Where we are in the last days

I dug deeper into scripture

Jesus famously foretells the end times circumstances in Matthew 24. I was listening to All Things Gospel ATL (Pastor Aaron), and I wondered: what if each one of us knew when the end times would -not come, but begin to matter to us, and what our own deeds and fate would be?

In Matthew 24, the Jews are told (point blank) of their tribulation. Battles would occur around them while they try to find out and fail, countries will be overrun, THEN, many of them perish, the rest told lies. The gospel the apostles held is made known worldwide, AFTER that then end comes. What end? The antichrist standing on the Temple Mount triggers a mass evacuation. Great tribulation. Then it all STOPS and the sun and moon darken -Jesus returns overhead Jerusalem. This is for the Jews. Not us, exactly.

And I wondered if the book to read, instead of Revelations, or divining a proverbial fig tree’s shoots — was Jude.

So he says we should all struggle (and it is a struggle) for the faith given the apostles. He speaks of man’s evil thoughts, evil words, evil deeds, their lost souls disgusted with themselves, beasts by nature. And I know that each soul who calls to God is a saved soul. Then by the time the fight is over with — the fight within, we shall be with the Lord whether in spirit or whole and taken.

PS. I was also doing some research on the antichrist, and the 3 sinful cities which are Damascus, Beirut (the city by the bay), and Jerusalem. Perhaps these are related to the 3 horns uprooted before the little horn -the antichrist.

A friend gave me a clue as to the antichrist’s nature -he is a horn of a beast, but speaks and perceives as a man, a compassionate, charitable person. Probably nobody will see him coming.

Syria, Lebanon and Israel are already at war and armies have gathered around the Middle East. One by one, these ancient cities will fall, and we will be able to guess the months or weeks up to Jesus’ return. Until then I shall re-read Jude.