The Bible warns us that in the Last Days, Perilous times would come. One of the primary characteristics of these perilous times is the attitude of people. Paul describes the people of “the last days” as being “lovers of self” (aka narcissistic). The last days would be a society filled with people who are proud🏳️🌈 and boastful, 🤳🏻who have blasphemed God 😈and disobeyed their own parents. Paul tells us the people of this time would be ungrateful with a sense of “entitlement“. They would falsely accuse others of wrongdoing, even while they were living an ungodly, unholy life. The vast majority of people in the last days would even go so far as to be “fierce despisers of anything that is good (Godly). Due to their own lawlessness (hating the laws and precepts of God), they would be traitorous, turning in fellow Christians or fellow citizens to the authorities. Constantly in pursuit of pleasure, they would be enticed into all manners of sin, while vehemently resisting the truth. This would then lead to them having a corrupted or “reprobate mind”. (2 Timothy 3:1-13)
A “reprobate mind” happens when God takes His Hand off of a person’s life and gives them over to the sins that they are pursuing. A reprobate mind is sad because those with a reprobate mind are pretty much cut off from God. Those with a reprobate mind often experience depression, anxiety, panic attacks, fear, worry, loneliness, and severe mental torment/suffering. Constantly chasing the “next high/pleasure”, they are never satisfied or fulfilled. Without God (YHWH/JESUS CHRIST/HOLY SPIRIT) in their lives, they continually look to other “gods” to heal their brokenness. Sadly, these “gods” do not heal them, but only leave them in a worse condition. Miserable, angry, jealous, they continue to lash out at God’s Holy people, those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and made Him Lord of their lives, living out Biblical values and principals as directed by God’s Holy Spirit.
Matthew 24:9: “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name (JESUS). 10 And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.
In the Gospels, Jesus Himself explained that in the Last Days Christian persecution would rise to unprecedented levels. He said because of the severe persecution, many (not a few, but MANY) would fall away from the Faith. Lukewarm believers’ WEAK commitment to Christ will lead them to “walk away” from the faith because they are unwilling to pay the high cost which comes with following christ. (Luke 14:28-30) Some will even deceive and turn traitor to former friends, perhaps to escape persecution. Though they may once have seemed to love Christians, such people will act in hate.
How can we Christ followers stand strong in our faith amidst growing persecution from both inside and outside of the Church? How can we live victoriously in perilous times?
The Bible is our Instruction manual on how to deal with persecution.
Christian persecution is ramping up in the last days, but it is nothing new. The early church was severely persecuted by both the Pagans AND the Jews.
During the apostle Paul’s 2nd missionary Journey, the Holy Spirit🕊️gave Paul a vision of a man in Macedonia pleading for help. 🙏🏻This would be Paul’s first trip into Europe. God was expanding his tent pegs. Philippi and Thessalonica were two provinces in Macedonia (Northern Greece), and at the time of the Apostle Paul, part of the Roman Empire. On his 2nd missionary journey Paul preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Philippi where he eventually planted the first European church.
When Paul first arrived in Philippi, it was a very pagan city with many shrines to the “god of wine” called Dionysius. The women of Philippi played a major role in pagan worship and typically held the “goddess” Diana as their favorite. There were very few Jews located in Philippi, and apparently no synagogue. As Christ followers, we understand that these pagan “gods” are demons and fallen angels.
In the book of Acts, Chapters 16-17, the bible tells us about the severe persecution Paul and Silas endured in Macedonia. God had sent them right into “the belly of the beast”. While preaching the Gospel in Philippi, a slave woman with a spirit of divination followed Paul and Silas around the city chanting “These men are bondservants of the Most High God who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation”. Paul grew very irritated at her continual chanting and commanded the spirit to come out of her. One would think that being delivered from demonic oppression would be a wonderful thing…but her masters were not pleased. They had been using the spirit of divination to tell people’s fortunes for their own personal gain. When they saw that she was no longer able to make any money for them, they grew very angry.
In-fact, they were so angry that they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. Paul and Silas were accused of being “Jews” who were “proclaiming customs that were not lawful for Roman citizens”.
Paul and Silas were being accused of SEDITION!! Who else has recently been accused of SEDITION? This is what happens when truth is distorted and when Satan’s rule is 😈THREATENED. There is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
“Four Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 attack”
WASHINGTON — A jury on Monday convicted four members of the Oath Keepers of seditious conspiracy in the second batch of guilty verdicts related to the “extremist group’s” efforts to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
It is our understanding that many people who attended the January 6th, 2020, protest in Washington DC have endured the harshest of conditions in jail. Some claim to be “severely beaten and tortured. Some were thrown into solitary confinement.
Tucker Carlson: Government agents may have helped organize the Jan. 6 Capitol riot | Fox News
GUT WRENCHING PLEA FOR HELP! January 6th Detainee’s TELL ALL Letter to the American Public from DC GITMO — Please Help This Abused Man | The Gateway Pundit | by Cara Castronuova
Accused of being Jews who were stirring up “Sedition” against Rome, Paul and Silas were thrown into the deepest, darkest recesses of a Roman Prison. Of course, at this time the Philippians had NO IDEA that Paul and Silas were not only Jewish, but also ROMAN CITIZENS themselves. These accusations of LIES cloaked in “partial and distorted truths” whipped up the angry mob into a frenzy. With the magistrate’s approval and help, they tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and beat them with rods. After striking them with “many blows” 😦they threw them into the dungeon.
Can you imagine? Here are Paul and Silas, BLOODIED and BEATEN, sitting on the hard, cold floor in the dungeon of a Roman prison. I can imagine that there had been many stories about the brutality and horror of being thrown into a Roman prison – left there to die. They were in pain from their wounds. Perhaps they were cold (their clothes had been ripped off of them). They were likely hungry and thirsty. The deepest, darkest recesses of the prison were dark and foreboding. The smells and the sounds of other inmates screaming was probably sickening. Would they ever be released? Was this the end for Paul and Silas?
How did Paul and Silas respond? How would WE respond?
Paul and Silas did not complain, murmur or groan. They did not get angry with God for allowing this trial. Instead…they did the unthinkable. 😲
Acts 16:25 Now about midnight Paul and Silas were praying🙏🏻 and singing hymns🎶 of praise to God🙌🏻, and the prisoners were listening to them;
Paul and Silas were PRAISING GOD! How could this be? They were beaten, bloodied, cold, hungry, thirsty, tired, and sitting in the dark. They were INNOCENT and thrown in jail on “trumped up charges!” They had no idea how long they would be there or if they would EVER get out. And yet…they were SINGING HYMNS and PRAISING GOD? Yes!!! And…the other PRISONERS were LISTENING to them! I’m quite sure this was shocking to the other prisoners. Nobody had EVER done that before! Who in their “right mind” would be praising a God who would allow this type of pain? Paul and Silas’s reaction was completely OPPOSITE of what would be considered “normal”.
Why were the other prisoners listening to Paul and Silas? Because through Christ Jesus we have HOPE! Biblical Hope is not wishful thinking…it is THOUGHTFUL KNOWING. In a dark and foreboding place, God’s LIGHT was SHINING BRIGHT. 💡 God’s light always shines brightest in the darkest of places!
As Paul and Silas Praised the Lord Jesus Christ, the walls of the jail started to shake and quake, and the prison doors were thrown OPEN!
Acts 16:25: Now about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
When the jailer awoke and saw that the prison doors were thrown open and that the prisoners all likely escaped, he prepared to kill himself. He understood that Rome would do far worse to him if the prisoners had escaped under his “watch”. 😱
But did Paul, Silas and the other prisoners take this opportunity to escape from their jail cell? 🤔 No! Paul shouted to the jailer…
Acts 16:28: But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”
What was the frightened jailer’s response?
Acts 16:29: And the jailer asked for lights 🕯️and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas; 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
The Bible tells us that the jailer took Paul and Silas to his own home, bandaged their wounds and gave them some food to eat. The jailer and his whole household believed the Gospel (Good News) ✝️ and were baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. (Note: Water baptism is not necessary for salvation. Water baptism is merely an outward symbol of what takes place inside of us when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior)
This was the beginning of the First Church in Europe. What does this mean for us today in the 21st century? Will God always shake the prison doors and set the captives FREE? Spiritually – yes, definitely! Jesus Christ came to set the captive FREE! All those who are enslaved to sin are set FREE when they BELIEVE in Jesus Christ and make Him their LORD and SAVIOR! There are people every day who get saved and set free from anger/rage, alcoholism, drug addictions, gambling or sex addictions, greed, gluttony and the like. They get set free from the slavery to sin that is destroying their life, their marriage, their family!
Can God literally, supernaturally shake prison doors and release physical prisoners as He did with Paul and Silas? Yes, of course. God can do anything! It depends on God’s Will.
Praising God under the most difficult of circumstances is one of the highest forms of worship. Praising Jesus during a fiery trial confuses the enemy. 😖 Satan’s “game” is to afflict mankind so badly that man will “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). That is Satan’s 😈plan and goal. Satan believes that mankind will only Praise God when things are going well. He cannot even begin to grasp the possibility that mankind would Praise God when he’s in pain, when he’s suffering, or when he’s falsely accused. But when we Praise God because we KNOW that God (Father/Son/Holy Spirit) is WORTHY of our praise, no matter our circumstances….well, that completely confuses the dark kingdom.
We began this post wondering…HOW can we stand strong in the face of persecution?
- Do not be afraid of those who can kill only the body. Fear (Revere) God who can throw both body and soul in hell/lake of fire. (Matthew 10:28)
- Remember those who have gone before us and how THEY handled persecution and suffering. – Jesus, the Apostles, the prophets. (Hebrews 11) The Bible tells us that the apostles REJOICED at being found worthy to suffer for the Name of Jesus! (Acts 5:41)
- KNOW that JESUS CHRIST suffered FOR US and is WITH US in our suffering! Jesus said He would “never leave or forsake us”. (Hebrews 13:5). When Paul and Silas were in that jail, they were NEVER ALONE! Holy Spirit 🕊️was there with them the whole time!
- TRUST and BELIEVE that God LOVES us and that His promises are TRUE. No matter what, God gives His people a future and a hope! Walk by faith not by sight. (Jeremiah 29:11)
- Keep an eternal perspective. The bible says that this “momentary light affliction is not to be compared to the GLORY that is to be REVEALED in US! We suffer for a “moment”, but we will have an eternity of joy and glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
- Praise God in the presence of our enemies! This confuses the enemy and can facilitate our release.
- Pray 🙏🏻and stay together! Support one another! Paul and Silas faced the enemy together. Members of the Church were PRAYING FOR THEM! The Church needs UNITY in this hour of trial!
- Believe our God is still a God of MIRACLES!
One of the hallmarks of living in the Last Days is that Christian Persecution would ramp up to unprecedented levels around the globe. We live in an “antichrist world”. Many areas of the world have always experienced extreme Christian persecution, but now we are also seeing it in the west. We are seeing persecution in places where we have never seen it before. It generally follows the same pattern. The enemy wants to silence and shut down opposing voices. He uses the authorities and governments to do this. He will also use “religions” like he used the Jewish leadership to attack believers in the days of Christ and the apostles. He used the pagans who were concerned about their “pocketbooks”. Today, radical elements of religions such as Islam, Hinduism, and Wokeism have been known to severely persecute Christians. These governments/antichrist religions demonize Christians and stir up the rest of the population to attack and burn down churches. Nearly 100 Churches have been burnt to the ground in Canada over the past two years (2022-2023). The media is also complicit as the mouthpiece for the wicked governments. Bible believing Christians will be censored, silenced, mocked, reviled, demonized, jailed, beaten, tortured and even killed. Many Bible believing Christians will be abandoned and betrayed by family and friends.
The Bible says that because of persecution MANY lukewarm CHRISTIANS will fall away from the faith in the last days! Let that not be us! Let us be found standing FIRM in our FAITH ✝️ , ROCK-SOLID 🪨because Jesus Christ is coming soon! 🎺👑
We may just see literal prison doors shake open! We may see MANY prisoners set free when they HEAR us PRAISING GOD in the midst of suffering and pain! We may even SEE the jailers and those who persecute us come to the FAITH!
Holy Spirit brought a dream to mind that I had a few years ago on January 3rd, 2014. 🕊️ Please pray for discernment. The book of Joel tells us that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh, and grant dreams and visions to His servants.
In the dream I was sitting at a seaside restaurant that appeared to be on a pier. The walls of the restaurant were glass so you could sit there and look out at the ocean while you ate. People had gathered there and were enjoying themselves. Then suddenly, I looked out the glass wall and saw a gigantic wave heading right for us. Then, my vision was directed to a plaque on the wall that read “JANUARY 6” no year was given. Nobody else seemed to notice the massive wave. It hit the restaurant with such force that it SHOOK it nearly off its foundation. At this point, the attitude of the people changed. They were now panicking and screaming. The restaurant was shaken but stood intact. Then, I looked again just as a SECOND WAVE hit the restaurant. This second wave hit with such force that the restaurant was completely knocked off its foundation, broke apart, and crashed into the sea. Just as it hit, I jumped into the water. For some reason, I was able to escape the glass breaking and the restaurant being destroyed. — Perhaps this is a picture of the Rapture?
When January 6th, 2014, came, I scoured the news to see what I could find. I did find this…
UK storm in pictures: Giant waves and floods – BBC News
UK storm in pictures: Giant waves and floods
- Published6 January 2014
This literal wave that hit the U.K. on January 6, 2014, may have been a foreshadowing but was not the main event. I now understand that the “wave” that struck on January 6th was symbolic for the Washington DC protests that occurred in the year 2020. I believe this dream from 2014 was a prophetic dream. The second “wave” could be the protesters being charged with “sedition” and “insurrection“, and this entire event being used to place the duly elected President of the United States (Donald J Trump) into jail and silence all opposing voices to the New World Order “regime” – thus destroying the entire republic of the United States of America. In the dream, the restaurant broke apart and fell into the sea symbolizing the destruction of the United States as a free country. Biblically, the sea often represents chaos. This may sound a little frightening, but when we look at is as a “Paul and Silas” event, perhaps these massive waves will shake open the prison doors and set many, many captives free as people recognize that no man, no government can SAVE them! Only Jesus Christ can save! ✝️🙏🏻
I RAISE A HALLELUJAH; I WILL WATCH THE DARKNESS FLEE! 🙌🏻
