What lies ahead for believers in Christ as our faith may be challenged?

What lies ahead for believers in Christ as our faith may be challenged?

The possibility of our faith becoming the target from evil demons who dress just like us and will stop at nothing are predicted in more than one prophet.  

Looking at the probability that we who are living in the 21st century will no doubt see much of this end-times prophecy as the evil of men who are without God come to fruition.

Interpreting a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar had, Daniel gave this prediction; “In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will  set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed of delivered up to another people; rather it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.”  (Dn 2: 44).  

While I, Daniel, sought the meaning of the vision I had seen, a manlike figure stood before me, and on the Ulai I heard a human voice that cried out, “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”  When he came near to where I was standing, I fell prostrate in terror.  But he said to me, “Understand, son of man, the vision refers to the end time.”  (Dn 8: 15 - 17).  

In the first year of Darius, son of Ahasuerus, and in the first year of his reign I, Daniel tried to understand in the Scriptures the counting of the years of which the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah: that for the ruins of Jerusalem seventy years must be fulfilled.   (Dn 9: 2). 

Gog and Magog: with predictions; Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: Thus says the Lord God: When my people Israel are dwelling in security, will you not bestir yourself and come from you home in the recesses of the north, you and many peoples with you, all mounted on horses, a great horde and a mighty army?  You shall come up against my people Israel like a cloud covering the land.  In the last days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know of me, when in their sight I prove my holiness through you, O Gog.  (Ez 38: 14 - 16).

Lo, a day shall come for the Lord when the spoils shall be divided in your midst.  And I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battleL the city shall be taken, houses plundered, women ravished: half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be removed from the city.  Then the Lord shall go forth and fight against those nations, fighting as on a day of battle.  That day his feet shall rest upon the Mount of Olives.  (Zec 14: 1 - 4).

Note that with the commissioning of the disciples before his Ascension, they were to go to the mountain in Galilee which is known as the Mount of Olives  (Mt 28: 16 - 18)..  

After Jesus commissioned the 11 disciples he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.  While they looked intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them .  They said, “ Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?  This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”  Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount of Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away.  (Acts 1: 9 - 12).

Any of us might be counting the events that are so close to World War III and wonder if these events listed partially above are actually on the horizon of human history.  We aren’t certain if the Tribulation is in fact within our lifetime (2026) but the writings from Daniel, Ezekiel,  Zecharieh, or Jeremiah are in fact real enough for us to become concerned.  However, much of what we read from these prophets are confirmed with the Book Of Revelation.  There sometimes may not be enough current prophets (writers and preachers) to make this scenario a current prediction of God’s Word to gently shake the shoulders of sleepers who have just awakened from a slumber of “O well who cares.”  We are not making new predictions of a future that may already be upon us, but to just reiterate what the ancient prophets already pronounced from what God sent them to warn the rest of us.  

Ralph B. Hathaway