Daily Devotion

August 10, 2015

Signs of the Times (4)


“This gospel…will be preached in all the world.” Mt 24:14 NKJV

Jesus said when we see calamity and apostasy don’t give in to fear, because they’re signs of His soon return. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (vv. 13-14 NKJV). Every prophecy concerning Christ’s first coming was fulfilled in detail, and so will every prophecy concerning His second coming. Our mandate is to work, pray, give, and take the gospel to the whole world—then Christ will return. Though the church is winnowed down like Gideon’s army, and the world is in a state of upheaval, don’t overreact. “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes” (Ps 37:7 NLT). God’s hand is still on the wheel. “The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men” (Da 4:17). Avoid Pollyanna optimism. Though you may be personally blessed, the world order as you know it will continue to disintegrate. But that doesn’t mean you should join the “Chicken Little chorus” and declare, “The sky’s falling down!” Don’t give in to the extremes of blind denial or blatant panic. When the bombs of World War II leveled Warsaw, only one skeletal structure remained standing on the city’s main street. It was the British and Foreign Bible Society, and on its walls was clearly written: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Mt 24:35).

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