I don’t follow End Times that much, as I see a lot born out of fear of them. I have a friend who dearly wants to be worthy, and have enough “Bible” in him so that he can be faithful in the end times. YouTube premium kicked back in this month. I had put it on hold 6 months ago. And I had downloaded some content on my phone so I could listen to it in the car, while running errands, without burning data. But when it ended if flipped over to something on end times with a different speaker (burning data). I listened. And it got me thinking about end times. But not the way the speaker, or my friend talk about them.
What if Jesus really was “God is salvation”? What if some of those verses about protection were true (like Mark 16:17-18). With the exception of the snake handling denominations that feel that they need to prove or practice their faith, you rarely hear a sermon on those verses.
Then there is John 14:12.
““Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” (NASB)
In “The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun” Brother Yun tells of a time that he was in prison, and was put in the solitary confinement cell in the middle of the prison yard. They gave him nothing for 61 days (if my memory serves me), and he didn’t think that he could pass 40 days of fasting, because that is what Jesus, the Son of God did. When he passed it, Holy Spirit reminded him of John 14:12.
There was also Luke 4:28-30.
“28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, He went His way.” (NASB)
So, when the end times come, the things that people fear, being put to death, or being dragged off, separated from family, was the Lord saying that we should lean into Him, because He went to The Father, and sometimes, the natural things won’t kill us, and other times, they may come to take us, and we just pass through their midst.
He had (or has, I am not sure which) that authority, otherwise He couldn’t give it away, in greater measure now that He has gone to The Father. Don’t let your mind be limited, or maybe don’t be limited by your mind. Firing squad? Gun to your temple? You have authority over your own body. Maybe you don’t allow bullets into your body.
OK, there is a time where people can’t buy or sell without the mark of the beast. What if we didn’t need to buy or sell. Remember Deut 8:3-4
“3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 4 For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. “
Israel didn’t have to buy and sell in the wilderness. Even water came from a rock.
All things point back to Jesus. Maybe you don’t feel that you have the faith for doing greater things, because He has gone to The Father. There is a solution, Jesus
“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2 NKJV)
And any follower or disciple of Jesus can ask like the disciples did in Luke 17:5. ‘The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”’
So, how does this relate to The Journey Home? Well, my mind was going down a rat hole about the property with the 248 mostly wooded acres, how we could survive by clearing some land planting crops, and buying the Boxgrid, and maybe a couple of greenhouses. We could do it without Him. Pay our taxes in advance. … How foolish! How much better to trust Him. Jesus has gone to The Father. Definitely, pay careful attention to Holy Spirit. He has the way for you to get through the end times. He doesn’t need your help, just your cooperation. He will lead you into all the truth, including the truth of the love of the One who fixed the end times on His Own authority.
You can be confident in Him. (Confident from the Latin “com” – together, and “fidere” – faith). Your faith never stands alone. He joins His faith to yours, and that is always enough.
Jesus Day by Day 