Date: Wednesday, 23rd October, 2024
Text: Matthew 24:4-14
Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan
Exhortation:
The current events shaking many parts of the world should not come as a surprise to God’s people. Christ already gave us privileged information in today’s text where he told us of certain events that would precede his coming. He said, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24: 4-14
The Holy Spirit, through Apostle Paul also gave us privileged information concerning the times we are in saying, “There will be difficult times in the last days. People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious; they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, and fierce; they will hate the good; they will be treacherous, reckless, and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Are we expected to join the bandwagon of evil because majority is in it? Of course, no! The devil is only playing his last set of cards, knowing that the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is so near, and he has only a short time left. We must be intentional in living blamelessly holy and without spot.
Prayer Nugget: Ask for the grace to stay pure in the midst of a corrupt world.