Title Ephesians 06:10 Prepare for the End
Contents
Ephesians 6-10) Prepare for the End
The U.S. defined the hijacking of the airliner last Tuesday night as a “war without a declaration of war,” and the Saudi Arabian terrorist Osama bin Laden and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, who are protecting him, were regarded as enemies and a large-scale war was started. We are preparing.
A book called The Clash of Civilizations, published by Samuel Huntington in 1993, is drawing attention after the terrorist attacks. This is because he saw that the most threatening conflict factor in the 21st century, when ideological barriers have become meaningless, would be the clash between different civilizations. In fact, this incident is also a clash between Christian civilization and Islamic civilization, or more precisely, a conflict between religions. Because, as Paul Tillich defined it, culture or civilization is a shell and its content is religion.
If you look at the history of the Bible as 6,000 years, there was a big event every 2,000 years. In the first two thousand years, there was the flood of Noah, and in the next two thousand years, the Savior of mankind was born. Just over 2,000 years after his birth, we are facing a critical turning point. The reason for worrying about this war, which will be recorded as the first war of the 21st century, is that it will not end simply as a war between nations, but will lead to World War 3 or the War of Armageddon.
Because David said, “War belongs to the Lord,” only God knows whether or not there will be a war. The challenge is for believers to know and respond to these situations. Because if the end cannot be avoided, it is wise to prepare ahead of time.
I. Biblical Lessons on Eschatology
First - a realized eschatology. It is thought that the end has already come through the miracles of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Second - a thorough eschatology. It is the view that the end will come with the second coming of Jesus.
The third is procedural eschatology. The end that has already begun with the first coming of Jesus is, however, not yet complete.
In addition, although impending eschatology and delayed eschatology alternately appear in Christian history, it is clear that eschatology has never been taken lightly. However, from the Middle Ages, when the church was institutionalized, eschatology began to weaken. We need to bring eschatology back to the topic of church and theology.
II. sign of the end
The first is the vision shown to Daniel. “Daniel, keep these words and seal them up until the time of the end, for many will come and go quickly, and knowledge will increase (Daniel 12:4).”
Second - the prophecy of Jesus. Matthew 24 is called the “Apocalypse”. When the appearance of false Christs and antichrists, wars, natural disasters, etc. become severe, they were told to know that the time of the end has come.
Third - Paul's writings. In an article I gave to Timothy, I told him to know that when he sees 『The culmination of humanism and selfishness』, it is a sign of the last days.
None of the above prophecies are wrong. We cannot say exactly when and when, but it is clear that certain things are imminent.
III. preparation for the end
First - you should not confuse your friend with your enemy. The most troubling question after the US has declared war is how far to define the enemy as an enemy.
In the church, we often see cases where energy is wasted due to internal problems, but it is not possible to fight an external enemy and self-destruct. It is clear that the church must be strong internally and externally, but it must be understood that it must not use its power to frame and destroy comrades. We need to know that our enemy is Satan and the devil.
Second - you must be prepared. Matthew 25 can be said to be a training manual for dealing with the eschatological situation in chapter 24. You should know that the parable of the ten virgins is a message to be sober and awake.
Third, you must put on full armor. Our enemy is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and against the powers of this world of darkness, and against the spirits of evil in the heavens (verses 12-13). In a letter from the early church father, Ignatius, to Polycarp, the bishop of the Church of Smyrna, there is a passage saying, “Baptism as a shield, faith as a helmet, love as a spear, and patience as full armor. Paul had been watching the Roman soldiers from an early age and was well aware of how they became the most powerful army to defend the empire.
Belt of Truth - A belt is the tool that binds all parts of a garment. Our Lord said, “The truth will set you free.” Existentialist philosopher Karl Jaspers said, “The ideal is to fight irrationality with the universal validity of science, against nihilism with the sincerity of faith, and against authoritarianism with the powerlessness of faith.
Breastplate of Righteousness - At that time, the breastplate was tied and tied with a leather cord made of hard leather, iron, and copper, and it is said that it served to block attacks from swords and arrows to some extent.
The new-gospel prepared by the gospel of peace gives us peace. In any case, the gospel stabilizes us. As long as your shoes are strong, you are not afraid of even the roughest mountain roads. Only when the evangelist is armed with the Gospel can he become strong and at peace.
Shield of Faith - The devil shoots fire arrows to attack. Satan shoots arrows of despair, arrows of disease, arrows of lust, arrows of hate, arrows of jealousy. The way to extinguish these fires is faith. Please remember that all the fortitude shown by the forefathers of faith in Hebrews 11 stemmed from faith.
Helm of Salvation - The most important part of the human body is the head. The most important thing in faith is the assurance of salvation. No matter how long you believe, if you do not have the assurance of salvation, you are like a person without a head. As a believer, it means that you are already dead.
The sword of the Spirit, or the Word of God-If the weapons so far are for defense, the sword of the Spirit and the Word of God are weapons for attack. Attack is more important than defense. In order to destroy Satan's camp, we must attack with the Word in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
It is like praying in the Holy Spirit with ignorance - rear logistic support Prayer is an invisible back support. The more support you receive from prayer, the more elite you are.
IV. the benefits of tribulation
To rely only on God - In the limiting situation, it is said, “He comes with his hands because he has no will.”
In order to distinguish the real from the fake-Ms. Coriten Boom, a revivalist, gave her testimony when she was exiled to Siberia. When he was suffering from cold and labor because of his faith in Jesus, a Soviet soldier pointed his gun and said, “I will kill you here. Even now, if you say you don't believe me, I will spare you." Some people denied it and ran outside. When I repeated the same words again, a few more people left. Although the ultimatum was issued, the people no longer moved and were praying, ready to die. Gunshots were heard outside, and they were unharmed. The Soviet soldiers were able to distinguish the real from the fake in that way.
I earnestly desire to win the spiritual warfare armed with the full armor of God in the end times.