As I have mentioned before, what I am trying to accomplish through this Word for the Week study of the biblical prophecies of the end times is to not just understand what is going to happen, but also why. Then we will apply this knowledge to our daily lives so we can be free of the evil that will cause the wrath of God to come, as well as liberators of others. So our goal is to always go beyond just understanding what is happening, but to be a part of God’s solution to man’s ultimate problems, which is one of the reasons for the church’s existence, to be the salt and light of the world. Therefore, an important Scripture for us in these times is Proverbs 2:1-12:
Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding;
For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding;
If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
Guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones.
Then you will discern righteousness and justice, and equity and every good course.
For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
Discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you,
To deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things.
Solomon referred to the man of sin as the “man who speaks perverse things,” or the antichrist. My point here is that many believe they will be delivered just because they faithfully go to church or because they try to live right. But if we do not have a hunger for understanding, we are likely to fall into the traps that are coming. As the Lord Himself warned in Revelation 3, lukewarmness is the worst condition that we could fall into. Lukewarmness is an ultimate delusion. How can anyone have met the living God, the consuming Fire, and not be on fire for Him? It would only be if we have allowed the cares and worries of this world to choke out the seed of life in us.
Those who have His fire burning in their hearts are passionate to get to know Him. They are the ones who, as we read in Proverbs 2, search for His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as if it were the greatest treasure on earth—because it is! What value could possibly be put on a single Word from God, or a single insight into His ways? Those whom have this true wisdom, to give themselves to that which is truly valuable in this life, are the ones who will be preserved and delivered from the one who speaks perverse things. Their wisdom, knowledge, and understanding will guide them, and keep them from the perverse one, and the perverse things which are happening in the world.
Of course the Lord could come and deliver us from all of our problems, but He has never done that for His people, and there is no biblical evidence that He is going to do that at the end. I believe in what is now referred to as “the rapture,” but there is not a single place in Scripture that states when this is going to come in relation to “the tribulation,” or “the great time of trouble.” It has always been the way of the Lord to use troubles to perfect His people, and the most perfect church of all will be the one perfected during the greatest time of troubles.
Those who have frivolously wasted their time instead of spending it getting to know the Lord are going to be in an increasingly difficult place. The lukewarm will be deceived. These are the ones who did not make their “calling and election sure” (II Peter 1:10). We are told that these are the ones who will fall away at the end.
Those who have “built their house on the Rock” (see Matthew 7:25) do not fear the storms that are coming. They are not concerned about going through the great tribulation because whether they do or not they know their lives have been built on a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and will stand any shaking that is coming in the world. This is the confidence that every Christian should have in their life. The other is nothing but a spiritual cop-out whicht has compelled many to live lives of irresponsibility that will no doubt cost them dearly in the times to come.
Keeping our first love, the fire and passion that we had in the beginning, is crucial for every Christian. As the church at Ephesus was warned by the Lord, if they did not return to their first love their candlestick would be removed from its place, indicating that they would no longer be considered a church. Those who do not keep their passion for the Lord will be the ones who fall away from the faith. There is nothing more important for us than keeping the love for Him that we had at first.
Therefore, this study to understand what is coming upon the world in these times is even more devoted to provoking the devotion to the Lord and knowing His ways that will keep us, whether we understand everything perfectly or not. Above all things, let us pursue the Lord and the knowledge of His ways. Let us pursue it above any profession or other success. The greatest of all human successes will be to hear on that great day of the Lord, “Well done good and faithful servant...” (Matthew 25:21) The greatest success we could ever know in this life is to live a life of obedience and devotion to the Lord. Those who have this wisdom will be kept from the evil one, as the text in Proverbs declares.