“THE FUTURE”

THE FUTURE

The Future described in the Bible, known as the Tribulation, depicts a very terrible time. It is also not a very pleasant topic to discuss, but we need to study what the Bible says about the future, because it gives us important lessons we can learn and apply today. Whether one has a personal belief that the rapture will happen before, during, or after the tribulation period, the lessons we will learn are just as important.

We should also note that God has given us the details to the future, but He did not give us all the details. He has a reason for doing so. Full knowledge of what’s going to happen may be too much for us to handle.

Let us consider 5 basic points we need to know about the future:

Death. The tribulation will be ruled by Death. When the 4th seal is broken, war, famine and animals will cause over 25% of the world to die. When the 6th trumpet is blown, a third of mankind will be destroyed. Death reigns during this part of the future. Matthew 24:21 says, "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will."

One Leader. This leader is the anti-Christ – a leader that will rise among the ten kingdoms that will be joined. Daniel 8:23 says, "In the latter period of their rule, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue.” This leader is very charismatic, and he will deceive the world, and by the time people realize it, it will be too late.

One Economy. In Revelation 13:16-17 it says, "And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name." "The anti-Christ will bring the entire world into one economic system, where buying and selling will only be possible for people who will bear the mark of the beast either on their right hand or on their forehead. At this time, there will be one currency, controlled by one leader.

One Government. Revelation 17:12-13, talks about ten kingdoms being joined together and from it the anti-Christ will rise. In the prophecies of Daniel, he had a vision of a statue symbolizing the 4 kingdoms from the time of Nebuchadnezzar - all of which will dominate Israel. These were Babylon (head of gold), Persia (chest of silver), Greece (bronze belly) and Rome (iron legs) with one kingdom being conquered by the next. However, Rome was never conquered but disintegrated from within. In Daniel's vision the statue had feet made of iron and then mixed with clay, and its feet had ten toes. This leads to a theory, though not dogmatic, that the last kingdom would be the revived Roman Empire.

The Kingdom. This isn't just "a" kingdom, but "the" kingdom. This is the kingdom Jesus Christ will set up after He defeats Satan, the anti-Christ and his prophet in the battle of Armageddon.

This is our future: death, one leader, one economy, one government and the kingdom. This is where our world is headed and this is what we must share with the people around us.

From these facts we can learn these lessons:

God’s Purpose will happen no matter what – Prayer cannot change some things. The Bible tells us that there are things that are meant to happen. We may not understand it, and it may even hurt us at times but we must trust that God has a reason. Imagine if God answered the prayers of those who wanted to stop Jesus from being crucified? If Jesus had not died on the cross, we would all have gone to hell. We must also remember that there is victory in death, for we will be with our Lord.

Be careful of the greatest human weakness - judging from the external. We are shallow beings, easily enticed by things that are pleasant to the eyes, ears, and personal taste. We must focus on what is being said, rather than how it is said. Let us not believe anything anyone tells us unless it is validated by the Bible. It doesn't matter how it is presented, may it be pleasant to the ear or not. Ugly or pretty, the Bible will tell us whether it's true or not.

World’s wealth does not amount to much. With one economy, whatever wealth we have accumulated will not matter since we will all transact through the mark of the beast. What good is our money if we can no longer buy any food to eat of it? But let us rest in the fact that when we are in Christ, our resources are supplied. Let us focus on what God wants us to do next rather than where to get the next peso. God tells us, "You follow me, and I'll supply" He will give us our desires when He thinks it will be best for us.

Unity is not what is important - what unifies is! Hate for a common enemy can unite people who dislike each other. Galatians 3:26 tells us that we are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, that there are no Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free man, neither male nor female. All of us are one in Christ Jesus. Unity is not the key. What unifies is the key.

It is His Kingdom - not ours! His ways, His rules! The kingdom's rules are different from the ones imposed by this one government that will arise. As Christians, we are to subscribe to the rules of the kingdom. The rules of the kingdom change our lives to overcome the nonsense that this system produces. We all have to make a decision. The life we have today is our only chance to invest for eternity. We cannot invest once we are in His kingdom. Invest now what you want to reap for eternity because there will be no investments made after the Kingdom begins. Everything we do, from the money we make to the time we give, to the talent we use, will send our rewards ahead when we use them for God’s glory.

We are left with a thought to ponder on: Am I living ONLY for the here and now, or am I living in the present with an EYE on forever?

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Thank you and God bless!