Hard-Pressed for New Oil

 Greetings in the Lord,

Today's word come from Mark 13.  It is a chapter where Jesus talks about the End Times -- what to expect, and what to be watchful for, as in particular signs.  He compares the whole progression to a birthing process, with each stage being like "birthing pains."  It's interesting that He uses that allegory, as it will culminate in His Second Coming, like a second birth into the world.  Only this time, it will be to establish His order on the earth, to "send out His angels to gather His chosen ones from all over the world -- from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven."  While the "and heaven" part is worthy of exploration, I'm getting ahead of myself.  Today's word really focuses on verses 9-13, a short section dealing with the coming persecutions that the Church will undergo.

Now, we know historically that the Church has been under fire many times throughout the ages and more so in various parts of the world.  But, Jesus goes on to give the next major sign that follows on the heels of this great End Time persecution, and that is the "desecration that causes desolation."  Traditionally, the understanding of that is literal, like when a pagan idol or blood ritual was done in the Temple in Jerusalem in the days of Nebuchadnezzar or Antiochus Epiphanes or the Roman general Titus, all when they overtook Jerusalem and dedicated the Temple to their gods.  But in order for that to happen nowadays, the Temple would need to be rebuilt, at least in part, to follow this literal understanding.  But there is another more "modern" understanding of this event.

In this "modern" perspective, there are some to say that because we are believers in Jesus Christ, our physical bodies become the Temple for the Holy Spirit.  In that case, the "desecration that causes desolation" would be something that desecrates or brings ruin to our physical bodies.  Consider for a moment, an implant that would alter our genes or any other technological process or chemical substance that would have the same effect, like gene editing.  Hmmm, those are interesting ideas to consider, given we are in the days of a pandemic where government officials are pondering the need for mandatory vaccines and toying with the notion of adding a monitoring implant within the vaccines.  This manipulation of our gene pool would definitely be a desecration that would bring desolation to the gene pool the Lord created for us in His image.  But let's not go down that road too deeply today.  For today's word I merely want to point out that we are having VERY significant events happen and that we need to be watchful and sober-minded to understand the signs of the times. 

So, in taking some of these ideas together, we can understand that the type of persecution to come just before the "desecration that causes desolation" will have more than religious concoctions; it will be political as well as societal, and scientific as well as economic in nature.  In fact, much of the perspective I receive prophetic words and understanding for are from a multi-faceted point of view, and quite often, given in secular as much as theological language.  It is practical prophecy, I like to say.  Anyway, it is the discernment to see the spiritual roots and motivation to the manifestation of things in the natural.  So, having said that, I believe that these coming persecutions quite often come under many secular guises and the enemy goes into overtime to mislabel things to throw people off the track.  And quite often, it's only when people go through these terrible persecutions that they meet the true evil underneath.  And that causes a spiritual revival within the person "who endures to the end."  

I've lived in many countries that have gone through or continue to push these types of persecutions, and it looks very similar to what we read in verses 12-13: "A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.  And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved."  So what am I trying to say in today's word?

Well, for starters, as I mentioned, I do discern that we are on the cusp of some major persecution coming to the Church, mostly for those countries that have a foundation in Christianity.  Here in the U.S., we have already been witnessing and experiencing the early stages of that from the growing plague of "cancel culture", to the illegitimate leader we have in the White House.  The rampant lies and hypocritical censorship in the media and online platforms is just the beginning.  From there God only knows how restrictive things will get, but I do believe there is a plan and purpose to it all.  For I do not believe that this is the great End Time persecution mentioned in Scripture, but just a glimpse of it.  Just enough to usher in a widespread spiritual revival and sifting of the Church so that it can get back to the Word of God and love Him again.  God is a good God, who desires to bless and teach and guide us, but on His terms, not ours.  He gave us Jesus Christ for salvation and redemption and as a new covenant; His Word to instruct and edify, and His Holy Spirit to strengthen, comfort, guide and heal us.  It is a time of renewing our covenant obligations with our holy and awesome God!  So yes, persecutions are just around the corner, a  great shaking indeed.  Economically, national security, socially, everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that we will return to our loving Father.  The Lord works all things for our good, for those who are called according to His purpose.  So we can trust in God, while we make up our minds to be loving and good and joyful, even in the times when we are hard-pressed.

Be blessed and be a blessing.