August 20: ENDURANCE!
“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13
Jesus warned of the political upheaval, economic instability, violence, wars, and natural disasters to come upon this planet in Matthew 24. Sheer craziness and insanity are bearing down upon us today like never before. The warnings of Jesus are not to frighten us or cause us to wring our hands. No indeed! He is preparing us for these realities. He wants His people to be prepared – and not to be caught off guard.* This is the opposite of what our sworn enemy wants, which is to deceive us and catch us by surprise. Preparation is something about which we have a choice. To be properly prepared, we must choose to be active participants in the process. Do not choose passivity, or you risk being swept away by whatever is “trending.” Only godly character, fully submitted to the Holy Spirit, can resist what the majority puts forth as sound reasoning.
It is a faith-builder to personally witness the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy (see John 13:19; 14:29). Jesus fulfilled many prophecies during His earthly ministry. Notice how often the word fulfill appears in Matthew’s account alone. While Jesus walked among us, He uttered additional prophecies, some of which have been fulfilled, and others which will be coming into their fulfillment right before our watching eyes.
The youngest disciple among the original twelve, John, became the only original disciple left alive to experience old age. The others were most likely martyred, based on extrabiblical historical records. But the same Jesus who addressed His disciples in Matthew is also addressing the beloved disciple John,** so that we who are alive in the last days can carry the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19-20) to our hurting world with confident endurance.
Jesus continues in the verse following our opener: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (24:14) This amazing verse gives us insight into the faith of Jesus in His followers! This is because He empowers them with His Spirit. Not only does Jesus prophesy confidently of gospel preaching in the last days, He provides His disciple John with specific last-day issues for His people to address. They are spelled out for us between Revelation 14:6 and 12. The “Great Commission” and the “Everlasting Gospel” are the same. Both consist of “all things that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20) Its fulfillment will require endurance and much patience on the part of God’s faithful in the last days.
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. . . Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:6,12
* One of the false teachings that has risen to prominence in recent decades, conceived centuries ago by Catholic scholars assigned to invent something to counteract the Reformation, is the idea of a “secret rapture” that will silently whisk away the church before the final plagues of judgement fall. This teaching was designed by the enemy to destroy the faith of millions who are still alive during the tumultuous days just before Jesus returns. Only a love of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10) will overcome this powerful delusion.
** John’s youthfulness likely rendered him especially sensitive to the love that emanated from Jesus. The love that he experienced in his young days stayed with him throughout his life. Five times he referred to himself as a disciple whom Jesus loved: John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20