The Only Possession That MaTTers

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of Christ, having the outward appearance goodness, but denying Christ’s word. Avoid such people.”
---2 Timothy 3:1-5

Naïve men and woman often subscribe to the belief that people are inherently good. This is a lie. As Christ revealed to the prophet Jeremiah: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick”. (Jeremiah 17:9) Everyone that has accepted Christ into their hearts knows this to be true. It is only through His grace and mercy that we have been redeemed of our sins.
 
Adam betrayed Christ in the garden. He lied to Christ about why he had dawned a fig leaf to mask his own carnal desires. He also betrayed Only (known as Eve within modern translations of scripture), the flesh of his flesh. Adam blamed her for his decision to partake in fruit forbidden to him from day one. His carnal pleasures meant more to Adam than all the blessings on Earth.
 
Christ declared, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, To give to each person according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:10). If you step back and consider the meaning of this declaration, you begin to realize that every thought we have is weighed and every choice we make is measured. You are only deluding yourself if you disbelieve the Christ knowns everything that crosses our minds.
 
There comes a time in life when every person reaches a decision point: they can choose to surrender their care and will over to Christ or turn their backs on all He has offered and pursue their own carnal desires. For some this day occurs early on in life and for others in the later years. Nevertheless, for those who have chosen the later Christ’s judgement is swift and final.
 
Whilst imprisoned by the Romans, the Apostle Paul wrote,“you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then, let’s not sleep as others do, but let’s be alert and sober. (Thessalsonians 5:4-6). As true sons and second sons of Israel know, remaining alert and sober means adhering to Christ’s eleven Commandments  and cleansing ourselves of our sins.
 
Plenty of men and women pretend to be faithful followers of Christ. Many have fallen victim to forms of idolatry such as hero worship, nationalism, or ethnic pride. Others believe that declaring themselves Christian absolves them of their sins. They mistakenly believe that discrimination is a virtue, or that they are absolved of their sins even though they chase their carnal desires.
 
For those of us that were nearly consumed by our own sins or tolerated the sins of others, we know that the moment we surrendered our care and our will over to Christ we had reached our defining moment. Our fears and our prejudices slowly eroded, and we began to clearly see the efficacy of Christ’s Commandments. The sins of those around us were revealed and we realized that we had to walk away from those who chosen a dark path.
 
Christ reveals that, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:5:7)
 
With eyes wide open, it is easy to see that we are nearing the end times. Civilization have reached the pinnacles of technology, and for the third time in a little over a century nations are rising against one another once again. More pointedly, false prophets abound and are glorified, and hearts are hardening. The warnings Christ spoke of on the Mount Olive are coming to fruition. (Matthew 24)
 
In a broad sense, modern culture is much like Adam. Cumulatively, we have rejected all Christ offered and opened the gates of hell. On Thanksgiving Day of 2018, Christ sounded the Clarion Call, giving an audible signal to His faithful and His true that demons are advancing and that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were preparing to take wing. In a very real sense, Gabriel blew his horn.
 
Deep-space sonar stations around the world received this signal weeks later. The signal defied physics and baffled the world’s top scientists and astronomers. Reports of the signal were largely, and deliberately, ignored by the media and by political leaders. Predators that long ago abandoned Christ’s commands buried the story so as not to alarm the public and carried on with their unholy agendas as if nothing happened. (Ezekiel 28:2-5)
 
Christ warned that the days ahead will offer an “Abomination of Desolation”. (Matthew 24:15). He warned that men and women that have succumbed to demons will attempt to deceive His faithful about His arrival: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him.” (Matthew 24:23) He also warned that His faithful and His true will suffer through tribulations unlike any before.
 
For sons and second sons of Israel, men and women of faith redeemed by Christ, it is imperative that we prepare ourselves for the tribulations ahead. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:11-12)
 
If you haven’t distanced yourself from men and women in your own lives that are consumed by their own sins, it is time to do so. Take the time to connect with Christ through prayer and meditation. Ask Him to reveal those amongst you that have covet your existence, and ask Him to reveal their deceptions and their lies. Forgive them their trespasses, but never forget the harms they have done. Their final day of judgment nears.
 
Prepare yourself to hear Christ’s will for you. Recognize that the material world is temporal and that the only thing you truly carry with you is your name. We will face tribulations, but Christ will never abandon those who remain faithful and true. (Matthew 18:6) Those of us that have stood on the abyss know that He always provides. (Matthew 14:13) The only fear we have is that we should ever lose faith.

The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
---Revelation 3:5
 
 
CHRIST TRANSLATES FROM BEAST TO YEAST. CHRIST RETURNITH.

Author: Erik Gagnon - Managing Partner, Chi Rho Consulting