-up of the age. And He gave us a detailed description of what will happen in times to come and what will lead to His return.  To understand the times in which we live, we have to consider the general outline that the Lord presents in this passage.

The Lord has told us that great spiritual darkness will engulf the whole world. Darkness signifies religious deception, both in the world and in the Church. Thus darkness will be the hallmark of the last days or the days in which we live. The Lord said that false christ's and false prophets will arise. Darkness will intensify and God’s people will continue to be deceived. Deception among God’s people will be widespread. Iniquity will increase as believers enter into greater measures of deception. As a result, the love of many shall wax cold. These are the signs of the last days.  Who can deny that these things are already taking place today in some measure? The widespread belief that all is well with the Church at large is mute testament to the effectiveness of this deception. Stop and examine the sin (another word for iniquity) within the Churches that profess Christ. Evil and rebelliousness are accommodated in a spirit of tolerance. And God’s people grow cold.

The Lord further told us that God’s true people shall be hated by all nations.  Do not take this lightly.  I don’t think we have come to this yet, but the Scriptures say that the enemy is going to get more and more powerful, though the Lord shall be with His own people.  God’s people will be hated and some will even be betrayed by fellow believers.  Some in God’s remnant church may even be put to death. Some of us will be called to suffer and go through terrible persecution, having been betrayed by our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Such shall be the signs of the last days! These are happening in some measure in the midst of God’s people.

In the midst of the chaos and delusion, there will be a remnant of believers, called the “elect” of God, who will ever remain faithful to the Lord. They will be those who have beheld the Lord.  They will say, “How can I be disobedient to my heavenly calling? How can I forget what the Lord has enabled me to hear and see?” They will bear the testimony of the Lord. Verse 14 of Matthew 24 shows us that the elect will bear the testimony before the nations. The nations will hate them for bearing His testimony. Though the nations will hate them, they will still bear the testimony of the Lord - “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”. Then shall the end come! But before the end comes, there needs to be a remnant of God that will bear a testimony before the nations! This will happen. The Lord is preparing His remnant for this purpose. Believe it or not, God has an underground church in every nation not only in China or in the Islamic nations! The remnant in every nation will bear the testimony before the nations.  This is what Paul said to Timothy.

“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;”  (2 Timothy 1:8 )

In the days of which Paul writes, many were not really standing for the testimony of Christ. The Church, by and large, had adopted a position of compromise with the world. If you are going to bear the testimony of the Lord in this age and be a part of that remnant that will bear the testimony of Christ, then you will surely have to suffer many afflictions. Thank God for His precious elect today. And remember, you are called to be a part of that elect. Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of the Lord Jesus, but be amongst those who will bear His testimony before the nations.

Jesus said that the last days would be filled with evil.  “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:21, 22).  The Lord Himself says the days will be so evil that God would have to shorten them and if He does not do so, even the very elect would be deceived. The days will be terrible indeed! It will look as if the enemy is the victor, having gained a great victory in the end. Then at that darkest hour, when the history of the world would appear to be doomed to darkness, when spirituality would be at the lowest ebb and all would appear to have been lost, the Scriptures say that Jesus will return in blazing glory. Hallelujah!

History tells us that in matters of the Kingdom of God, the majority has seldom been correct. Be careful therefore, and seek the Lord that He may open your eyes of understanding!