5. And Jesus began to say
to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.
6. "Many will come in My name,
saying, 'I am [He!'] and will mislead
many.
7. "And when you hear of wars
and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; [those
things] must take place; but [that is] not
yet the end.
8. "For nation will arise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there
will be earthquakes in various places; there will
[also] be famines. These things are
[merely] the beginning of birth
pangs.
9. "But be on your guard; for
they will deliver you to [the] courts, and you
will be flogged in [the] synagogues, and you
will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as
a testimony to them.
10. "And the gospel must first
be preached to all the nations.
11. "And when they arrest you
and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand about
what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in
that hour; for it is not you who speak, but [it
is] the Holy Spirit.
12. "And brother will deliver
brother to death, and a father [his] child;
and children will rise up against parents and have
them put to death.
13. "And you will be hated by
all on account of My name, but the one who endures to
the end, he shall be saved.
14. "But when you see the
ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not
be (let the reader understand), then let those who are
in Judea flee to the mountains.
15. "And let him who is on the
housetop not go down, or enter in, to get anything out
of his house;
16. and let him who is in the
field not turn back to get his cloak.
17. "But woe to those who are
with child and to those who nurse babes in those
days!
18. "But pray that it may not
happen in the winter.
19. "For those days will be a
[time of] tribulation such as has not occurred
since the beginning of the creation which God created,
until now, and never shall.
20. "And unless the Lord had
shortened [those] days, no life would have
been saved; but for the sake of the elect whom He
chose, He shortened the days.
21. "And then if anyone says to
you, 'Behold, here is the Christ'; or, 'Behold,
[He is] there'; do not believe
[him;]
22. for false Christs and false
prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders,
in order, if possible, to lead the elect
astray.
23. "But take heed; behold, I
have told you everything in advance.
It is not the purpose of
this Web site to study end-time events. For this
reason, I will simply say that there are many
interpretations of what Jesus says to His disciples in
this passage. Pray and read broadly to find reasonable
answers to the questions we'll all have in this area
of study.
Jesus is answering a question
posed by his disciples and discussed in
yesterday’s lesson. Basically the question is:
When is the world going to fall apart? Although this
should certainly be studied as it relates to countries
and kingdoms, don’t think that it can’t
apply to you personally today.
If you are involved with
pornography, a time is coming for a price to be paid.
It might cost you in health, certain relationships, or
business opportunities to name a few. Porn is not
neutral in its affects and it will never improve your
life. In addition, it will always cost you
spiritually. Do you think you can afford more loss of
peace, less joy, no patience, no love to give or
receive? Also, can you be a clear witness for Christ
if and when you are ever called before secular courts
and rulers to give an account?
Regarding the quiz above, I hope
you answered the first one true and the rest false. If
you did not, then you are living in fantasy, not
reality.
eXXit
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2003 by eXXit
*Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD
BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman
Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
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