The Coming Tribulation
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Here is a quote from Thomas a Kempis…………………..
“Jesus has many who love His kingdom in heaven, but few who bear His cross. He has many who desire comfort, but few who desire suffering. He finds many to share His feast, but few His fasting.
All desire to rejoice with Him, but few are willing to suffer for His sake. Many follow Jesus to the breaking of the bread, but few to the drinking of the cup of His passion. Many admire the miracles, but few follow Him to the humiliation of the cross. Many love Jesus as long as no hardship touches them.”
Here is a quote from the Holy Spirit………………
“Only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to you, or are absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries which is to them a proof of your perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict that you saw in me and now hear is in me.”(Phil 1:27-30)
The reason I have been quoting great men of God from every century in the last few days is because I feel led by the Lord to show a great truth, an abiding truth that has been passed down through the centuries. These men and Scripture all agree.
If we could take the Church as a whole, around the world, and break it all down, I believe we would come up with two opposing doctrines, two opposing voices. The difficulty the church faces in discerning these two points of view is that they overlap for maximum confusion.
Remember, we are dealing with an enemy that is the master of confusion and lies. If Satan is to successfully distract the Church from its primary goal, he must convince those who distract the church that they are right. One of the major ways of doing this, is by convincing these mens followers that size or acquisition is a sign of success and a blessing of God.
The paradox here is that this can be true. The discernment then, must lie, in discerning what men teach. Just because you have a mega church in no way legitimizes what a man teaches or who he truly is.(The recent sad events in Colorado, where a man who led a church of 14000 and an organization of over 33 million , yet had a secret life that flies in the face of everything God stands for may be proof enough)
It is true enough that Satan can also prosper a man for his own reasons.
Number one of the opposing doctrines is roughly this. God wants all of His people to be rich and successful. They are to prosper and acquire. Now there are degrees of this teaching, some extreme, some more moderate, but all the same teaching. One of the extreme views from this philosophy is that Jesus is not coming back until every believer has an actual mansion here on earth.
A more moderate view is that Christians should be employers, not employees. They should own a house not rent. They should run the Government, not be run by it. Men of this persuasion want to see a physical kingdom here on earth , which they run. They want to acquire lands and influence, secular power here on earth. This is the way that they will change the world, and we only have to believe to bring all of this to pass.
They claim that we Christians are destined for all of this and that we have to reach out and take our rightful place on earth. They say that we were called to have dominion over the earth and all of its treasures. And weaved through all of this is Biblical principals of sowing and reaping, testing God and seeing if He will not bless and so on.
The other view is a view of suffering. It is one of humiliation, one that believes that the Kingdom of God is not physical but that it lies within each believer. It believes that we are to join Christ on His road to Calvary(the proponents of the previous view would never deny many of these) This view believes that God will effect change, one life at a time.
They also believe that there is a coming catastrophe, almost at the door, and that we must ready ourselves. In order to ready ourselves we must seek a closer walk with Jesus, we must abide in Him fully if we are to be strong in the coming days. Guys like Tony Evans, and David Wilkerson and Franklin Graham are proponents of this view.
If you are to discern in these last days brothers and sisters. Listen to what a man says. The Bible says that “Out of the abundance of a mans heart the mouth speaks.” So, if you hear a man who constantly talks about money, being rich (often disguised with the word blessed) and acquiring things, how you can be “successful,” and so on, and sprinkles it with some Biblical truth, use your own discernment.
You will know from the thrust of what he talks about, where his heart lies. Now we also see the blending of this philosophy with a secular one called “The secret,” championed by people like Oprah Winfrey. Beware brothers and sisters, you may just get exactly what your heart desires, but the price may be a leanness of your soul.
I believe that we are living in exceedingly “lean ,” times in the church because the Lord is giving us over to the desires of our hearts, what a price to pay! True treasure is the presence of the Lord. True treasure is the gifts of the Lord in operation in our lives and in our Churches. When my wife and I were married at 17 and were homeless and pregnant(we ended up in the Salvation Army’s shelter for battered woman ) my abiding memory of those difficult times was that “nothing matters as long as we are together.”
That was the strength of our relationship. This attitude has to be the cry of Christians. No matter what happens to us, as long as we are with Him, then we know that we will be OK. It is this attitude that will carry us through. When we are faced with great difficulties the Scripture tells us not to be “terrified,” an extremely strong word, derived from a “horse in full panic.”
When the world sees Christians react, and when the devil sees Christians react this way Scripture tells us that they see this as “proof of perdition, but to you of salvation.” The Greek word for “proof,” here is a legal term denoting evidence by an analysis of the facts. When you receive bad news , and the world analyses your reaction, would it see terror, panic, anxiousness, fear, and if it did, what would that prove?
In the coming tribulation, those who follow the first philosophy, who spent there time acquiring the riches of this earth, will react in terror to all that will unfold. This will be true of tribulation on a national scale, but also on a personal level. When national disaster hits this year, the world should be able to look at you and me and see a people not rocked, not moved from our foundations.
Where there is despair, they should see in us, hope. Where there is fear and panic, they should see in us faith and an immovable spirit that knows in whom it believes and trusts . This is the light in the darkness. It is to this beacon that men will be drawn. Consider the reaction after 9/11 when people poured into the church, they poured out again just as quickly. I believe it is because what they found was no different from what they already had.
On personal level, when the world sees us going through trials and tribulations, sickness or disease, it should see something different. It should see a man or a woman who knows in whom he or she believes. Who knows that no matter what, because He is with us, then we will be OK. This is what the world desperately needs to see, something different, something peculiar, this inner peace, this tranquility in the face of disaster that surpasses all understanding.
Yet sadly, all too often, it does not see that. If we are to be able to stand in such a place where we can truly say ” O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” (1Cor 15:55) we will have to pursue God and abide in Him.
We will have to pursue hidden treasures that cannot be seen by mens own eyes, like peace and love and joy. When we can be at peace, when all around us is falling to pieces, then, and only then, will we be in a position to truly influence men for the Kingdom, that Kingdom that abides in us and yet is still to come, whose capital city is the New Jerusalem.
The world nor Satan is impressed or bothered by men who love Gods kingdom but refuse to bear His cross, who love comfort but detest suffering, who willingly shares His feast, but refuse to share His fast, who only love rejoicing but who will not rejoice in His suffering, who will break His bread but not fully drink of His passion, who love to run after miracles, but will run away at a gallop from His humiliation.
Use your discernment brothers and sisters, follow the way of the Lord and you will not go wrong in this world of many voices. Acknowledge Him, in ALL OF HIS WAYS and He will direct your paths.
A Call To The Remnant 
Dan said
This is excellent and so true. These words are solid and built on the Rock.
appolus said
Hi Dan…thanks for dropping by and leaving your comment. May the Lord continue to bless you brother……….Frank
“EVERYTHING MUST GO” « Grace County said
[…] SCOTTISH WARRIORS (Frank McEleny) If one is curious about the makeup of the remnant church and about what will be required of those who profess the name of Jesus in the times approaching, this is a site to visit on a regular basis. Franks posts always challenge us to examine our current spiritual state while encouraging us to get in close to Jesus. Please check out this page entitled THE COMING TRIBULATION […]
timbob said
Good evening. Have you ever seen something taking place that you didn’t know how to explain to others? This is how it’s been for me concerning the prosperity gospel. It’s a dangerous thing, and yet it’s a struggle to try and explain it to one who has memorized all of the appropriate verses in order to embrace a doctrine of “gain-equates-to-godliness.” This page sums up perfectly, the varying degrees of the prosperity group and how the love of things leads to having leanness in ones soul.
This page contains an excellent explanation of the dangers associated with the neverending pursuit of status and stuff in this world. This page has caused much pondering and reflection ever since I first read it several days ago.
Thanks for consistantly placing items on your blog that are of such importance. Blessings always in Jesus name.
timbob
appolus said
Hi Tim, thanks for your kind words. I personally feel that the proseperity gospel is an abomination from the bowels of hell. The desire to be wealthy has pierced so many Christians through with many sorrows…………..Frank
LEAN MANUFACTURING « Grace County said
[…] THE COMING TRIBULATION (Scottish Warrior) […]
cindyinsd said
Hi, Frank
Sorry I missed this post somehow. So true, and well put. The prosperity gospel has had a long running. Thirty years ago I had my first exposure to it. I was young and poor and it sounded good, yet I do remember feeling in my heart there was something wrong there. But money was so tight I really wanted it to be true. Didn’t work. (God’s mercy to me, no doubt.) 😉
It’s funny, though, how sitting under that message can mess up your perceptions. They said that spiritual blessings were more important than all the material stuff, but you know–they didn’t really believe that, and neither did the audience. How could anyone think spiritual things were of anything but secondary importance when we were being urged to “believe God” for all sorts of physical things (all for His glory, of course!)? Of course, all of this abundant blessing was to be ours for the merest pittance given in the support of the “ministry.” It’s gotten worse since then, I think, though I’ve been out of that for a long, long time.
I believe this will be the ultimate fate of the nominal church–it will merge with the rest of the false religions and become the great whore seated on the beast. The prosperity preachers are already 99/100 of the way there.
God is so merciful, isn’t He?
Love, Cindy
appolus said
Hi Cindy, always good to hear from you dear sister. I say amen to your comment. I like your honesty about being young and poor and wanting it to be true but in your heart of hearts you knew it was not so. Of course that was the witness of the Spirit. Igree with you about the ultimate fate of the nominal church or the established church. It was always too easy to believe that it would be the Catholic church alone, as was thought for a long time. This world is so important to the people of the prosperity persuasion that when push comes to shove, and their lifestyle or position is threatened they will turn on the people who are causing the “problem.” That would be the “remnant,” or the actual Church. How ironic, some of the very same reasons why the Pharisees killed our Lord, to maintain their position and protect themselves from the “world,” which in their case was the Romans………….Frank
Tim Smith said
Please join with me in prayer that the Lord will draw thousands to a new website: http://www.millenniumministries.us for an extremely important End Times message. It can also be accessed at http://www.millenniumministries.us/mm. May all the glory go to God.
Evangelist,
Tim
Johnny said
Frank, I know that you believe in a world-wide end times revival. I don’t know however, if you see it as I do, so I’d like to dialog about that a bit.
First, let me say that I see revival, as a reviving of that which already exists. An awakening from slumber, if you will. An end time harvest is a different matter, and I’m not clear if the Bible makes a case for that, but am willing to listen to arguments that it does.
Prophetically, I see several things about to occur that are hand-in-glove. They are, in order, the great persecution or tribulation, leading to the great apostasy or falling away, leading to the purification of the Bride so she’s without spot or wrinkle, leading to God’s manifest power poured out within her, leading to her confronting the beast who’s coming, leading to her being crushed by him, leading to the Rapture, which leads to the coming of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Whew!
Within that, I see the Bride as the two witnesses of Rev 11, not two individual men. I believe the two olive trees to be the natural one and the wild one grafted-in, that Paul wrote of. I see the killing of them, to be a fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy regarding the beast crushing the power of the saints. That’s why the world parties for 3.5 days… the fulfillment of their dreams has occurred… they’ve finally gotten rid of those infuriating Christians and Jews. Then… surprise!!!!
Let me know what you think.
appolus said
Hi Johnny,
We are pretty close 🙂 First of all I consider the great falling away to be fully under way, we are in the midst of it right now, if not close the end of it. Well many say, many of the churches are bulging, expecially through the Bible belt. We have mega churches and so on. And those who would think that the most are European Christians or what is left of them. Christianity in Europe is a barren wasteland. Yet, what we now have as Chritianity, after almost 100 years of cheap grace and 30 or 40 years of a charismatic invasion of classic pentecostalism, is Christendom that has lost its way and sold its soul to the world. Yet, as always. God has His remnant. His Chruch never fails, His Church is always persecuted, always hated. And who persecutes His Church the most? The religious institutions. And so I personally see and believe that the Spirit has shown me that that He will pour out His Spirit on His Church after having taken them into the desert. Many are there now and many are joining them as we speak. There they are seperated, called out. There they will learn to be totaly dependent upon the Lord. What is left behind will be like Saul’s kingdom as it awaits Sauls death and David’s crowning. It will be like the temple that Jesus stood up in and pronounced His ministry, a temple that considered the presence of God to dwell behind the curtain and when the curtain was finally torn it was discovered that the ark of the covenant was not only not there, but that it had been gone for hundreds of years and the true presence was missed. And just as Saul despised David because David moved in the presence of God, so too will/do the church hate those who move in the presence of God. When that presence is mightily increased by the pouring out of the latter rains, then so to will the hatred for them be increased. Thnk about what happened to Stephen. The timing is important here. For this will all, I believe, co-incide with some great event or events that will rock the world. A man or a movement will emerge that will bring the world back from chaos and the verge of destruction. Out of this chaos will come the great whore church and the joining of Judaism and Islam and Christianity. The Remnant will refuse to join such an organisation and then they will be seen as the trouble makers of the world and the hatred of the world will fall upon them and they will be hunted down and killed. They will mostly be identified by the religious folks and people who had formerly called them brothers but who always secretly hated them because they spoke of Jesus and the Father in personal terms. This, I believe, will be the seperation of the sheep from the goats as persectuion comes hard. From the beginning to the end will either be a 3.5 year or 7 years persecution of the saints.
And so to sum up. The great falling away, apostacy. The establishment of the anti-christ system and the outpouring of the Spirit on the remnant church. Now, I believe that this Remnant church will continue to bring people to Christ as they continue to be a witness. A persecution such as has never been seen before, certainly worse that what the Nazis did to the Jews. What part does Israel play in all of this? I am not sure. When will that happen? I do not know. Could it happen in our life time? I see no obstacle for it not to happen. Do I sense in my Spirit that the end is relativly near? Yes I do. Can I sense in my spirit a mounting hatred for genuine Christianity? Yes I do. Do I believe that the two witnesses are actually two men? No. I dont know what the two witnesses will be. Will there be an actual Anti-Christ, a man? Yes I believe that there will be such a man. And there will be a false prophet who legitimizes him, probably a pope. Should any of this cause fear? No, it should just have us press in closer to the Lord and to our brothers and sisters and all the more as we see that day coming. I hope I have given you an Idea of where I coming from Johnny………….. bro Frank
Shana said
Nice! Many have been my thoughts as well!
ACountryBoy said
Actually the words “bride of Christ’ is not in the bible. However, the bride is Israel. Christians are the body of Christ. Paul never said believers are the bride.
Johnny said
Thank you, Frank, for such a meaty response. It seems that you have been chewing on these matters for some time. And as you said, we’re close to agreement on almost all of it.
I can whole-heartedly relate to the desert issue… it’s where I am now. And I agree that the greatest persecution comes from the religious… have experienced it first-hand. The one question I have, is the timing of the great falling away. You’re probably right about it being in full swing at present, but I believe the persecution to come is going to accelerate it, if not finish it. I believe that’s when we’ll see brother turn against brother, etc. But for places like China, they may already be there. And that’s a key to discerning these things, I believe… realizing that they may start as a small flame in one part of the world, while another has sprung up elsewhere. In any event, they are inextricably related and dependent on preceding ones.
I noticed your mention of the Charismatic influence on classic Pentecostalism. Truthfully, for me that was a good thing, as I’d grown up in the Church of God in SC. After being baptized in the Holy Spirit while living in Prairie Village, KS, I began attending Full Faith Church of Love, in Shawnee, KS. And while it eventually was found to be lacking in some major areas, it was a far cry from the legalism of my youth. But I understand, I believe, where you’re coming from, as Charismania has brought us quite a few heresies, not the least of which is the prosperity movement.
All-in-all, the cry of my heart has been, and continues to be, a return to my first love and the fiery zeal that I walked in when new. If you’re right about the latter rains falling in the desert, I may not have long to wait.
Roman Asia said
Good post. While I am not an “end-times” proponent in the way described by many, I do strongly believe there is a great persecution coming to Christians. It doesn’t take a meteorologist to say it is going to rain. A simple look at the sky tells me there is an approaching storm.
It is the same situation with what is taking place in the world today with the kingdom of God. So many are trying to create a kingdom on earth…not understanding that the kingdom of Christ is “not of this world”. From that belief of so many, there are now countless preachers teaching a prosperity gospel that will usher in a difficult time.
Whether it is the prosperity gospel or the nonsense spewing from the emergent church, we need to be on guard and prepared for using the time God gives us very wisely.
Again, thanks for the post.
appolus said
Amen Roman!!!…………bro Frank
trisha noren said
oh my goodness Appolus, you are soooooo right on!!!!!!!! The Lord brought my husband Donald thru a massive heart attack in 2014 while we were attending a Jesus Conference here in Lake Mary, Florida…Donald will be celebrating his 88th b’day 7/1 if we aren’t Raptured!!!! lol
it was amazing to see how the Lord orchestrated the whole ordeal…believers praying for him before the procedure…a pastor in the
waiting room with me…and people were stunned at my reaction…i am still in my AWE BUBBLE and will remain until we are Raptured…
Abba Father, King Jesus, Holy Spirit are awesome and we are grateful for every day!!! Donald is still wowing the doctors…his heart pump
rate should be going down after 3 years…it has gone UP…another miracle and we are praising our Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i would recommend worship to anyone who is fearful and there is a lot of fear out there…there is great power
in praise and worship!!!! If I don’t meet you in this realm Appolus, I’ll see you at the Wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…
and thank you for all your wonderful articles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In His Service and Joy,
trisha noren
melbourne, fl
appolus said
What a tremendous testimony sister, praise the Lord!!!!………………….bro Frank
Matt Garton said
Thank you Frank for your obedience to our LORD