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Bible Study: Shock
…preparing for end time shocking events
All events and all news stories between now and the Great
Tribulation come down to one single verse found in Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:22
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be
saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
God is going to allow events to go to a point where most all of
mankind will know they are about to expire.
At the Feast last year I gave a sermon with the title, “Final
Checklist.”
Element Five: Coping with Shock
The way you cope with the coming shock is to know that it is coming,
prepare yourself for it happening and invoke faith. It is Matthew
24:6 where Jesus says to you, "See that you be not troubled."
This was followed by several verses to help us with coping with
shock. We will get to these later.
Right now I want to explore these words from Jesus in verse 6 of
Matthew 24, “See that you be not troubled.”
Let us read the entire verse first
Matthew 24:6
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not
troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not
yet.
Notice the commentary...
see that ye be not troubled
- so as to leave the land of Judea as yet, and quit the preaching of
the Gospel there, as if the final destruction was just at hand;
~John Gill
Note:
The message that struck me here is the fact that shocking things are
going to happen. This followed by the admonition not to panic. Keep
doing the Work till I tell you differently. This will, of course, be
done by the power of the Holy Spirit in any number of ways. It could
be done via unction of the Holy Spirit, through the leaders of the
church and/or circumstances. The point of the verse is, when things
begin, do not panic.
Continuing in the commentary on Matthew 24:6
for all these things must come to pass
- these wars and the reports of them and the panic on account of
them; these commotions and slaughters, and terrible devastations by
the sword must be; being determined by God, predicted by Christ, and
brought upon the Jews by their own wickedness; and suffered in
righteous judgment, for their sin:
~John Gill
Note:
Clearly all of mankind will experience these things and not just the
Jews. On the other hand, using the perspective of the current
location of Israel [US,
UK, Australia, etc.],
we will see these "commotions and slaughters, and terrible
devastations by the sword" in them and most everywhere on the
planet. Notice the meaning, as given in the commentary, says that
there is an understandable panic in the human mind about all this.
God is telling us to be prepared for this.
Continuing in the commentary...
but the end is not yet
- meaning not the end of the world, but the end of Jerusalem, and
the temple, the end of the Jewish state; which were to continue, and
did continue after these disturbances in it.
~John Gill
Note:
Clearly speaking of what took place in 70 AD and the destruction of
the Temple. We know that the prophecy was not only for that time but
our end time. This phrase states that it will surely get worse. We
have to be prepared for the initial shock and then things getting a
lot worse.
I read the Wesley Explanatory Notes on this verse and it has us to
notice the verse says that we are "hearing" rumors of wars and
actual wars. The shock is coming about things in the distance. The
concept is saying that for some of us, the initial shock could be
distant before it is close. In either case there must be a
"foundation of tranquility" in our hearts and minds. I like this as
our stated goal coming out of this Bible study. I want each of you
to begin building or adding to your foundation of tranquility.
Scriptures on Tranquility - Being Tranquil
There are a number of scriptures that speak to having the long view
of all this and knowing that you will be in the Kingdom and death
having no real power over you. I want to specifically list those
verses that speak to us for the here and now of the shocking events.
Philippians 4:6-7, 19
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in
glory by Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ:
Ephesians 6:11
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.
Psalm 139:1-12
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast
searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest
my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with
all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou
knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot
attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from
thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in
hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost
parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold
me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night
shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as
the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
Notice a couple of scriptures that put what some would call a Godly
command or requirement but what I call the key to obtaining the
tranquility.
Luke 11:28
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God,
and keep it.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Notice what the scripture says a few lines down from this verse
28...
Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we
are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him
that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Notice now Romans 5
Romans 5:3-5
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that
tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
James 1:1-9
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the
twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and
entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all
men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth
is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the
Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
Okay, I do want to give you a great scripture that looks at the long
view---[you
will have eternal life]---but
at the same time speaks to the here and now:
2 Corinthians 4:15-18
15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might
through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish,
yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things
which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but
the things which are not seen are eternal.
These verses show how we best couch the long view in our minds. We
do it by how we establish our foundation of tranquility here and now
on a day-to-day basis. The shocks are going to come in waves over a
period of time. Several of those waves could be close together but
we do not care, for we are renewing our peace, calmness and
tranquility day-by-day as verse 16 says.
Notice the commentary...
Yet the inward man
- The soul; [the
heart and mind and spirit].
Is renewed
- Is renovated, strengthened, invigorated. His powers of mind
expanded; his courage became bolder; he had clearer views of truth;
he had more faith in God. As he drew nearer to the grave and to the
resurrection, his soul was more raised above the world, and he was
more filled with the joys and triumphs of the gospel. The
understanding and the heart did not sympathize with the suffering
and decaying body; but, while that became feeble, the soul acquired
new strength, and was fitting for its flight to the eternal world.
This verse is an ample refutation of the doctrine of the
materialist, and proves that there is in man something that is
distinct from decaying and dying matter, and that there is a
principle which may gain augmented strength and power, while the
body dies; compare note, Romans 7:22.
Quoted verse
Romans 7:22
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Day by day
- Constantly. There was a daily and constant increase of inward
vigor. God imparted to him constant strength in his trials, and
sustained him with the hopes of [the Kingdom], as the body was decaying,
and tending to the grave. The sentiment of this verse is, that in an
effort to do good, and to promote the salvation of man, the soul
will be sustained in trials, and will be comforted and invigorated
even when the body is weary, grows old, decays, and dies. It is the
testimony of Paul respecting his own experience; and it is a fact
which has been experienced by thousands in their efforts to do good,
and to save the souls of people from death.
Practical Considerations
There are all kinds of shocking events one could talk about and a
whole plethora of how we should physically, mentally and emotionally
deal with it. All one has to do is go to the Internet and type into
a search engine, “Coping with Disaster” and you will get all kinds
of resources. There are natural disasters, financial disasters and
man-made disasters and terrorist events. Here is a short list:
1] Hurricanes and tornados. I am thinking of
Katrina and 108 billion in damages
in 2005
2] Earthquakes. I am thinking of
Haiti and 316,000 deaths in 2010
3] Massive floods and wide spread wildfires. I am thinking of the
infamous
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in
New York where 146 deaths took place; mostly women; one as young as
11.
4] Tsunamis. Everyone remembers the earthquakes in Japan that killed
over 17,000 and affected most of the Pacific Ocean Rim countries.
Costs at last report: $235 billion; the most costly disaster in
history.
5] Famines. There were
4 major famines in China between
1810 and 1849. 45 million died.
6] Pestilence. Most have heard of the
Black Death – Bubonic Plague
[1338-1351] which killed 100 million.
7]
9/11
From this short list we are looking at almost 200 million dead,
trillions in damages and billions of lives affected. All of this is
shocking to me.
However, these known disasters are nothing when compared to what is
prophesied to come. How do we know this?
Matthew 24:21
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
So what is coming? Again, a short list. Everything you are about to
see on this list is pure speculation but based on strong indications
from the Bible in severity. That is, I am not offering this list as
predictions but as a tool to convey situations that would take one
way beyond the shock you may be feeling from the first list above.
1] Complete
economic collapse in North America
or throughout the entire world.
2]
Martial Law
3]
Massive food shortages which is
another word for famine. No food in the stores.
4] Political breakdown or
Anarchy
5] The US becoming a poverty-stricken,
3rd world nation.
6] Tens of millions dying of
pandemics.
Psalm 91:7
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right
hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
7]
Suspension of the Constitution, a
change in government and/or a dictator taking over the US.
8] A massive terrorist event such as a nuclear device going off in
the United States. See the article, "The
impact of nuclear attacks on U.S. cities."
9] An
EMP being launched on the US
knocking out all power.
10]
Assassinations and murders on a
national scale.
11]
The Beast and False Prophet
actually taking power.
12]
World War III. Invasion of North
America.
Now quickly imagine a number of these things happening at the same
time or in rapid succession. Definitely shocking.
These would be mind-numbing situations and our minds would be
traumatized, disturbed, horrified, dismayed and paralyzed.
Typical responses could be any or all of the following:
1] Shock and disbelief…a feeling of numbness or assault on the
senses.
2] Panic, general
3] Panic regarding distant family.
4] Runaway speculation, which if spread puts fear and panic in
others.
5] Wanting to turn off the TV or otherwise escape.
“I don’t want to hear it!”
6] Sadness, despair, anger, extreme selfishness and
self-preservation.
7] Substance abuse.
8] Sickness or general breakdown of health.
Action Steps
One can find all kinds of practical information on how to cope with
shock and disaster. What struck me about most of them is that they
were designed by the world for the world.
The key to firstfruit coping is Almighty God, through Jesus Christ
by the power of the Holy Spirit that is in us.
The action steps must be primarily based in and coming out of the
spiritual. Your foundation of tranquility must be a spiritual
foundation.
And now the verses I gave you in that sermon, “Final Checklist” for
the point, “Prepare for the shock.”
Psalm 27: 1-3
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD
is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to
eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear:
though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
Psalm 91:1-7
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God;
in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and
from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt
thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the
arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the
destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right
hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
1 Peter 3:14-15
14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and
be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to
give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
that is in you with meekness and fear:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by
spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of
Christ is at hand.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid.
Luke 21:17-19
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
Habakkuk 3:16-18
[speaking
of God using the Chaldeans to punish Israel for their sins]
16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice:
rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I
might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people,
he will invade them with his troops.
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be
in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields
shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and
there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my
salvation.
Here is the Action Steps list:
1] Stay close to God.
2] Be immersed in the Word of God. Notice I said “be” not “get”.
3] Study the two lists above.
Note: What you are doing here is making a study of disaster.
Get text, audio and video on the major disasters of the past. See
editorials, news stories and instructional text that speak to
possible future events such as natural disasters, terrorist acts,
EMP, Nuclear or Biological attacks, martial law and/or invasions.
Acclimate yourself to economic breakdown, food and water shortages
and persecution. “What would you do?” “How would you proceed?”
4] Pray
5] Invoke faith constantly in the protection and providence of God.
6] Eliminate fear, despair, worry or panic reflex.
7] Be a good steward now and in the face of potential disaster.
8] Constantly build and add to your foundation of tranquility.
I want to give you some quotes on building and/or invoking
tranquility [peace, calmness and faith].
“All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil
world, but we don't. And if our times are difficult and perplexing,
so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.”
“Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm.”
“The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his
influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the
beautiful jewels of wisdom.”
Remember Philippians 4 and verse 7…
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. |