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In Luke 21; Jesus was a question about what is going to happen in the last days. How will they know when He is going to return?
We see that there are going to be wars, rumors of wars. Kingdoms fighting against other kingdoms. There will be earthquakes, famines, plagues, and terrifying things happening in the world, but there will also be revival, pouring out of His Spirit, and great miracles by the Lord.
In verses 12-13, there is something that we do not want to think about happening, but we are seeing around the world today. “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors BECAUSE YOU ARE MY FOLLOWERS. BUT this will be your OPPORTUNITY to tell them about Me (Jesus).
In the last days, there will be a great falling away because we are not ready to suffer, face persecution, and go through difficult times. We are not prepared and filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that these kinds of things are going to happen, but we do not want to believe that we are going to face persecution, rejection, and suffer, simply for being a follower of Jesus.
Why, because this will give us a DIVINE OPPORTUNITY to share Jesus with people who need Jesus! Do we realize that God gives us opportunities to tell others about Jesus daily?
We need to be ready to suffer, but we also need to be ready to tell others about Jesus! In these last days, we cannot be ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of salvation!
Lord, help me to be ready and prepared to take up my cross and follow You!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Center (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws on many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and from significant emotional experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is receiving rave reviews. The daily devotion appears in this publication.
