Earlier this year we spoke of the literal translation of our Lord’s prophecy in Matthew 24 concerning the end of this age. In it He said immediately preceding His return to establish His kingdom on earth there would be a time of His parousia or “presence.” Many biblical prophecies speak of this, and together they give us a clear picture of what this might look like. Through them, we can both see and prepare for these prophecies which are now unfolding.
The time of the Lord’s parousia or presence is to prepare God’s people for His coming kingdom, who will, in turn, prepare the world for His kingdom. For example, the Lord said when He returned, He would separate the nations as sheep or goats. Many have now resolved to see their nations become sheep nations and avoid becoming “goats.” We may expect this emphasis to increase and be effective if we focus on the Lord’s definition of sheep and goat nations and not try to interpose our own ideal definitions.
Idealism is a form of humanism rooted in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not the tree of life. The “good” side of the tree of knowledge is as deadly as the evil side. It can lead people into humanism and away from the only true path of life. Humanism is based on human perspectives and remedies. However, the crises this world now faces are beyond human remedies and understanding and can only be solved by returning to God. This is our ultimate calling: to turn the nations back to the Lord from their resolve to sever their ties with Him as predicted in Psalm 2.
The Lord not only has the answers, but He is also the Answer to every human problem. The great time of trouble we are now entering will help the world understand the folly of trying to run this world or their own personal lives without Him. To help prepare the way for His kingdom, we must understand this, so we are not led astray from the truth.
We will unpack the sheep and goat nations later, but for now, we must remember the first thing the Lord said when asked about the signs of the end of this age, “Don’t let anyone deceive you” (see Matthew 24:4). Deception is already at the worst level the world has ever experienced, and as this level increases, we must moor ourselves ever more firmly to the truth and love of the truth.
For this reason, we must be in a church that is devoted to preaching sound doctrine and addressing the crucial issues of our times with insight and wisdom so we can respond to them. We have entered the last, greatest battle between light and darkness. In this battle, no one can stay neutral. We are in the prophetic “Valley of Decision” in which everyone must choose a side. Now is the time to choose and take our stand with the One who is the Truth, as told in Psalm 32:6-9:
For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near. You are my hiding place; You will preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, that have no understanding, that must be harnessed with bit and bridle or they will not come near you.
Now is the time to seek Him. If we wait until the floods are overwhelming us, it may be too late to build our house on the Rock that can withstand the storms. The Lord does not want to relate to us as beasts that must be controlled by bits and bridles. He has called us to be His sons and daughters, to sit with Him on His throne, and to have authority over the conditions that might bring our house down and sweep us away along with the rebellious (see Revelation 3:21). We can only save those who are drowning if we are standing on solid ground, and there is no stronger foundation than being yoked to the Lord Himself.
