I believe we are in a unique slither of time, a small window of opportunity, before the Lord’s 2nd Coming. There has never been a time like this before with so much opportunity for good on the one hand and so much temptation and distraction on the other.
Jesus said in Luke 18:1-3 that when He comes back “will He find faith on the earth?” He doesn’t actually give us the answer to that question, for it’s apparently up to us whether we will have faith or not. He may find you walking in faith when He returns or He may find you overcome by the cares of this life as mentioned in the parable of the sower and also this passage in Luke 21.
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36
In the book of Revelation, it speaks of the letters to the 7 Churches. Without going into too much detail right now, I would like to say that we are now in the 7th and last Church Age. (see the links on YouTube or in the pdf link for more details).
https://youtu.be/kNgzxV5Gl68 (The Laodicean Age)
https://youtu.be/X0pX_jPtEwE (Part 1 of 12 videos on the 7 Churches)
If this is true, then this age of Laodicea is described as one being swamped with worldliness. Philadelphia, on the other hand the previous church age was told that they would be kept from the ‘Hour of Temptation’ that would come upon the whole earth.
“I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world.” Revelation 3:10.
We are definitely in that day when worldliness and technology is captivating the masses and even infiltrating the Church. There has never been a time where the Church has been so swamped with the world, but we don’t need to succumb to it. Note that it is described as an ‘hour’ not a ‘day’ or a ‘time’ of temptation that will come on the world. This tells me this Laodicean Age is only a short time and it will not be long before the Lord comes back.
The wonderful thing about this revelation is that if we overcome in this age we will receive the greatest of all the promises given to the 7 churches.
“To him that overcomes 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.” Revelation 3:21
Even though the prevailing Spirit of this age is Laodicean, it can be overcome by faith, as it is written that faith overcomes the world.
“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” I John 5:4
The call has been going out from Jesus since the days of Peter. “Do you love me? “Do you love me more than…?” And in this Laodicean Age the Lord is still asking us. “Do you love me more than the world?” It’s dangerous to love the world, for John warns us that if we love the world the love of the Father will not be in us.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” 1 John 2:15
It’s the Father’s desire for us not only to know the love of His Son but His love as well. We can be saved but not appreciate the love of the Father. God wants us to know that love deep within us. A love that passes knowledge so that we might be filled the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:19
There are many scriptures that speak of this window of opportunity where God gives us an opportunity to know Him. There has never been a time like this where we can have this privilege of knowing God without any hindrance.
Hosea 6:1-3 says that in the 3rd day we can go on to know Him and He will respond to our hunger with rain, the former and latter rain. Prophetically a day is 1000 years, so from the formation of the Church we are now in the 3rd day where revelation knowledge is being opened to us through an abundance of the word and the Holy Spirit.
https://www.stonesoffire.online/blog/the-third-day-1
In Daniel 12:4 we see that in the time of the End (which is at the end of the Last Days) before Jesus returns, “Knowledge will increase.” You have to admit that these are those days when knowledge is increasing at an amazing rate, and they are now warning us that if we don’t put the brakes on AI could get out of hand and do us harm.
The good news is that not only is secular knowledge increasing, but spiritual knowledge is increasing as well. Today we have access to so much now through the internet, streaming of services from around the world and an abundance of bibles in different translations like never before. In most countries around the world there is religious freedom with nothing stopping us from drawing closer to God.
The Devil knows this too and is going all out to distract the Church with intriguing technology. Just look around you and see how so many are addicted to our their cell phones. One of the big things for me personally was the captivation of movies with all its graphics. They were capturing my heart and causing me to be more delighted in the fantasies and stories of the world than in God’s word and His life changing stories. Remember it’s only the word that can really give us life.
Since the word has become my delight, I sense the love of the Father and the life of Christ within me like never before. I am now knowing Him and His resurrection power within. I’m understanding that I am seated in heavenly places with Christ and enjoying my union with Him. I’m beginning to know that I have be given all that He is and all that He has through His death on the cross.
My roots are now going down into His love, deep within and He is becoming my life. This is God’s desire for all His Saints. He longs to become our life, but unfortunately for many of us their strength and confidence is coming from the world and not from Him.
Time is running out, we need to seize the day before its too late. We don’t want to be those 5 unwise Virgins mentioned in Matthew 25. These are the days for the Bride to get herself ready for the Lord’s Coming.
Something else that is important is to be thankful for the Lord warns us that people will not be thankful in the End Times. We have so much given to us in this generation and yet we moan a lot. Everywhere you look; there are amazing inventions that are blessing our lives. Even the ballpoint pen that I have been using this morning is far greater than what I had when I went to school, and before that there were pencils and fountain pens. There is no excuse for a thankless heart, we need to stop and look around us at all the blessings and praise God. Thankfulness brings you into His presence.
Blind Bartimaeus was sitting on the side of the road and when he heard that Jesus was passing by, he cried out for help. People told him to be quiet but he shouted all the louder for he knew that he may never get this opportunity for a healing again. Jesus did stop, and he was healed of his blindness. In the same way this opportunity that you have right now to press into God may not come your way again - seize the day.
John 14:20 tells us that in that Day you will know.
“At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”
This was spoken by Jesus before the cross, yet it wasn’t fully appreciated until Paul came on to the scene and opened up the word to the Church. Unfortunately this truth was hidden for centuries due to persecution, then legalism in the Dark Ages. It wasn’t until the 16th century and the Reformation that these treasures were rediscovered and the Church began to live by faith once more. The Devil has viciously opposed this truth even up until our day; If he can’t stop you being saved then he tries to water down your experience in Christ. Even today many Christians only see Jesus as their ticket to heaven and not to be their life. We are such a mixture, and a mixture of hot and cold is lukewarm. I believe that’s why so many of us today are sick and defeated in the Church. They are not drawing their life from Christ within, but from the systems of the world. They don’t know that they are one with Jesus and that He is living in them.
Praise God all the conditions are now right for us to experience the life of Christ within and really begin to live an abundant life. All we need to do is spend more time with the Lord and His word and not be so distracted by the world. We are a blessed generation with so much to be thankful for, lets not be those who are ashamed on the day of His return.