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Bible Study: Shock
…preparing for end time shocking events
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MP3-Feast 2020
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.
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