Tuesday, June 2, 2015

What Will the Church Look Like in the Last Days?



As we see things spiraling out of control around us, not only in our own country, but in the world, we can see we are growing ever closer to the coming of Jesus Christ. Yet there are still many things that haven't happened yet according to Bible Prophecy, but I believe we are seeing the stage being set and Jesus can come at any time for the church. We just don't know when, but He did advise us to be prepared and to watch for His coming.

So what will the church be like in the last days? I believe that we are beginning to see the changes happening within churches even now. When we look at the book of Revelation, we can see that Jesus wrote letters specifically to the 7 churches of that day. There were more than 7, but these were definitely places of influence that served large geographical locations when you connect their locations on a map.

In Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus speaks to the Church of Laodicea, which will be the kind of church we see becoming quite popular just before the return of Jesus. Yet out of all the letters to the seven churches, this was the worst out of all of them. Jesus had nothing kind to say about them at all. This is the church that looks like a church from the outside, has a cross on it, well known in the community, but Jesus isn't in it at all. He's trying to get in.



The church is so compromised and so loved by the world, that it is just like the world it resides in. No one gets saved here. The doctrine of the Bible is missing, the worship and message from the pastor are 100% carnal. This was a dangerous church. They were a recreational church, concerned more about what people thought about them, not God. They were living a lie and they were poisonous.

It is a liberal, compromisng church. The pastor won't stand up for God. He doesn't preach the Word of God, he preaches what the people want to hear. He leads people down the same path he is following. He wanted to blend in with the city. He refused to be faithful to what the Bible says. They weren't even reading the Bible. The church began to take on the personality of the pastor.

They were a wealthy church, so much so, that they didn't need God's help any longer. They could handle things just fine on their own. Everyone was welcome here, there is no judging people on what they believe because all the beliefs are accepted here.

Sound familiar?

Lately, you see in the news and on social media, the various churches that are beginning to change the way they have done things. To appeal to a broader, more diverse group of people. They want to reach everyone and are starting to water down the message of the Bible because they don't want to offend anyone. It is becoming more of a place to be and be seen, than to hear the truth and Word of God. In a sense, they are literally kicking God out.

For me, this is just another sign of the end drawing ever closer. We see more church pastors and leaders willing to compromise on what they are telling their churches and even will go so far as to not speak out against the things God says we should. Their focus is on wealth and prosperity. They pull scriptures from the Bible that will lead and have led many people astray in their thinking.

May we pray that our churches stand up in the face of adversity and the end times. That we won't cave to the pressures of the world around us and stand on the absolute truth of the Bible. That we won't back down on the issues Jesus would have us defend and may we pray for our pastors to stay strong in the world that is slowly beginning to compromise in light of what the world wants instead.

What is worse, is when Christians adopt this attitude. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, need to take a hard look at the life we are modeling to the world. Are we compromising? Are we becoming apathetic to the things God wants us to get involved in? Have we stopped praying and growing spiritually in the Word of God. If so, you might want to rededicate yourself to God and possibly look for another church if yours is showing signs on Laodicea. Now as the days and times grow darker it is ever more important for us to stand on God's Word and not compromise. The world is looking for what a real Christian looks like, will they see that in you?

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