Words of Caution

July 12
WORDS OF CAUTION TO THE LAST DAYS CHURCH

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also." John 15:18-20

“Son of man, I am sending you to...a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me...I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they listen or not—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words...neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house.

But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious...go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me.

“Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate. He said to me, ‘Son of man, take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely...speak My truth to My people, even if they will not hear’”-Ezekiel 2:1-3:11.

"…They have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." -Isaiah 5:24

"To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord has become an object of scorn to them; they have no delight in it." -Jeremiah 6:10

"For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, You must not see visions, And to the prophets, You must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions." -Isaiah 30:9-10

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." -II Timothy 4:3-4

Those who have an ear to hear can hear Jesus speaking to His Church now: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

"Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,'and you do not know that you are wretched and poor and blind and naked." -Revelation 3:15-17

Of course, the eternal tragedy is that Jesus also said: "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." -Luke 9:26

We are living in sobering times. It is not lost upon us that Christians in the age of Nero were certain he was the antichrist; those who were overrun by the Mongolian hordes under Genghis Kahn were certain the worst evil of the ages had befallen them; many believers had no doubt that Hitler or Stalin fit the description of the evil entity that would be used at the end of times to bring the earth to chaos.

But, none of them ushered in the destruction that would be the final great conflagration on earth. Today it seems again that evil is on the ascendancy and we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ must stand stalwartly against it. We must heed the warnings of scriptures and be sure the Holy Bible will not prove to be wrong in its warnings.

Whether this is the day and the hour when Christ will return or whether He will delay His coming another thousand years, we must purify ourselves so we will be ready for His appearing—whether He comes for all His people in the clouds in great glory or whether He comes for each of us individually—let us be cleansed by His blood from all unrighteousness so we will rejoice at His appearing.