Signs Of The Last Days 50 [2 Tim 3:1-9] / Anne's Faith Column

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Signs Of The Last Days 50

[2 Tim 3:1-9]

 / Anne's Faith Column

 

 

/ By Priscilla

 

 

The signs of the last days

that Paul pointed out

in the early church times

 

 

 

are almost no different

from what we are practically

experiencing in our lives.

 

 

 

In fact, the signs are almost

the same as those of our

present age.

 

 

 

This is the right  time

when we Christians

should keep watch 

to show the power 

of godliness.

 

 

 

We should recognize

that the time of suffering

has arrived in the last days,

 

 

 

and tthat along with

selfishness, various forms

of sin are taking root

 

 

 

and affecting various

fields in our society

 

 

 

So, what are the signs

of the last days that

the Apostle Paul is

referring to?

 

 

 

"But mark this: There

will be terrible times

in the last days.

 

 

 

People will be lovers

of themselves,

lovers of money,

 

 

 

boastful, proud, abusive,

disobedient to their parents,

ungrateful, unholy,

without love,

 

 

 

unforgiving, slanderous,

without self-control, brutal,

not lovers of the good,

treacherous, rash,

conceited,

 

 

 

lovers of pleasure

rather than lovers of God

having a form of godliness

but denying its power."

(2 Tim 3:1 - 7)

 

 

 

Therefore,

the Apostle Paul sternly

rebukes and warns us

to get out of this kind

of worldly life as soon

as possible.

 

 

 

Instead,

he exhorts us to follow

Jesus Christ fully.

 

 

 

If we live without

clear values, we tend to

wander being confused

without a clear belief

or purpose in life.

 

 

 

The same goes

to the religious life.

 

 

 

'Demas', who followed

the Lord earnestly,

also went out to

the world.

 

 

 

Was it because

he missed the pleasures

of the world?

 

 

 

Today's secular culture

has such a ripple effect

that we are likely to fail

to live our faith without

a firm and clear belief

 

 

 

and fall for all kinds

of temptations.

 

 

 

We must first know

that God does not look

with favor and accept

foolish prayers such

 

 

 

as the 'Sacrifice of Cain'

offered to God only for

his own benefit.

 

 

 

If you have such thoughts,

you must repent and

throw them away.

 

 

 

When we look at the

history of the church

in the past, secularism

prevailed in the church,

 

 

 

and made it become

corrupt in the Middle Ages

and the power of the

papacy to be expanded,

 

 

 

causing a serious stir

between religion

and politics.

 

 

 

Although the form

of godliness remained,

due to the formal system

of the church that was

almost dead,

 

 

 

many who had pursued

godliness failed to withstand

oppression and severe

persecution,

 

 

 

and were also sick

of worldly ideas and 

lived a life of hiding and

fleeing to monasteries.

 

 

 

The church needs to

be awakened today.

 

 

 

We must not wander

outside the Lord,

but give up the world

in the Lord

 

 

 

and realize that

we are in crisis with

the syndromes that come

as a sign of the last days.

 

 

 

So we should not

just stand by this fact,

but start the awakening

movement ourselves first.

 

 

 

We must constantly

intercede for the church,

for the altars the Lord

has established,

 

 

 

and for the servants

and members of the Lord

in order not to become

a secular church.

 

 

 

To this end,

we must pray more

earnestly to God

the Holy Spirit

 

 

 

so that we can prepare

the foundation for

dwelling in the Lord.

 

 

Prayer

 

 

Thank you, Lord!

Please be the lamp

of our souls to sensitize us

spiritually

 

 

 

when the signs of

the last days appear,

 

 

 

and grant us discernment

of spirits to awaken us

to turn from sin and

become true Christians!

 

 

Amen

 

 

 

2009/09/14

 

 

/ By Priscilla