Today's Passage - Matthew 24:15-28

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Matthew 24:15-28    "... at that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the wilderness,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east in visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather."             In this passage of scriptures, Jesus quoted Daniel 9:27, which says, "And one who causes desolation will come upon the wing of the abominable temple". Daniel's prophecy was fulfilled once at 168 BC during the Maccabean Dynasty. Back then the king gave offerings to Zeus in the temple and declared the beliefs of Jewish as illegal, which brought desolation to the temple. But Jesus said, this prophecy refers not only to what happened back at Maccabean Dynasty, but also the great tribulation that we will face at His second coming. When Jesus returns, the antichrist will carry out its deceiving works full force. And when the great tribulation comes, situations will be worsened and the elect will be persecuted.             Before the great tribulation comes, there are many sayings of false prophets and many come in His name. If we look at this generation, we have heard many predicting when Jesus Christ is coming again. There was a very famous Christian broadcaster in the bay area, who predicted when the time of Jesus' return, and of course it didn't come to pass. These let us see that, although the antichrist is not here, not the spirit of antichrist is already at work. The day of the Lord is really near, may He help us not to remain Christians that do not understand the will of God.             The Lord asked us to be alert, for He said, "Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." When we see carcass, we would know that cultures will come; in the same way, when we see all these things happening, we know that the second coming of Jesus is near. May the Lord help us to be alert and of sober mind, for the Lord has revealed His will to us. But we always miss His presence and His works because we are hindered by our own busyness and misconceptions. May the Lord help us to be sensitive to His will and to walk on His path.   Pray with Pastor Tong     Dear Lord, I thank You, for You have revealed things of the future to us so that we can be prepared. May You prepare our hearts so that we can be ready for Your return. I thank You and I pray all these in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!