WHAT ABOUT THE FAITH IN THE LAST DAYS?
Gen. 49:1
Morning Meditation 9/3/16
Genesis 49:1 says, “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.”
Jacob was a prophet. He gathered his sons together and told them what was going to happen in the last days. Why inform one of the inevitable? Can we be given information which will enable us to keep it from happening? I believe, first of all, that prophecy lets us know that God has a plan and knows what is going to happen. He is not surprised at what is happening, He predicted it! Second, I believe that the knowledge of what is going on can allow those who want to know and serve the Lord, avoid being responsibly involved in it. Acts 2:40 says, “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.”
Jeremiah prophesied that Babylon would win against Israel in war, take them captives into Babylon, and in substance told the people how to respond to the defeat. He told them it would happen, and they could not keep it from happening, and how they would fare the best by going along and accepting it as the will of God.
God has definitely given us prophecies of the last days. Let’s notice just a few things that are happening in our day as a fulfillment of prophecy.
First, there are an increasing number of false teachers who are a fulfilment of prophecy. 2 Pet. 2:1 says, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” Peter continues in chapter 3 and verse 3, and I believe, speaking of the same class of false prophets, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts” (2 Pet. 3:3). These false teachers “deny” the Lord. The word “deny” translates “arneoma” which means, “to deny or refuse.” It is not necessarily the denial of His existence but His right to control and exercise His Lordship. There are those who change the meaning of Scripture in order to avoid obedience. The way Christ exercises His Lordship over us is through the authority of His Word. To read a verse as a text, and then preach a sermon that does not explain the verse, is a practiced way of preaching one’s opinion that has no basis in Scripture at all, and sad to say, is a common practice of our day. There are a lot of “damnable heresies” and some go so far as to “deny” the Lord that bought them.
Second, there is a departure from the faith that is prophesied in God’s Word. Paul said, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim 4:1-2). The words “latter times” definitely identifies this as a prophecy of the last days. The word “times” translates “kairos” which means “a fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for.” That fixed time is the last days of the church. Paul is teaching Timothy (and all other preachers) how to behave themselves in the house of God: chapter 3 and verse 15 says, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” A local church can have the right doctrine and practice when what is described here is going on. Paul tells Timothy that what I am saying is the Holy Spirit’s message, i.e., The “Spirit speaketh expressly.” Then he says “Some shall depart from the faith.” Thank the Lord for words like “some.” That gives those who really follow the Lord at the time of the apostasy a way out. We know from statements like this that “all” are not going to “depart from the faith.” The words “shall depart” means “to fall away, to become faithless.” It is a future tense which means that it had not happened at the time Paul was writing Timothy. It is a prophecy of the latter times. Since Paul taught the imminent return of Christ, this is presented to Timothy as a possibility in his day, and issues a warning that will protect him from involvement. This is one of the great reasons for prophecy. It enables us to know the times. Daniel knew the time of Israel’s bondage in Babylon because of his study of prophecy: “In the first year of his reign I Daniel UNDERSTOOD BY BOOKS the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem” (Dan. 9:2). (Caps mine).
Third, the prophesy of people “without natural affection.” This is found in Second Timothy chapter 3 and verse 3: “Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good . . .” There are several things mentioned here but let’s just look at the words “without natural affection.” This whole phrase translates “astorgos”, one word, and means, “without natural love or being inhuman.” The root word is “stergo” which means “to cherish affectionately.” Then this word has an “a” on the front of the word that makes it mean the very opposite. It is like our word “righteousness” when it adds the “un” on the front of it and reverses the meaning. When you see a mother who deposits her new born baby in a garbage can, or places him on the doorsteps of someone, or murders her children because they are interfering with her life, she is definitely a fulfillment of this prophecy. Have you heard about things like this happening in our day? It is happening every day. What do we do about it? Win the unsaved and disciple them in the Word of God. We will not change society. But we have the glorious privilege of preaching “good news for bad people” which is what we do when we preach the gospel. It is not “good advice” as Roy Hession used to say, but, it is good news. There is forgiveness for the one without natural affection.
Fourth, there is the prophecy of the infiltration of the unsaved into the Church. I will not have room in this meditation to quote the parable of the tares. But I urge you to read it again. It is given by the Lord in Matthew 13:24-30 and then interpreted by Him in Matthew 13:36-43. The tares (unsaved children of Satan) are sown by one called “the enemy” while “men slept.” The men who slept are those who are children of the Kingdom who should have been watching over the fields. Since they didn’t, “the enemy” took advantage of the situation and planted his “tares among the wheat.” Many preachers are trying to lead a congregation where some of, if not many of them, are unsaved. Can you imagine the difficulty of a man of God trying to get his people to be spiritual and walk by faith when they have no Spiritual discernment (1 Cor. 2:14)? An unsaved church member would come as near understanding a Scriptural message as you would a foreign language that you had never had one lesson in. One of the prophesies the Lord made concerning the last days is that Satan would sow tares in the field with the wheat. They will be growing together.
Fifth, Jesus will be seeking entrance into the Church not the Church seeking Him to enter. This is clearly brought out in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Professing Christians today don’t like the way Jesus Heads up the Church. So they take over and in their committees they do it the way they want to. When this happens, out Jesus goes. He will occupy no other position in the Church. He is either the Head or He is out! But there is hope for the person who is in that kind of a Church. He said, “If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” That’s DOUBLE SUPPING! Amen, and that is grace.
May the Lord bless these world to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
